Jook

Jook!!! I've caught a stomach bug that has spread all over my school and my dear mom's prescription was jook. It is simply a rice porridge, created by putting excess water into the rice and overcooking it into a gloriously comforting mush. For some reason, I'm always happy to eat it, which my mom doesn't really understand. It's one of the only things my stomach handles well when I'm sick, and for that I am grateful to it. I usually eat it with dried seaweed or some soy sauce mixed with sesame seeds. It's also pretty common to put in some meat slivers, fried egg slivers, spring onion, or ginger. It isn't so much about flavor, for it is pretty bland... but it's mostly about health. Oh, they also make it with different stocks, chicken stock being particularly common in summer with ginseng... good stuff, especially when they take the jook and put it in a hot earthenware pot to make nooreungji, which is still soft but chewier and tastier (one of my favorites). My mom says that is particularly good for people who will be walking around alot in hot weather. There's something in the texture of things like jook or warm creamy puddings that make me feel like the food is hugging my tummy from inside.

Still, I can't wait to get better. I am really craving some lettuce wrapped Korean style barbeque. Drool~