One of the biggest material things I miss about being away from home, is being able to get some yummy, authentic and cheap korean food, in restaurants, or in the asian grocery stores. I have to admit that some of the ethnic stores here blow the socks off of the ones that we had at home, if you want to cook yourself up some good thai curry chicken, or pad thai; however, the supply of korean products is definitely lacking. As a result, I’ve had to try to whip myself up some of my own kimchi, but have failed in each attempt (to Tyler’s glee). Although the saying is even bad kimchi is good kimchi, so he nearly fell out of his seat when I decided to eat some of the last batch I made, exclaiming that I had hated this batch, and WHY was I eating it (especially considering it was 5 weeks old)? He knows not the depths of my desperation. And the salt acts as a preservative. He was still disgusted.
So for the whole month leading up to my birthday, I kept dropping hints that all I really wanted was to go get some good korean bbq, and eventually he gave in and agreed to taking me to a korean restaurant as my birthday present. I was ecstatic! I was even able to negotiate ordering two dishes, instead of one! I bragged to all my friends, and this past Friday, a group of us went to try Gaya, a korean restaurant near the Paquis district, that I had read pretty good reviews about. Warning flags should have gone off in my head when we had been sitting there for almost a half hour before even being given the menu or asked if we wanted drinks, but we were having fun talking, and I was high on the prospect of getting bbq AND kimchi chigae (kimchi soup). 
Actually I should have been prepared regardless, considering Geneva’s eating out scene is not phenomenal, although it is expensive. Well, to sum it up, the service was atrocious. I don’t know if it was because there were so many of us, or if it was because they were so busy, but they screwed up on our order, didn’t bring us enough food, didn’t bring the sauces that usually accompany some of the dishes, and basically was a huge disappointment to me. Everyone exclaimed that the food was delicious (it was ok, but I’m picky seeing as how I’ve eaten in a gazillion korean restaurants), it was just that the service was so horrible. Well, I wasn’t even able to come close to achieving that supreme happiness that I so often get when I’m eating really delicious food (you know that feeling!), and it just sucked b/c we don’t eat out often in Geneva, and to sqaunder the victory I had won from Tyler (and the money), was heartbreaking. Ok, I know I’m being a little dramatic, but those of you who know me, know how much I love food. However, our friend was able to negotiate a 25 franc discount (she did it with a huge smile), which is a miracle in Geneva, and we all did have a really wonderful time.
Actually I should have been prepared regardless, considering Geneva’s eating out scene is not phenomenal, although it is expensive. Well, to sum it up, the service was atrocious. I don’t know if it was because there were so many of us, or if it was because they were so busy, but they screwed up on our order, didn’t bring us enough food, didn’t bring the sauces that usually accompany some of the dishes, and basically was a huge disappointment to me. Everyone exclaimed that the food was delicious (it was ok, but I’m picky seeing as how I’ve eaten in a gazillion korean restaurants), it was just that the service was so horrible. Well, I wasn’t even able to come close to achieving that supreme happiness that I so often get when I’m eating really delicious food (you know that feeling!), and it just sucked b/c we don’t eat out often in Geneva, and to sqaunder the victory I had won from Tyler (and the money), was heartbreaking. Ok, I know I’m being a little dramatic, but those of you who know me, know how much I love food. However, our friend was able to negotiate a 25 franc discount (she did it with a huge smile), which is a miracle in Geneva, and we all did have a really wonderful time. So now I’m trying to figure out another way to blackmail Tyler into taking me to another korean restaurant here, in the hopes I can still satisfy my craving, but the chances seem really slim until the next birthday (or in Tyler’s words, your 36th b-day). In the meantime, I think that if I try another type of pepper powder, the kimchi might turn out better…
Next up: Our last ski weekend!
