K(orean) Kraze

It all started with "Boys Over Flowers" and the ever gorgeous Yoon Ji Hoo (Kim Hyun Joong). I was in my 2nd week of in-house (for the board exams) when my roommate's boyfriend brought with him his ever trusty PSP, packed with "Boys Over Flowers" episodes... at first i was a little reluctant, as you may call it, to watch with my friends, as i have sworn myself to studying and i always thought that "korean novelas"??? as it is called where i'm from, is a little weird, a little cheezy for my taste...but, i started watching it anyways.

Maybe it's because of being imprissoned for 21 days in a dorm full of girls with nothing more than my iPod for entertainment, or the fact that all 3 of my roommates are in love with KIM BUM (can't remember his name in BOF). But, i was practically as addicted as they were... i mean sure, the guys were hot (which is new for me...), and the plot of the story was somewhat catchy. not to mention the very very cheezy lines the gorgeous guys deliver... total knock out for me... i hated to admit it, but i was caught in the K kraze as i'd like to call it.

and so, days passed and i wanted more episodes of BOF, but none came and my obsession grew bigger... (okay,maybe obsession is too strong.) the day after i went home from the in-house, was like a breath of fresh air... i remember searching high and low in the mall looking for the complete set of DVD with the subtitles(as i cannot understand korean), but they were nowhere to be found... my only salvation... i found 2 blocks away from my house ---if you're where i'm from then you know exactly what i mean. but anyways, i bought my DVD for Php80... which would convert to about $2 more or less... cheap ha?

and so, for the next few days... i was stuck in my room, watching the 25-episode drama... seriously...finished it in 3 days and wanted more...and so, i went online, searched for Ji Hoo (as he is my favorite F4) and stumbled upon the band SS501... ( i guess by this point you can trace as how i got to know the other Kpop Idols : DBSK, Shinhwa, Super Junior, Big Bang, F.T. Island, 2 AM, 2 PM, and all the others).

And, like any other FANGIRL, you watch the shows they're in... Family Outing, Infinity Challenge, Idol Army, Full House and Star King to name a few... and then, another Kraze came over me... i noticed that every time i watch most of these shows, or most Korean Variety Shows, there is always FOOD... I've always wondered how Ddukbokki, jajangmyun, bibimbop, etc. tasted. As at that time, i was only familiar with KIMCHI... (which i absolutely detest - hate the smell, i can't stand it ---i'd wanna eat it, but the smell gets to me every time). so, like any other person, i started searching for Korean Restaurants... to my dismay, they don't sell jajangmyun, bibimbop nor ddukbokki... what the hell was i suppose to do?

Maangchi to the rescue... i started searching online for recipes and all that, and i stumbled on www.maangchi.com, which by the way, is an all korean recipe website and, lucky me, she speaks english really well... it was easy breezy... i got the ingredients listed, i downloaded her videos, i went off to the market and bought most of it... i had some slight bumps with the other ingredients, such as the frozen rice cakes, cosari, and the black bean paste for the jajang, but luck is on my side these days... i found a korean convenience store (Assy? Mart) a 3min. walk from where i live, and they had what i was looking for...

i made my first bibimbop (picture above)... and it tasted amazing...then i tried my hand on Ddukbokki and finally, some jajangmyun (pictures above), that i had for dinner today... they were all GOOD...(yes! i made all those)

my K Kraze is a definite knock out... i started from Boys Over Flowers to Cooking Korean Cuisine... I wonder what's next?