May 29, 2008
Fly Kimchi to the Moon: Momofuku's Chang Spaces Out
Esquire has just released a far-out video showing Momofuku chef Dave Chang and crew sitting for one hour inside a translucent ten-foot square cube. The resulting portrait, made by Chicago-based artist Lincoln Schatz, is part of an ongoing series commissioned to celebrate both Esquire’s 75th anniversary and “the most influential people of the coming decades.” Through a collage of camera feeds and permuted edits, the video installation portrait never depicts the same image sequence twice.
The result is trippy, like the lava lamp-ish opening credits of a Bond film, but with the Momofuku cooks floating past the screen and showing off their tattoos instead of naked ladies in silhouette doing somersaults off playing cards. A careful viewing of the “Momofuku portrait” makes clear what is really happening here: Dave Chang is preparing to open his next restaurant in outer space, and this video depicts the cooks’ zero gravity training.
Consider the facts: Ramen inventor Momofuku Ando, the real namesake of Chang’s restaurant (don’t believe that “lucky peach” stuff), first sent his noodles into outer space in 2005; Momofuku Noodle Bar is known for its ramen. Last month, a specially researched payload of kimchi made by the Korea Food Research Institute was launched into space with a South Korean astronaut on a Soyuz rocket; Momofuku Ssäm Bar is known for its kimchi variations. And just earlier this week, Sapporo announced it was going to start brewing beer with barley that was grown on the International Space Station. In Schatz’s video for Esquire, Chang and his cooks are clearly shown to be drinking Pabst. So all together, that’s kimchi, ramen, and beer in space: Everything is connected.
Calls to NASA have not been returned. For those ready to give up trying to score a reservation at Momofuku Ko, some of Dave Chang's recipes can be found here and here. [Esquire via Grub Street]
Watch out for Planet Brussels Sprouts. Photo: Hugh Merwin
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I am confused. David Chang = Chinese. Momofuku = Japanese. Kim Chi = Korean. It's like some high level racist shit I can't decipher. I know there is a joke here or some commentary on society but I can't figure it out.
I've been to Momofuku's place on 1st ave, and also been eating ramen since I was a kid both here and in Japan: I found their noodles limp and greasy. I much prefer the ramen at Sapporo on 49th street & 7th ave, or at Menkui Tei at Cooper Union.
Momofuku is overrated, I'm sorry to have to say. There are less trendy, cheaper, more delicious bowls of ramen to be found in NYC.
In Japan, ramen is called "chinese food." (I know this because when I was in Japan, my Japanese friend asked me if I liked Chinese food, and took me to a ramen place.)
I am pretty sure in Japan kim chi is considered Korean food.
Both kim chi and ramen are huge in Japanese fast food, and are to be found in Japanese places both in Japan and wherever Japanese food places open abroad.
he's korean
I finally went to Ko and was heartbroken. a lot of the food felt so confused and just innovative for innovation sake.
courses:
1. crispy rice cracker with spices
2. homemade english muffin made w/ pork fat
3. play on korean pork with kimchi and oyster wrapped in lettuce. kimchi boullion with fried pork belly, cabbage, and oysters. this dish pissed me off cause the cabbage so so small and the raw oysters were placed in broth so it cooked a little. the broth was really good tho.
4. pea soup with some fried wrap with mushroom tasting stuffing
5. fried trout and something else. ick over cooked
6. some caviar dish
7. some poached egg with pea soup.
8. lychee ice cream with some cheese grating on top
urrr there were some other stuff but i didnt even want to finish it. #7 tasted horrible!
the caviar would have been awesome with the english muffin serving a bleenie... also, i really wished there was some bread so i can dab it into the sauces or soup but ah well...
meal for four came out to around 600 w drinks (we didnt get the pairing) maybe we set our hopes and levels too high... no dish really stood out. i dunno, i wouldnt ever go again.
Oh, forgot to say: Momofoku's stuff is WAY TOO SALTY. Gads! That's all you taste, (besides the grease.)
"I finally went to Ko and was heartbroken. a lot of the food felt so confused and just innovative for innovation sake."
Sounds like a lot of New York restaurants.
Another momofucking Momofuku ko post. Can we just do takeout next time?
I'm not Japanese, nor have I been to Japan, but I've eaten at many restaurants of many differing cuisines, and have a pretty well developped appreciation for food. I find Momofuku's ramen to be top notch. Definitely better than that of many strictly traditional Japanese places.
You say his food is too salty and greasy and that's all you taste; the majority of Japanese places serve ramen so underseasoned and bland, there is no taste at all. I haven't tried them all, but so far, his are my favorite. He also uses the best ingredients available. His pork is the best there is.
My dinner at Ko was awesome by the way, and I would most certainly go back.
The ramen at Momofuku Noodle bar was not so impressive but not that I'm an expert in it -- pretty tasteless overall. Super hot when it first came out so I had to wait like 10 minutes just to let the thing cool off. Then I tried this gross soup that was entirely of mushy eggs topped off with the tiniest bit of foie.
Tried a couple of times to get reservations to Ko but gave up. Realized I had better things to do like.... work, eat, etc. I'm kinda glad that some people thought the food sucks.
But that Pork wrap is yummy!
If you eat enough kimchi, you can reach the Moon. Propelled by flatulence, coming off those leafy, fiber-rich greens used to make it. (while contributing amply to global warming)
That junk is addictive though.
space food is kewl!
this photo is brilliant.
Is this a town with like 5 restaurants in it, so you have to write a Momo-fucking-fuku story every three days?
Em, I think this is a mock momofuku story: zero gravity training, restaurant on the moon, etc.
Which is why it's funny.
um, babyhitler...david chang is korean american...does that mean he can only cook korean food? for that matter, since when must one restaurant be limited to serving the cuisine of only one country?