Review: Kimchi Bistro

This past Thursday, my partner and I, dined at Kimchi Bistro on Capital Hill. It was my first time at the establishment, and I was very impressed.

The top photograph shows my dish, beef bul go gi, in the forground, the appetizers in the middle, and my partner's dish, bi bim bap in the background. The bottom photograph is a close up of the bi bim bap.

Upon entering the restaurant, there was a long line to get a table. The line moved very quickly though and we were seated within ten minutes. Upon entering, I noticed the restaurant was small and very full. The decor is simple but appealing. 

At first the hostess seemed rush and like she was in a hurry to seat us and get everybody out of there, but the service quickly improved after that. We ordered a mere minute or two after we were seated and received our food another two minutes afterwards. 

The appetizers were traditional Korean plates, kimchi, pickled radish, cabbage, daikon, mung beans, and a slaw salad. Tasty, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The bul go gi on the other hand was perfect. The beef was tender and perfectly flavored and meshed with the onions and vegetables on the hot plate perfectly. My highlight of the night.

We also ordered a haemul pajeon, which is sometimes to referred to as a Korean pancake. The haemul part signifies that it is a seafood pancake. This one had octopus alongside onion, peppers and soy sauce. The pancake was crunchy and well cooked. A perfect compliment to the bul go gi.

I tried some of my partner's bi bim bap and was not as impressed. It needed a little punch or spice to go with the rice, egg and vegetables. I have had better.

Overall, I fully recommend Kimchi Bistro to everyone. A good combination of delicious food and incredibly quick service make this an easy, relatively cheap and delicious destination on Capital Hill.

Kimchi Bistro

219 Broadway E # 7

Seattle, WA 98102-5733
(206) 323-4472

Occupy Seattle (And the Rest of the World)

First off, and most importantly, this has been a long time coming. For far too long, we the people, have sat back and accepted the changing culture and practices in this country. The middle class is dwindling and economic inequality is continuing to rise.

As for the protest itself, I was impressed. I have seen it grow from a few occupiers, mostly prototypical rebellious types into a large crowd of people from different backgrounds, age groups, social statuses, etc. These pictures are from Saturday, October 15, 2011. The protest filled the streets as people marched down Pine in impressive numbers. 

The major knock I have heard on the movement is that it does not have an easily understandable agenda, that the message is too broad as more and more protesters come to rally for their personal causes. While, there is definitely a large assortment of causes being advocated for, a definite message does come through. The target is still the banking industry and the politicians who have supported them. While Americans are struggling to make ends meet, CEOs of companies who had to be bailed out by the public are once again, making billions off of the people who were forced by their elected official to bail them out.

Change and revolution are not one day or one rally propositions. True progress only happens over time, and for this movement to make a difference, it must sustain over a period of time. An agenda and plan is needed. 

BECU membership is at a record high for a second month in a row, which speaks volumes to the effect this movement can have. What needs to happen in greater numbers are organized protests outside the large banks. Campaigns that get volunteers to educate anyone coming in or out of Chase, BoA, Wells Fargo etc. just how these banking establishments are hurting the lower and middle classes, and our country as a whole, with their exorbitant fees that aim to make a profit by exploiting those without money in their accounts in the first place.

Marching and chanting is all well and fun, but for this movement to progress, the banking powers must be forced to change, and that change is only going to happen if we the people hit them in the only place they care about, their pocketbooks. A systematic attack is what is needed. Not an actually physical attack, but an attack on policies that harm those with the least. 

The easiest way to help? Try to convince everyone you know with an account at one of the large banks to close all their accounts. Keep trying until it works. Guilt them if you have to, make sure that everyone you know realizes where you stand and what you stand for.

The other easy way to help, vote. Simply put the 99% is who put these politicians in office in the first place. Politicians who approved the bank bailouts, without any repercussions for the institutions that acted irresponsibly in the first place. By not voting, your complaints simply turn into whining without any righteous cause for anger.

We must take some responsibility for the banking crash and the economy as a whole. We were the ones who lived beyond our means and took out lines of credit to make up for it. This must stop. We, the people, must stand up and say we have some responsibility for these problem, but we are going to change, we are only going to use credit as a last resort and live more within our means. We are not going to rely on banks to bail us out when we get into tough financial situations.

Change is coming, how much depends on the ability of this movement to organize into sustained protests at actual financial centers, and the ability of this movement to define themselves as a powerful organized voting bloc. 

Mission Statement

This is a brand new start for myself. While I have been a writer and a journalist for many years now, it has been awhile since I wrote as a hobby. Well, it is time to change that, to get back on the horse. This blog hopefully will entertain and inform while covering such vast subjects as art, music, food, culture, domestic news and foreign affairs. There will also be a definite Seattle theme in this blog, as I love the city I call home very much, even with its grey skies and sometimes nonchalant and unfriendly demeanor.

My hope is that this blog will serve as an outlet for my thoughts and take me back to a passion I once knew. Also, I hope, but am not counting on, educating and entertaining some decent folk along the way.

Last, I must give thanks to my inspiration for this blog, the wonderful woman who I spend every joyous day with (you know who you are) as she is the one who convinced me to start this project.

And with that, we begin...