When my friends and I get together, a stop by Koreatown is almost assumed. The one in Toronto isn't as big as it is in other cities, but there's enough to keep us happy and satisfied for hours on end.
My friend Angie and I made a quick pit stop at a Hotteok place while waiting for our friend Crystal to arrive downtown. We realized halfway through our first bite that her cellphone had actually died, so we rapidly gobbled the rest of the pancake up so we could go find her.
Once we managed to track her down, we headed over to Joon's for their famous dakgalbi.
I met these two girls back in first year and they have been such a blessing to me not only as friends, but as sisters in Christ. I don't get to see them much, so I'm extra thankful for their company, friendship, and the conversations we are able to have with one another.
These girls have a crazy busy schedule though, so after our lunch date we all headed on home since they both had places to be, people to see! On the way to the subway station, I spotted this restaurant with a massive orange sign that said "buk chang dong soon tofu".
Naturally, I whipped out my phone and texted my friend Clara to see if she was up to head downtown with me the next day.
Soontofu? I am so down.
For those of you who may not know, soon tofu is a spicy Korean soup with tofu. It's also my absolute favorite type of Korean food and here they have soontofu with beef, soontofu with veggies, soontofu with seafood! You get the idea.
This place also lets you crack your own egg into the hot boiling soup when it comes (something I liked) and they made their rice in hot stone pots which they scooped out and then filled with water to create burnt rice soup which you can drink afterwards.
Not the most appetizing sounding thing but it was comforting.
I ended up getting soontofu with mandu and beef.
We decided to head on over to Eatons to walk off our lunch, but found ourselves at Chatime instead..
We ended up going from Koreatown --> Eatons --> Koreatown --> Yorkville --> Queen's Street --> Koreatown --> Eatons that day. Don't ask me why, but we definitely made use of our transit pass.
My cousins and my brother had gone to a raptors game that evening and it's tradition for us to meet up at Kinton Ramen afterwards, but once I found out that Clara had never been, I had to drag her over and make her try their ramen.
They had JUST opened their Koreatown branch so the place was still fairly empty since not many people knew about it. I definitely did a double take when I first walked by it unknowingly.
I was going there later with my family so I just grabbed a light tofu furai.
Because we finished dinner around 6 and my cousins weren't going to be downtown till 10, Clara and I head BACK to Eatons for a night stroll.
We ended up standing in front of this Christmas tree just talking and reminiscing about our crazy first year days and how far (or not far) we have come since then.
naomi
Living in a city that is perpetually in Winter mode, Christmas break is a time for travel and to get away from the cold.
This year, I've learnt that no matter how cold Winnipeg gets, how awful the ice is and how many times I have to scrape my car, Toronto does things on a whole new level.
Never in my 21 years of existence have I seen Winter like this. The moment you step outside, it almost feels like you're on a movie set, or in some Charles Dicken's story . Everything is white, everything is shiny and you wonder if it's actually real.
The downside? Half the city blacked out, including the place I was staying at because the branches gave under the weight of the ice and knocked out electricity lines.
So, my cousins and I bundled up and went searching for food.
Situations like this really bring people together though. Strangers helping strangers cross the icy road, offering blankets or flashlights to people who had none, or simple things like passing out coffee in the lobby of an apartment which has lost their electricity. It's warming how willing people are to give in times of need and how for a moment, you feel united with the common goal of getting each other through this difficult time.
The power was restored in my building after a day, but it was definitely an experience to remember. From having to eat dinner in a room lit with only a few flashlights and struggling through it, to realizing that the only thing you need in life is warmth, food, and relationships to get you through.
Life is simple, and the best things might not always be free, but they are definitely cheaper than that shiny new pair of Louboutins.
naomi
By
Naomi
January 12, 2014
culinary,
dessert
I'm not a breakfast person. Most of my friends know this because if we make breakfast dates, 99% of the time, I will find an excuse not to be there. Not just because I don't like waking up, but because I am just not a huge fan of breakfast foods. Pancakes? Bleh
That being said, I've been trying to eat more regularly during the day, so this has been my go-to breakfast/midday snack/midnight snack for the past three weeks. I know quite a few places in Hong Kong actually serve this as a dessert, but I've made a few modifications that make it a bit healthier and more breakfast worthy.
I don't put any extra sugar in because the fruit (drenched in syrup) is usually sweet enough. It's cheating a bit since it's basically sugar fruit, but fruit nonetheless! The grass jelly comes directly from boiling a plant (very healthy), and the basil seeds are supposed to help boost your metabolism and control blood sugar.
It's like a superfood cocktail.
Almost.
Apparently, benefits include; heartburn relief, source of vitamins, aids in digestion, stress reliever, cooling (yin) effect, cures respiratory disorders, etc etc.
I'm not actually sure whether these are legitimate benefits, but a healthy dose of this keeps me going for hours, like red bull in a bowl. It also tastes good too and is chock full of fiber, so if that isn't enough reason to try, I don't know what is.
naomi.
