Michael Pickell

  Korean food was designed for bringing together friends and family.   I lived in Korea for two years as an English teacher and what I have noticed is that Koreans like to do things in groups.   I once told my co-workers that I went on a trip by myself and some my fellow Korean teachers almost fainted by how strange that sounded to them. So if you are planning to have a get together, consider having a Korean barbecue and watch your guests bond over delicious Asian style cuisine.  The best part of cooking Korean food is that it's easy to put together and easy to get the ingredients.  You can go to your local Asian market to get the more difficult items and to your local grocery store for the rest.  I like to go to the Asian Market on 76th and Cass to get ingredients to complete the Korean dishes. To start with appetizers, I suggest kimbap.  Bap is the Korean word for rice.  This is a popular street food as well.  Kimbap is like the sushi rolls.  More or less, this is a rice ro

  Risotto is an easy to make meal that will impress everyone that you cook for.   It originates from northern Italy and the word riso is the word for rice.   There is a series of stock ingredients, which with addition of other items makes this dish versatile.   So if you want a great idea for what to cook that special someone, risotto is the way to go. Due to the length of time that it will take prepare this meal, it’s recommended that you only prepare enough for two.  For this tasty meal you will need: arborio rice uncooked 1 1/2 cups, butter roughly 2 tablespoons, 1 small onion optional but may use 1 cup of shallots instead, 1 pound cremini mushrooms, 1/3 cup of dry white wine, 5 cups broth and parmesan cheese. In a medium size pot bring the 5 cups of broth to a boil and then simmer.  You can use any kind of broth, depending on the recipe you find.  I like to use either chicken broth or shrimp stock. Shrimp stock is a simple thing to make.  Basically you buy a couple pounds of who

  Japanese soups and noodles are the most versatile food ever, one dish served winter with a few simple changes can be enjoyed in a different way in summer.   In the colder months, the most popular dishes will be heavier on the broth.   But during the summer months the same kind of food can be poached and presented in a lighter way.   As with other Asian cultures Japanese food is often communal, where food is prepared before everyone in the group and everyone just digs in.   Although these meals can be prepared individually. Nabe or Nabemono means things in a cooking pot.  In Japan and Korea this dish is cooked in what is called a donabe, or cooking pot, and is served communally.  It is the most versatile Japanese dish ever and is easy to make at home.  Nabe is basically a broth with vegetables and meat added to it.  The base for this soup is what is called Dashi, which can be made with water, kombu or dried kelp and bonito flakes which is made of dried bonito fish.  Once you are fini

I figured I would get some rest before the concert.  But for some reason, I thought I should break the Euro that I had to smaller bills in case I need to get a ticket for the ride back to the hotel.  So I walked around and found the shopping center.  There grocery store was two levels of the building it was in.  I bought a pint bottle of a sour beer, a package of grapes and a chocolate.   I was getting hungry and didn’t want look real hard for something else to eat.  I went to McDonalds and ordered an Egg McMuffin.  The high school girl noticed I wasn’t a French speaker, so she helped me with my order and it gave her a chance to practice her English.  I think she was throwing insults at me in French, because she said something and her friends laughed.  It really didn’t bother me, the conversation in English was pleasant enough.  As with all the people I spoke with in France, I thanked them very much in French.  Merci Beaucoup . When I got back to the hotel from that little excursion,

If there was any railway station that cause me grief, it was Invalides.  I had bought day passes at Nord for 10 Euro each day.  But for some reason I couldn’t exit with the ticket I had.  I went to customer service by a gate.  I explained the situation.  Told the guy I wanted to get back to Meudon.  I showed him the ticket.  He pointed to the gate, as he did so, the gate opened for me, he told me which line I wanted.  Oh, if it were that easy the following day.

Two stops down on a smaller train line is Concord, France.  I had always wanted to go to Concord Massachusettes, so I had to walk around in Concord.  As I was walking, I noticed that the Eiffle Tower didn’t seem to be far away.  I tried walking towards it.  What I didn’t realize was the Champ de Mars station, the one where the Eiffle Tower is at, is a couple of stops away.  The Tower is tall enough that it seemed close.  I realized that it would be a couple of miles to walk there.  My fitbit said I was already at 15,500.  It was then that I knew that I had to make some sacrifices and decided to go back to the hotel.