Weekdays are hard days to cook at home. After being on my feet all day at work, the last thing I want to do is stand around in our tiny kitchen all night, cooking on our tiny stovetop and juggling ingredients on our tiny counter. Our dinners at the apartment usually consist of rice, some 반찬 (side dishes) and maybe a 찌개 (stew/soup) or some sort of 고기 (meat)… all pretty simple.

Last week, in an attempt to finally use up a can of Spam that had been collecting dust on our shelf, we made 김치찌개 (kimchi jjigae), the most beloved of all the jjigae’s in Korea. Pork would have been more traditional, but salty canned meats make everything better! (Note: Counter to what you might think, Spam — that is, name brand Spam — is not so cheap here. But at least we’re pretty sure it doesn’t have cardboard in it.)

We also threw in some onion, squash, tofu and a handful of 떡 (rice cakes) to make it more substantial. It was spicy and delicious, and only took about 30 minutes to make… and 24 hours for the smell to disappear.

We ran out of juice this morning, so I shook Ben out of bed and forced him to make a run down to the GS convenience store on the ground floor of our apartment building. While there, he eyed this and brought it up for us to try. Denmark Morning Cereals Milk is a “healthy benefit milk blended with nineteen cereals.” Even though I’m not a fan of milk, this actually sounded pretty appealing to me.

It tasted like the leftover milk in the bottom of your cereal bowl. It was slightly creamier and sweeter than regular milk with a subtle, not unpleasant grainy taste. I liked it. Ben liked it. And for 1,000 won, we’ll probably start buying it regularly.

On special occasions like anniversaries, instead of exchanging gifts, Ben and I like to go out and share a nice meal. It’s less stressful than trying to find the perfect present, and is always more memorable.

When we first started dating, I took Ben out to dinner at Sokran, a restaurant near the university where we were both studying. It seemed fitting that we return to celebrate our six month wedding anniversary this past January.

The restaurant serves dishes that were traditionally offered to Korean royalty, so everything was not only delicious but beautifully plated.

Our meal started with warm cups of mildly sweet 옥수수차 (corn tea) and unfolded into a multi-course spread. Favorites included 소머리편육 (cow’s head terrine) served with kimchi, 청포묵무침 (mung bean jelly salad with vegetables and tossed in sesame oil) and 갈비구이 (marinated beef ribs).

We especially loved assembling our own mini Korean-style crepes with the 구절판 (assorted vegetables and meat wrapped in crepes).

By the middle of the meal, we were pretty full. But more plates kept arriving and we were on a mission. We felt like it was our duty in a time of recession to eat everything that was put in front of us, without waste. And we did. And it was good.

Not too long ago, Ben celebrated his birthday. Because it landed on a Monday, we decided to go out for a low key dinner and maybe celebrate for real on the following weekend. Due to weekend work schedules/exhaustion from the work week/whatever reason, the weekend party did not come together… but we did end up having a relaxing dinner and some amazing birthday cake on Monday, and saw a great Korean band play near Hongik University the following Sunday.

Dinner on Monday was Ben’s choice, and he chose to eat pajeon (파전) and drink dongdongju (동동주). Pajeon is various meats and vegetables covered in egg batter and fried to greasy deliciousness. It’s usually served as a side dish (반찬) with dinner, or as a snack with alcohol (안주). The restaurant we went to in Hongdae fries up huge batches of pajeon every evening and leaves it on display in the window. The trick is to go when the pajeon ajusshi starts his shift… then you know everything is fresh and hasn’t been sitting around collecting street dust and bugs for hours.

To accompany dinner, Ben drank dongdongju… which I suspect is the real reason he wanted to go to this restaurant in the first place. I can’t drink alcohol. Therefore, I have no idea what dongdongju is or tastes like. You should ask Ben. (It’s the high-class cousin of mahkuli, a sweet, unfiltered and deceptively mild rice wine. Traditionally sipped from bowls; one pot will do you. — Ben)

At home, I surprised Ben with a birthday cake. He had been wanting to try a fresh fruits cake, so I made sure to pick one up on my way home from work. Korean cake is so, so much better than American cake (not to say I don’t love American cake). It’s lighter, less sweet, and sometimes topped with outrageous toppings like macarons or cream puffs or cherry tomatoes (I didn’t say they were all good). This one was the perfect way to end the night after such a heavy meal.