Rain. Love and Rain.

When you saw the word rain did you first think of 비 or Rain the handsome singer?  Every time I hear the  word rain I like to think of ways to twist and give it multiple meanings- often those implying a reference to Rain (actor and singer). Who doesn't put love and rain in the same sentence? A majority of you love Rain! I read friend's Facebook statuses also referencing Rain:
- It's RAINing.
- When is The Rain coming?
- Is it Rain-ing yet?

courtesy of  http://tinyurl.com/casyb6z 

Unfortunately, this post is not about that Rain. It is about rain, the watery goodness that falls so lightly or heavy at just the right moment. It's about rain and sometimes love in the rain or love rain.  Recently, I started watching the Korean Drama Love Rain. You can thank my friend for getting me sucked into a drama. I was so proud that I hadn't watched a Korean drama in months or at all this year. Something about the violin intro also heard throughout the drama caught me. Though the drama was slow going at the beginning and follows a predictable Korean drama structure that includes conflict, love, and love triangles or squares/rectangle, I made it halfway through the show. After this weekend, I will contemplate whether to continue watching.   While watching this drama, I thought about rain as a theme or dramatic element. Because the drama's title has the word "rain" in it, you would expect rain, right? Of course. Rain is used in many dramas, but this drama uses it particularly well because of the "Love Rain" theme itself.  In most dramas you will find rain during a very dramatic or what is about to be a dramatic scene. Rain may come at the beginning of a kiss. Sometimes rain pours during conflict or perhaps conflict-turned love. Look at Jang Geun Suk's character Joon look up as the rain begins to fall right when he and Ha Na are to converse about an important matter Joon has on his heart. He came all this way to see her and what?

Oh. Is that rain?

Yep. Let's run for cover.

Perhaps it begins raining during a scene in which you see your only true love of years past enter and pass through your presence decades after your last meeting.

What? Is it her? 

Am I seeing things? I need a thorough look. 

Whoa. My love? 

This is where it started. Same color umbrella. : ) 

This drama is full of love and rain.  Don't be fooled. There is plenty of pain and conflict, but that only makes the love stronger in the end doesn't it? An element of tension may linger in the air as rain falls to rescue and soften the interaction. It becomes the beginning of a significant interaction that turns to love. Love. It's time for some love rain. What are your favorite rain scenes in a Korean drama?

Let's have a listen to the "Love Rain" song. Jang Geun Suk has a decent voice! I might have to say I like this ballad for his voice! If you're not a romantic, the lyrics are a bit cheesy. For the Korean learner, the song is slow and catchy enough to learn on your own, and the vocabulary is simple.  Happy listening!

Some vocab to know:
사랑 (saran) - love
비 (pi or pee) - rain
우산 (usan) -  umbrella
가슴 (kasum) - heart
사랑비가 내려네요 (sarang pi ga naeryo naeyo) - Love rain is falling

HK

SDAFF Spring Showcase

The San Diego Asian Film Foundation Spring Showcase begins this week with the opening Korean film: Sunny.  Check out the rest of the films here.  Also, look out for the other Korean film, The Front Line, another great war film.

Check out the film reviews yourself! I can't do them justice until I see the films myself. You won't want to miss them.

---

http://festival.sdaff.org/spring2012/guide/program/sunny/

http://festival.sdaff.org/spring2012/all/

http://festival.sdaff.org/spring2012/guide/program/front-line-the/

A night of K-pop and flash mob moves

What do k-pop, hallyu, flash mobs, and San Diego all have in common?
You can find them all in one place right here in San Diego.

Last week I learned of a Korean Culture event at The Sejong Institute of Language and Culture (SILC) of the California International Business University (CIBU) through a group posting on Facebook and some online advertisement. Though I had other plans set aside for that Tuesday, I was not able to attend to them. This became an ideal opportunity to inquire about the event. I hadn't heard of SILC or CIBU and was eager to learn more about it and the events/programs it had to offer.  Don't forget I'm quite busy volunteering my time, but in my few moments of free time I do try to keep an open ear for Korea related events. I also discovered that my new Korean friend was going to be attending the event with her English tutor.  The title of the event was K-Pop.  By attending the event I thought I would learn a little bit about kpop.  After calling the receptionist at SILC, I was told the agenda consisted of a presentation on K-Pop and Hallyu (Korean wave), a dance performance and some light refreshments to follow. I envisioned I might hear an interesting lecture on history and culture. What did I have to lose? I figured this would be a great opportunity to network with some professors and or other young professionals or students in the area interested in Korean culture and history.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a young eclectic crowd of high school-aged somethings, fun individuals in their early 20s intermixed with a few international students, professors and Koreans that run the SILC. We listened to a presentation about Kpop and the Korean hallyu. Korea's pop music has rapidly picked up popularity all over the world. Hallyu refers to the rapid spread of Korean culture and popularity across the world. The term originated in China after journalists observed the rapid growth and popularity of Korean culture in China. Many Kpop groups travel to put on shows and meet their loyal and dedicated fans halfway across the globe.  I was surprised to hear that a kpop channel has received over 700 million hits! However, after briefly thinking about it, many loyal fans are probably responsible for multiple clicks! Everyone can use a little kpop in their life!  Popular  groups such as 2PM, Big Bang, SNSD, and 2NE1 were named.

After the brief history of Kpop and short video, the real hoppin' fun began. We were introduced to the San Diego Kpop Flash Mob group started by young individuals with a new found interest in Kpop and love for dance. The group of individuals goes by the acronym SDKFM. They're definitely an interesting crowd of individuals as we can see by their Facebook page description: "SDKFM is a group of crazy (borderline clinically insane) San Diegan individuals who love Kpop and dance. We aim to spread the love of Korean pop culture in our city and have fun." As their opening statement suggests, they know how to do just that: have fun! I admire the group for their passion and desire to share their love of Korean pop and culture.  They're doing their part to spread hallyu and make it even bigger right here in San Diego. Wherever you go, you're bound to find a Korean loving soul somewhere. Check out SDKFM's Facebook page here.  SDKFM definitely got their dance on in their performances!  I only got a brief video from the "sidelines" on my cell phone, but you can hear and see the crowd joining in with a rhythmic clapping.

Fortunately, some of the videos from members went up on youtube last night. You can get a clearer picture of their moves and popping beat.  Here is one of the videos I found: 

Following SDKFM's performance to a few Kpop mixes, members of the crowd came up to show off a few of their own moves. The crowd went a little wild for an extended period of laughter and dancing.

The evening was an informative and interesting night. I learned something and met an enthusiast group of Kpop loving individuals. We were quickly pushed out of the room due to building policies and I was not able to meet any of the Sejong Institute's staff personally, but I know that I will return for the next event in May and maybe even before then for a little tour. I have a feeling I'll walk into the next event with no expectations because they'll probably be blown away by exposure to more fun local San Diegans!

If you missed any of the links above check them out again here below:

California International Business University (CIBU) : http://cibu.edu/

The Sejong Institute of Language and Culture (SILC): http://cibu.edu/category/sejong-institute-of-language-and-culture-events/

San Diego Kpop Flash Mob (SDKFM):  https://www.facebook.com/SanDiegoKpopFlashMob

Korean spas keep you clean and lean!

Sitting indoors on a breezy gloomy lunch break.  January/February are the months of cold weather and dry skin. All the memories of warm rooms come flooding back.  Oh how I wish I were enjoying a sauna this lunch period. If that's not the case, I can continue to reminisce about them.

I recently read the article How a Korean Spa Can Keep you Lean, Rejuvenated, and Sexy.  Need I say more about the benefits of a spa?  Korean spas are pretty awesome!!  Although I have not been to a spa in over a year since my return from Korea, I can attest to this healthy cleansed feeling you receive after visiting the spa. You don't even need the full scrub to feel clean. Sweating in the salt and coal rooms and cooling in the freezing rooms do wonders for my skin and health. Our bodies are full of toxins and dirt that are not easily washed off in a quick three minute shower.  Cleansing the pores through sweating and other processes has its benefits not only for your body health, but for the look of your skin. You'll be glowing and smiling because of it in no time! Based on this article, it looks like I'll have to head to LA and or do a little more exploring here in San Diego.

There are many other reasons I like the jimjilbang or Korean spa/sauna experience.  Check them out and get a few of your fear-filled questions answered.

Back to work!

Fun with Food: simple kimchi fried rice (김치 볶음밥 )

I was in a bit of frantic rush to make triangle kimbap for my lunch the other day. It was already approaching 3pm and I had a schedule to keep. This was about to become a linner (lunch and dinner) combo. I made rice the night before with my delicious bulgogi (yumm yumm marinated meat) meal and packaged the leftovers into the refrigerator to be used the following day. I wasn't worried if the rice didn't turn out for my kimbap because I bought a fresh bag of rice earlier in the week.  It would be no biggie to heat up a new pot while preparing for the day.  (No rice cooker here folks. I've been house sitting for a week. This is where crafty improv skills come in handy.  Since I could not find a pot cover either, I used another pot to cover the larger pot. It didn't completely seal the rice cooking pot, but we got some decent rice.)

Back to that no-big-deal-because-I-had-more-rice situation. What I failed to clearly think about was my house and pet sitting responsibility to care for cats.  I set the rice on the higher counter top hidden away in the corner. Maybe I just forgot the sly nature of cats.]  Despite my good intentions to keep the house clean, the next morning I woke to a little surprise.  The cats clawed through the bag of rice and you can guess what I was sweeping up for the next several minutes.  so... I open the fridge take out the leftover box of rice and separate the plastic wrap on the seaweed for my triangle kimbap. The spoon goes into the rice and out comes a crumbly mess of rice allover my lovely laver (seaweed).  I guess the missing cover on the pot created an interesting rice consistency and texture.  No sticky rice and no more fresh rice to cook.

Now what?  I pull open the fridge and look in.  Fantastic! There are approximately two servings of kimchi left in a small plastic container. Perfect timing because I've got to clear the fridge of any suspicious (aka interesting ethnic or slightly odorous) items before the home owners return. (They're not Korean or Asian for that matter.) At this point, I'm a hungry hippo. What do you make with old rice and kimchi? Well, kimchi fried rice I tell ya!  Let's do this, I tell myself.  There's a can of tuna sitting on the counter.  What else? It seems we have nothing else, so we'll make do. 

How do you (or I) make kimchi fried rice? Here's a quick and very simple Americanized version of fried rice. 

Some basics you'll need: 

• your old rice (밥) [1 cup?]*
• kimchi (김치) [1/2 a cup?]*
• sesame oil  (참깨 기름)

Some optional add ins:

• tuna (참치), or
• bacon, or
• other meaty source such as chopped up spam
• other veggies
• peppers
• green onion
• take your pick here. 

*Mix and match. Choose your portions according to total serving size. 

And to top it off the proper way let's add a tasty fried egg. 

Here is a photo story of my scramble to make kimchi fried rice: 

Get your kimchi. Chop it all up. Then heat up your frying pan. Use a dab of sesame oil to prevent food from sticking to the pan.  Toss in the kimchi.  Warm up. Fry. Stir up. Warm up, fry, and stir some more.

Toss in your extras such as tuna, spam, or veggies.  Stir and fry some more. Add your rice.
Fry some more. Add some water and oil to preference if necessary and don't forget to pour the extra kimchi juice in the pan for extra color and spicy flavor!  Pack up your fried rice into a nice little mound and set it aside.
Prepare the pan and fry the egg!

And wallah.  I'll admit I was hungry and although I go for presentation this tasted just fine in my mouth and ravenous belly. Sadly, that's the same egg. Sunny side down.  No worries the sun will come out and shine again tomorrow. :  )

There you have it.  A crazy spin on kimchi fried rice.   The next one will be better, but this one is difficult to beat.  It tasted just fine in the heat of the hungry moment! 

[Photos uploaded from phone with less than 3 megapixel quality. Excuse the quality of the photos please.]

Until next time! 

Simply Yujacha

With winter creeping in like a thick fog and creating a frigid chill in the air, a hot beverage to soothe the mind and body sounds just about right.  What? You say you have a slight cough or sore throat, too?  It's that time of year isn't it?

I know the beverage for you. Yujacha (유자차) or citron tea.  Yujacha is similar to what most people know as marmalade. It is made of the citron fruit. Unlike the lemon or orange, the citron fruit is a smaller somewhat longer shaped fruit with little tasty juicy fruit to be eaten. The fruit is thinly sliced and made into a jelly-like preservable substance with the addition of honey or sugar.

In November (yes, this post is getting up a bit late), I received some citron tea from someone at a small company, Dalhae Trading, in exchange for some information and quotable remarks from my post about my love for tea and omijacha. To say the least, I was very excited to receive this package in the mail!  I absolutely love tea and yujacha is great during the winter cold season.

What do I do next? I grab a pot and boil up some water. I dish two spoon fulls of this delightful substance into the mug and I pour in some boiling water. Stir it up and give it a second to flavor up the water. Then, down my throat it goes all in one smooth relaxing move.  You'll notice, if inspecting the citron tea part of the fruit or pulp is used to make the substance. This makes reaching the bottom of the mug fun because now you have a chewy bittersweet treat awaiting you.  You've gotta like the pulpy-ness to enjoy the bottom of the mug and I certainly do!

Why do I drink this? 

1. It tastes good.
2. It's loaded with vitamin C-like healthiness and used as an herbal remedy to fight off winter illnesses.
3. It soothes a sore throat and a cough.
4. Did I say, it tastes good? Yes! You should try some.

Where can I find some of this goodness in a jar? 

You can find this in most Asian markets like the tea aisles of Korean or Japanese stores.
Or you could be adventurous and try to make some yourself.  Many cultures have their own version of the citron tea used to treat the common cold.

Where can fellow San Diegans find this? 
Well, I'm still working on answering this question. However, the Vietnamese and Chinese markets both sell the Korean version of the yujacha even with pretty Korean labels.
Writing on my love for all things Korea, I'm going to be biased and say that the Korean market/store Zion Market is the best place to shop, even for tea. Granted, I've only been there once as I'm still making time to get out and explore, but it was very large and fun to explore.  Look for more on that store later.

What other creative things can you do with your yujacha/citron tea/marmalade mix? 

The sky is the limit on this one folks.  Personally, I've used jelly and or this yujacha in chicken and salmon marinades. I've also used it as a sweetener on my morning toast.
How have others used it? And what ideas have I thought of or am I going to steal and recreate on my own?
One could make rolls, cake, muffins, cheesecake, mixed beverages, and so much more. Let your imagination run wild.  Check back in the next month for some of my crazy ideas.

This tea is simply delicious and may find itself marinading and glazing multiple treats of yours. Enjoy brainstorming the many things you can do with it while sipping on a hot mug of yujacha in order to stay warm and healthy this winter!


HK

WKB (Worldwide Korea blogger) Treats

What's better than getting paid to blog or work? Well, it could be receiving these sweet treats from the Korean Culture and Information Service aka www.korea.net for service as a Worldwide Korea blogger! Living overseas away from Korea we may not reap the same benefits as those able to attend cultural events in Korea. However, this year we will be united by remembering each other and looking at our cool Kpop calendars. They function as calendars, photo books, and a paper weight. Fantastic isn't it? A calendar with multiple uses. This calendar is stuffed with pictures of all the hot kpop groups and even filled with facts about Korean traditional instruments. For the Kpop and Korean tradtional music loving soul this is the perfect gift.  Thank you korea.net for this gift.

I hope that fellow bloggers will enjoy this gift and smile as 2012 kicks off to a great start.

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