CHIT CHAT

TELEVISION
What you see frequently are ads for hair replacements. Koreans seem to have a phobia (both women and men) of loosing their hair. I also notice that neither men or women allow themselves to go grey, but no commercials about hair color. This issue about grey hair has been more on my mind lately.

It is interesting to see there is one TV channel devoted entirely to men’s fashion. One also sees ads for men’s eye cream to prevent wrinkles. Am I being sexist?

For those of you who know me, know that I have a particular taste in movies. At first I thought I was in heaven when at any time I could put the television on and watch an action movie. I believe I have finally had my fill of Schwarzeneger, Steven Segal, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Jason Strathon, Bruce Willis, and…… my mind has gone too numb to remember any more “stars”. Thank goodness I am usually too busy for television.

FOOD
Koreans like sweet things and coat their garlic bread with honey. They also put sugar on their cheese crackers.

CLOTHING
Saw an amusing ad today at a men’s clothing store:
WE FIT ALL SIZES! SLIM, SKINNY AND BUSINESS!

BOOKS
I have read a couple of interesting books. One is THE RED QUEEN by Margaret Drabble. This novel was inspired by court memoirs written by a crown princess over two centuries ago. What makes this particularly interesting for me is I can visit the palace where this princess lived. Something I plan on doing. It has also helped understand more about Korean history and culture.

Since Al and I will be visiting Australia, I have picked up the book IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY by Bill Bryson. This is a travel book by a man who has a wonderful sense of humour and tremendous wit. It is impossible for me to read this without wanting to share a quip with Al or just laugh out loud. I would say this is a must read for anyone who has, or will, or dreams, about going to Australia.

The third book was given to Al by the author, Won-Jae Jang (president of English Village), when we first arrived in Paju. It is called IRISH INFLUENCES ON KOREAN THEATRE DURING THE 1920’S AND 1930’S. I find it interesting albeit difficult at times.

WEATHER
The weather today is RAINING and fairly cool, I guess we are nearing the end of fall. The autumn colors are lovely, but I feel somewhat disappointed. I am used to clear blue skies and crisp prairie air which is the perfect background for the brilliance of fall leaves. Here the fog and hazy sky only serve to mute the colors. I suppose however, this is a moot point for those of you that are looking at snow. Was that just a jab at Winnipeg weather?!!

Well, I suppose I have chit chatted enough, thank-you for helping me pass the time this dreary, cool wet evening.

CHIT CHAT

Grocery shopping. This is something I have done for decades, something I could probably do with my eyes closed, especially after raising three teenagers. So how could this possibly be of interest to you?

I guess one of the staff at E-MART must have thought my eyes WERE closed. This is not the first time this individual has checked out my purchases and commented on them. This time she became somewhat excited about apples I had in my cart, and when I could not understand what she was saying, she promptly took my cart and headed back to the produce section. She pointed out that if I chose my apples instead of buying the pre-packaged ones I would pay half the price. She then proceeded to hand pick a bag of apples for me and put them into my cart, looking very pleased with herself.

The reason this came to mind today is because I have to go back today, and I wonder if I will meet her approval…….

I hadn’t taken the bus for years and was feeling quite smug about my ability to maneuver the transit and subway system here in Korea. In fact I have become a regular passenger, some drivers even wave as they drive by.

The other day, I was the last passenger on the bus when the driver called me to the front. He said he recognized Al and I and noticed we weren’t using our T cards correctly. These are cards that can be charged through vending machines and be used on buses and subways. What we hadn’t realized was that we have to swipe the cards as we leave the bus so you can be reimbursed according to the distance traveled. We had therefore been paying the full price.

This was a pleasant surprise because this particular driver we called the driver from hell. He liked to go from a full stop to 100 km/hour in 30 seconds! I actually got a bruise on my arm trying to keep in my seat as he went around corners. You can also imagine my dreaded attempts to get on and off the bus with my bags of groceries before he decided I took too long!

I have also become very good at pulling out a notebook and looking intently at my notes when I haven’t got a clue where I am, because within one or two minutes some gentleman will ask if I need assistance. I have long ago given up asking women for directions because they usually suggest I call a cab.

Cab drivers are another breed. I think they take pride in seeing how fast they can get you to your destination. I have learned to hang on and do deep breathing. The other amazing thing with both cab drivers and transit drivers, is they love to take personal calls on their cell phones as they hurtle down the roads at 100 km. At least they don’t try to engage me in any conversation.

Well I must call a cab and do some grocery shopping. Cheers until next time.

Traditional Korean Recipes

It is fall, the leaves are turning and the temperatures are dropping. As we anticipate the long winter, it is not surprising that we (at least I do) think about comfort foods and putting more energy into preparing meals. I am therefore sharing a couple of recipes with you. They are dishes we frequently enjoy and the ingredients are easy for you to obtain.
ENJOY!!!!!!!

MANDU (The Korean equivalent of Chinese wonton, made of minced pork or beef and vegetables wrapped in thin pastry crescents, steamed and often served with soy sauce)

1/2 cup bean curd
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. MSG
8 minced green onions
l tbsp. dry white
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 cup bean sprouts
3 large minced garlic cloves
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 10 oz. pkgs. gyoza skins (wonton wrappers)
egg white
vegetable oil
water

Squeeze all liquid from bean curd. Combine the next 12 ingredients. Put 1 teaspoon of mixture in the centre of the gyoza skin. Fold, forming a half circle. Seal the edges with egg white and crimp the edges. Pan fry or steam them. Serve at once with dipping sauce.

DIPPING SAUCE

¾ cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tbsp. sugar
1 chopped garlic clove
1 tsp. sesame oil
½ tsp. dried hot chili flakes

Combine all ingredients. Allow flavours to blend for 30 minutes.


BULGOGI (Thin strips of beef marinated in sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic, then grilled at your table)

BEEF BULGOGI
2 lbs. thinly sliced beef rib eye, about 1/8 inch thick
Marinade:
5 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. sugar
4 green onions, finely shredded
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. sake or dry white wine
dash ground black pepper
2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp. sesame oil

Mix all ingredients except sesame oil. Add to sliced meat and marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. Add sesame oil just before grilling. Barbecue the meat slices over a charcoal grill or a portable table top grill. Turn only once (thin slices cook quickly). A WOK can be used if a grill is not available.


SPICY CHICKEN BULGOGI
4 half chicken breasts, skinned and boned
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 green onions slivered
2 tbsp. dry white wine
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp. sugar
t tbsp Kochu Jang (hot red pepper paste)

Flatten the chicken breasts slightly with a meat pounder or a heavy rolling pin. Slice into thin strips on the diagonal. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the chicken and mix well. Cook on barbecue grill (do not over cook). Serve with hot steamed rice.

Week-end Trips

Namdaemun Market - Seoul

The Namdaemun market is open round-the-clock (though a few retailers close on Sunday) and is a fantastic place to pick up inexpensive clothing, housewares, fabrics, jewelry, accessories, toys, food, flowers, stationery and appliances. But it's easy to get turned around here, as there are thousands of shops located in the 30 or so multistory buildings, not to mention an endless sprawl of street-vendor stalls. The day Al and I first ventured here, all of the big department stores and many of the shops were closed be cause of the Chuseok holiday. As you can see it was still busy. We decided this was a good way to get acclimatized to the bustle and noise.


































What surprised us was the number of cars that drove through the crowded streets. There was no honking or particular tension between the pedestrians and vehicles.

























































I just had to show you the women's toilet in this market. It is the traditional design, and takes a little getting used to. It does however flush like the modern ones.
























Fast food stands were every where. This one had chips and dried sea food,













My idea of chocolate has been challenged! This box is chocolate with antler extract.










Pomegranate....okay.....

























Hazelnut.......sounds good.

























Mushrooms......


























Seaweed..............

















Hot Peppers.......I have heard Mexicans like hot chili peppers in their chocolate
















Kimchi.........























This is where we had a lunch of mung bean pancakes and kim bap......delicious. Kim bap is similar to a sushi roll, that is rice, fresh vegetables and seafood ( we had squid) wrapped in seaweed.



I also (much to Al's surprise) managed to find his favorite dessert snack hotteok! These really are delicious. The stuff legends—er, pancakes—are made of. Grilled warm dough on the outside, molten brown sugar inside. The size of a CD, it is a popular Korean street snack, especially on cold winter nights. The “tteok”—pronounced ‘duk’--means rice cake. The “ho” refers to the sound a person makes after taking the first scalding bite. Al managed to find the recipe. I hope he doesn't think I am going to make them! I am assuming he meant to have the recipe shared with you so here it is.

Hotteok Recipe
1. Warm water (1/2 cup) + sugar (1/2 teaspoon) + yeast (1 teaspoon)
Mix them together and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Flour (3 cups) + milk (1 cup) + salt (1/2 teaspoon) + fermented yeast
from step #1
Mix them together and let sit for 3 hours until it becomes twice its
size.

3. Mix black sugar + cinnamon powder + ground peanuts (ground peanuts
are just for preference).

4. With oiled hands, take some portion of #2 and put #3 inside as much
as you want and wrap it.

5. On an oiled pan, put #4 and pan-fry it, pressing it occasionally with
a spatula.

This is for about 12 Hotteok.
Enjoy!!






Both of us really liked this market and will definitely come back here to do some serious Christmas shopping. We also want to experience it when all the shops are open and the place is hopping.

Jeju Island, Sept.28-Oct.2, 2009

It was a pleasant surprise when Al found out he had a week off. October 3 is Chusoek, the biggest holiday in Korea, celebrating the Harvest Festival and for that week most schools are closed and businesses are closed for one or two days. We managed to book a flight and a room at the Shilla Hotel on Jeju Island.

Jeju Island is a self- governing province. It is often referred to as the Hawaii of Korea. The climate is sub-tropical, and scenery breathtaking. There are beaches, waterfalls, golf courses, cycling, hiking, and mountain paths, scuba diving, surfing, fishing and HUNDREDS of museums. These museums included glass, tea, African, teddy bear, chocolate, turtle, dinosaur, car, horse, and sound (just to name a few). We found the natural sights amazing and were confused with the Korean passion for museums creating artificial worlds.

We stayed at the Shilla Hotel situated in theJungman Resort on the southern side of the island. As you can see it is very posh. It was quite the treat for us!!






















































































































































The first day we rented bicycles and cycled the greater portion of the west coast. The weather was cloudy so it was somewhat cooler although the humidity was extremely high.










This is an elementary school ..... guess who took this picture.























You might be able to appreciate the HILLS, which are a challenge on a bicycle (for me). I am proud to say I managed them without assistance or whining.




































Al was in heaven!! He flirted with the Korean women and bought several bags of oranges, which, by the way, happened to be delicious.





































































The second day, was hot, windy and rainy. I was tired (big surprise after the bike ride!!) and Al decided to work out in the gym and try out the hot tub. We ventured out for dinner and chose a Korean restaurant. Clearly, this was a spot for locals, because when we sat down, people actually changed their tables so they could watch, comment on and sometimes help as we tried to order and eat our meal.








The third day we went on a bus day tour. What a day!! We thought the name of the tour company was appropriate.

















The first stop was a tea museum which was surprisingly beautiful.






































We then went to Hallim Park which is a MUST see if you are ever on Jeju Island. One could easily have spent the entire day here.

















We saw the Hyeopjae and Ssangyong Caves which were formed by the eruption of Mt. Halla.
















The Stone and Bonsai Garden included 300-year-old pine, quince trees, crape myrtles and azaleas.














The Jae-Am Folk Village is where we had lunch and Al was introduced to one of his all time favorites, Pumpkin Hotteok.












We visited the Bird Garden with mandarin ducks, peacocks, parrots and pheasants.








































The Water Garden,was made from natural lava –based rock, and the Subtropical Botanical Garden included over 2,000 varieties of flowers and trees.









































































Our next destination was Hyeopjae Beach where the water was unbelievably clear. At first I thought the black was mud, but it is black lava rock which is very unusual in shape and quite beautiful.










































These are called Jusanseioli Rocks.. This is a pillar rock formation located off the coast of Daepo.















































The Yakcheonsa is the largest Buddist building in Asia. It is difficult to capture the overwhelming size of this beautiful and intricate building.














































Jeonnngbang Falls, located in Donghhong-dong, Seogwipo City,is one of the top three water falls in Jeju. It is the only one falling directly into the sea in Asia. They consist of two colums of 23m falls flowing from the black cliffs.
























This young lady was an absolute treasure!!