Chong’s is My Hero ♥

Before I moved here, I told my local SGV foodie friends that I was moving to Iowa. Their response: “…but what are you going to eat there? Corn? HAHAHAHAHA!”

Like them, a typical L.A. girl like myself didn’t know what’s was there to eat in Iowa. The thought of Iowa as a place where my homemade okonomiyaki is without kewpie and katsuobushi is just total blasphemy! I packed several  USPS flat rate boxes filled with the finest dried ingredients from the 99 Ranch and Mitsuwa as a precaution.

But ‘lo and behold, there’s Chong’s!

A small Korean market  in Coralville, IA that has a lot of stuff my kitchen needs.

The Sriracha I packed? They’ve got it. Mabo tofu mix that I squeezed in? They’ve got it too. Nong Shim Kimchi Bowl Noodle, nước mắm, preserved eggs, dashida, baby bok choy, almond tofu mix, genmaicha, Ligo sardines, big bottles of kimchi. Yea, they’ve got all that and a box of Pocky.

Asian groceries here in Iowa City. Who would’ve thought! I didn’t. Thank goodness that Chong’s is my hero.

 

Chong’s

905 2nd St.

Coralville, IA

Not Hawaiian

I sometimes encounter people who are ever so curious to find out as to what am I within the first few minutes of meeting me. I got this yesterday:

Him: “Are you Hawaiian?”

Me: “Um, no. I’m Californian.”

I guess he couldn’t tell.

Snow(boarding) Shoes

One afternoon at work:

Me: “So…I want to get myself a pair snowboarding shoes. Do you think I’m silly?”

Co-worker: “…? Well, do you snowboard?”

Me: “Well, yeah, but I just don’t want to walk around looking silly in snowboarding shoes in the winter around town if I’m not going snowboarding.” (image conscious L.A. girl as usual)

Me: *thinks* “…but then, I heard that all fashion sense goes away when it gets really cold. I guess it shouldn’t matter?”

Another co-worker: “Keep in mind that you are here in Iowa City. There’s a lot of creative types around here. If anything, they’ll probably think you’re like them.”

They were on sale, so I couldn’t resist. And anyway, I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing uggs. Snowboarding shoes >>>> Uggs.

Speaking of Fireflies

Song of the moment: Owl City – Fireflies

When I first heard this song on the radio, I imagined that the music video featured fireflies around the singer. I was a little bit disappointed after I saw it because as a romantic girly girl of an L.A. girl, I love the idea of being able to see 10 million fireflies filling up the air as I fall asleep.

The fireflies have been gone in Iowa for awhile now that it’s fall, but I can’t wait to see them again next year.

Craving for KBBQ

There’s nothing like sizzling kalbi on an open indoor grill in our own apartment:

It’s not all you can eat but it’ll do – our shot with our homemade kbbq!

Recipes used:

• Kimchi fried rice + minced garlic = kimchi garlic fried rice

• Korean style pancake

• Korean marinade – double the portions + 1 extra tbsp sugar

Thank goodness the Waterfront Hyvee has kalbi and that the local Asian grocer has kimchi. It’s enough to satisfy this L.A. girl’s feenin’ for kbbq in Iowa City….for now.