I made it to H-mart. It was glorious. I bought a duck. I bought frozen shucked oysters. I bought mushrooms. Best of all I bought banchan, the Korean vegetable side dishes. They had a tray with like 9 of them on it. I should’ve bought more. Our local Korean place doesn’t offer them, and I missed those so much. I need to figure out how to make these in bulk or where to buy them in bulk.
Korean cuisine is a bit special to me. Prior to Gordon joining the army, our income was very limited. I’m unreasonably proud of the fact that despite our meager resources at that time, we never had our utilities turned off for non payment. The kids were always fed, their clothes were always decent and clean, and they had toys, but money was scarce. Needless to say, we didn’t go out a lot. We might have made it to a restaurant a couple of times per year, usually when a family member took us. And honestly there weren’t that many places to eat.
After we arrived to Gordon’s permanent duty station, we quickly crawled out of the financial hole. Our total debt at that point, excluding some student loans, turned out to be much more manageable. After a few months of steady paychecks and careful budgeting, we found that we had money to go out. Almost every base in US has a good Korean restaurant nearby, and that’s where we went. It was more than food. It was proof that we survived, celebrated with grilled meat, sweet and sour radish salad, and soybean sprouts.
So A+ rating to H-mart. 10 out of 10, will go again.
Today is voting day. I voted. Don’t forget to vote. On that note, as far as reminders go, if you are enrolling into ACA healthcare plans, the enrollment is open now. Our health insurance went up again by $250 per month. Again. Damn it.
Somehow my life has become a series of appointments I must keep: annual physical, annual mammogram, annual gynecology visit, annual optometrist visit, semi-annual dentist visit, annual chimney sweeping, annual arborist visit, annual wood purchase, annual ACA enrollment, annual tax review… Adulting. It’s overrated.
Perhaps, that’s why I hide in speculative fiction. I spent the entire day yesterday google driving around trying to get the lay of the land for the small project we’re working on. And then I had to look at boats that could fit a horse. Oy.
I envy the other-world fantasy writers sometimes. They get to write “It was a G’drilian barge with the prized Elvenian pine mast” and move on. Me, google searching: flat bottom barge, aluminum, under 30 ft, for sale. Because if we don’t use an actual boat, someone will no doubt email and explain to us how we are stupid and don’t know how boats work. ::gives side eye to imaginary boat expert:: I found one yesterday. It will do.
Still working on the merch shop. We should launch this month, hopefully. We are working with an awesome designer, Sasha, and her work is great.
We’re ordering samples of most things just to see the quality, so I will be able to share some “life” shots soon. So far we washed the one sample T about 10 times. It held up.
Well, I better get to it. Apparently, Kid 2’s house needs major electrical work, so must make moneys. See you on Friday. I think Mod R said Roman was the next.
Yay! Roman ????
Eeyore gang, assemble for Friday 😀
I may be partial, but the merch looks awe-some. I can’t wait to update my hoodie wardrobe hehe.
I am all about both the merch and Roman. Yes please.
I’m super impressed by you mod R – that you haven’t said the every Friday is Roman day ????
It was a close thing ????
Eeyore gang assembled and waiting!
Woohoo! Roman gang activate! Start chanting to power up the ship for Roman-Eahrratim.
The Roman-Erra Ship will sail!
Roman-Erra Ship??? Wow this would definitely work!! After some bumps and bruises.. 😀
Another member of the Eeyore gang waiting for Roman’s interview. I’ll need it after the week, so far, I’m having right now. ????????
Yay for t-shirts! I hope they are soft! I have a ridiculous love of soft shirts. I am already planning to buy a few of whatever shirt you have but if they are soft then I will totally buy multiples! lol
Korean restaurants are not as common in the UK, but we do have one locally and I love it, I actually said we need to go again just the other day. H-mart sounds great!
I hope the writing goes smoothly 🙂
Arabella last Friday was great, thank you, looking forward to Roman1
I used to live near New Malden, which is London’s Little Korea and it quickly became my favourite food.
There’s this tiny mom-and-pop restaurant called You Me and I would eat there every day of my life if I could. Yachaejeon, Kkanpunggi, honey dumplings, Budae Jjigae- and this amazing pumpkin tea.
My salivary glands are going a mile a minute hehe.
Pumpkin Tea? Please elaborate. My daughter loves tea and this sounds like it’s… her cup of tea. Was it a black tea with pumpkin spice tea or something that was brewed and mixed with milky sugary goodness ?
It’s very creamy, slightly thick, and not in Pumpkin Spice family at all. It taste more like sweet pumpkin pulp – Hobak-cha is the name 🙂
New Malden is epic. It also has a brilliant array of charity shops, good sized Poundland and Wilko. Go for the cheap stuff, stay for the food (also Korean supermarket near Waitrose)
Loved this little aside on Korean food…craving it now. You are amazing writers 🙂
+1
Already voted ????, would buy that design for a hoodie or t-shirt.
MEERRCH!!!
Also love korean food. Those packets of banchan from Hmart are the best for bibimbap.
Yes, adulting is hard. Amazed I made it to my 40’s without the term adulting, before that it was just life after moving out of my parents home, which one did as soon as possible after graduating high school.
T-shirts and desk supplies! Please! I’m so excited to see what designs you both come up with.
this whole specialist for every part of your body thing is overrated. i want my Star Trek Medicine already. give me Dr. Beverly Crusher and I will be content.
Happy Tuesday everyone! virtual hugs to all
I wholeheartedly agree. I grew up in a small town. We had two doctors and they followed you birth to earth. I was in my 30s before I went to a surgeon because my doc didn’t feel confident enough. I miss those days. ????♀️
I just want a nice med unit like the ones Gertrude Hunt has.
Glad H-mart didn’t disappoint!
Loved Arabella and am looking forward to any future installments. ????
Adulting is overrated. Hiding under your blanket near a fire as it rains outside and ignoring work for a few more minutes is underrated. I said it.
I’m really looking forward to the new merch. I can’t wait to see what is available.
Also looking forward to Roman content this Friday. I have a feeling a Kate Daniels reread is going to be in my future. I miss that world.
Adulting, Ugh.
Voting after work.
I can totally relate. And I can still remember the look on the gas station attendant’s face when I upended a bag of change (mostly pennies) to pay for our gas during my husband’s and my lean time. Proud to say we never got utilities shut down either.
Can’t wait for the store to open!!! I too am in need of some hoodies!
Looking forward to visiting with Roman Friday.????????????
I have been wondering if there is a set of the Kate Daniels books to buy with the decorative covers that we see with other series? I would totally wishing for that.
No, there is no KD box set sadly.
Our local Korean restaurant closed when the Korean lady who did ALL the cooking decided to retire. I miss it and her. The first time I was there, she marched out in to the dining room, looked around at the full tables, and announced that food took time—if we were in a hurry, she said, “Go to Subway.” Then she marched back to the kitchen. No one left.
After yesterday I am caught up on all my medical stuff for the year. I got jabbed for shingles in one arm, omicron in the other arm and flu in my thigh. Not feeling too perky today but I’m done.
Here in CA it seems really easy to vote, they now send everyone a ballot and you can just send it back or drop it off to special boxes that collect them. We have a polling place near us that opened over the weekend so My son and I took a nice walk down and dropped off the ballots.
Good luck on trying to make the side dishes. I love it when my brother and SIL cook Korean bbq for us.
They do the same thing with ballots here in Colorado. It’s really helpful
Looking forward to some HA goodies. It doesn’t look like pre-holidays, alas, no easy presents this year. However, maybe next year – if I haven’t already done B’days from the merch shop.
I haven’t gotten brave with Korean food yet. I always make my daughter-in-law go with me (Korean best friend growing up) so I know what to order. I always like everything, but I don’t automatically think Korean for a lunch alone.
(I’m 73. Sue me. Korean food was a well kept secret for a long time.)
There’s an H-Mart close and I’ve been in, but it’s mostly not a good place for someone who seldom cooks anymore. Maybe I should drag Meg there when the north Houston contingent comes visiting…
Oh, voted early on Oct 28. Did not want to wade through Election day mess – and Texas politics are always messy.
Early voting is the best. (Fellow Texan here.)
The aim is for the merch shop to be open for the holidays ????
Yay! Thanks for the clarification.
my presents to me!
Woohoo!
I voted this morning….I broke in new hiking shoes while walking to our neighborhood school/polling place….
Glad HMart was a hit!
I’ve never been to a Korean restaurant that didn’t serve banchan, that’s so interesting. It’s one of my husband’s favorite parts of eating at Korean places!
Glad you were able to make it to H mart and get your fix!
I love Korean food! I cook it often. My husband is Korean American. My mother-in-law says I’m honorary Korean because my 배추김치 (baechu kimchi) is so good. I use her recipe. ????
Kimchi is life!
It is the best! ????
I love HMart. I love all Asian markets!
Come visit me in queens ny Nothing but H Mart here in Korean restaurants in barbecue sauce totally live in Koreatown
Part of my re-enactment hobby is Medieval wagons and boats. What she wants to look at are early canal boats, particularly in England. Most canal boats now are no longer pulled by horses – the trails on the sides of canals are gone. However, the shape, useage is the same.
I put the link to some pictures in the web site, and will help if she likes.
It’s funny how much things like food can come to have so much additional meaning. For example, I don’t care for most donuts. There is a specific hierarchy of donut acceptability, but in general? Donuts are a tolerable food item.
But. As a kid and teen, we had an annual big extended family yard sale in June at my grandma’s house, and for breakfast Grandpa would pick up dozens of cheap donuts and I would eat donuts for breakfast because that was what was available. So even nearly 20 years later, donuts taste like early June mornings at Grandma’s house with cousins spilling all over the yard. I don’t like donuts but the nostalgia is worth it.
“…specific hierarchy of donut acceptability… “????????????
Love it!!
My favorite donut is old fashioned plain cake donut. Visiting with grandparents as a toddler, would get up early to have breakfast with my grandpa before he went to work. Monday thru Thursday was eggs, bacon, and toast. Friday was eggs, bacon, toast, and plain cake donuts. Food is definitely associated with memories!!
My Dad used to go out early on Saturday mornings and bring back fresh, hot from the oven doughnuts. He would come into our bedroom ( my sister and I slept in the same room) and he would open the box. I remember that divine smell. It was a sure quick method to get us out of bed early. Wonderful memories ????
So looking to Roman this Friday! My favorite side character, for sure! Can’t wait to see if he gets a book some day.
Amen on the adulting and the difficulty thereof.
Ohhh the merch. The credit card and I are ready!
I won’t talk about adulting- I’m in a good mood and I don’t want that change.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I would buy your merchandise. I’m shocked because I never buy that stuff and usually have absolutely no interest in it, but I can’t wait to see the HA stock!
And yum to Korean food, glad you enjoyed H-Mart. Also glad you found your small project boat.
You can get recipes for the Korean side veggies/dishes on the net. Some of them are really simple like the blanched soybean sprouts with the sesame seed dressing. The sweet potato salad is easy too. You can probably get Kimchee in bulk at H mart. Different levels of spicy.
There was a Korean grocery store with a small restaurant inside about 5 mins from the house. It was very good then the mall got bought out by a developer and all the small shops had to leave. I now have to drive 45 mins and pay more for the same dishes.
Thanks for the food trip. Yay for more Roman on Innterviews day!
Made the trip over to pick up my daughter so we both could complete and drop off our mail-in ballots before she started her morning shift. It’s her first election. We celebrated with coffee 😀
I am looking forward to your store! I am thinking to mix family recipes with photos for Shutterfly book gifts for the family this year.
Congratulations to your daughter on her first election day!! ????️????????
Yes, adulting is completely overrated. And what mostly sucks is that you can totally remember the eyeroll your mother used to give you when you said, “I can’t wait until I’m grown up and I can eat ice cream for dinner if I want!”
Yeeeaaaahhhh… you can eat ice cream for dinner if you want, but it really doesn’t compensate for the fact that you have to pay the water bill every stinking month. Not to mention that you now have an adult metabolism now.
Adulting. Sheesh. ????
I can’t tell you how it warms my heart to hear the special relationship you have with Korean food. When we first came to the state in the 70’s, I remember driving to a farm to buy soybeans so that my mom could make tofu at home. I never saw Korean food at the grocery store or even ate at a Korean restaurant until I was older. I was one of those kids who had a “lunchbox” moment in school and learned not to share my Korean food. All to say, YES! H-Mart is MARVELOUS.
I hope your merch has t-shirts specifically for women. As a pear shaped woman, I find unisex t-shirts don’t work for me 🙁
Also, I’d LOVE to read Ilona’s autobiography.
Korean food is the absolute best! I may be a little biased though… = ) The references to Korean food in your books made me love you even more!
Thank you! Now must find Korean cooking class. And start saving moneys for Merch. Be grateful you don’t write thrillers that take place on an Earth battlefield that takes place in present day – all the Army paraphernalia that you would have to get correct
I am excited for Friday, first Arabella, now Roman? (Rubs hands together gleefully)
Yay for merch, my pockets are waiting!
On adulting my newly minted 19 year old young adult said its a scam. I wanted to laugh, but I couldnt really disagree.
He’s back home graduated from a vocational college with an AS in Automotive Tech. Every where he has applied to so far has said they will take him for no pay for 6months+ training. We told him keep looking someone will hire him and want to pay him, he can stay with us as long as he needs.
Adulting is hard at the beginning.
I haven’t noticed it getting easier in the past 40 years, honestly. As the responsibilities pile up it gets to be more and more of a slog. I’ve learned to fit in small daily breaks and annual week-long ones. Those eight years without a vacation in the ’90s were a really bad idea.
Good for you for teaching him not to settle. I’ve seen friends take jobs with questionable conditions out of panic. It rarely ends well.
Keera, where are you located? We are looking for automotive techs for our shop in Colorado.
I love H-mart!! Lotte Plaza, 99 Ranch, and Mitsuwa are also awesome Asian supermarket chains! I recently relocated to the UK and am sadly lacking in access to any of these 🙁
I really hope “Book-Devouring Horde” appears on some of the merch!
It certainly will ☺️
Han Ah Reum – small H-Mart (part of the same company).
Super H – Massive H-Mart (part of the same company). My kids thought it was an aquarium when they were younger.
If you come across a Super H, I think you would enjoy stopping in.
H-Mart is great! I’m glad it holds such delight.
I’m so excited for the merch options! I hope that they are reasonable for you all. And the tea time interviews are so lovely. I just got a friend of mine hooked on your work and I’m so excited to see their joy experiencing the stories (that I love so much) for the first time!
Roman ????
I’m neither a fabulous cook nor a connoisseur, but I unabashedly love grocery stores. They are the place I go to recenter myself when I’m traveling and start feeling out of whack. I also count Korean cuisine as my favorite, so Hmart is altogether a little bit of heaven (so many new greens, so many new mushrooms, so many types of kimchi!). To my utter frustration, the closest one is 2.5 hours away. ???? Anyway, cheers to great new food discoveries!
Oh, in case no one’s said it yet (too many comments to read between this and the last post!), Maangchi is a great online source for home-style Korean cooking.
Loooove Maangchi! Her Youtube channel and blog are so much fun! I even have one of her books.
Yes! That’s a cookbook worth adding to the collection.????
I had to Google H-mart because I kept thinking you were all substituting H- for the full name, although I couldn’t figure out why. Turns out there are some H Marts in Maryland, although not terribly close to me. I’ll have to see if I can find one in TX next time I visit my brothers.
Wow, there’s one like three minutes from the Farm and Home Service! That is just awesome! I had no idea this mythical wonderland was within reach. Definitely going to check that out next time I have to make a run up there.
There are plenty in Metro DC.
H-Mart…mmm…love that place! I ❤️how Korean food means so much to your family.
Roman ,,,,,,ROMAN!!!! YES
I’ve been making soon tofu soup lately and it’s lovely. it’s super flexible too, all you really need is sesame oil, tofu (doesn’t even have to be soft tofu tbh), gochujang, and gochujaru. everything else is negotiable.
Kimchi
yay
I have never had Korean food, wouldn’t even know where to start, but this picture looks yummy. Oh, and yay, Roman! *big heart eyes*
I love the graphics on the mouse pad. This bodes well for whatever else is coming.
I love banchan, but I have never found one particular dish outside one restaurant that has unfortunately closed down. I long for it, and have no idea what it even was – potato, turnip? I’ve bought cookbooks, to no avail. I have not yet tried the internet, but will have to now that I have made myself hungry.
Looking forward to both Roman and merch!
Because you said potato or turnip- could it be namul? The first time I tried it it reminded me of raw potato too.
The most popular is mu namul, which is made out of Korean radish https://www.koreanbapsang.com/mu-namul-korean-radish-namul/ but there’s also Doraji namul, which is bellflower root https://mykoreankitchen.com/doraji-namul-sauteed-bellflower-root/