Food Cravings

If you have been in a foreign country, you might be aware of times when you all of a sudden get horrible food cravings for things back home. Since I arrived in Korea, my craving has been for chocolate cookies; more specifically, Judy Zesiger's amazing farm-type buttery, heavenly goodness, melt in your mouth, can't stop going back to the cooling rack, chocolate cookies. Now, one might say that I have a serious addiction to these cookies, and naturally....I would totally agree. Unaware of my problem, my wonderful husband came home before dinner with a box of double chocolate coconut chip cookies. But before I was allowed to have one, I had to eat dinner. Dinner, made by Jonathon (again), consisted of shrimp, chicken, egg noodles, mushrooms, lots and lots of garlic :), onions, and an excellent sweet and soy sauce to top it off. So really, it was hard to wait for both dinner and dessert! One way to win me over instantly is to saute garlic and onions, I'll come running from miles away. In fact, there is a restaurant a couple of floors below us that cooks heavily with garlic and the wonderful scents float up to our window and we whiff a lovely Korean garlic and meat smell in our apartment-yum! So, although I didn't have Judy Zesiger's cookies fresh out of the oven waiting for me, I am very thankful for my boxed cookies, which eased my craving.
Besides the usual cravings for me of grilled cheese, tomato soup and rice, the only other food craving I have had is yellow cake. When we first came to Korea, I was thinking of ingredients I could later get to make cookies, cake, cinnamon rolls and what not. But, it has taken me the whole two and a half weeks to remember that I do not have an oven. How does an Italian baker live without an oven? I'm not quite sure, but Jonathon and I do have the chance of getting a free toaster oven from a friend so maybe I can make mini bakery items?!
Before I began this note, I asked Jonathon what food he craved and he couldn't come up with anything-and I believe him. The only American thing that he has craved is a Big Mac and we have one across the street from us and by work so it really isn't difficult to find. His only complaint of the burger is that the Big Mac is "Korean" size and therefore not quite as fulfilling as an "American" Big Mac. haha. Jon seems to crave special types of Korean food everyday, though, so I guess he is becoming accustomed at least to the food.
Have a wonderful week and when you eat your cake and cookies, make sure to think of us!