The kids got together after a soccer game one Saturday afternoon and went swimming and then played at our homes. The mom of the new friends took the kids back to her house so the kids could play and also, much to my delight, to give them a cooking lesson. The new friends happen to be Korean. So, the kids got to experience Korean food up close and personal.
Now, I have to admit that I am not a huge seafood fan. I really dunno why. Part of it is the smell, I think. And then there is the texture...yeah, not always so good for me. So, when the kids came home with a doggy bag, I was excited and apprehensive all at the same time. They were so excited because they had made us some food and it was so fun and they had tried it, too, when they were over there. In the meantime, the mom is getting out her camera and showing me picture by picture details on how the food was prepared. I mean, every step. I wish I had it here so I could show you. She is listing off the ingredients as she is scrolling thru the pictures. "This is what we start with and then we add this and this and a spoonful of that." As she is going thru them I see something that makes me question..."What is that?" I ask. "What, oh, that orange stuff?" "Yeah." "That is fish eggs." "Oh...ummm...yeah...I dunno about that." And here I thought I was doing good by not saying anything about the big ol' piece of crab meat on there. Fish eggs? Are you kidding me? FISH EGGS.
Hmmmm....so the mom leaves and my husband and I take the goodies out of the bag and look them over.
This is some kind of energy drink. It is loaded with vitamins, but also tons of high fructose corn syrup. This hasn't been tasted yet.
After all the inspection is over we shared one of the rolls and tried some of the crackers. The crackers. Yeah, I tried one and quickly stated that they had fish in them as well. How do I know that? Well, taste for one. There is also the fact that they look like little crabs. Look!
After it is all said and done I have to say that I am a big girl now. I can now say that I have tried fish eggs. And they weren't even awful. The hardest part for me was the seaweed wrapper. I really think the smell made it hard for me to enjoy the experience fully. The best part for me? The fact that my kids tried it and liked it. The fact that my kids had this great experience with their friends and amidst it all learned something really great. How to enjoy and embrace a totally different culture. Just fantastic.
6 comments:
I'm so proud of you! You didn't get that far with seaweed at my house, on sushi night! I love it, myself; the taste and the smell; it smells like wind and ocean and salt and waves and surf to me, somewhere I want to be on vacation. Up for sushi night again?...
Hmm.. I wish our family would be the first one to share Korean culture with you. We know that we will have a chance to share with some other Korean dishes with you and your family (especially seafood dishes since my wife's hometown is a harbor). But, I believe that I am the first one who will bring toe socks for you.
Jong: Hi. It is so nice to hear from you, finally. I am so looking forward to the toe socks. I have been telling all my friends about them! Thank you so much for bringing them back for me. We would love to share some Korean dishes with you and your family.
Don't be discouraged on Korean food if you don't like seafood. There are many dishes that have no seafood in them at all. My hubby is HAPA and my Korean MIL has taught me to make several dishes that even the seafood hating members of my family love!
boogiemum: Oooohhh...I might could do them. And what is HAPA?
You've come a long way baby! Remember when you didn't like guacamole? And by the way, I loved olives at twelve!
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