A Taste of Korea: Gala Dinner, Fashion, and Dance Show

I recently had the privilege of attending "A Taste of Korea" gala dinner in celebration of the Korean Chuseok holiday (Korean thanksgiving, kind of) and the launch of Cathlyn's Korean Kitchen show on PBS (earlier this year I was one of the judges for their Top Chef Korean Food Challenge). The dinner was part of the Korean government effort to promote Korean food and culture in the US.

Held at a hotel in Koreatown, we had a lavish spread of traditional Korean food, some of which I wasn't very familiar with - like this vibrant "roll" of vegetables wrapped in squid!

A whole tray of marinated pork belly served with spicy noodles and lettuce wrap ...

... and samgyetang, Korean-style ginseng chicken soup. I anticipated a medicinal flavor but luckily it wasn't that strong. I loved this soup! Anyone know where I can get a good one in K-town?

There were also kkulttuk (honey rice cakes) for dessert. I tried these at the event before and glad to see them here again. 

We saw the intro for Cathlyn's show and listened to guest chefs give their opinion about the Korean dishes. There was also a video about technology in Korea which showed kindergarten kids playing with tablets on the playground. Lucky kids.

They had also prepared a slew of entertainment for us, including a fashion show of traditional and modern hanboks designed by Kim Me-Hee. As the models were walking on stage, I thought one looked familiar .. turns out it was someone I knew! What a small world.

There were also Korean dances performances...

.. the coolest of which was the Samgo-Mu (Korean Drum dance). I'll leave you with a short clip of this dance: