Cooking School.

When in Korea, do as Koreans do. And they cook! Traditional Breakfasts in Korea consist of stew or soup plus rice and the ubiquitous side dishes. Dinners have the table laden with many side dishes as well as rice and the main course. They are not slinging one-pot meals onto their tables... but rather prepare elaborate meals at every turn!

We had the pleasure of learning how to cook 3 traditional Korean dishes at Ome Cooking School in Seoul. Boy, do they have a slick set-up! We were met at a traditional Vegetable Market to purchase ingredients and I, for one, loved this market! It was aromatic with the scent of fresh herbs and even my allergy plagued nose could enjoy it! As in all markets, the vendors have mounds and mounds of ingredients that are incredibly fresh.

Once our supplies were purchased we headed to the cooking studio. Chef Kim instructed and demonstarted how to prepare Bibimbap, Kimchi Jeon, and Bean Paste Stew. We had our own little gas-fired burners where we flipped our jeon with abandon. After preparing all the dishes we sat down and enjoyed the food as well as home-made maekgolli from Chef Kim. This was a special treat for me as maekgolli is featured in many kdramas; it's the milky beer that is traditional in Korea. Although I am not a fan of beer I found the makegolli great and would happily enjoy it again.

Ome Cooking School's claim to fame is that Hybe Entertainment (the company behind BTS and many other Kpop groups) sought Chef Kim out and she collaborated on a cookbook with BTS. Clearly we learned form the best! We even got a small cookbook on our departure that included the dishes we made as well as several others. Will I make these dishes back in Arizona? Ha! Surely you jest.

See Pat? I can cook!