Korean mood. The other evening I met Sachiko for a homey Korean meal at My Tofu House on Geary in San Francisco. Simple comfort food, it's a wonderful place to enjoy with good friends, but there is often a line outside, as I'm not the only one with this opinion.

First we are brought complimentary tea in plastic glasses. The heat belies the type of glass it is in, but it is smooth and tasty. I think it is barley tea, or perhaps corn tea. After we order, a group of accompaniments to the meal arrive. Crisp seasoned cucumber, grilled whitefish, spicy white radish, small oily fish (great for calcium!), kim chee and raw eggs arrive. The eggs are for dropping in the boiling hot pots that come with the tofu and other ingredients inside.

I ordered the mushroom tofu pot (in Korean this variety of dish is called "soondubu chijae"), and dropped my whole egg in, and it cooked right away. You have to eat this slowly because it is so hot. Rice cooked in a stone pot comes out with peas and chickpeas adorning the top, and the waiter spoons some in a stainless bowl for each person at the table.

Sachiko ordered the vegetable variety, which was hardly distinguishable from mine in appearance. Wholesome and vegetarian if you don't have the fish that comes at the beginning of the meal. A great place for a comfortable evening.