Annie the Yogurt Pedaler v. Yaklut ajummas

Annie, aka The Yogurt Pedaler, got on a bike and rode from Chicago, Ill. to Vernon, Ohio, making homemade yogurt and giving out yogurt recipe flyers along her 300 + mile trip.

The Yogurt Pedaler is a bike-powered yogurt cart activating public spaces in Midwestern communities, inspiring connections between local farms and their neighbors, and teaching the magic of yogurt-making along the way.

A couple of Yakult ajummas set off on their delivery routes. Photo by Adam Greenfield via flickr creative commons license.

I don't think Seoul's Yakult ajummas can beat that pace (although they have far more recognizable uniforms).

Young-Sun Lee rolls into New York with a kimchi taco truck

The Village Voice reports that Chef Young-Sun Lee, who I interviewed for ZenKimchi Food Journal in September, is jumping back into the restaurant business with his own kimchi taco truck.

The menu includes kimchi tacos, burritos and grilled cheese sandwiches. (See my recipes for the sandwich from April and the tacos from July.) His stated raison d'etre is to convince New Yorkers to crave kimchi.

It appears chef Lee is following the advice he gave to ZenKimchi readers when he said:

You ... need good timing. Even though the food is great, if the economy is not great then people will not come out to eat.... People literally wants to “solve” their lunch under $10 and dinner under $20... But, again, if you wait ’n’ wait, then your dream will fly away. But if you rush it, it will run away [too]. Be wise, kids: Follow your heart and passion, but don’t forget your head.

Review: Honey Cuisine Sushi & BBQ, Rohnert Park, Calif.

Honey Cuisine Sushi and BBQ is located in the Wolf's Den shopping center near the south entrance of Sonoma State University. (Photo by Tammy Quackenbush)

Honey Cuisine Sushi and BBQ is just a stone's throw from Sonoma State University. Since the restaurant opened May 2008, its patron mix has been 50-50 college students and locals, according to restaurant owner Hyun Kim. Most of the diners on the two nights I visited didn't appear to be of Asian descent.

Kim said they've been blessed with busyness from day one, even though they opened just after the start of the recent U.S. economic recession in December 2007.

Look to the East for lower-sodium solutions

Food Navigator USA writer Nathan Gray published an article about how Asia is leading the effort in innovating salt substitutes.

Let's look at the commercially options and how you can apply them to your favorite recipes.

Wine tasting in California wine country: Zinfandel

Organizing a blind wine tasting is a fun way of discovering wonderful wines you might have missed. (Photo courtesy of Quentin Houyoux at sxc.hu via Creative Commons license.)

 At a zinfandel wine-tasting party with a couple dozen friends in California North Coast wine country, the surprise of the evening was the top three favorite zinfandel wines were all from Lodi.

Why am I jealous of the food at Japan's 7-Eleven stores?

Japanese 7-Eleven customers can find gourmet 김밥 kimbap and bento boxes made by Gosireh, a high-end Korean restaurant owned by Korean drama star Bae Yong-joon. The kimbap rolls look cute and the bento is very elegant.

Gosireh kimbap with seafood cost only 200 yen (about US$2.40). (Photos courtesy of 7-Eleven Japan)

Mi-sook recommends: Korean Cooking for Kids

Korean Cooking for Kids is a new blog on the block providing cooking tips and ideas for people who want their children to grow up loving Korean food.

Here are some of the recipes featured on the blog for you to try for yourself.

Mi-sook recommends: Love That Kimchi.com

If you are looking for all things kimchi, look no further than LoveThatKimchi.com. You can find kimchi recipes, recipes featuring kimchi as a star ingredient, kimchi t-shirts and free Korean cookbook downloads on site.

They featured my Chuncheon-style kimchi pizza (and even tried it out for themseves and put their own little spin on it) and Innovations in kimchi videos before I had my own blog.

Mi-sook recommends: Institute of Korean Cuisine

Thanks to Korean historical dramas, such as Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum), and Bae Yong Joon's Gosireh restaurants and packaged foods in Japan, Korean Royal Cuisine is beginning to become well-known throughout Asia and the world.

If Korean Royal Cuisine intrigues you and you want to study and practice this culinary art under the tutelage of Han Bok-ryeo, the primary consultant for Jewel in the Palace, check out the Institute of Korean Royal Cuisine website. They offer cooking classes and publish cookbooks teaching the methods and standards of Korean Royal Cuisine, particularly the culinary arts practiced during the Chosun Dynasty.