Durian, durian, the magical fruit People say you smell like a toot. Spiky, pointy, hanging from trees, The sight of you brings me to my knees. People crack you open with a knife, The first taste nearly changed my life. A custard-like inside is a surprising treat, Every day I want to...

Before you freak and and think I'm a monster for eating 산낙지 (Sannakji), otherwise known as live octopus, let me tell you something: it's not really alive. Well, it's alive when it gets to the table, but then the server chops it up into bite-sized pieces....

egg sac

Yes, you read that correctly. Fish guts. And egg sacs. Together. In a bowl. It's called Altang, and it's apparently a pretty popular soup in Korea; although I hadn't heard of it until last weekend.
tteok

Lunar New Year isn't until next week, but that hasn't stopped the parents from sending celebratory goodies for the past five days. Well, I shouldn't say goodies; more like goody. There's only one way to celebrate the Korean New Year, and it's with tteok (떡).

dotorimuk

Dotorimuk is basically mashed-up acorns that have been turned into Jell-O and dressed with soy sauce and sesame oil. It's a very popular side dish in Korea, particularly among hikers...not so much foreigners.

Except for me, that is. I love this stuff. I pray for it to be part of the day's school lunch. I cross my fingers that it's served with dinner. I sometimes have dreams where I high dive into a pool of it, then paddle for hours with my mouth open until every drop is gone.

Eight months ago, I went on a ten-day trip to Shanghai, Xi'an, and Beijing with my friend Chris. We saw some of the world’s wonders, visited some of the world’s scariest bathrooms, and ate some of the world’s best food. Needless to say, America’s perception of Chinese food is somewhat muddled.

It took eleven months, but I finally tried beondegi, also known as boiled silkworm larvae. It's a popular Korean street snack, and is even available by the can! Enjoy my first-ever video post :) [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8ALK032JmI[/embed] ...