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Showing posts from June, 2026

A Nervous Dad's First Korean Home Meal: Galbi, Ssam, and Two-Hands Soju

New here? This is Article 5 of our K-Town Survival Guide series. So far, the Miller family (a nervous Ohio dad with his wife and three kids) has driven to Manhattan, met banchan for the first time, learned the word that summons a server, and watched their thirteen-year-old son lose a regional e-sports final to a Korean boy named Yoo-wan Ban. This article picks up three days after that tournament, back home in Ohio. If you're new, start with Part 1 , Part 2 , jeogiyo , and the tournament . Notice to Readers: This article continues the fictional Miller family scenario from earlier installments of the Survival Guide. Practical context follows in callouts. EPISODE CARD A First Korean Home Meal EPISODE Survival Guide #5 · the Bans' home, Ohio · three days after the tournament THIS EPISODE Bob meets a Korean grill · Linda gets a November invitation · Ethan takes his headphones off THE BANS Chan-sol Ban , Bob's new coworker....

The Tournament: A Nervous Dad Watches His Son Lose to a Boy Named Yoo-wan Ban

New here? This is Article 4 of our K-Town Survival Guide series. So far, the Miller family (a nervous dad from Ohio with his wife and three kids) has driven to Manhattan, eaten at a Korean restaurant, met banchan for the first time, and learned the word that summons a server. This article picks up a few weeks later, back home in Ohio. If you're new, start with Part 1 , Part 2 , and the most recent installment about jeogiyo . Notice to Readers: This article continues the fictional Miller family scenario from earlier installments of the Survival Guide. Practical context follows in callouts. EPISODE CARD The Tournament EPISODE Survival Guide #4 · a convention center in Ohio · weeks after K-Town THIS EPISODE Ethan reaches the final, and loses it · Bob learns to read a room he can't read · Linda sees it coming NEW FACES Ethan Miller (13) , the gamer son, on-page at last · Yoo-wan Ban , the boy who won. Gracious about it. ...

What Does "Jeogiyo" Mean? A Nervous Dad's Guide to Calling Servers in Korean Restaurants

New here? This is Article 3 of our K-Town Survival Guide series, following the Miller family (a nervous dad from Ohio with his wife and two daughters) on their first sustained encounter with Korean food and Korean restaurants. If you missed the opening of the story, start with Part 1: A Nervous Dad's First Time at a Korean Restaurant in Manhattan's Koreatown and Part 2: What is Banchan? ; they pick up directly where this article begins. Notice to Readers: This article continues the fictional Miller family scenario from Parts 1 and 2 of the Survival Guide. Practical explanations follow throughout in highlighted callouts. EPISODE CARD The Word That Summons Your Server EPISODE Survival Guide #3 · The Jadu House · the end of dinner THIS EPISODE A mom across the room shows how it's done · Lily hits the limit of TikTok Korean · Bob does the thing ON THE TABLE Corn tea refills and the check. Tonight, the word was the me...