Meet and Eat: YJ is Back

Following the short survey done by one of my favorite food blogs which I follow devoutly, I will also conduct this survey about myself to welcome myself back to the food blog world!

Name: Yoon Jeong Lee
Location: Cambridge, MA
Occupation: Law School Student
Website/Twitter: ahungrycookie.blogspot.com

Guilty Pleasures? Opening a bottle of wine solo poured in my favorite wine glass, sourdough toast dipped in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Cheese, nuts, creating my own snacking plate. Oh, and in bed. Watching my favorite shows. 

Describe your perfect meal. A group of close people, friends or family, who love food and love talking about food together. Everyone helping out in the kitchen, chop-chop, sizzle-sizzling all around, and everyone sipping on their drink of choice. Meal starts. An exquisite bottle of wine is poured, and everyone comments on it. Specifics on food would be: if its with family, it would be ssam, which is a Korean version of do-it-yourself wrap with korean vegetables, roasted fish, and korean lettuce and fragrant sesame leaves. If its with friends, a simple caprese salad, main dish would be beef bourguignon served on pappardelle, brussel sprouts on the side. Dessert would be chocolate mousse served with ruby port. 

What food you won't eat? I am down to try everything. Before high school, I refused to eat bananas, kiwis and random ugly fruits. Before that, I was a very picky eater, being that usual problematic kid who would not eat vegetables including beans in my rice. During my years at my boarding high school,  I was exposed to a lot of random foods not in my family meal repertoire, and generally came to appreciate various types of food. Now, I am a transformed girl. I have tried everything from chicken feet to durian. 

Favorite food person. David Lebovitz is one, his writing style has a special type of humor that appeals to me. Kathy YL Chan, Alton Brown, Aaron Sanchez, random names come to mind at the moment. I don't usually follow people, I follow content and recipes. 

When did you first realize you were a serious eater? I started reading food blogs during my time at boarding school, which was in the middle of nowhere and where freedom of food choice was not available. Getting sick of just food pictures, I started to dominate the kitchen whenever I was at home, and started baking cookies and cakes and bringing them back to school to feed my roommates. It became and obsession and now I'm yelping and instagramming and can remember every food we ate at every place. A photographic memory when it comes to food..


What do your family and your friends think of your food obsession? My mom just treats me like some weirdo whenever she sees me fussing over food and what to eat and how to eat and what to drink with it. Now I know how to handle her by cleaning up as I go whenever I am experimenting something new in the kitchen. She still doesn't understand me trying to bake something in the oven when its sweating hot outside. My friends are all super passionate about food-there's a reason they are my friends and still are my friends. 

Favorite food sites or blogs? I usually gain ideas from seriouseats and thekitchn, but also like to browse through smittenkitchen, David Lebovitz, etc. for fun. 

Everyone has a go-to person they call for restaurant recommendations. Who's yours? I mostly go to my local friend at whatever place I am visiting. If there are no locals, then I mostly go to yelp and food blogs like Eater, seriouseats for recommendations. 

What is your favorite meal of the day and where do you get it? My favorite meal used to be breakfast when there were multiple options available - I can't believe I am saying this- during undergrad I could concoct whatever I wanted at the Val, my undergrad one and only cafeteria, toast, eggs, bagels, cereal, oatmeal.... but now that I live off-campus alone my breakfasts have toned down to a mere yogurt and granola, blueberries. Now, I think dinner, where I have more time to be creative is my favorite meal. 

Do you ever cook? What's the best dish you make? The dish I have made most often is shakshuka, an Israeli brunch dish which is equivalent to eggs poached in tomato sauce, with added spices and topped with feta cheese. My sister does love all the sandwiches I make for her though.