Tag Archives: Seattle Korean Restaurant

Exchanging Business Cards in Korea

If you are involved in international business, there is a decent chance that you may find yourself dealing with representatives from South Korea at some point. There are many businesses run by Koreans or Korean immigrants who are eager to connect with businesses in the Northwest. With this in mind, it pays to know the etiquette that goes business cards in South Korea. Should you ever be engaging in business with agents from overseas at our Seattle Korean restaurant, consider the following advice:

First of all, you should know that business cards are quite important in a business relationship. The way you handle somebody else’s business card can be seen as indicative of the way you will treat this individual. Accept them and hold them with care, and never write on a business card in the other individual’s presence.

You will generally exchange your business card after making your first introductions. Present your own card with both hands, putting the Korean side up if you have provided a Korean translation. When you accept the other person’s card, give it a careful look to show your interest. In this way, you can best assure your success in dealing with the Korean business.

The Pan-Broiled Rice Cake

Need a good appetizer to to with your meal at our Seattle Korean restaurant? Consider our pan-broiled rice cake dish. These distinctive, cylindrical rice cakes are combined with red pepper paste and an assortment of other fresh ingredients to give you a hearty, tangy dining experience that you will not forget.

This classic food is known as tteokbokki (alternatively, “ddeokbokki”) in Korea, where it has been enjoyed since ancient times. It is one of the most popular choices to buy as a snack item for people on the go. People will often buy it from vendors on the streets, who will serve it up with items like beef, bean sprouts, onions, mushrooms, carrots, or mandu. Students and busy businessmen find it to be a great source of quick, hearty energy when their schedules don’t allow them to sit down for a meal. Give this Korean favorite a try with Old Village!

Children’s Day

In the United States, we’re all accustomed to celebrating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. In Korea, however, there is yet another day devoted to the younger members of the family. It is for this reason that, to our Seattle Korean restaurant, the fifth of May is Children’s Day.

This tradition traces its origins to Bang Jeong-hwan, a children’s book writer who called upon adults to treat children with respect. In an “Open Letter to Adults”, he states that “Children who grow up with the ridicule and contempt of others will become adults who disrespect others, while children who grow up with the respect of others will become adults who respect others in turn.”

It is thusly that Children’s Day has been designated as a national holiday. On this day, parents will give their children gifts and take them on outings to amusement parks, zoos, movies, and whatever else might grab their fancy. Consider doing something special for the children in your own life this year, and take them for a real Korean meal at Old Village Korean BBQ!

What is Sashimi?

Have you ever tasted sashimi before? At the Old Village Seattle Korean restaurant, you can try this classic dish in the form of our skate sashimi sampler and our skate sashimi cold noodles. It consists of thin slices of skate meat, served raw. Many people consider this to be a delicious delicacy, and will often partake of it on special occasions.

The word “sashimi” is of Japanese origin. It is similar in many ways to the more well-known sushi, in the sense that both generally feature raw fish meat. However, there is a significant difference between the two dishes in that sushi must always be made with sushi-style rice, while sashimi is often eaten by itself. Further, sushi can even be made with cooked fish or with no fish at all, while sashimi cannot. Try out this unique taste sensation for yourself at Old Village today!

Counting Age in Korea

The western world has been taking to South Korea in a big way in recent years. With more and more establishments like our Seattle Korean restaurant springing up across the country, Korean food and culture are becoming much more familiar to the average American. However, South Korea still has many surprises to it that may strike you as strange. Indeed one of Korea’s more foreign oddities is the Korean custom for counting age.

It’s easy to think of age as being a universal thing. After all, it’s a simple matter of counting the years since you were born. However, though this is the method employed by most of the world, many non-Koreans discover that they are between one and two years older on the Korean peninsula. This is because Koreans don’t count the number of years you have been alive, but rather the number of calendar years you have lived in.

The system is simple: when a baby is born, he or she is already one. Then, once the new year comes around, he or she turns two. It is therefore possible, for example, for a baby born on the last day of the year to be considered two years old on his or her second day of life!

How Do You Deep-Fry Ice Cream?

Looking for a bit of dessert to follow your meal at our Seattle Korean restaurant? Tempura ice cream is a curious little novelty that many enjoy. An invention of the Japanese, this dish is exactly what it sounds like: balls of ice cream that have been battered and fried in oil.

So, how does one go about frying ice cream? Obviously, the frozen nature of the ice cream does not mesh too naturally with scalding hot oils. This is why the ice cream that is to be fried needs to be extremely cold prior to being battered and cooked. The frying medium itself needs to be particularly hot as well, and can only fry the ice cream for roughly thirty seconds to avoid melting it and destroying the final product. When this balance is achieved properly, you have a dessert with a warm, crispy shell and a cool, pleasingly soft interior. Try it for yourself at Old Village!

Seoul: the Heart of Korea

We at Old Village maintain strong ties to our native country. Indeed, our Seattle Korean restaurant would never be here without the strong foundation of culture and tradition that is South Korea. And the heart and soul of this foundation is none other than Korea’s magnificent Seoul.

The word “seoul” translates quite simply to “capital city”. The most significant city in Korea and one of the largest cities in the world, this dizzying metropolis is the home of roughly half of the country’s population. It is here that you can experience a magnificent blend of the natural world, the ancient world, and the wonders of the modern day all in a single horizon; stand within the walls of an authentic palace or temple to look out into the high-tech skyscrapers without, a wreath of unspoiled mountains framing the entire picture with rugged splendor. This is the magic of Seoul, and the spirit that goes into the dining experience at Old Village!

Go Kyoza!

Do you enjoy a good kyoza? At our Seattle Korean restaurant, you can find this old favorite in the form of our fried kyoza, our steamed kyoza, or one of our kyoza soups.

Kyoza, more frequently known as “gyoza” or “potstickers” in the English-speaking world, represents a Japanese variation on the Chinese-style dumplings. They are made with a thin shell of pasta, which is wrapped around a combination of cabbage, green onions, ginger, garlic, and ground pork. In Asia, the process of making these dumplings is a lengthy one that the whole family might engage in together. However, it doesn’t take much to enjoy your favorite variety of kyoza at Old Village Korean Barbecue! Come and try a few of our delicious dumpling dishes today.

2014 is the Year of the Horse

January 31st, 2014 was the lunar new year for our Seattle Korean restaurant, marking the arrival of the Year of the Horse. The Horse is the seventh sign in the Chinese Zodiac, and people born under it are said to embody traits of strength, energy, and independence. They are also known to be a little self-centered, exhibiting problems with authority and reacting poorly when they cannot get their way.

Horses are most often attracted to careers that allow them to be active and be around others. They often like to be the center of attention, with the power to act as their own bosses with their innate spontaneity and adaptability. If you are a Horse, you may do well as a journalist, an actor, a salesman, an athlete, or a teacher.

The spontaneous nature of Horses causes them to have impulsive, passionate relationships. These can be exhausting and potentially over-dramatic for their significant others, though Horses do tend to mellow out as they grow older.

A History of Rice

Have you ever wondered how civilization first hit upon the all-important rice as a food source? From ancient times to our Seattle Korean restaurant, this crop is undoubtedly the most prominent crop ever cultivated by humanity. It has been a staple food source for more people over a longer period of time than any other form of food, with a history going back millennia.

The first known record of rice being cultivated for food goes all the way back to 2500 BC in ancient China. It spread throughout the rest of the world from there, its great versatility proving to be a boon for many cultures in many environments. It could be grown in anything from dry deserts to flooded wetlands, and its nutritional value made it a staple throughout Asia and the Mediterranean region. Come take a taste of this ancient tradition at Old Village!