Jjim Jjil Bang

I'm cold.  I have a chill that I just can't get rid of.  If I was in Korea, I would just go to a jjim jjil bang, or public bathhouse. 

I would have a nice, hot, sit-down shower.  

I would then grab an iced mocha drink, a square pillow, and a towel.  

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I would then crawl into my own little, warm cave and have a good sleep. 

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Mmm..  sleep..

Why was it so good??

Wanna know one of the best and worst parts of travelling to other countries?

Finding something you love.

I was lying here on my couch watching "Outsourced" when I got the munchies.  And the first thing that came to mind was a Korean snack that I ate quite a bit of while I was over there.  I guess you could call them chips.  They were thin, crunchy potato sticks that came in two flavours:  red and green.  I guessed that one was plain and the other a little onion-y.  The onion one was so good that I'd find excuses to eat them.  I think what made me love them so much was not the flavour, but the crunchiness.  They were crunchy enough to be annoying to other people, but not hard enough that they would break your teeth.  MMm.. love.
But guess what?  I have not seen them since leaving.  Nor does my husband remember what they are called.  I have not heard of any currently-in-Korea bloggers talking about them, nor have I seen them on any food websites.  So that's what makes it the worst part of finding something you love.

I also fell in love with this particular scent of Johnson&Johnson's baby powder called "Blossoms".  I have a small bottle that I brought over with me that I only put on on special occasions.  Every time I use it, I get an explosion of memories of my husband's grandmother's house where I was staying.  It is also hard to find online.  BUT, the good news is that my husband's cousin just came here from Korea and he brought me five bottles!  Enough to last for a long time!  I even gave two bottles to my mom and sister.  But now I'm half afraid that if I over-use it, I'll lose the memories associated with it.

aw grandma :)

There was also an excellent restaurant that my roommate and I would frequent late at night.  It's called Country Chicken (촌닭) and it is so good.  Crispy chicken bites and rice cakes in sticky hot sauce.  Served with white rice to take the edge off of the heat.  Delicious!  My husband has made this for me a few times, but there's something about the real deal.  I miss it!

Do you have anything that you would LOVE to have right now but it's unavailable where you are?

Ah, enough reminiscing already.  Time for bed!

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Update:
My amazing Sherlock Holmes husband found that snack.  He has never heard of it nor seen it before.
It's called 눈을 감자 - Let us close our eyes.

Hazzy's Photoshoot

Did you know...?

In Korea, I did a photoshoot of sorts right after I first arrived.  Some guys from the church went out for an evening with myself and a girl we all knew.  We were walking in the fashion/shopping district of Busan and there was a huge bus sitting in front of a clothing store called Hazzy's.  They invited us in for a free photoshoot..  so we said yes :)  Wouldn't you??

It was fun :)  And that's my husband in the middle back..  but I didn't know he'd be my husband at the time.  And I'm 100% positive he didn't either.. haha.

Horseback riding vs. ATV'ing

As a little girl, I had an obsession with horses.  I should rephrase that..  I think I still have that obsession.

I remember begging and begging my parents to be allowed to take riding lessons.  Unfortunately, due to a run-in with cancer as a toddler, my doctors had expressly forbade activities which could lead to major falls or blows.  Horseback riding in particular was on the list. 
I don't recall fully understanding the gravity of the situation.  So I'm sure I must have drove my parents crazy.  I remember many trips to petting zoos, as well as an extensive collection of My Little Ponys.  I'm sure now that they were trying to placate me.

As an adult, I finally understand why I'm to be careful...  but I still don't want to.  I want to take riding lessons!  And I want to learn a martial art!  I do have the sense, however, to realize that this is probably just a feeling of "the grass is greener on the other side" syndrome.

When I was in Korea, I got married.  And for our honeymoon we went to Jeju Island.  Our tour offered stops where we could choose out of a couple activities.  One of these choices was between ATV'ing and Horseback riding.  My husband immediately voted ATV'ing.  Now I love ATV'ing.  Having spent part of my childhood in Newfoundland, I had a bit of experience with that.  And my parents (being protective) rarely allowed me to drive.  So I wanted to vote for ATV'ing.  BUT..  why was it up against horseback riding??  My childhood dream vs. my need for speed.  I bugged my hubby enough that he finally asked the tour guide if we could do both..  and threw in that it was our honeymoon.  After a quick vote on the bus, everyone said we could take the extra time.  (yay!)

We went for the horses first.  It was a little bit of a letdown, to be quite honest.  The mares were saddled up and waiting, and they were as wide as they were long.  Considering they had foals following them around, I'd say they recently had babies, or were again pregnant.  I could barely coax a trot out of mine at first..  it didn't speak English, nor did it seem to care for more than a slow, meandering walk.  I finally got it to go a bit faster, whereas it started bolting in the other direction, leaving Eric to fend for himself. 

That over, we went over to go ATV'ing.  The man said that he'd go slow so we'd have no problems.  I told my husband to tell him that I wanted to go fast.  He was a little flabbergasted, but agreed.  My hubby looked a bit nervous because it was his first time, so I said he could go last out of us three.
The leader took off and I made sure to be right on his heels..  He glanced behind with a shocked expression and gave it the gas.  It was loads of fun!  Lots of hills and hairpin turns..  Apparently my husband almost flipped his over a couple times... till he learned to ease off the gas on the turns :)
We had a nice coating of dirt by the end of it, but it was fun.

Next time I'll vote for ATV'ing unless the horses aren't pregnant :)

Black bean noodles!

MMmm.. these are tasty.

Ja-jang-myeon is Korean Chinese food. They are fat, soft noodles, onions and other veggies, with black bean sauce. And the portions are HUGE. I honestly don't know how ANYONE can finish a full bowl. Sometimes the portions in Korea confuse me because how can so many skinny people be eating such large amounts of food??

But anyway..

On black day, my husband took me out for seafood black bean noodles. And they came with these little biscuits that tasted inbetween a croissant and a fortune cookie. Weird, eh?

Sorry for everything being half-eaten in the photo.. we were starving!

Kimbap

Korean sushi is good. At first taste, I thought it was pretty plain.. but it's actually very filling and good for you.

Regular kimbap is composed of seaweed, rice, and various vegetables: spinach, carrot, cooked egg, and picked radish. You can get other variations of it such as tuna.

It's also very cheap. Most places will sell you a roll for 1000 won. Because of this amazing price, I ended up eating it quite often :)

Yellow Smog

Those are mountains in the background.. yeah, behind the first one :)

A warning to all those who are new to Korea. Every spring brings yellow smog. Smog, you say? I can handle smog. Ah, but no. This is different.

I was getting ready to go to work a couple years ago in the spring when my husband called to warn me that it was a smog day. He told me to wear a good mask and only go outside to get to work.. no shopping, etc.
I had heard about this yellow cloud, but hadn't seen it for myself.

This cloud of smog travels over from China on the wind currents. As it travels, it picks up pollutants from cities and factories, dust from the desert, and grows it's own brand of bacteria along the way. People that carelessly breathe it in can develop respiratory problems. As I'm asthmatic, I thought the mask would be a good idea.

Fortunately, masks are considered a fashion item as well as a necessity in Korea. So if you don't want to look like you just escaped from a hospital, you can find a funny one to wear instead :)

Jejudo - Honeymoon Central

If you have a weekend off and don't want to leave the country, then consider Jeju island as a place to visit.

Jejudo, "do" meaning "island", is a volcanic island located south of the mainland. It has a semi-tropical climate, so it's a lot warmer and more humid than the rest of Korea. At the centre of the island is Halla-san (mountain), a dormant volcano and also the highest peak in the entire country.

The Jeju people lived in relative isolation for many years, resulting in a unique culture and dialect. Even Koreans sometimes have a hard time understanding them! Women have traditionally been the heads of their families, passing on generations worth of knowledge to their daughters. The "sea women" of Jeju went diving in all seasons for the family's food and income, diving for abalone, shellfish, and various other sea life.

One thing you'll notice all over the island is the presence of "stone grandfathers". These carved men are dotted all over the island. Miniature grandfathers carved from volcanic rock can be purchased virtually anywhere for souveniers (I know.. I have several.. hehe) There are several theories as to the purpose of these statues, but no one knows their real origin. ooOOOoo.. I love a good mystery!

Jeju island is also famous for it's oranges. The jeju orange is a type of mandarin orange. They are very pricey, but make a nice gift for someone you wish to impress!

My husband and I went here for our honeymoon and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We took a tour that let us experience many things such as horseback riding, ATV'ing, a submarine ride, visiting orange and ginseng farms, visiting a few Jeju island history museums, a botanical garden, and much more. It was a fairly inexpensive way to see the whole island in a few days.

I highly suggest it!

Green Tea Farms

If you have nothing to do on a beautiful, sunny day.. then I suggest taking a day trip to a green tea farm.
We went to Beoseong and it was absolutely wonderful. The farms are immaculate, with well manicured lawns, and winding tree paths. You can hike to the top of one of the hills to get a glimpse of the view.
Also, I would stock up on the tea, because I don't think I've ever tasted better! It has a really nice nutty flavour and keeps fresh for a long time. They sell both the tea packets and the loose leaves.

Ahh.. wish I was there right now :)

Galbi - Korean BBQ at it's best

I'm absolutely addicted to samgeopsal (pork belly bbq) but that's a story for a different day :)

I love these restaurants with the raised, heated floors. You can eat and chat for hours on end!
And the whole concept of cooking your own food is fun.. which I suppose you could do at home, but it just wouldn't be as fun now, would it?? And you and your friends can take turns cooking. Although, if you're invited out for dinner by a Korean, they will expect to do the cooking for you because you are their guest.

A tip for the kitchen: Having a pair of "kitchen" scissors kicking around is so handy! I use them for meat (as seen in the picture), or cutting up chives/green onions, cutting up gim (dried seaweed), etc! I don't know why we don't routinely use them in Canada!

But anyway! Back to the topic on hand.
Galbi is marinated beef ribs (apparently it can also be pork ribs, but I don't think that's as common). They are marinated in a soy sauce base with garlic and sugar and then grilled to delicious perfection.
One of the best parts is wrapping a piece of meat with rice and ssamjang (a sauce made from fermented bean paste and red pepper paste). Things tend to get very awkward at this point when you try to stuff it all in your mouth at the same time! :)

As you'll notice in the picture above, the people are not wearing shoes. Remember to take your shoes off either in the restaurant entranceway (they usually have cubbyholes for them), or before you step up into the eating area. At this particular restaurant, the shoes are tucked neatly under the doorway where you see my husband in purple standing.
It would be considered very impolite and embarrassing if you were to wear them into the dining area.

If you're out and about and looking for something to do, I highly recommend galbi bbq. Grab some friends and eat until you're stuffed! :)