I'm in Korea.

It's my first time being back in 10 years.

I was born in Seoul, South Korea,

and then I moved to America when I was 12,

and I came back briefly when I was 14,

but since then, I haven't been back.

The thing is, I'm not in Seoul.

I'm in Jeju, which is like the island of Korea.

My parents moved here,

and it's actually my first time being in Jeju.

I'll do what I do best, eating.

So, I'll show you guys what I eat on this island

and all the experiences I have.

So, come with me.

So, for breakfast, we went to Paris Baguette.

In Korean, it's Paris Baguette

It's a bakery super popular in Korea.

I think there are some in America too,

but they're Korean bakeries.

They had some of the breads I used to grow up on.

This is one of them.

See, it's shaped like Hawaiian bread,

but inside there's kind of cheese layers in it.

There is this pastry with sweet potatoes in it, really good.

This is my favorite, it's called soboro-ppang.

It's known for the bumpy crust,

and it tastes like peanut butter.

This is tteokbokki, spicy rice cake along with fish cake,

dumplings, and boiled eggs.

This one also has ramen in it.

Korean fried chicken.

This one is sweet and spicy, called gangjeong chicken.

This one is a regular fried chicken called huraideu

and my favorite, soy sauce chicken.

It's called ganjang chicken.

They're crunchy and juicy with perfect amount of salty,

and we ate two whole chickens.

So, Cheju-do is a volcanic island,

meaning it was formed by volcanic eruptions.

That's why there are a lot of rocks everywhere.

(speaking Korean)

So, I got a guide to learn more about the rocks.

It says Jusangjeolli is a column-shaped joint

that commonly develops in basaltic rocks in a lava flow.

These tall statues are all over Jeju

and are called dol hareubang,

which translates into stone grandpa.

They're made from hyunmuam,

the volcanic rocks with holes my mom just talked about,

and they're know to protect the island.

And also, I found out about this

after I posted a picture hugging one of them,

people commented about the statues

very closely resembling a penis,

and apparently there's a myth that dol hareubangs

were indeed shaped after a penis, and if you rub their nose,

you will give birth to a son.

Thanks, guys, for the info.

So, we're gonna try black pork today.

In Jeju, it's really famous.

How you tell is there's hair on the meat,

that's how you tell it's the black pork.

Looks like regular pork belly.

Wow.

So chewy, super tender, so good.

- Mm!

(laughing)

- This is seafood heaven.

Sushi buffet, all you can eat.

Here we are at Hamdeok Beach.

Look how clear the water is!

It's still a little cold to go swimming,

but didn't stop me from getting in the water.

Here is nakji-bokkeum which is spicy octopus,

nakji-pajeon, which is Korean pancakes with octopus,

and dumpings.

You fry it perfectly and very crispy.

You can taste the protein.

This is kalguksu, a traditional Korean noodle dish.

It literally means knife noodles.

Kal is knife and guksu is noodle.

It's made with knife-cut wheat noodles.

Usually, the color's white,

but this one has mulberry leaf, so it's green.

(speaking Korean)

So, now we're at (speaking Korean),

which is Seogwipo's National Recreational Forest.

But this is just actually a small part of Hallasan,

which is a mountain in Jeju,

and Hallasan is the highest mountain in South Korea.

So, for dinner, we'e going to (speaking Korean),

which is apparently really famous for mackerel sashimi,

which is very uncommon.

It's located at a fishing port in Jeju

called (speaking Korean).

As you can see, there are tons of boats here.

This is the famous mackerel sashimi,

(speaking Korean) in Korean, and all the side dishes here.

They're right from the ocean, so they taste clean and fresh.

The plain seaweed and spiced scallion make perfect combo.

After the sashimi, they give you a mackerel soup.

It's peppery, spicy, and super savory.

So, my mom and I are gonna go get some lunch.

We're gonna go look at Porch.

It's chuk in Korea.

- It's called the Sick Pickle because it helps digestion.

- Yeah, so it's good when you're sick,

but good also when you're not sick.

- These are potato skin dumplings.

And my mom got octopus kimchi porridge.

- Mm, yummy.

- And mine is called maesaengi soup.

Maesangi is a type of seaweed that's in Korea,

that's what makes it green.

Hot, but very good.

Oh my God, look at all these Korean snacks.

This is heaven.

This is one of my favorite snacks, or even a quick meal,

Samgak-gimbap.

It translates into triangle bimpap

like a sushi roll, but triangle.

They sell it at any convenience stores,

and there are many flavors, but this one is tuna.

It's so good.

Welcome to a Korean family feast.

These are just the appetizer side dishes.

The main course is this one,

Maeuntang, which is a spicy fish soup.

The broth is the best with rice.

The giant tower of rocks over there is Oedolgae,

which basically means a lonely rock.

It's 20 meters or 66 feet tall.

It does look a little lonely by itself,

but I think it's beautiful.

So, today's my last day here.

I'm about to go back to L.A.

and I'm really sad that it's come to an end,

but I had so much fun exploring Jeju Island.

I learned so many new things on this island,

and it was great to get back in touch with my culture,

and most importantly, the food was great.

So, thanks, guys, for coming with me.

I hope you enjoyed it,

and hopefully I can travel to another country soon.

So, until next time, Korea.

(upbeat music)