a short stack about some recipes that i like and had no part in writing

cutting to the chase: i made korean comfort food classic tteokbokki and it turned out GREAT.

i made the rice cakes from scratch using this recipe: https://healthynibblesandbits.com/asian-rice-cakes-steamed-rice-cakes/

and i made the tteokbokki using this recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/03/tteokbokki-from-the-worlds-best-spicy-food.html

i know basically nothing about korean food besides:

1. there's more than one type of kimchi

2. ...rice cakes?

i'll stop lying to myself, i know nothing about this cuisine. the cool thing, though, is when you start from zero you've got a lot of room to work. i've made tteokbokki twice at home now, and found myself wanting to eat an aggressive amount of it both times. i've also twice opted for the mozzarella cheese topping, which kind of feels trailer-park-y but tastes good enough so that my 'giving fucks' gauge is at a hard zero.

one more addition: short rib aka that good good.

i find that in these times when traveling is limited and borders are closed, dishes like this are pure gold: these are the passports to the winding alleyways and neon signs hawking noodles and savory pancakes...but then again, i've never been to korea, so maybe don't take my word that this is what it's actually like. romanticizing a place isn't a truth, but it sure can be dreamy and stupidly fun.