Not too long ago, I shared a recipe for enchilada soup. The first time we had this meal we topped it with cilantro and it was amazing! The cilantro added so much flavor to an already delicious soup.
The second time I made it, we were out of cilantro.
And that’s when the quest for cilantro began.
Travis went to the commissary but they were out. He went the next day, but they were still out. He asked a worker when they would be getting more cilantro.
“We should be getting some tomorrow,” the worker said.
Travis went back the next day, but still no cilantro.
He asked another worker, “When will you be getting more cilantro?”
“Not until Tuesday,” the worker said. (It was Friday)
By this time we had ate all the enchilada soup without cilantro. But I was making another recipe that I knew would taste even better with cilantro added on top.
The quest continued.
We left the Army post and headed out into the streets of Daegu, South Korea. We went to a large grocery story much like Walmart called Home Plus. Up the escalators we went. Then down the escalators we went. Finally, we found the produce section.
I scoured the shelves of refrigerated vegetables and herbs. No cilantro. Travis pulled up the word cilantro on his phone, finding the translation in Korean. He found a Korean woman who worked there and pointed to the word on his phone.
She walked us over to the same shelves I had just searched through, but shook her head “no.”
On the way home, we stopped at a small market along the street that had piles and piles of fresh produce. I looked everything over while Travis showed the cilantro translation to the man running the stand. He shook his head “no” too.
It turns out Koreans don’t like cilantro.
When Travis got back to work, defeated yet still determined, he asked a Korean soldier about cilantro. The guy said, “You won’t find cilantro here. Koreans hate cilantro.”
Knowing I was making Mexican chili and having a fierce love for this flavorful herb, my husband was not giving up so easily.
Travis goes quite often to a local restaurant that serves Philly cheese steaks. He goes there so often he happens to know the owner also owns a local Mexican restaurant. Travis decided to find out where that owner buys the cilantro for his restaurant.
As he walked into his favorite restaurant, the man at the counter recognized him.
“Philly cheese steak with everything?” he said to Travis, remembering his normal order.
“Actually, not today,” said Travis. “I’ve been trying to find cilantro, and I was wondering where you guys buy yours.”
The man told him he’ll have to talk to the owner, so Travis headed to his office. He explained to the owner that his wife was wanting to make a recipe that needed cilantro and he had driven all over trying to find some with no success. The owner told him where he bought his, but the market was 15 miles away and with city traffic who knows how long it would take to get there.
“Would you be willing to sell me some of yours?” Travis asked.
The owner agreed. Travis handed him some won in exchange for his beloved cilantro.
That evening, Travis walked in the door and held out a bouquet — not of flowers but of cilantro — to me.
The quest for cilantro was finished. Mission complete.