The clock is ticking to when Edric will actually be home! We were given a list during one of our meetings of foods that he likes and doesn’t like. Many of them we recognized (beef, fish, peaches, carrots etc), but there were some that we either recognized and aren’t quite sure what to do with or have no idea what they are. Squid for example. He likes squid. And not only likes it but there are 3 stars next to it meaning he REALLY REALLY likes it. And then there were some things like mandu (which are actually just dumplings which we ate a ton of in Korea), and things like ja-jang-myeon (another one with 3 stars). And rice cakes. I was pretty sure the rice cakes were not referring to those dried out bland fake puffed rice cakes that as a college student I ate and tried to convince myself that they were healthy and filling and tasted good, because they really didn’t. And still don’t. (I have a thing against eating Styrofoam). And so a few texts back and forth to a friend who is Korean and could help translate and explain a few things to me, I had a better understanding of what Edric likes. Turns out the ja-jang-myeon is a noodle dish with a black bean sauce. And I’ve been told its very good even to non Koreans. We will see….I now have some frozen in my freezer.
Which brings me to our adventures at H-Mart. We are actually pretty close to two Asian Markets, and after checking with another friend who was familiar with both she suggested H mart for our first trip. So we met up with some friends to play in the park for an hour or so because they lived close to H-mart and then grabbed some dinner on Friday night and headed to H-mart.
I kind of warned the boys that there were probably going to be fish and tanks with different fish in them and that the store might smell kind of fishy. They were ecstatic about this. We barely got in the door before Caedmon started asking to see the fish. So in between frequent trips to the back of the store to see the fish, we wandered the aisles and took it all in.
The boys loved the tanks, there were lobsters in one and then oysters and a flounder in another with all sorts of fish on ice (in Caedmon’s delicate words “they dead”) along the back wall. Caedmon was a little disappointed that the lobsters didn’t do a whole lot and the oysters did even less. He was hoping the flounder would swim around and after multiple trips to check on him he finally looked at me and said “I know, he’s just resting mommy”.
And so I’m not real sure what all we got. We found a bunch of treats, some to try with the boys and some to save for when Edric gets home so that maybe some familiar things will help the transition. We also found some ja-jang-myeon packets to make. And of course kimchi. I learned after buying a large tub of it that it in fact does not last very long and will quickly make your entire fridge smell and taste like kimchi. And personally I like my milk to taste like milk, not kimchi. So that is why we now have an order in for a small mini fridge that we will use exclusively for kimchi.
I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of kimchi. But I know that Edric has likely had it at every meal or at least once a day during his little life and so I want to be able to provide that for him. Luckily I remembered that we had some amazing kimchi rice and also some kimchi pancakes when we were out with friends in Seoul and so I started looking up recipes. Tonight Clint made kimchi rice, the official name being Kimchi bokkeumbap. And it was amazing. We may be eating a lot of it these next couple weeks before the kimchi smell overtakes our fridge while we wait for the mini fridge to come in.
This waiting journey is coming to an end, and we are gearing up and getting ready for the next stages! Kimchi and all.
Hiking Mommy 