I’m excited because a little bird told me that a Bon Juk just opened in Atlanta. If I have continuing stomach problems on my visit home I’ll be able to get juk easily!
I wrote about Bon Juk at Seoul Eats. Go check it out. 
Technorati Tags: atlanta, bon juk, juk, korean food
I’m still here. I’ve been crazy busy, and probably won’t get to write a great deal until, well really the New Year. I had lots of things to share that I’m still hoping to write about.
I have to take care of some other priorities right now, but I’ll be back soon.
Merry Christmas Everyone, and a Very Happy New Year!
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When I do cook in my teeny tiny kitchen here in Korea, I do try to cook with things that are in season, and cheap. That’s true now more than ever, for financial reasons.
But I’ve been avoiding one particular vegetable.
I’ve made it almost two years without cooking anything using cabbage.
That’s pretty amazing, considering that Korea is full of cabbages. If you are eating leafy looking kimchi, it’s made of cabbage. If it’s a jigae, it’s probably got cabbage in it. Etc…
It’s not that I don’t like cabbage, it’s that I don’t know how to cook with cabbage. Cabbage was not part of my culinary upbringing.
The two cabbage dishes I can recall being exposed to as a child are sauerkraut (which I love) and coleslaw (which I generally hated, because it was Southern style cole-slaw and composed mostly of mayonnaise). Apparently that’s yet another way in which I’m very American.
Yeah, so, I don’t know cabbage.
Haha. Maybe it’s the cold medication. I can just see one of my co-workers holding up a cabbage.
“I think you don’t know cabbage culture! You must understand cabbage culture!”*shakes cabbage emphatically*
LOL.
Ok. It is the medicine talking. Sorry.
Um. Right. So.
Cooking with cabbage. It’s something I don’t do, ever, aside from some lame attempts at Asian slaws or as an addition to my salad.
Then I came across this recipe, for Kyabetsu no Kasaneni (a layered cabbaged casserole) from Just Hungry . It sounded really tasty. It looked tasty too. (I can’t link - so go see for yourself)
Monday night, when I was sick and had no appetite, I ended up making that recipe for dinner.
I’m not going to paste the recipe into this post because it’s long-ish.
Briefly, there are three parts to making this.
1) Making the sauce.
2) Making the stufing.
3) Blanching, and cooling the cabbage leaves. Then assembling everything together and cooking it for a long time.
I used beef and tofu for the filling, and I added miso paste and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
Mine didn’t turn out as pretty, I think I cooked it with too much sauce, but it was darn tasty.
I’m happy to have a new way to cook cabbage in my arsenal. I know it’s going to be even tastier next time. *nom nom*
This was my “get everything together and get stuff done week.” That’s because it’s finals week, and I have very minimal (no) responsibilities at work. I haven’t really gotten everything together or gotten anything done. 
That’s because this would also be the week that my sinus infection from last month resurrected it’s ugly little self and kicked my butt, again.
I felt it coming on this past Saturday, at temple stay. There wasn’t a lot I could do to fend it off though. I drank plenty of water. I tried to sleep, but we went to bed at 10:30 pm (really 11 pm because the girls next to me kept yapping) and woke up at 3:00 am. Which under normal circumstances I would bitch about enormously, but I had decided to grin and bear it and be as positive as possible to get the most from the experience. So I didn’t complain about waking up that early, or going out in the cold, or anything else really. It was nice.
It was more than nice.
The whole weekend was spectacular and will warrant, hopefully, a very long post or series of posts.
However, the lack of sleep, and the cold dry air probably accelerated my incoming sinus infection. Not to mention the latest spike in yellow dust, which is probably not helping either.
I went to work Monday, feeling like crap, partially from the approximately 140 or so full bows, hiking up and down the mountain to the temple, and sitting cross-legged with a straight back all weekend. Once the muscle pain dimmed a little bit (thanks ultra strength topical analgesic rub!) my head started hurting. My sinuses were full of fluid, my throat was itchy and I was running a slight fever (but didn’t know it at the time).
I went to the pharmacy near my school and took some medicine, which did nothing at all. I drank a bunch of Emergen-C packets, some hot tea, and tried not to whine too much. I was still happy and clear-headed from the weekend. It was pretty weird knowing I was about to get miserably sick but being cheerful and clear-headed anyway.
I stayed home yesterday, took my over the counter medicines, ran the humidifier, drank two plus liters of barley tea, rinsed my sinuses, slept for 6 hours extra. All the normal remedies. Nothing was working. My sinuses felt like exploding yesterday. I ended up having to put a hot towel on my face to relieve the pain. I was having problems hearing. While looking for alternative remedies I hadn’t tried yet, I read somewhere that drinking vinegar (diluted with water) can help clear your sinuses. I’m having a hard time finding that link again, or I’d cite it here. At any rate, I have blueberry drinking vinegar in my cabinet.
Yes. Blueberry drinking vinegar. Drinking vinegar is kind of a big thing here. I didn’t have enough energy to go get Apple Cider Vinegar (recommended), so I tried the blueberry stuff instead. I added three parts cold water to one part blueberry drinking vinegar. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. I was surprised.
The first time I tried drinking vinegar was at a buffet, and it was awful. I think it might not have been diluted properly, or perhaps the customers were supposed to dilute it themselves. At any rate. It was gross.
Let’s just say that it does clean you out. There were some unexpected side effects… So, watch out. I think it might have also helped unblock my sinuses, but I’m not sure. It didn’t’ seem to hurt anything and it was refreshing. Then again, I’ve always liked vinegar. I’m weird like that.
Um. Blah blah blah. Man I’m tired.
Ok so, I went to bed pretty miserable yesterday. I made a doctor appointment for today, which was the earliest I could get. I called in sick today as well - after not getting an email back from my teacher about if I would have been able to leave school early today for the doctors appointment.
Anyway. 10 more days of antibiotics. Hope that it works.
I took the subway part of the way to the clinic. I was dizzy, and my legs felt weak, which was really weird because it’s been a long time since I felt that weak. I ended up taking a taxi the rest of the way so I wouldn’t have to transfer in the subway and get banged around (and did the same thing on the way back home again).
So, sorry I’ve been out of commission. I’ve had absolutely no energy at all. Hopefully I’m on the mend now.
Um. Here is a picture. To thank you for reading about my sick sickety sick sick week. ^.^
Sunday morning, at the temple.
Technorati Tags: blah blah blah, blargh, life in korea, me, sick, sinus problems
If this tastes anything like the Black Garlic I had at the food expo, I don’t recommend this honey. Obviously this isn’t like orange blossom honey, or lilac honey, where the honey is actually flavored differently because of the different pollens the bees used to create it.
Black garlic doesn’t occur in nature naturally (and doesn’t have pollens - it’s a root) even if it is “all-natural”. Garlic is fermented for a month or so that it turns black, creating black garlic. So I’m guessing they create an extract from the black garlic which is then added to the honey.
What does Black Garlic taste like?
I thought it tasted like burnt soy sauce with burnt onion, with special burning flavors added. It was not good. This blogger said it tasted “sweet like molasses, with a slight pungency reminiscent of cheese and wine”. Maybe they got a better batch than me, or maybe we just have different taste buds, because I heartily disagree with that description.
I don’t care how “well-being” it is for you. I would stick with the ginseng honey if you’re worried about “well-being” when you eat honey. Which really, you probably shouldn’t be, because honey is already all kinds of good for you anyway.
Technorati Tags: black garlic, food, honey, life in korea, pictures, yuck
I recorded a story for my friend Dan (at Seoul Eats and who also does about a bazillion other writing things) for him to air on the show he writes for.
Right, so Dan is writing for a new radio station, and a new radio show. The radio station is the “first radio station for foreigners in Korea”, you can tune in at 101.3 FM in Seoul. Or you can listen online , just click the “On air” button. (Use IE, Korea isn’t always Firefox friendly)
His show is “Soul of Asia” which airs at 11 am to 12 pm.
At any rate, last week I called in and talked to “Mr. Zenkimchi”, and today I tuned in just after my class ended and lunch break began. I was just in time to hear the story I recorded last week with Dan on the air. Awesome.
Technorati Tags: 101.3 efm, me, on the radio, radio, seoul
Choco is my friend’s kitten.
Actually she’s growing up fast, and isn’t going to be a kitten much longer.
My friend (we’ll call her HH) is a substitute teacher. I met her last year and I really liked her a lot. She was a breath of fresh air. She’s a very thoughtful and genuine person and thinks outside the box. I was really happy when she returned again to my school to fill in for another teacher who was away training. It was nice to see her again.
We didn’t teach many classes together, but we walked home together on the days that we both finished teaching at the same time, which was a lot of fun.
Maybe two months ago HH messaged me and asked for my help with a kitten. A student brought the kitten in to school. The student who brought it in tried to hide it, and didn’t have good intentions for the kitten. Apparently the student was messing with it for entertainment value instead of trying to take care of it. So HH rescued it because although the other teachers were sympathetic, they were unwilling to take it home.
So that’s how HH got a cat, and I met Choco. We went to the vet together after school that day, who gave her a quick examination, guessed her age, and told HH what food to purchase, as well as giving her some other care-taking tips. Then we headed home with Choco. To thank me for my help (because I know animals better than she does) she took me to dinner.
This is why I heart her. I got to play with a kitten (I can’t have a cat, I have allergies and SO has much worse allergies) and spend time with my friend AND get dinner. She wouldn’t accept no for an answer.
I got some cute pictures of Choco on the journey home, so here they are.
Choco was mewing an awful lot on the way home, but I managed to hypnotize her into sleep the same way I’d calm down my bunny (rubbing between the eyes and on the cheeks).
The last picture is probably my favorite. Kittens are so flexible.
HH had a cat when she was younger and lived with her family, but she didn’t do any of the care-taking. Cats are still very unpopular pets here, often seen as vermin, and it seems like there is a lack of resources for cat owners. Or maybe I’m assuming there is a lack, I can’t do a search on cat rearing in Korean, I’m not that advanced in my Korean!
One of the things HH was really worried about was that her next door neighbor would hear her cat and complain. This is her next door neighbor who has knock-down fights with her husband. I told her the woman had no place to complain given the amount of noise she was creating, but this is Korea and that logic doesn’t necessarily work. So far there has been no problem from the neighbor.
HH had been complaining that her cat hates her because of the playing, the swatting, the nipping. I told her it’s just a kitten and learning to do what it has to do. I tried to tell her about plastic claw covers but that just made her giggle. Even though she complains about Choco’s behavior, I think she really does love the cat.
HH’s stint at my school is over, the other teacher has returned, but I plan on going over to visit and catch up with both of them soon. ^^
Technorati Tags: cat, choco, friends, HH, life in korea
I’ve been waiting for more details on this story. It’s being covered well by Brian in Jeollanam-do and there is a post at the Hub of Sparkle as well.
Basically, a South African woman was house-sitting for a friend. Reportedly an ajoshii walked by and threw a cigarette onto a couch, which caught fire. She smelled smoke, opened the door, and was burned by a flash. Things aren’t looking that good for her right now, she’s in a coma, and her family needs money for her care and transport back home.
Money is tight for everyone right now, but if you can spare some money I know it would be much appreciated by the family.
Here’s where you can help out, cut and pasted from Brian’s site.
Here is bank account information for the South African teacher injured in a fire in Mokpo last weekend. Just a preface, this is the person who has been collecting money from the beginning, and as I understand it he is passing the money directly to the parents. I had hoped a new account would have turned up, but it can be difficult for foreigners to do something like this, I understand, with regulations on receiving and transferring money.
Nicko Janse van Vuuren
Shinhan Bank
acc no. 110 -194 -121017Here is bank account information for those in South Africa, to forward money directly to her father:
D M Viljoen
Absa Bank
cheque acc no. 044 0920640
Mountain Mall
Worcester
South AfricaMain Branch code 503107
For updates, you can go to Brian’s site, or follow this facebook group.
Technorati Tags: fellow expats, fire, news
I was talking to my Dad this weekend, and I mentioned how there is this one day that all the leaves fall off the trees simultaneously. That day is pretty much the start of the winter temperatures. It’s a really abrupt transition that I wrote about earlier. It’s usually a cold snap that lasts a few days, and then it seems to warm up a little afterwards.
This weekend was the second really cold snap, temperatures dropped a lot lower this time around.
At any rate, during the course of the conversation my Dad and I decided that four distinct seasons must really mean four sudden seasons.
Which reminded me that I really needed to post those pictures from the day before and the day after the falling of the leaves.
Before:
After:
Leaf carnage:
Incidentally, SO’s father (who is Korean-American but still very Korean) was talking to him at Thanksgiving about this and that and told SO he really should move to a city with four seasons. Living in a “sub-tropical” city makes SO lazy. I thought that was funny.
Technorati Tags: four seasons, leaves, life in korea, me, pictures
