hbkim's Journal, 31 October 2010

glad your daughter was ok, like your dinner, not just sashimi, but sashimi sashimi sashimi lol. Did you eat shumai or gyoza? I see the shrimp dumpling? my df had some last week, fried them with the windows closed and a/c on and I was drooling. Told him to hurry up and eat and get that smell out of here!!! Sounds like you and your daughter, and son, had a great day, and hope you get a chance to take mom to the sauna. I cooked a rack of lamb last night, had some more tonight and the rest tomorrow, yummy!! Your cooking temp was different than the package, so I followed the package but didnt sear first (didnt want to wash another pan lol). Wasnt hot enough at 400, after 20 minutes took out, seared and put back in over for a few minutes and turned up to 500, at least I didnt overcook it!! I do have one more, so next time I will do the sear first w/o the herb rub on it (kinda burned the garlic) then 500 degrees!! should have trusted you instead of packaging.  

Actually, dinner was 3 kinds of sashimi: yellowtail, tuna and salmon, but it only shows up as "sashimi" 3x. Brunch was Chinese seafood dimsum. Don't know how to record that, so I just list it as shrimp dumplings. My hubby and I eat the insides of the steamed seafood dumplings and leave the rice-flour wrappings (the waiters thought we were crazy when we first started doing this, but they've gotten used to us). On the rack of lamb, I just looked at the directions on the Costco lamb. I don't follow those at all. There's no need to sear the lamb before roasting when you're high-roasting at 500 degrees. Just put herb rub directly onto raw rack of lamb and then straight into pre-heated 500 degree oven. I cut into individual lamb chops after it's cooked. If you care about the presentation, you can individually wrap the exposed bones with foil and remove foil before serving (bc the 500 degree roasting can burn them to toast). Easy, peasy (and no second pan to clean). Comes out very tender.  

oh, helen - so glad your daughter is ok! that can be very scary. for her, and for 'MOM'. and just out of curiousity...what is a korean sauna? is it the same as a regular one only at a center for korean's or is it uniquely different in how it's done? anyway - sounds like a full day! hope it went well. (mani/pedi - such fun!!!) 

A Korean sauna is not for the prudish, bc the customers are all naked. They're single-sex and typically have large hot and cold water tubs to soak in and hot and dry steam rooms. They're known mainly for the full-body scrubs. Hop onto a padded table (like a massage table), while a woman scrubs your full body (front, back and both sides) with a special rough cloth. I feel like a lose a lb of dead skin. The scrub ends with a short massage (the pounding type, not Swedish-style), then hair washed and rinsed. Come out squeaky clean and with silky-soft skin. My mom loves it (and finds it so relaxing she can sleep right through the body scrub). I try to go with my mom once a month. 

I am definitly going to do it your way next time, why mess with perfect results. And the sauna is obviously not for me, I dont even want to see my naked body, let alone anyone else lol. And I never thought of eating just the inside of the dim sum, thought I would never get to eat it again, what a good idea to "unwrap" them.  

The Korean sauna is definitely an experience and it's catching on with non-Koreans. There are ladies of all shapes and sizes, young and old. After a moment, you realize that we've all got the same body parts and no one stares. There have been a couple articles about it in the LA Times and NY Times, and I frequently see non-Korean women at the spa. Some of the Korean saunas are more "westernized" -- more luxurious finishes in the sauna, but they're also more expensive. I go to one in the heart of Koreatown in LA. For $40, I can soak in the hot tub as long as I want (I usually spend only 5 minutes bc it's so hot but it's necessary to soften the skin), then get a 40-minute body scrub. If you've never scrubbed dead skin off your body, you may be grossed out the first time, bc the scrubbing produces rolls of dirty dead skin! They scrub and scrub until there's no more dead skin, rinse you off, turn you over and start on a different side. It's very relaxing and the skin feels so wonderful afterwards -- like silk. 

The Korean Sauna sounds wonderful. No wonder the Korean woman have such beautiful skin. I was lucky enough to get to go to South Korea this past May. We were guests of the South Korean government and I took my dad ( a Korean War Veteran) and my 13 year old son. They treated us like royalty and put us up in the finest hotel (Lotte World). My dad was honored with the Peace Metal and they had huge banquets for the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. My father got on there PBS, telling war stories and my son was treated like a rock star with the girls-seriously mobbed by girls with camera phones-he can't wait to go back to S. Korea. We were on the DMZ when it was announced that North Korea had sank the South Korean ship-very intense-being starred down my North Korean soldiers standing only a few feet away. Anyway, S. Korea is an amazing country and we are so proud to see how far they have come in 60 years. I had the pleasure of being with about 45 American Vets who got the chance to come full circle and see that their efforts were not in vain when they fought there so many years ago. The technology they have there is amazing. I will never forget what it was like to stand on the DMZ with mine fields all around us and look over to how barren North Korea was in comparison. It was a once in a lifetime trip and I am so glad I was able to take my dad who was the State Commander for the Korean War Veterans. 

I'm so happy to hear that the South Korean government honored your father and that they treated you and your family well during your visit. I, too, have visited the DMZ and know exactly what you mean. The technologicaly advances in S. Korea in the past 30 years have been amazing. Even old grandmas selling food at stalls in the huge outdoor markets have the latest cell phones!  

That scrub sound great, I can see how some might be grossed out, but I know after a workout, when I am all sweaty, I can scratch the dead skin off my legs with my fingernails. I would love to have it removed from all over!! 

You're in Hawaii, right, FF? You might try looking for a local Korean sauna there. With the significant APA population there, I wouldn't be surprised if you had one. 

maybe on oahu, much bigger island and more like a large mainland city, but here on kauai, no we are pretty rural.  

This is so funny you bring this up as my korean friend just left and was telling me how she needs to take me to the korean sauna. She said she spent the whole day there today and thinks me and all our friends need to go together and how healthy all the things they do for you there are. Sounds like a great treat, but not sure if I could get used to all the naked bodies running around as I am a very private, modest person, that would be big for me to do. lol  

Hi Terrimom, just fyi, the ladies don't stroll naked all the time. There are rooms with heated floors where the ladies lay down in robes and just chat, read or watch the Korean soap operas. Some women wrap themselves in towels in the dry and steam saunas (this is nearly a necessity to protect your tender tush). But the hot and cold water pools are open to everyone and no one wears a bathing suit (that I've seen). I've yet to see body scrubs done in individual rooms (like western-style massage rooms), but I wouldn't be surprised if a sauna starting doing that. Would attract the more modest folks. You might ask your Korean friend. The Korean community in Nevada is much newer than LA, so their spas may be more westernized than the ones in LA