5.104 Donggeurang-Ddaeng

5.104

19 (Sat) April 2014

Donggeurang-Ddaeng

3.0

by AHY + CJH

at Hyurim Pension

-Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with the Family, CBD

Home Visit 4: Break + Housekeeping (Day 4)

Day 1 (5.101 Chicken Inasal with Garlic Rice)
Day 2 (5.102 Potato & Corn Croquettes)
Day 3 (5.103 Mul Naeng Myeon x 2)
Day 4 (5.104 Donggeurang-Ddaeng)
Day 5 (5.105 Haemul Jjim)
Day 6 (5.106 Spicy Taiwanese Crab Stir-Fry)
Day 7 (5.107 Fusilli in Meat Sauce)
Day 8 (5.108 Grilled Seabass)
Day 9 (5.109 MIL’s Typical Korean At-Home Meal)

Concluding my initial 3-month contract with WHO, now extended 5.5 months, I’m back in Korea to take a break (contract break and personal break) and attend to various housekeeping matters – mostly for the (personal) break.

Camping with the crew. Remarkably, the first time in 7 months (see most recently 4.259 Chicken & Shrimp Burrito). Now that I’m based in Manila (at least through October), this may be the last one for a long long while.

93F1A887-D9EC-4155-AA5A-3ACCB651C971_1_201_a

D54272B8-2CB8-43D3-B42B-E52EAF68EF0C_1_201_a

DE008FF2-39EA-4DCC-ABDB-25AE9FAA3014_1_201_a

The site was Hyurim Pension (휴림펜션). Grounds include both “auto-camping” + “pension.” Owned by a long-time acquaintance of LHS and YYH, everything was free. Overall, it was one of the best/pampering sites that I’ve ever experienced: immaculately clean, heavily wooded, equipped with decks, electric outlets, wi-fi, store, coffee shop, showers, soccer field and basketball court, and even a trampoline; adjacent to a stream, located a mere 100 km from Seoul. This may be the ultimate camping destination, when convenience is a concern.

I roughed it out in a tent; *I pitched a big tent because the original plan had been for the whole family to sleep in it, but they chickened out; on my own, I would’ve just slept in my car*.

Electricity is a necessity because of certain survival essentials, like laptops and air-conditioners (for those with trailers).

All getting lazy, it’s now more about trailers than tents.

Donggeurang-Ddaeng (동그랑땡) is a Korean pancake. A type of jeon. Typically consists of ground pork/beef, plus minced garlic/onion/carrot/chili, seasoned with salt/pepper and maybe soy sauce, formed into small thickish disks (i.e., a flattened meatball), dredged in flour and egg wash, pan-fried in oil, usually served with a soy dipping sauce. The term is rather idiomatic – always reminded me of “curly-cue” – vaguely meaning something like “circle (donggeurang) thingo (ddaeng).”

One to make the patties, another to dredge + dip + fry.

Samgyeopsal, a Korean camping staple – notice the paper cup to catch the fat run-off.

And kimchi, of course, sautéed in the pork fat.

As per SOP, many more foods were prepared throughout the evening, long into the night, but I only took photos of the first two courses. Believe me, it was all good.