Hwangtae jungsik in Inje, South Korea
“Inje is the smallest county in South Korea and is most famous for hwangtae guk (dried pollock) soup. You can find many restaurants clustered together there that serve this regional specialty, but my absolute favorite is a place called Song-yi Sikdang. The brief menu basically comes down to the hwangtae jungsik—a set that includes pollock soup, a whole grilled pollock, an assortment of 12 perfectly seasoned namul banchans, and a warm bowl of rice. Inje is located in the Taebaek mountains alongside rivers and basins, so when you get there, you’re surrounded by stunning landscape and flora, which is absolutely gorgeous year round—ranging from verdant mountains, to golden and crimson foliage, to snowy tree tops. Inje is a short and tranquil two-hour drive from Seoul and feels similar to that of driving upstate on the Taconic from Manhattan. The geography and climate makes it the perfect environment for preparing dried pollock and also foraging for diverse wild greens and herbs (namuls), rare ones that you can only find there and are seasonally available at local farmers markets. —Clara Lee, co-author of Korean Soups and co-founder of food company Queens
Fresh fish and handmade pasta in Puglia, Italy
I have been wanting to travel to Italy for many years, and Puglia has been top of mind. It feels like a place where food is still very much connected to the culture and deeply rooted in the abundance of the land. Since the provenance of things is our ethos, this feels particularly aligned for me. Anytime I travel (but specifically Europe). “I am really drawn to the simplicity of the cuisine. A beautiful local grilled fish with olive oil, handmade pasta, regional cheeses—these are all things that truly excite me as a chef because their beauty is in how uncomplicated they are. Local, fresh bounty, cooked well: to me this is what makes food memorable.” —Abigail Dahan-Kramer, pastry chef at Provenance in Philadelphia
