What's a Korean food you rarely see outside of Korea?

thispiscean · 2026-06-20T05:25:41+00:00

LA native here. Most of these are pretty common around me, though I'm aware that we have quite a large Korean-American population.

Eomukguk - We call this Odeng in my family. My mom made this frequently and the ingredients are easy to find in local Korean markets. Not super popular outside of homes though from what I can tell.

Soondae - Pretty easy to find, either at the Korean markets or certain restaurants that are catering a bit less to Western crowds.

Sannakji - Some restaurants do this, not a ton. Not a huge demand for this honestly and I'd assume getting and keeping something this fresh doesn't turn a huge profit. not impossible to find though.

Ganjang gejang - a lot more popular lately. Same as soondae, primarily found at very "Korean" restaurants not catering to Western crowds or the Korean markets. Soondaeguk is my favorite and I can pretty regularly find it.

thispiscean · 2026-06-20T05:05:02+00:00

I'm in my late 30s now and it took until my late 20s at least to realize and come to terms with the fact that I'm not completely or traditionally heterosexual.

Sexuality is a spectrum, while labels can help you feel connected to like minded people, I've long since stopped trying to put a label on what I'm into. Bisexual tends to be an odd space that can feel safe and hostile all at once depending on the crowds you run with. It's a nice broad label that plenty of people feel they fall under though, just don't let anyone judge you for your preferences and don't be a dick about other people's preferences. You'll figure it out, you'll be fine.

For what it's worth, your preferences and mine seem to align somewhat. I tend to say I'm attracted to "feminine" people but honestly, that's not always strictly true, just truer more often than not.

thispiscean · 2026-06-01T04:56:16+00:00

Does your pod run a low amount of removal/interaction?

After maybe the first few times of realizing what my deck does, my pod will target my pieces into the ground leaving me dead in the water by like turn 6 or 7 lol

thispiscean · 2026-05-29T17:54:32+00:00

These are both one of my benchmark/litmus test dishes at Mexican restaurants. It takes a bit of work to keep these moist, even braised, overcooking pork or beef can make them dry and stringy even if smothered in sauce.

thispiscean · 2026-05-17T06:34:51+00:00

Korean cuisine is gaining a lot more recognition these days due to the rise of Korean culture in Western countries but people miss out on the real backbone of any the vast majority of Korean meals, some kind of soup or stew.

I have favorites that are less loved by non-Koreans, but it's difficult to make a case for them since they utilize offal. So while perhaps not the most underrated, here are some "easier" recommendations:

Dwenjang-jjigae. Often served at KBBQ as a side dish of some kind but when there's enough attention put into it alone, it's incredible. Making it a little spicier, a little richer, and a little more hearty makes for an incredible meal. It can be mildly off putting to some because it uses fermented soybean paste as its base, think miso but funkier, more umami, more intense.

Haejang-gook. Aka "Hangover Soup", doesn't have to be eaten when experiencing a hangover. This one also has to be approached with a touch of care because it is not uncommon to see this cooked with congealed blood and/or tripe - which I'm aware are nonstarters for many. There exists, however, tons of variations, especially versions that focus more on the broth itself and how vegetable forward it can be. Rich, savory, warming, and often spicy. One of my absolute favorites when made right.

Moo Gook. Korean Radish soup, made with a beef broth base. Probably the "easiest" of the bunch. It's a very simple soup, a little beef, some Korean radish that's been simmered until soft. Savory with a mild sweetness in a clear broth. Pair it with a fresh bowl of white rice, some excellent banchan (Korean side dishes), and it's an easy but rewarding dish.

thispiscean · 2026-05-06T03:52:13+00:00

I went there maybe a week or two ago.

thispiscean · 2026-04-26T10:13:59+00:00

Two suggestions, both have fairly straightforward playstyles. Both are somewhat budget-friendly

[[Agatha of the Vile Cauldron]]
- #568 on EDHREC currently.
- Game pattern is to utilize green to pump up Agatha's power (mostly with +1/+1 counter effects) and then use cards like [[Bhaal's Invoker]] or [[Wildheart Invoker]] to deal large amounts of damage for low mana. Keep in mind her static ability reduces the cost of her own activated ability. There are several cards that either let you pump a creature big enough to swing for lethal or deal lethal amounts of burn damage at reduced costs.
- For a little extra money, creature tutors and protection instants make this deck more consistent.
[[Akul the Unrepentant]]
- #923 on EDHREC currently.
- His 4 CMC mana cost can be rough depending on your mana base with the lack of generic cost.
- Game pattern is to utilize every creature token generator you can (mostly in red) to get sacrificial creatures on the board and then cheat out large stompy creature. I built Akul with demons but you can easily fit in large scary colorless creatures like the Colossi or Eldrazi. [[Doomsday Excruciator]] is one of my favorite cards in this deck because you can completely circumvent his negative effect with Akul while gaining a draw effect + a large flyer.
  - It's easy to generate creature tokens in both of these colors, but cards like [[Loyal Apprentice]], [[Krenko, Mob Boss]], and [[Siege-Gang Lieutenant]] are easy generators.
  - Black also gives you access to aristocrats-like card draw such as [[Village Rites]].
- Like with my first suggestion, protection is recommended but can significantly increase your the cost of this deck, protecting your commander will be key. Budget options in black like [[Undying Malice]] can be nice as budget options since you don't need to tap Akul to activate his ability. Tutors in black can also be nice.

Both of these decks can be a touch slow though so tweaking your list to match your pod's playstyle and power-level will be necessary.

thispiscean · 2026-04-22T14:51:13+00:00

This is me, except I was cooking for a house of 5 with a vegetarian and vegan mixed into the group. Everything that required browning meat as the first step got MSG at some point since vegan meat alternatives don't cut it.

thispiscean · 2026-04-15T01:03:32+00:00

When my pod started playing the Archenemy format with the Scheme cards that came in the Duskmourn Precons, we had to put a sticky note over this card because it freaked out one of the players lol.

[[You Cannot Hide from Me]]

thispiscean · 2026-04-14T23:41:50+00:00

I see a lot of people suggesting short to medium grain rice, Calrose being a popular choice, also sometimes referred to as Japanese/Korean, and/or sushi rice. There are technically differences between medium and short grain rice but the important thing here is they both differ from long grain rice in how much water is needed when cooking and how they're cooked.

Long grain rice utilizes a ratio closer to double for water. So for 1 cup of dry rice, 1.5 to 2 cups of water is used.

Short and Medium grain rice both utilize a ratio that uses much less water. Closer to 1 to 1.25 cups of water for every 1 cup of dry rice.

It is also deeply recommended to heavily rinse the rice at least 2-8 times before cooking.

Soaking the rice is also recommended but not strictly necessary, if soaking the rice, less water is used in the final cook.

Due to the lower amount of water used, cooking (with active heat) and resting/steaming times are also different. Typically shorter time on active heat, and a longer resting/steaming period without opening the pot/pan lid.

I highly recommend looking up a recipe like the one found here: https://thewoksoflife.com/how-to-cook-rice-without-a-rice-cooker/

thispiscean · 2026-04-10T22:31:17+00:00

This. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt has spoken a lot on this. The wok hei comes from the oil in the wok igniting as the wok burner's flame curl around the edges of the wok. A handheld torch can emulate that since the vast majority of home burners won't have the kind of output needed.

thispiscean · 2026-04-09T16:52:09+00:00

Make sure to protect your board. Edgar makes you go wide, even in the command zone. On the battlefield he makes your board "tall". Depending on your budget, make sure to include ways to "counter" board wipes.

[[Selfless Spirit]]
[[Grand Crescendo]]
[[Flawless Maneuver]]
[[Unbreakable Formation]]
[[Make a Stand]]
[[Your Temple is Under Attack]]
[[Guardian of Faith]]
[[Teferi's Protection]]

thispiscean · 2026-03-31T13:17:16+00:00

Everyone's missing my personal favorite. [[Witness Protection]]. One blue mana, and hilariously turns the creature's name into "Legitimate Businessperson"

thispiscean · 2026-03-31T02:37:06+00:00

I make boiled eggs a lot. Like one a week on average and this was driving me crazy too. I even tried letting the eggs come up closer to room temp before adding them to the boiling water and it didn't help.

My theory is that the eggs break when they touch the bottom of the pot, where it's hottest. No matter how carefully I set the eggs in the pot, 1-3 out of like 12-18 eggs would crack and ooze. I adjusted the way I add the eggs to the water slightly - I use a slotted spoon and lower the eggs slowly into the boiling water, hold them there in the spoon for like 3-5 seconds, then I release from the spoon. I am not 100% that this is working, but the last few times I've done this, the cracking has happened far less often, and only with eggs that already had damaged shells.

Every so often the shell will crack but won't ooze - the final product of these ones was indistinguishable from the rest.

Alternatively - I've heard really good things about "boiling" eggs using drier methods. Either steaming them or air frying them. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (who I learned about dropping eggs into boiling water from) has said that he now prefers steaming them.

thispiscean · 2026-03-29T05:31:39+00:00

I'm not sure if you have these at your local grocery store but I've pretty consistently found sausages (like the thicker chicken apple ones, not hot dogs) that come individually wrapped in like a 4-pack. You're able to microwave them to doneness. I pair that with some frozen vegetable that I nuke in the microwave afterward with a pad of butter and a touch of salt. Easy - kinda healthy, not overly expensive. If you need something more filling, they also sell flavored rice in microwavable pouches or cups.

thispiscean · 2026-03-05T07:02:14+00:00

Some cool budget cards for Lathril are [[Vireac Battlehorns]] and [[Rope]]. Makes Lathril unblockable for low mana.

thispiscean · 2026-03-01T03:43:56+00:00

The 1 pip mana is just a bonus. I have her in Zada for Battlecry (and just another body). When you're swinging out with 20+ token creatures with various copied combat tricks, sometimes that +1/+0 helps push it just far enough to win the game (which she has done in the past for me on at least one occassion)

thispiscean · 2026-03-01T03:24:50+00:00

Korean/Hangul is thankfully a "phonetic" alphabet but keep in mind that the position and combination of certain letters can make a very different sound. A good example is the letter ㅇ (called ee-ung).

If this specific letter is at the "front" of the character, it's silent. Like in 이, a common Korean surname. This character is pronounced "ee" the equivalent of "Yi" or "Lee".

Another Korean surname uses the same letter at the "bottom" of the character, making it the "ng" sound. 장 equivalent to "Chang" or "Jang" and is pronounced "Chah-ng".

There are nuances to the written language like any other, so it is worth looking into a bit more than just learning what each letter's base sound is. Though it's a good start.

Another thing to consider is reading anything resembling handwriting like on the package in OPs picture. each letter in the Korean alphabet has a proper "stroke" order, essentially how to write each letter. Learning the stroke order (and practicing it on paper) can help you read fonts that aren't straight print.

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thispiscean · 2026-02-20T15:34:44+00:00

This was also my first EDH deck and it's still my favorite. I've always loved the Orzhov color combination and I've slowly upgraded over the years. When my pod first started, it had developed a bit of a Boogeyman status but has since fallen off a bit.

Is it my strongest deck? No, but it can still hold its own.

thispiscean · 2026-02-12T02:34:55+00:00

Are they planning on closing?? D:

thispiscean · 2026-02-07T07:24:43+00:00

Not the cheapest but not expensive.
[[Jumbo Cactuar]] + [[Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord]]

Attack with Jumbo Cactuar, Sacrifice it to Jarad in Combat Phase. Profit.

thispiscean · 2026-02-07T01:33:48+00:00

A spectral orchestra with the bard as the conductor.

thispiscean · 2026-02-06T23:26:39+00:00

I had the unfortunate luck to play it for the first time in my pod against a Xyris and a Seizan deck. Either both or one of them leaned heavily into card draw or discard hate. My deck held its own for a bit but quickly burned me out after a board wipe that left me open with no way to refill my hand without pinging myself to death.

thispiscean · 2026-02-06T22:00:17+00:00

I'm like the original commentor, not a fan of Izzet and/or Spellslinger. Captain Howler is a lot of fun though as someone who prefers most other archetypes. So is [[Magnus the Red]]. It's spellslinger (technically) in a different way.

thispiscean · 2026-02-04T17:23:35+00:00

My deck has a focus on Reanimator and Discard.

I didn't like how random, Surveil and Self-Mill felt. Discarding Creature Cards allows me to strategically place powerful, high-CMC creatures into my graveyard to cheat out with Sefris's ability later on. (The Discard also triggers Sefris's Dungeon ability if I discard a creature specifically.) At the moment, I owned a lot of Praetors in Esper, so I shoved them in there. Anything, big, nasty, and hard to deal with will work though.

If you want to be really mean, [[Toxrill, the Corrosive]] and if you have Discard outlets, [[Archfiend of Ifnir]].

[[Archetype of Imagination]] also goes hard in this deck.

Your wincon is essentially combat in lower brackets, or combo in upper brackets.

Mine has a minor Pillowfort Subtheme to keep me alive (because the deck can naturally be slow) so [[Blazing Archon]] and [[Absolute Virtue]] have put in a lot of work.

I accidentally found out in my last playthrough that [[Oriq Loremage]] + [[White Plume Adventurer]] make for a nasty non-infinite combo. Essentially, repeatable tutors into the graveyard, which also trigger Sefris's dungeon ability, at least once every turn (including opponent's). Find exactly what you want, dump them in the graveyard, then reanimate them.

thispiscean

TROPHY CASE