30 Days of Movie Snacks: Grand Finale!
Mission accomplished: my mom and I viewed 52 movies before February 28. This includes each of the 15 short films (never knew I was missing out on these awesome flicks!), and unfortunately does not include the foreign films since they weren’t released anywhere near us until March — our limit was two hours, which is how far we drove to see the documentary shorts. Turns out actually watching every nominated film does not make you an expert, but it does make you a bit of a dork who says, “Let’s host an Oscar party, but not invite anyone so I can pay full attention to the show!” Read More
30 Days of Movie Snacks
I know what you’re thinking: movie snacks? Or perhaps you’re actually thinking, “Why 30 days? I’m lost.” If you’re the latter, you may want to back up and read the post introducing my 30-day blog series. If you’re all caught up, or okay with being a little confused, then let’s continue. Read More
“30 DAYS OF…”
My birthday is January 7, and this year I turned the big 3-0! Yup! I’m 30! Contrary to the vibes I’ve gotten from other people, including friends and strangers, who have polished off three decades of life, I feel pretty fantastic about starting my 31st year. The age of 29 felt like a limbo for me, teetering between basking in my final days as a 20-something, and a “just get on with it” attitude. I’ve been ready to turn 30 all year and am glad it’s finally here. The best years are behind me, but more are still ahead! Read More
Happy Holidays: Best of 2014
‘Tis the season to be jolly and reflect upon the previous year; and boy, was 2014 a good one! This was Who Eats Better?’s second year on the web! Last year’s end brought a countdown of the Top 10 Tasty Adventures in 2013. This year, thanks to a lot more readers and shares, I want to recognize the best posts of 2014. Without further adieu, the winners are…. Read More
Two Peaks in Two Hours
There are 37 mountains within and surrounding the city of Seoul, South Korea. While the tallest of the 37 is just over 800 meters, many of the mountains are more like glorified hills offering easy-going hiking trails and a summit reachable within an hour. Hiking is a popular sport in Korea, but is much less about the mountain, and more about who you’re with, what you’re wearing, and what to eat. I’m digging back a bit and describing one of my first hikes in Korea last fall. What I expected to be a laid back adventure ended up unfolding in colorful scenes, sort of like a comic book. So, that’s how I’m going to present it to you. Read More
Bubba Gump Chicken
Over the past couple months I’ve been working hard with a personal trainer to build more lean muscle. She’s also my unofficial nutritionist and has me on a high-protein diet. Among her favorite proteins are almonds, tofu, eggs, and milk, but her most adored food by far is skinless, boneless chicken breast. She asks me every day if it’s “on my menu” and is adamant I have chicken for dinner as much as possible. Chicken isn’t the most common meat found in Korean recipes. Pork and beef are much more popular, but unfortunately not as healthy as lean chicken, at least in regards to my current goals. So I’ve had to get creative with what’s available to me locally that I can afford. (Groceries in Seoul are among the most expensive I’ve ever seen, including when I lived in New York City.) Read More
The Tourism Paparazzi
The tourism industry in Korea is on point. With hundreds of festivals, social media groups, and weekly events and programs, it’s so easy to find things to do in the city of Seoul and other areas of the country. A lot of trips and programs are specifically geared towards foreigners, and this last weekend was no exception. Read More
Jolly Times in Jeollanam-Do
Over Korean’s Memorial Day weekend I traveled to the southern province of Jeollanam-do, South Korea. Since the holiday fell on a Friday this year, I was gifted with a rare three-day weekend. I traveled through a tour company with about 50 other foreigners. With the amount of things packed into the trip, three days felt like a week! Read More
"Bizarre Foods" with Alexandra
One of my favorite Travel Channel TV shows is “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.” He travels the world eating the most unusual and oftentimes grotesque foods a tourist can find. A man after my own heart, he’s a true believer that “sharing food is the best way to experience other cultures.” Seoul, South Korea is nothing new to Mr. Zimmern; you can watch his full Korean episode here. While I’m no Andrew Zimmern, I’m pretty adventurous in trying new foods. Korea by far has boasted the most insane cuisine I’ve ever encountered. Honestly, I think my fear of disrespecting the host or kitchen chef far outweighs my desire to actually taste many of the crazy things I’ve eaten. After seeing the “Bizarre Foods” episode, I have a lot left to experience. Read More
Job Description: True Korean "Ajumma"
General Description
A true Korean ajumma goes beyond the literal translation of “aunt” and delves further into the stereotype of creating a third Korean gender: man, woman, ajumma. She, the candidate, will possess a broad knowledge of traditional Korean recipes and mothering, as well as grandmothering and possibly great-grandmothering depending on experience. If successful, candidates will contribute greatly to the ajumma cliche providing irritable customer service while somehow maintaining the public’s respect. Read More
Who Eats Better? 