Bonjuk - Korean traditional porridge

One of the reasons I love NY so much is the wonderful variety of interesting restaurants. I'm always excited to try new types of food and explore different restaurants. To me, what makes NY unique from other restaurant cities is the abundance of niche restaurants, above and beyond the sheer amount of variety. Of course I always run into disappointing meals, but that's part of what makes exploring so much fun! I enjoy trying everything, from the traditional cuisines to the exotic, the hole-in-the-wall to the pretentious, all is welcome in my stomach! Kim has suggested a couple of times that I should start a food blog, and while I don't plan on being a committed blogger, I've decided to write about noteworthy finds when I run into them. So here is the first :D

I went to a new place in Flushing for lunch today called Bonjuk (Northern Blvd & Murray St, next to Bookchangdong) that serves only Korean porridge. The menu features a large selection of both sweet and savory flavors. Bonjuk markets its food as a healthy and nutritious. Menu descriptions highlight specific dietary benefits of each item. Soft spa-like music contributes to a slightly zen-like atmosphere, though there is definitely a more traditional feel to the overal decor.

Items on the savory side include seafood, beef and mushroom, and abalone (I tried the seafood). These are similar in idea to Chinese congee, where rice is cooked with a large portion of water resulting in a thick, soupy consistency with a grainy texture. Plenty of mussels, squid, and some shrimp were used in the seafood porridge. Diced scallions and carrots were mixed throughout, and a nice helping of crushed sesame seeds and seaweed topped off the colorful dish. Sweet flavors include pumpkin, red bean, mung bean, and black sesame. My mom got the pumpkin porridge, which was served hot and lightly sweet. The consistency was less congee-like and more of a thick, smooth soup with a few rice cakes scattered throughout. This flavor made for a pleasantly satisfying meal, and can also be served cool as a refreshing breakfast / snack.

At first glance, the menu seems somewhat pricey for porridge (prices range from $9-$15 for most items). The portions are very big, however, and could possibly last 2 meals for some people. The porridge also comes with small side dishes of kimchi, diced radish kimchi, and shredded beef, which pair nicely with the meal.

Overall this made for a delicious lunch, especially during the summertime when eating simple, non-greasy food is especially satisfying. Bonjuk is definitely a unique, must-try restaurant, and I don't yet know of any comparable restaurants in the city.

thinking about work matters...

it really pisses me off that someone else's mess of a job has been thrown into my responsibilities. it's not the actual additional work that needs to be churned out that annoys me... no, i actually welcome the idea of something new to learn. in digging through the things i "inherited", i find mistakes and ridiculous inefficiencies that only magnify my original perception that this certain person never gave a shit about her job. no i don't think it is a standard that everyone outperforms in their given role b/c then it wouldn't be considered outperforming. it is entirely possible that you go into work everyday, not give a crap about what you do, but still put in a certain amount of effort. especially, ESPECIALLY if that effort eventually benefits you in the end.

lack of motivation is an excuse, and that's all it is. it's not justification, not an explanation, just an excuse. the thing that bugs me the most is that i was fully aware of all the inefficiencies involved, but i am discovering alot of defects that just should not exist to begin with. how do you stay in a job for a year and half, only doing real work when churning out monthly reports (legitimate work for maybe 5 or 6 days a month), and have the entire process be as disastrous as it is? and i KNOW this person had time, loads and loads of it. explain this to me, please. this is not a matter of overachieving. it is a matter of doing your job because it is well within the scope of the job description.

on top of that, how do you do something for a year and half, and not be able to articulate the concepts?

disgruntled.