This a blog about trying new things. Reaching beyond my comfort zone, exploring and making the most of life. My goal is to try 52 new things. One per week for a year.
When I told my husband Joel that I was starting a blog about trying new things, the first suggestion he had was "you should try new types of food". Of course... he would say that. I do not like trying new foods. Let me repeat that: I do not like trying new foods. Ask anyone who really knows me. I go to the same restaurants and eat the same things, over and over. My husband, on the other hand, will eat anything. No, really, I mean ANYTHING. He always says, "if I went on Survivor I would be the only contestant to gain weight". It has always mildly annoyed him that I am not more adventurous when it comes to food. Luckily, I have other positive traits that help him get over it. He suggested Korean and Indian. Our friends and family have been talking about a new Korean restaurant that recently opened. Everyone seemed to have good things to say about it. So, Korean it was.
Seoul Soon Dubu, Tofu House is located on the Miracle Mile, here in Stockton. Joel, my son Leo (9 yrs), daughter Annie (3 yrs) and I went there for dinner on a Saturday night. A few hours before we headed there, I found out that it was Miracle Mile Night. A street fair with local bands, street vendors and classic cars. We knew to park a few blocks away and started walking. As we approached we could here a rock band singing "Play That Funky Music Whiteboy". The street was full, we cut through the crowd straight to the restaurant. We walked in and we were quickly escorted to our table towards the back. Right away, the decor struck me as odd. Joel says, "my friend used to work here when it was Costanza's". Costanza's was a diner/coffee shop place with a bar in the back that had been a Stockton staple. The Tofu house still had some of the original booths and the coffee counter with the swivel chairs. It is a strange mix of Italian and Asian style artwork and wall coverings. Our waitress takes our drink orders. I give her my order, diet Pepsi. She says back, "OK, Pek-si" Therefore, from this point on, I will call her Peksi since I forgot to ask her name. On the table they had stainless steel chop sticks. Leo was playing with them when Peksi came over to take our food order. I was so focused on the menu that I didn't notice that he was practically shoving them up his nose. Peksi reached over, across Joel and gently put her hand on Leo's chopsticks and said, "don't do that, it's dangerous". I think to myself, that was a mom-reflex, I bet one of her kids hurt themselves doing the same thing. After a few minutes of trying to keep the kids from impaling themselves with the metal chopsticks, our appetizers came out. There were five shallow dishes with the following in each: sweet n sour shredded radishes, kimchi pickles, kimchi cabbage, fish pad noodles and kimchi style cubed radishes. I have never tried any of these items before. My husband eats kimchi all the time from our favorite Chinese restaurant, Peking. I have never once tried it and we have been eating there together for 12 years. So I jumped in with both feet trying at least a taste of each. I was nervous that the kimchi would be too spicy. But, it was fine. My son Leo was watching me carefully. I think he was waiting for me to spit some out. To a 9 year old, that would be totally awesome! I didn't even scrunch up my nose in dissatisfaction. I think he was surprised and impressed. Out of the five, I liked the shredded radish the best. A few minutes later our waitress came over with our meals. I had ordered #29 Clay Pot Bibimbab. Our friends and family that had eaten there kept telling me to try this dish. So much so that Joel had been singing "Biddy Biddy Boom Boom" all week. Remember the song by Selena, the Queen of Tejano music who was murdered in 1995 and whose life story was made into a successful movie starring Jennifer Lopez? Sorry, let me get back on track here. Bibimbab literally means mixed rice. The pot is hot! Think sizzling fajitas hot. The rice is at the bottom, on top of the rice is a decorative display of beef and a variety of vegetables such as shitake mushrooms, shredded carrots, spinach, bean sprouts and a reddish sauce with a fried egg that was runny in the middle. Then you mix it all together and the egg finishes cooking in the hot pot. My friends and family were right, it was delicious! I really, really liked it. I tried my best to eat the whole thing but, remember it is in a POT not a bowl. When we were done, I asked Peksi if they had any Korean desserts but, no. We decided to go to Baskin Robbins down the street and take in the street fair for a bit. I even tried a new ice cream flavor. Whoa, I know, I know I'm really going wild now, huh? This is working out really well, this trying new stuff deal. Besides having a great night with my family, I am feeling good about showing them how important it is to try new things in life(without the sharp objects, of course).
p.s. Make sure to peruse the pictures below!
When I told my husband Joel that I was starting a blog about trying new things, the first suggestion he had was "you should try new types of food". Of course... he would say that. I do not like trying new foods. Let me repeat that: I do not like trying new foods. Ask anyone who really knows me. I go to the same restaurants and eat the same things, over and over. My husband, on the other hand, will eat anything. No, really, I mean ANYTHING. He always says, "if I went on Survivor I would be the only contestant to gain weight". It has always mildly annoyed him that I am not more adventurous when it comes to food. Luckily, I have other positive traits that help him get over it. He suggested Korean and Indian. Our friends and family have been talking about a new Korean restaurant that recently opened. Everyone seemed to have good things to say about it. So, Korean it was.
Seoul Soon Dubu, Tofu House is located on the Miracle Mile, here in Stockton. Joel, my son Leo (9 yrs), daughter Annie (3 yrs) and I went there for dinner on a Saturday night. A few hours before we headed there, I found out that it was Miracle Mile Night. A street fair with local bands, street vendors and classic cars. We knew to park a few blocks away and started walking. As we approached we could here a rock band singing "Play That Funky Music Whiteboy". The street was full, we cut through the crowd straight to the restaurant. We walked in and we were quickly escorted to our table towards the back. Right away, the decor struck me as odd. Joel says, "my friend used to work here when it was Costanza's". Costanza's was a diner/coffee shop place with a bar in the back that had been a Stockton staple. The Tofu house still had some of the original booths and the coffee counter with the swivel chairs. It is a strange mix of Italian and Asian style artwork and wall coverings. Our waitress takes our drink orders. I give her my order, diet Pepsi. She says back, "OK, Pek-si" Therefore, from this point on, I will call her Peksi since I forgot to ask her name. On the table they had stainless steel chop sticks. Leo was playing with them when Peksi came over to take our food order. I was so focused on the menu that I didn't notice that he was practically shoving them up his nose. Peksi reached over, across Joel and gently put her hand on Leo's chopsticks and said, "don't do that, it's dangerous". I think to myself, that was a mom-reflex, I bet one of her kids hurt themselves doing the same thing. After a few minutes of trying to keep the kids from impaling themselves with the metal chopsticks, our appetizers came out. There were five shallow dishes with the following in each: sweet n sour shredded radishes, kimchi pickles, kimchi cabbage, fish pad noodles and kimchi style cubed radishes. I have never tried any of these items before. My husband eats kimchi all the time from our favorite Chinese restaurant, Peking. I have never once tried it and we have been eating there together for 12 years. So I jumped in with both feet trying at least a taste of each. I was nervous that the kimchi would be too spicy. But, it was fine. My son Leo was watching me carefully. I think he was waiting for me to spit some out. To a 9 year old, that would be totally awesome! I didn't even scrunch up my nose in dissatisfaction. I think he was surprised and impressed. Out of the five, I liked the shredded radish the best. A few minutes later our waitress came over with our meals. I had ordered #29 Clay Pot Bibimbab. Our friends and family that had eaten there kept telling me to try this dish. So much so that Joel had been singing "Biddy Biddy Boom Boom" all week. Remember the song by Selena, the Queen of Tejano music who was murdered in 1995 and whose life story was made into a successful movie starring Jennifer Lopez? Sorry, let me get back on track here. Bibimbab literally means mixed rice. The pot is hot! Think sizzling fajitas hot. The rice is at the bottom, on top of the rice is a decorative display of beef and a variety of vegetables such as shitake mushrooms, shredded carrots, spinach, bean sprouts and a reddish sauce with a fried egg that was runny in the middle. Then you mix it all together and the egg finishes cooking in the hot pot. My friends and family were right, it was delicious! I really, really liked it. I tried my best to eat the whole thing but, remember it is in a POT not a bowl. When we were done, I asked Peksi if they had any Korean desserts but, no. We decided to go to Baskin Robbins down the street and take in the street fair for a bit. I even tried a new ice cream flavor. Whoa, I know, I know I'm really going wild now, huh? This is working out really well, this trying new stuff deal. Besides having a great night with my family, I am feeling good about showing them how important it is to try new things in life(without the sharp objects, of course).
p.s. Make sure to peruse the pictures below!
Comments
I have come to love your blogs...I know its only been two...but love them! I lived in Korea for two years and absolutely love Korean food. My landlord made her kimchi on my balcony so I was fortunate to always have some when it was ready. If you guys ever run into a Korean BBQ... you must go! you cook your meat on the grill which is your table, then they bring you of course all the different kinds of kimchi; you wrap your cooked meat in a lettuce leaf, add rice kimchi, garlic and whatever else and shoove the whole thing in your mouth! Delicous! You have a good thing goin! take care! anna
I loved the Korean restaurant experience! I'm glad you are branching out to try it. My wife, Linda, had never tried Korean food before she met me (I'm half Korean), and now it's one of her favorite types of food!
I'll check in regularly to see how the other 51 new experiences go!
xo,
Anthony
SO glad you are here as a regular. Yes, Korean food exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed it. And yes, I have tried Dim Sum. Sum of it I like and Sum of it I don't. LOL! Annie and Leo like the chicken feet they have at Dim Sum!