Indulging Myself One Bite at a Time: A Little Piece of Korea.

(*If you ever wondered where Jean and I would mysteriously disappear for several hours to go get Korean food...this place is it!* Jean this post is dedicated to you and the times we ate an unhealthy amount of Kibu together!)

Though Indiana may not be one of the more culturally diverse States, I find Purdue's campus to be pretty diverse. There are people from all different countries to study or teach at this famous institution. With all different cultures floating around good ol' West Lafayette, the one way to satisfy each of them is to put plenty of ethnic restaurants to fill any stomach. There are Indian, Thai, Chinese, Korean, Mexican and many other restaurants to remind students of their home comfort foods or for anyone to enjoy. I crave Asian food very easily and often, and so does my good friend Jean Kim, who is Korean.

We were on a quest to find a good restaurant to fix our Asian food cravings and we stumbled upon a restaurant called Kibu Cafe. I wouldn't say we are addicts...well...we are. Kibu has a variety of Korean and Japanese food, but I only order and crave one dish, the Soon Tofu. I would love to start trying new dishes, but I seriously crave this dish all the time and can't get myself to order anything else. I always tell Jean I swear the tofu has crack in it, it's that addicting! Jean, on the other hand, order different things, but she mostly orders the Bi Bim Bop. Sadly, Jean graduated in May and I am now on my own to enjoy my Soon Tofu (if anyone would ever like to come, let me know :)). Kibu's menu includes dishes ranging from any kind of Korean noodles and Korean BBQ to udon noodles, tempura and chicken teriyaki. If I ever get sick of the Soon Tofu (highly doubt it) I want to try the Korean style ramen or the rice topped with beef and egg.

These dishes are the best to enjoy during the winter when it is freezing outside and I want to warm myself up with a soup. The Soon Tofu is for me equivalent to the chicken noodle soup or tomato soup for an American kid after playing in the snow. My soup arrives bubbling and Jean's Bi Bim Bop comes crackling in its giant stone bowl (which keeps the rice heated) with two little side dishes (usually bean curd and kimchi). I don't think there is anything better sounding then the bubbling soup and crackling rice! My Soon Tofu consists of tofu, zucchini, onions, little clams, squid and an egg that is dropped in right before it arrives, but cooks perfectly inside the spicy, red soup. The red soup might scare some people, but I love it. I'm not even exactly sure what it is except that it is Korean and I'm addicted to it. The softness of the tofu, egg, zucchini and onions just melts in your mouth. Then, eating a spoonful of rice in between cools off the spiciness. Jean's Bi Bim Bop is rice with piles of vegetables, meat and an egg that you mix with a red sauce, kept hot by the stone bowl. Lets just say we are both in heaven. Jean will be visiting Purdue in the middle of September and we both know where we will be going for a meal :).