Summaries
Kuha ‘to noong Setyembre (2008) sa isang parke sa isang probinsiya na malapit sa North Korea. Mahangin sa lugar na ‘yun at tamang-tama na lagyan ng maraming rehilete na iba-iba ang kulay. Nakakaaliw tingnan pag umiikot na sila ng sabay-sabay at kaaya-aya rin ang tunog nila. Paborito ko ang pula kay may espesyal na ‘close-up shot’
Kuwento ng pangalawang litrato. Papunta kami sa isang pambansang parke dito sa Korea. Bundok ang dinadaanan namin. Maya-maya ay pumara ang aking biyenan na babae dahil nakakakita ng “mountain berries” sa daan. Namulot at pinakain sa ‘min!
I took this picture on one September weekend. My husband was in a marathon and I took the time waiting for him to explore the park where the marathon was being held. The park is located in a province near North Korea. The place is quite windy and it’s amusing that the authorities put up these toy wind turbines of different colors. It’s fun to see them spin and the sound they produce is music to my ears. My favorite color is red, thus the close-up shot.
Koreans don’t traditionally celebrate New Year’s Eve based on the Gregorian calendar; however they do spend a lot and celebrate the lunar calendar’s new year.
When my husband in the Philippines, he experienced our festive New Year’s eve and that’s one of the thing he misses back in Korea. That’s why he urges me to welcome the New Year the way we do in the Philippines. I just didn’t feel like cooking or preparing anything this year. I thought that we’d just buy a cake but I changed my mind at the last moment. I guess I was just tired that day…
Anyway, my disappointed husband bought food at around 10:30 PM on New Year’s eve. So we had Korean street foods for our feast…
Tteokbokki or spicy rice cake is made from tube-shaped rice cake stir-fried with “gochujang” or red pepper paste. It’s available on the streets of Seoul for 1,000 won to 2,000 won per order.
Odeng is a type of fish cake. They come in a variety of shapes but our favorite is the tubular ones. Here, they’re cooked with a soup made with dried anchovies, radish and green onions. This is about 500 won per piece in Seoul.
Sundae (pronounced as “soon - deh”) is a Korean style sausage. The ones you can find on the streets are mostly made of clear noodles with pig blood stuffed in pig intestine. The more traditional kind is made of pig innards (like the Filipino bopiz). It’s about 2,000 won per order.
Huli man pwede pa ring ihabol.
Kuha ang litratong ‘to sa isang marathon na sinalihan ng aking asawa, eksaktong alas-dose ng tanghali. Natuwa ako sa sanga-sangang mga saranggola na pinapalipad ng isang mama. Nakatali naman pala sa isang poste. Sana ngayong 2009 ay sama-sama tayong lumipad para maabot ang ating mga mithiin.
I started a Korean food blog earlier this year but my busy schedule wouldn’t permit me to post regularly. Rather than have a separate blog for Korean food, I’d just add a “korean cooking” category on this blog.
If I’d introduce a non-Korean to Korean foods, one of the dishes that comes to mind would be “samgyeopsal” (삼겹살) which means “three layer skin” or simply unseasoned bacon grilled or seared and wrapped in lettuce leaf.
Samgyeopsal is literally not for those with weak hearts. With all the bacon fats, it’s loaded with bad cholesterol so it shouldn’t be an everyday fare. Koreans eat samgyeopsal with soju (소주), a traditional liquor in green bottles.
To prepare samgyeopsal at home, you’ll need thinly sliced and unseasoned bacon. There are special pans sold in Korea for preparing samgyeopsal however a non-stick pan will do. I prefer to use non-stick woks to prevent the fats from splattering all over my kitchen walls. Fry the bacons until cooked. Remember to drain the fats in between frying.
Wash lettuce leaves (other edible leaves for wrapping will do) well. Add a drop or two of sesame to the last water (optional but it adds more flavor).
If you prefer, you can prepare a dipping sauce for samgyeopsal with a tablespoon of sesame oil, a teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Thinly slice garlic segments. Spoon some seasoned bean paste sauce or ssam jang (쌈장) in a sauce plate.
To eat, put a lettuce leaf on your palm, add the cooked pork belly, garlic and sauce. Add kimchi if you prefer. Wrap and eat.
I’m almost done with my TESOL course. I only have one presentation left on Tuesday and I’d be done with the 5-month certificate course that took a lot of my time. As early as November, I’ve been receiving calls for job interviews. Two schools have actually hired me, despite my inexperience in teaching English. I really like both schools (and my classmates told me that they’re two of the best franchises) but “hagwon” schedule means going to work at 2PM and getting off at 10PM! The schedule is just impossible for me since I also have a toddler to take care of. One of the schools even told me that I could work part-time if I want, but the schedule they suggested is still until 8PM. There is a daycare center near our apartment that takes care of kids until 10PM but I thought that I wouldn’t really have quality time with my son on weekdays with that schedule.
I’d really like to go back to work but my son is still my priority. I wouldn’t be able to earn as much as I could but that’s fine. We can always earn the money later but time is something that you can never get back, right?
Ang “kimchi” ay kilalang-kilala bilang isa sa mga pagkaing Koreano. Hindi kumpleto ang kainan kung wala nito sa hapag-kainan. Kaya naman kahit “spaghetti” na pagkain ng mga taga-kanluran (?) ang nakahanda, hindi mawawala ang kimchi. Ang larawang ito ay kuha noong kami ay namasyal sa Everland, isang theme park sa Korea.
Habang kami ay namamasyal noong Linggo, ika-12 ng Oktubre, natiyempuhan namin ang isang tradisyunal na kasal na ginaganap noong hapon ding yaon. Ang mga bagong kasal ay isang koreana at isang dayuhan na piniling magpakasal sa isang pampublikong lugar. Hayan at marami tuloy ang naki-isyoso at isa na ako roon. Maraming seremonyas ang tradisyunal na kasal at medyo mabagal ang mga galaw nila. Walang palitan ng singsing at walang halikan na naganap! Sa panahon ngayon, “bagong kasal” nga kaya talaga? LOL!
We were visiting the Namsan Hanok Village last Sunday afternoon when we chanced upon a couple getting married the traditional way. The newlyweds, a Korean and a Canadian, chose to get married in a very public place therefore attracting numerous spectators - including me! The traditional Korean wedding has a lot of ceremonies in it and is done in a very slow fashion. The newlyweds didn’t exchange rings nor did they kiss!
Have you found your true love? Are you still dreaming of that Prince Charming who will sweep you off your feet? Or are you a guy who’s still looking for that perfect dream girl? Several months ago I spent one lovely dinner with some close friends and an Italian guy. The guy was the boyfriend (now the husband) of a friend. The purpose of the dinner was to introduce the Italian to us. Believe it or not they met online!
When my friend said that she’d marry the Italian, I was really skeptical. How can you fall in love with someone you met while surfing the Internet?! Then it dawned on me that love sometimes happen unexpectedly and it isn’t really how couples meet that matters. What matters is how the relationship blooms. As skeptical as I was at first, I now believe that K (my friend’s initial) had found her true love. They’ve been together for more than year now and are now planning to start a family.
I know that there are hundreds, thousands or millions of other couples who have met each other online. One such place is True.com, an online dating site. One great thing about online dating sites is that you could find your most compatible match by browsing the profiles. If you haven’t found your Prince or Princess, start your search for free.
There are millions of other singles looking for their one true love. Who knows if you could find that special person online? He or she could be a member of True.com - you should be a member too. Signing-up is easy and FREE!
