South Korea approves additional humanitarian aid to North Korea

Approving humanitarian aid to North Korea.  What does it mean? I do not know. Hope it brings us one step closer to exchange of friendlier words and helping the North Korean people that for most, by no choice of their own, do not have access to basic human rights and physical needs being met.

Kpop song of the day from 2AM

I have been playing this one all week.  2AM's  최고의 사랑 (The First Love). It is a remake of a Japanese song.  Do you know both songs? Which do you think is better?  It is a typical romantic ballad.  As much as I don't want to admit liking boy bands or these ballads, I can't get beyond the voices of all the members of 2AM.  If they could sing another type of song and make it sound as good as their other ballads I would be a big fan. Well, I guess I'll just be a part of the sappy romance Korean hallyu phenomena for now. Can't deny my own interests now can I?

A.Korean Flavor: Let's make seaweed soup. 미역국

Are you ready to get back in the kitchen and cook up some magic? Last month was the first post in a new series of "Korean flavors" blog posts.  We made the simple yet delicious dish, bibimbap.  We're finally back for round 2.

*Note: If you read the previous post you are probably seeing this again. Don't worry. Your eyes are not seeing double. It is double.  I compiled the contents of two posts into one, but would like to keep this one here for easy viewing.*

Let's see what it takes to put together this nourishing soup.  We will make the most simple dish here and explore some other common ingredients.

You'll need some of the basics, so check your cupboards and refrigerators first. Then head to your local Asian mart if you need something else.

   soy sauce               sesame oil                             dried seaweed                                         minced garlic                          water                  

You will need:

• dried seaweed (미역 or wakame in Japanese) ~ 1 oz package
• Korean sesame oil (기름) ~ 1 tablespoon 
• soy sauce (간장) ~ 1 1/4 table spoon or to taste
• minced garlic ~ 1 tablespoon (optional) or as much to taste.  
• water (or a soup broth of your choice) ~ 6 cups
• pinch of salt (optional)

Soak dried seaweed in a bowl of warm water for approximately 20 minutes to allow to expand.  Make sure the seaweed is soft. Soak time may vary according to brand of seaweed. When soft, rinse well and drain. Then cut the seaweed into 2 to 4 inch pieces.

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Once heated add sesame oil, 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, a little dab of salt and cook for 1 minute.*  Slowly stir in seaweed and remaining soy sauce. Cook for 1 minute more.
Pour in 2 cups of water and bring the ingredients in pan to a boil.  Add garlic and stir.

Pour the ingredients into a large pot.  Add the  remaining 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes or until seaweed and ingredients of choice are tender.
Season to taste with salt, soy sauce, or other fun flavor.  

This soup, like most dishes, is often served with or over rice.  Prepare some rice in advance. If you're like most Asians, there is always rice in the cooker.  Make sure you have enough for the eager mouths.  

When ready, dish the soup into bowls. Quickly serve this healthy delight.  Feel the warmth and energy running through your body with every swallow.
ENJOY ~~~

Extra goodies:
Add scallions for additional flavor and consistency.  Cut off the white ends, using only the green part. Chop green part into 2 inch pieces. Add while adding the last 4 cups of water.

Others will like their soup with one, some, or all of the following:

 

         beef sirloin                                    osyters and/or mussels                                tofu (tubu 두부).

*If you choose to use the beef or oysters and scallions, be sure they are prepared [i.e. cleaned and chopped] for use.  Find the (*) and insert where you add the sesame oil and soy sauce.
**You may also purchase a soft tofu and add this to your soup.  You will use approximately half of a cube. Clean and chop small tofu cubes before pouring into the soup.   I add the tofu right before letting the pot simmer.  Others will add it at the very end.  Do a little experimentation and figure out what works best for you.

Hope you enjoy your seaweed soup!  Have fun with it and make it your own! Korean cooking isn't about following a recipe or an exact science it's about mixing, matching and finding the flavors you love most.

Be nourished and loved with a warm bowl of miyok gook today!  

Birthday seaweed soup (미역국)

Happy birthday to many of my Korean friends on this second week of March!  The coolest triplets I know celebrate their birthday this week.  It's time to celebrate with some yummy miyok gook (미역국) aka seaweed soup.

WHAT?? No birthday cake?

Yep, the Koreans like to stir things up a bit and eat seaweed soup. Koreans traditionally eat miyok gook on their birthdays every year. Why you ask? This tradition stems literally from the day of birth.  The new mother usually eats seaweed soup as the first meal after childbirth and for several weeks following the birth. There are a few reasons miyok gook is eaten as one of the first meals.

Seaweed soup is made of a type of seaweed called miyeok (brown laver), the only kind of seaweed used to make soup. The seaweed, slightly smooth, rubbery, and slimy in texture, is rich in iron and iodine.  The iron is an element that gives blood its color and is an essential nutrient in blood production.  Because a significant amount of blood is lost during the labor, mothers eat the seaweed to replenish the cells and blood supply in the body.

Koreans also believe that new mothers should have a time of rest. They take extra care of their bodies to ensure they are suited for all the tasks of motherhood. This rest period is much like "maternity leave" for new mothers in America, but usually also includes the help of the mother of the new mother. As a part of this rest period, they eat seaweed soup due to its soft texture and ease in swallowing.  Hard, chewy foods take too much work to eat while spicy foods are harsh on the system.

Thus, as mothers eat this as their first meal, the children are also eating the nutrients of the seaweed soup as their first meal through the mother's breast milk.  To remember the first meal of both mother and child as well as the hard work and labor of the mother, individuals eat /drink this soup in memory as their birthday meal.

Happy birthday friends!!  Enjoy your delicious miyok gook today.




Hey! What about those of us that are not Korean or do not have a Korean mom or halmoni (grandma) to cook us up some miyok gook?  We certainly have the right to honor the Korean tradition or even enjoy some of this nutritious soup on a cold winter's day.  High school students also often eat this simple meal the night before an important exam due to the belief that seaweed supports optimal brain function. Optimal brain function would be nice anytime, wouldn't it?!

Let's learn to make our own miyok gook.

You'll need some of the basic Korean ingredients, so check your cupboards and refrigerators first. Then head to your local Asian mart if you need something else.

      soy sauce         sesame oil                    dried seaweed                   minced garlic                    water

You will need:

• dried seaweed (미역 or wakame in Japanese) ~ 1 oz package
• Korean sesame oil (기름) ~ 1 tablespoon 
• soy sauce (간장) ~ 1 1/4 table spoon or to taste
• minced garlic ~ 1 tablespoon (optional) or as much to taste.  
• water (or a soup broth of your choice) ~ 6 cups
• pinch of salt (optional)

Make it: 

Soak dried seaweed in a bowl of warm water for approximately 20 minutes to allow to expand.  Make sure the seaweed is soft. Soak time may vary according to brand of seaweed. When soft, rinse well and drain. Then cut the seaweed into 2 to 4 inch pieces.

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Once heated add sesame oil, 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, a little dab of salt and cook for 1 minute.*  Slowly stir in seaweed and remaining soy sauce. Cook for 1 minute more.

Pour in 2 cups of water and bring the ingredients in pan to a boil.  Add garlic and stir.

Pour the ingredients into a large pot.  Add the  remaining 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes or until seaweed and ingredients of choice are tender.

Season to taste with salt, soy sauce, or other fun flavor.  

This soup, like most dishes, is often served with or over rice.  Prepare some rice in advance. If you're like most Asians, there is always rice in the cooker.  Make sure you have enough for the eager mouths.  

When ready, dish the soup into bowls. Quickly serve this healthy delight.  Feel the warmth and energy running through your body with every swallow.

ENJOY ~~~

Extra goodies:

Add scallions for additional flavor and consistency.  Cut off the white ends, using only the green part. Chop green part into 2 inch pieces. Add while adding the last 4 cups of water.

Others will like their soup with one, some, or all of the following:

 

         beef sirloin                                    osyters and/or mussels                                tofu (tubu 두부).

*If you choose to use the beef or oysters and scallions, be sure they are prepared [i.e. cleaned and chopped] for use.  Find the (*) and insert where you add the sesame oil and soy sauce.

**You may also purchase a soft tofu and add this to your soup.  You will use approximately half of a cube. Clean and chop small tofu cubes before pouring into the soup.   I add the tofu right before letting the pot simmer.  Others will add it at the very end.  Do a little experimentation and figure out what works best for you.

Hope you enjoy your seaweed soup!  Have fun with it and make it your own! Korean cooking isn't about following a recipe or an exact science it's about mixing, matching and finding the flavors you love most.

Be nourished and loved with a warm bowl of miyok gook today!  

Jimjilbang blues

symbol for jimjilbang

Let's get naked folks! Did I just say that? Yeah! Let's get down in our birthday suits and enjoy a warm bath, because baby, it's cold outside! ~


On what happens to be a cold winter's day towards the end of a long dry winter in central Cali, all I can think about is jimjilbang. Jimjilbang is a Korean sauna or bathhouse. How I wish there were an equivalent nearby. You can find a jimjilbang in almost any town in Korea. You go there to shower and enjoy saunas, hot rooms, cold rooms, hot tubs, game rooms, food, friendship, etc.

There are so many perks to jimjilbangs, you'd have to go to one yourself to discover them all!

First, why wouldn't you want to go to one? Let's settle your fears and concerns.

Q: I'm afraid of revealing my birthday suit in public.  Aren't they going to look at me?  
A:  Well, all the other foreigners are just as concerned as you are and yes, the locals may check you out a little. Maybe an old ahjumma or halmoni (grandmother-aged figure) will give you some looks. Be proud of being different! (Luckily, I'm a pure Korean blooded foreigner that gets to blend in.) I'm sure you'll find it in yourself to come to terms with the experience. Don't worry.
Q: Isn't it too dirty and unsanitary to bathe in public with several others?  
A:  The cleaning ahjummas have you covered. They are always cleaning and scrubbing down the shower room, at least in my favorite jimjilbang.
Q: You can sleep there? Isn't it unsafe to sleep in public?
A: It can be considered unsafe, but find yourself a nice little corner of a room or better yet!!!  Go with your friends and chat it up 'til the rising of the sun!

Awaiting the sunrise from a jimjilbang in Busan.

Q: Do I have to wear those funny clothes? 

A: Yes, they give the guys and girls a set of jimjilbang-wear.  You wear these clothes outside of the shower/hot tub.

If you're afraid of how it looks, see how the characters in the recent popular Korean dramas Secret Garden and Dream High sported their clothes.

~Secret Garden~
Joo Won (Hyunbin) and Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won) are a bit
upset after they discover their bodies have been switched.

~Dream High~
The students needed a place to practice their routine.
What place could be better than a jimjilbang?

Don't these stars look great with their jimjilbang wear?  Embrace the opportunity to be as cool as them and put on some jimjilbang clothes today!  

To be honest, these were all of my fears.  I couldn't bear to think about undressing in front of others or being exposed to someone else's dirty bath water. Sitting in a hot pool with my friends in our birthday suits?  HECK to the NO.  I was the biggest germaphobe I knew before going to Korea and definitely would never be so open about my body. Now, I don't even care.  All I want is a nice warm bath and a hot tub with some friends. FYI: Men and women have separate bathing and hot tub quarters.  I know. Sorry guys.  All other areas are for both sexes , WITH YOUR CLOTHES ON!

After being introduced to what is now my favorite jimjilbang called Siloam in Seoul, I am forever convinced that everyone should have the jimjilbang experience at least once.  [If you're interested in discovering this gem of a sauna at Seoul Station (서울역) please visit their website for directions and information.  You will not regret it.]

My favorite sauna in Seoul.

As a foreigner always traveling the landscapes of Korea, finding cheap room and board isn't always easy.  There are hostels, hotels, and guesthouses, but staying in a jimjilbang is affordable and one unique experience.  It wasn't always my first option, but it worked. You can stay overnight and sleep in a sleeping room after a nice warm shower for less than the equivalent of $12 US dollars.  In small towns it is even cheaper.  Can you get a hotel for that price? Beat that my friends.  You should be warned, you will probably be sleeping on the floor.  It's something you get used to in Korea as some of the apartments don't even have mattresses or beds, anyway.     

Why else do I like the spa and jimjilbang? Depending on the size and scale of the sauna, the nicer ones have a computer room, a game room, a singing room, and food!  Some must eats in a jimjilbang are shikye, a rice drink, and eggs.  You can even get a nice massage for a few extra won (the Korean currency) in the shower room. That is one thing I refrained from for personal reasons, but I'd suggest doing so if you need to relax those muscles.  ALSO!!  You can sweat and freeze and enjoy a hot salt rock bed as much as you want in each of the rooms.These do amazing things for your skin and pores!  Right now my skin is in dire need of some love and attention, thanks to all this California weather drying it all up.

hmm... is there more?  Spend time with your friends!  It's a great opportunity to spend time with friends while getting out of the elements.  I have sad memories of staying in a jimjilbang alone a few times, but I have even greater memories of the times I spent with friends in Seoul, Busan, and Daegu in some of the coolest jimjilbangs. I can honestly say that some of my friends became better friends because of our overnight adventures in a jimjilbang.

Well, that's that for now.  My jimjilbang blues are somewhat laid to rest by reminiscing about the good times.

If you know of any good jimjilbang in the US of A, please post below and help some fellow jimjilbang loving readers out.

Thanks for reading!

A.Korean Flavor: Bibimbap 비빔밥

Hello, this is my first attempt to reminisce of the Korean flavors that I miss so much.  It is also an attempt to recreate a taste of Korea in a town that has almost no Koreans nor Korean ingredients!

For the first Korean flavor, I'll talk about one of the most simple, but tasty meals:  Bibimbap.

Bibimbap is one of the most popular simple Korean dishes. The definition means a mixture of many things.  It can be served cold or in a hot pot. The term for the bibimbap served in a hot pot is called dolsot bibimbap.

What I love about this dish is that it is so healthy and tasty. You can use any kinds of vegetables and flavors you would like to add to your rice.

Here is a picture of a cold bibimbap I made a few months prior while I still had kimchi around.

You can make this dish by using rice and chopping up some of your favorite vegetables found at your local food store or farmer's market during the correct season!

First make the rice as directed on the package or by your rice cooker.

Then pull out your vegetables and begin chopping away. I will admit that it is a timely process, but it is well worth it for the colorful dish.

Here are some of the basic ingredients found in the bowl above:

• kimchi (of course, the staple to every korean diet!  however, if you  cannot find it in your area like myself or do not like,  leave it out!)
• seaweed (known as kim or 김 in korean and found in your local food store in the asian food aisle)
• dark lettuce
• asian cabbage
• carrots
• bean sprouts

After the rice is done cooking put a dollop of rice into the bowl.  Add all of the delicious ingredients above plus any of your own favorites.

To top it off, you can fry a delicious egg and plop it on.  To add some spice, you can add red bean paste (gochujang) to the mix. Then, there you have a it, a delicious mix of veggies and rice.  

It can be served in the bowl like the picture and should be mixed up before eating. 

When at a Korean restaurant, try ordering dolsot bibimbap, the food in a hot pot.  The rice and veggies get warm and the flavors are brought out in a whole new way.  

Enjoy your bibimbap!

Something new... I love the sound of music.

Yes, I love the Sound of Music and much much more..

---

Listening to the OST of the Korean drama called Secret Garden (시크릿 가든) .   I really like the songs, simply for the voice of the singers themselves. Listening to foreign music is a great way for me to connect to friends of  other cultures and to learn to respect  other genres of music. Also a great tool for studying foreign languages.  I may not understand the lyrics, but I can enjoy the sounds and voices of some very talented and sometimes not so talented artists.

Baek Ji Yong (백지영) sings at least two of the songs in Secret Garden. She has a large range, reaching notes most people only dream of, and wonderful control. These aspects make for a beautiful voice.  I really like her songs That man (그남자) and That woman (그여자 ).  Some of the lyrics are a bit much in regards to the romantic ballad nature. That aside,  here is "That Man".  What do you think of her voice?  

Hyunbin has a voice! Secret Garden also stars a great Korean actor, Hyunbin (현빈).  Girls swoon over every move he makes. Not that I can say the same myself as much as I love cute dimples and his sweet smile.  Though, I did fall for the guy while watching Kim Sam Soon (내 이름은 김삼순). It was one of the first dramas I watched all the way through. Anyway, Hyunbin sang a version of That Man and it's not that bad. Supposedly it's topping charts. I hope Hyunbin's voice will develop more. Looking forward to what else is in store from this sensation.

Here's the song.  

Any preferences?