The Best Places to Eat in Central Illinois | Eater Chicago

"The older we get, the more we come to understand that some things are delicious because of how our grandmothers used to make them for us. That’s nostalgia in a nutshell, to be sure, but it could just as easily be that with age comes perspective: “made with love” means a lot more now when looking back and realizing that was just grandma’s way of not drawing attention to the off-brand pantry staples, the frozen vegetables, the sugar or the bacon grease — to the overall economy of things. Grandma, in feeding you, who was always happy when you were happy, was also protecting you. It’s within that delicate balance that Seoul Mama in Bloomington finds its success. Guests wanting something to satisfy their Korean food cravings will certainly not be disappointed — bulgogi, seafood pancakes, and kimchi fried rice are all on the menu — but those who come with a predetermined idea in their mind of what “authentic” Korean food should be will be puzzled when dishes begin to arrive at the table. Where is the bottomless banchan? Where is the grill? Is the seafood pancake made with…actual pancake batter? Are those frozen vegetables in the kimchi fried rice? One doesn’t need to have had their own South Korean grandmother to answer those questions. The style is universal: home cooking on a budget that will never fail to warm the cockles of the heart. What does “authentic” mean anyway? That’s grandma there, holding you in her arms, as your entire worldview is challenged." - Timothy DePeugh