Bad Chinese food is everywhere, and most Chinese food in Korea is no exception. Sometimes, though, the clash of cultures can really work. Jia jiang mian is traditionally boiled wheat noodles sitting under a generous ladle of dark bean sauce. My grandmother's Chinese version has ground pork, cubes of bamboo shoots, and a spicy brown sauce, rich with oil. But jia jiang mian is also that rare dish where I actually like the new version—not as a replacement, but as another eating option entirely. The Korean version starts with the same boiled wheat noodles and dark bean sauce. But the black beans (the nonfermented kind) create an inky, dark, velvety sauce that blends wonderfully with potatoes and specks of soft white onions throughout. Potatoes are definitely something that never appear in any version at my house. But there's another key difference: While both are found with a fair amount of ease on the West Coast, only the Korean version is available in Manhattan restaurants. As good as it might be, sometimes I just need a reminder of home. Does anyone know where a New Yorker can get a great Chinese version?
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