Category: My San Francisco Chronicles

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#foodie My San Francisco Chronicles

Dok Bok Ki Cravings.

Since Thursday, I had been craving Dok Bok Ki (spicy rice cakes) so badly. The name is Korean, and I am guessing the dish itself is of Korean origin since I have never seen it served in other Asian restaurants. Anyway, I first tried this tasty dish last year with some Korean friends; they introduced me to more authentic Korean food than the usual Bulgogi, Bibimbpap, and such.

I remember when I first tried Dok Bok Ki, I really liked it a lot, but completely forgot the dish’s name after my friends moved back to Korea. So I forgot about Dok Bok Ki in general. At the beginning of February, when my friends and I had a three-way birthday party, we had our dinner at a Korean restaurant called Playground here in San Francisco. There, I was re-acquainted with Dok Bok Ki and wanted it more.

I next tried Dok Bok Ki at another Korean restaurant called Won Mi along Fillmore Street. I went during their lunch time and was able to secure the lunch special price. I remember eating their Dok Bok Ki and thinking to myself “Spicy and sweet, and oh so chewy.” Korean food is one of my favorite kinds of food–I love spicy foods and I just love how many little dishes come with the meal. Lots of little trays of kimchi/random appetizers served, and sometimes there is also a complimentary almond rice drink served after dinner. Mm.

Anyway, so I was without Dok Bok Ki for around a month and that was probably what stirred up my cravings on Thursday. I kept thinking “I want the spicy sweetness of Dok Bok Ki” and was trying to plan my Friday out so I could go get some lunch at Won Mi. Unfortunately, I did not have a good day on Friday and decided to stay in that day.

Yesterday though, my cravings were still very strong, so I ended up going to Han Il Kwan with my friend for dinner. Han Il Kwan is probably the best Korean restaurant I have been to so far in San Francisco. I loved Won Mi and Playground, too, but Han Il Kwan seems to have the best value for their meal. We got many little appetizer dishes, a complimentary egg dish, and the almond rice drink, all for under $10 per person (without tip).

Here was where I finally satisfied my craving for Dok Bok Ki, and it was well worth the wait! I got a big plate of it and could only finish half of it; was happy to bring home some leftovers. I just love how chewy the texture is and the sweet/spicy sauce served with it. Mmm. I feel like I will need to stay in San Francisco or live in another city/suburb with superb Korean food in order to feel sane, haha.

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Hot Dog Days My San Francisco Chronicles politics

Five years since the start of the War in Iraq.

I can’t believe it’s been five years since the war began.

Today in Union Square/downtown area, there were a lot of protesters. A lot of them were dressed in garb doing skits (I couldn’t quite see what kind of skit they were doing, but it was about the war). Then, they all tried going into Macy’s at one point but policemen on motorcycles immediately stopped them. I was standing at my hot dog cart minding my own business and was startled to see the policemen roll their bikes up onto the sidewalk.

The protest processional had to be moved elsewhere (probably down Powell Street). My manager said that Market Street was looking pretty bad at one point due to the protest.

After the commotion in front of the Macy’s, a man was walking by my cart and kind of smiled at me in a funny way. Then, he went on to say, “What the hell, Hot Dog Lady?!”, probably questioning whether I was involved in the protest or what…

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Hot Dog Days memories music My San Francisco Chronicles Work Diaries

Radio Oldies

I don’t usually listen to radio, but since I’ve started working at the hot dog carts, I have been really digging the KISS 98.1 FM radio station here in San Francisco. The station reminds me of a mix of K92.3 and Q99.1 from back east, in that it plays popular oldies and some more recent, contemporary songs.

Today while working at the commissary, I was singing along with the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, etc. Ah, so many of the songs on the radio give me quite a bout of nostalgia. I was only born in 1985, but so many golden oldies from the ’60s, ’70s, and early ’80s remind me of my childhood. Probably because my siblings and I used to always watch those music video shows on VH1 back when they actually showed music videos. “Whatever happened to…”, “One-Hit Wonders”, etc. We were bored a lot at home, so we ended up learning a lot of American music history.

I feel like I can listen to KISS 98.1 all day…I practically did that today since I ended up working close to 8-9 hours (was slow in the prep work today). So many songs that I recognised, so many memories…

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funny homeless man My San Francisco Chronicles observation

Beware the man behind the bush!

Okay, the title might be a little bit off, but nonetheless, here’s some information that might be helpful for tourists or locals alike in San Francisco:

Along Jefferson Street in the Fisherman’s Wharf area, there’s a homeless/crazy man who hides behind several branches from a tree and scares people all day by “breaking through” the bush and screaming at whoever is unsuspecting. Not sure if he actually gets money for this, but hell, it brings a lot of attention to him.

My friend actually fell into the trap last October when we were walking along Jefferson Street. We weren’t paying attention, and all the sudden, the guy comes out from behind his branches and goes “WHOAOAOOAOAOOOAO!” at us; I just shook a little bit, but my friend screamed really loud. Little did we know that we had an audience watching us (other people walking by) and they were laughing at our reactions.

Today I was walking along and noticed a lot of people stopped at a stretch of the road; at first I thought these people were staring at the dancing tin-men (we have those over there, too). After a few minutes of trying to find what these people were staring at, I did see the man hiding behind his branches and chuckled to myself. The guy seems to have a captive audience now; I need to go and videotape him for Youtube.

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#foodie American Culture customers funny health Hot Dog Days jobs My San Francisco Chronicles observation rant

Pretzels vs. Hot Dogs

Dear Female Customers,

I know you all probably look at the menu and think to yourselves “Gee, hot dogs, so fattening! I think I will be healthier and have a pretzel.”

I hate to break it to you, but a pretzel is probably unhealthier than a hot dog.

Think about it: all the pretzel is is salt (sodium, yikes!) and white bread. Simple carbs that aren’t easily broken down. No real nutrients. In addition, the salt will make you retain some water (i.e., you will feel bloated later).

Meanwhile, a hot dog at least will have some protein in it, and when you add some relish or onions or sauerkraut, you get some sort of vegetable servings.

So stop trying to kid yourself into thinking that the pretzel is healthier, because in reality, it really isn’t. I do believe a soft pretzel packs more calories than a jumbo hot dog (correct me if I’m wrong).

So anyway, what would you like to buy today? An unhealthy soft pretzel or a less-unhealthy hot dog?

Sincerely,

Your Favorite Hot Dog Vendor in San Francisco