We had a few houseguests over the Fourth of July weekend, and one of them was my friend that lives in a treehouse in Hawaii. She was stopping in New York en route to her family in Scotland, and she requested Korean food continuously during her stay with us (she is not Korean). If you didn't know, Korean food is really integrated into Hawaii's regional cuisine. Even kimchi is mainstream there. If you live in Seattle, then you can try out some Korean-Hawaiian street food at your own twittering food truck. Marination Mobile serves Spam sliders, kimchi quesadillas, spicy tacos, and other oddly delicious-sounding things.

Korean Budae Chigae is a stew that hungry Koreans invented during the years of the Korean War. It is the perfect example of making something delicious out of almost nothing.

BudaeChigae Photo © Naomi Imatome 2009, licensed to About.com