Kdramas, Kpop and Kbbq

Dae Jang-Geum. Remember that folks? No? Well it was quite a popular korean tv series a few years ago. Based on an actual person in Korean history, apparently, it followed the life of a girl struggling through her life in the early centuries, and who eventually makes her way into the royal family. Hmm, bit of a spoiler there hey. Meh, what can you do. Alright, that synopsis doesn't really cut it, but I fully recommend it, as an excellent introduction to Korean tv series. And just when I thought nothing could top that series, I caught the Boys Before Flowers halfway through, and AS USUAL, I was HOOKED. That's the thing about Korean dramas, they're all so freaking addictive. Don't worry about the improbable plots, it's the characters that usually get to you.

But where is she going with all this? I didn't tune in to her blog to get a lesson in korean dramas. God! Wah wah wah, you're probably thinking. Well, I'm GETTING there. Hold your horses.

As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, there was this new restaurant we went to the other night, in Cabramatta out of all places. Yes. Cabramatta, where every third shop is a pho restaurant, jewellery house or haberdashery shop. So it was a refreshing surprise to find this restaurant at the upper end of John Street.

Vay: If you just look around you, it's like you're not in Cabramatta.
Me: Yeah, it's like you're in Strathfield.

We turned up unannounced, and it was about 8:30pm. There wasn't anyone there at the time (Thursday nights don't seem to be big with the Cabramatta crowd), but maybe it more due to the fact they were supposed to be closing in half an hour. Never mind that, we wanted to eat, damn it, and Vay needed a smoke. We were welcomed in regardless of the lateness of the hour, and the lady reassured us that they too, were about to have their family dinner, so it would be like we were eating with them. No trouble at all. I was rather apologetic, but felt better after she said that. We ordered a bbq for two, as well as two kimchi flavoured soups (which were like meals on their own), on the side.

She kindly set up the gas portable grill, and I was pleasantly surprised when she took her time to place all the meats on the grill and to turn them for us while we just sat back and let her do all the work. Then it was time for the octopus. "These are rare" we think she said. Why yes, they do look pretty fresh don't they? I thought she meant they just hadn't been cooked yet, but no. No. I was wrong. I was just gazing hypnotically at the grill with the pile of baby octopus on it, and she was gently stirring them around, and I was watching the squirming tentacles, and all of a sudden it just occurred to me, that yes, they're actually alive. And the poor things are burning themselves on the grill, and their tentacles are still moving around, and I could almost hear their baby octopus screams, if I listened closely enough. Oh they're RARE alright. They're so rare they're FUCKING ALIVE. OH MY GOD!

Vay: "Oh god, I'm stuffed, seriously. You're gonna have to finish that octopus on your own".
So I'm eating away, and they're quite soft and delicious actually.
Vay: "God, you're still going".
Mmm, nothing like freshly cooked rare baby octopus. How did I ever doubt you?

Thank god we didn't order any more, as it was just enough, if not a bit too much. Vay: "I wouldn't have ordered another bowl of rice for myself if I knew you weren't gonna eat the rest of your rice, geez, look at that. What a waste! Think of the starving children of Africa". Well excuse me for stuffing myself with enough barbecued baby octopus for the both of us, because SOMEONE was too stuffed to eat any more. Can the starving children of Africa do that? I don't think so.

Bart [at the Retirement Castle]: I'm here to see my Grampa
Crazy Old Man: Here I am, sonny
Bart: You're not my Grampa
Crazy Old Man: Aww, come on, give me a chance. Hey, can your grandfather do this?! Hai! Hai! Hai!
Grampa: Oh! Bart! Aww, you remembered my birthday...
Bart: Huh? Oh... I sure did

Another couple came in around 9pm, god, what kind of ungodly hour is that?, and I felt pretty relieved we weren't the only ones. We didn't end up finishing until about 9:30, so it wasn't that late. Vay was so touched by the service that he even tipped the lady a massive $20 for her trouble. Vay: "Hmm, I don't know if I should've tipped that much, now she's gonna expect it as a minimum the next time". We were all pretty surprised really. Most of all me, I haven't seen him tip like that since that unfortunate night out at Strathfield where I got manhandled around the corner to some pub hotel by Vay and one of the waiters. And let's never speak of that again.

They even had kpop videos of a favourite song of mine by G-Dragon and even songs from the Boys Before Flowers soundtrack, which I pointed out to Vay, but the irony was completely lost on him. Ugh.

And the name of the restaurant? None other than Dae Jang-Geum.

And that's where I was going with all this. Ha. Didn't see that one coming did you?