Bringing in True Yellow into White America

Just recently i started to think about Asian cuisine, specifically Korean cuisine. If you know me, as full-blooded Korean I may be, I am not very Korean-ized. For the majority of my life, I never really enjoyed Korean food, but only with very few exceptions: specifically Korean bbq, and even more specifically marinated short ribs. I was almost a full-fledged carnivore at the time. Thank goodness my taste buds have changed over the years (tremendously, I might add) because now I think cuisine from any culture is something to be cherished, savoured, and eaten many, many times.
I started reflecting on fine dining. French, Italian, New American cuisine are served in fine dining restaurants, many of which are awarded michelin stars and mobile stars. What about Asian food? If I am correct, there are no restaurants serving Asian cuisine that have achieved such heights. In America, Asian food is a quick outing for good food, nothing too fancy, or a hole in the wall. Westerners even put their own spin on Asian food and still label it Asian food. Don't forget the orange chicken. It's not really Chinese. There is an under appreciation and a lack of value for Asian cuisines. We have become short sighted to the various types of Asian cuisines we have yet to try. If someone mentions Chinese we automatically think orange chicken, chow mein, etc. Vietnamese: Pho, Vietnamese Sandwiches. Japanese: sushi. Korean: Korean bbq. Stop right there! Ah, Korean bbq. Cooking mountains and mountains of meat, given the opportunity to be a tyrannosaurus rex for a day, is the epitome of Korean BBQ. I love it, too. But, really, there is more to Korean cuisine than just Korean BBQ. The only "gourmet" Korean restaurants in Los Angeles (Korea Town included) were Korean BBQ joints. That's fantastic, but also kind of lame.
That's why I have grown a new desire to learn to cook as many Korean dishes as I can. This task is a bit difficult for me because I dont really have anybody to learn from. I found my mom's old Korean cookbooks in the garage. They are all in Korean, so reading them is going to be a pain, but a good, good pain. After I hone my skills, I am sharing the art of Korean food to family, friends, and strangers.

IN THE MEANTIME
I've been cooking again!
#1.) CARROT SOUP

So easy to make! Cook some diced carrots and onions in a pot with some olive oil. When they start getting transluscent add water and bring to simmer. Simmer for 20-25 mins. Put in a blender. Puree. Put back in pot. Season to taste. Garnish with whatever you want. I did some parmesan cheese and sesame oil. I over salted it, but other than that little mishap, it would have been a pretty sexy soup.
#2.) BAO!

I really like Chinese Dumplings. I craved so I made. 80% of them, due to my inexperience, turned out deformed (but still tasty). I definitely need to learn how to master this from somebody. This was one of the 2 that came out without much a battle scar.

I'm thinking about making lemon bars tomorrow. I crave sweets as always.