It’s hip, it’s hop: The Kogi Ssam Wrap

Korea will forever have a special spot in my heart.

It’s one of the three countries my passport got stamped during my first ever overseas trip a decade ago. In that month-long away from home experience, I was able to embraced things that I just see on TV and magazines then. Well, it’s one cool experience to be a foreigner.

I became an instant fan of Kimchi, I had a big crush with Sandara Park before, I like the beat of K-Pop music, and their movies and TV series (Tagalog-dubbed or with English subtitle) bring fresh air in the commercially-polluted local films offered all year round.

A couple of days ago, I was able to taste again, literally and figuratively, Korea during the Kogi Bulgogi’s bloggers event held at their Gateway Mall branch. (They also have branches at Greenhills Promenade, Eastwood Mall and Lucky China Town Mall.

Bloggers were treated to an afternoon of Korean munching and gulping. Among the many yummy delicacies, I spent savouring the plates of Kogi Ssam Wrap.     

Just a little backgrounder:  Ssam, literally meaning "wrapped", refers to a dish in Korean cuisine in which, usually, leafy vegetables are used to wrap a piece of meat such as pork or other filling. It is often accompanied by a condiment known as ssamjang or gochujang and can also be topped with raw or cooked garlic, onion, green pepper, or a banchan (small side dish) such as kimchi. Ssam is usually bite-sized to avoid spilling out the fillings.

In the past, it is believed that on full moon days, people wrapped rice in leaves of cabbage or dried seaweeds. Back then, when rice was often not readily available, it was the precious commodity for commoners. Eating clumps of rice wrapped with fresh greens have been regarded as “eating wrapped luck”. Since then, it has been a culinary custom of eating ssam as a kind of ritual appeal for good fortune. Even today, in terms of its nutritional value, having a meal of ssam can be seen as an act of “eating luck”.

Upon eating, the meat and sides are often wrapped in vegetable leaves such as lettuce (which is a good source of vitamin a, vitamin k and potassium) or sesame (that is rich in dietary fiber and has vitamin a, vitamin c and riboflavin), hence the literal meaning of ssam: "wrapped" or "packaged."

Personally, I find Kogi Ssam Wrap as hip and hop. Hip because it’s like “styling” your wrap with filling, condiments, and raw and/ or cooked veggies before you gobbled it. Well, food taste better when they are good-looking, you know. It is also Hop because you can make it as spicy as you can that it can kick your taste buds to jump a bit with that delicious fiery taste. Plus, it’s like a hop closer to Korea with every wrap.  

 

There are 4 types of Kogi Ssam Wrap. Each serving/ order are good for sharing:

1. Bo Ssam (with pork, boiled in spices and thinly sliced) – P365

2. Dak Gui ( Dak means chicken in korean while Gui means grilled dishes in Korean cuisine; and Grilled chicken in a chili sauce) - P385

3. Suygogi Gui (Grilled beef) - P420

4. Black Angus (Korean steak. Available at Promenade only) - P795

Try now! Eat any of Kogi Bulgogi’s Ssam Wrap choices and still have a healthy balanced meal as you explore the flavors of Korea!

The experience even gets better if you get to try Kogi Ssam Wrap beside a Korean-looking head-turner.

Wrap battle with with Hana Abello of Dollhana.com. Photo credit: Ryan San Juan of AnakngPasig.com

Miracle in Cell No. 7: For all the great fathers

Few weeks ago, I was not able to hold on my tears from falling as I try to snort in the most silent way I can while on a plane back to Manila after a business trip.  No, I did not left my heart in San Francisco or in Kuala Lumpur where I stayed for a week. It’s not even because of the feeling of excitement of seeing my wife and son after nights and days of exchanging I love U over Viber.

I was crying my heart out while watching, in my book, the most moving and touching movie about fatherhood that I have seen in recent years. Another remarkable thing about the experience of watching the 2013 Korean comedy/ melodrama is that I don’t understand a single word the actors said and relied only with the English subtitle and fine acting job of the cast to fully embraced the beauty and lessons of the film.  

 

The story is about Lee Yong-gu, a mentally challenged man wrongfully imprisoned for murder who then left behind a 6-year old street-smart daughter named Ye-sung roaming in search for her father. With her wit and charm and help of hardened criminals that Leng Yong-gu befriended in prison, Ye-sung found herself in an unusual situation of secretly living inside the cell with his dad.

At first, I thought I was just watching a Asian version of Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning’s 2001 Hollywood hit I am Sam that also deals about the dilemma of raising a daughter for a father with a developmental disability . However, as I begin to relate to some of the fatherhood stuff in the film, I began to let myself ride in the roller coaster adventures and misadventures of Lee Yong-gu.  

Ye-sung and her father lead a happy life while he makes a living by working as a parking attendant at a local supermarket. But one tragic day, a young girl whom Lee Yong-gu followed to ask where he can buy a similar Sailor Moon backpack for her daughter died in a freak accident. He was falsely accused and sentenced to death for abduction, sexual assault, and murder of a minor. Everything happened so fast as it was revealed that the young girl happens to be the daughter of a high-ranking police official. (So, if there is someone who should be in out jail, it should be Sailor Moon… hmp!)

While waiting for the confirmation of Lee Yong-gu’s death sentence, the father and daughter made use of their remaining time together inside the prison. As silly and impossible this storyline may seems, viewers will laugh, cheer and cry with the characters as everyone, except the jail guards and police commissioners, do everything they can so Lee Yong-gu can escape out of jail.  

Some of the best sequences to watched out for happened inside the prison--- the time they sneak Ye-sung inside Cell no. 7; how the little girl touched the lives of each thug; the making of the improvised balloon and the memorable escape scene; the last goodbye… and the… and the… wait, I’m getting emotional now. Give me a few minutes to calm my self.  

(After five minutes... although I'm still sniffing)

If there is a perfect time to watch this, I recommend all daddies to gather their kids in the living room on his birthday. If you plan to prepare food and drinks, make sure to allot a space on the table for at least a box or two of tissue paper. Believe me, even the heart of stone will soften especially during Ye-sung’s last farewell to his “Pa.”

Based on Korean box-office reports, Miracle on Cell No. 7 took more than US$30 million in its first two weeks on the back of strong word-of-mouth. This was especially notable since the film had only Park Shin-Hye (grown up Ye-sung) that can be considered a big star, and a modest budget en route to being the third highest grossing Korean film of all time.

As the end credits rolled up in the screen, I was asking myself what was the miracle that the film tries to imply. Was it the validation of innocence of a wrongfully accused man who was once against all odds? Or was it the moment heartless criminals changed how they see life after being touched by an angelic and innocent child? 

In my opinion, the real miracle is how the movie reminded me and every father who watched it that fatherhood is not just about having a child and raising them to be the best they can be. Fatherhood is the miracle itself. It brings out a certain magic to a man. It soften his heart, it makes him sing and dance. It’s the happiness only a father will feel and understand.