Ain't No Party Like a Chuseok After Party

Tonight was a blast.  Chun wha and her family are amazing.  They picked us up around three and brought us back to the house.  There we met their kids (both very nice, but a bit awkward and shy) and gorged on amazing homemade Korean food for four hours straight.  I'm not kidding, and I don't mean that we grazed like Americans do when they gather, no we were expected to eat up, and eat up we did.  I didn't take any pictures in their home, simply because I didn't want to risk making anyone uncomfortable.  Though, Chun wha's husband works for Hyundai as an engineer, they live in an apartment about twice the size of ours.  It seems that Koreans prefer to live in smaller spaces, which makes a lot of sense, because it's a pretty small country.  Their apartment was very tidy and their floor was impossibly clean (we sat on it to eat, of course).  There was japchae (sweet potato noodles with veggies), salad, ha-mul pajeon (Korean "pancakes" with vegetables),roasted chestnuts, eggs and sweet potatoes and PLENTY of different kinds of dduk (the generic name for Korean rice cakes and cookies).  There was no meat in sight except for a very small side of beef.  It was very welcoming.

One of my favorites was the yakwa.  They're pretty much honey and flour (rice or wheat) cookies fried in oil.  So, they have the simple sweetness of a sugar cookie, but the same satisfying fatty taste of, say, a cornchip.  Yeah, they can't be good for you.  Image source (sorry, I didn't take it):

http://english.visitseoul.net/visit2007en/lodgingdining/fooddrinks/fooddrinks.jsp?cid=107&sid=1023

Along with the intense amount of food there was also a lot of alcohol.  Ian and I managed pretty well.  Our "anio" (no) abilities and the intense amount of food we were eating helped us stay sober.  Chun wha's husband (whom we've mentally named Hank because we are having a ridiculous amount of trouble with his real name), however got pretty tipsy.  In fact, he not only knocked my wine glass over on me, but he broke it.  It was hilarious.  They are great to be around.  When the food orgy began to wain, dinner was suggested.  Ian and I almost died, but they ordered a veggie pizza and insisted that we each eat two slices.  After four and a half hours of being pumped full of food and liquor (Autralian wine, Korean wine [more like a liquor], mokoli, soju, Korean sake, and Johnnie Walker) it was decided that we should go to the noribang (Karaoke rooms).

At the noribang there was singing, dancing, laughing and beer.  Yes, beer.  On top of all that food and drink there was now beer.  By the way, Koreans are the kings of peer pressure.  So much for that "just always keep some in your glass" rule.  They just tell you to drink it, so they can refill it.  The place didn't smell all that great, but I've decided that in Korea some places just kind of smell.  They don't flush toilet paper, so the bathrooms eminate a funk from the garbage can.  Side note:  that's one thing on which Ian and I won't cave.  The toilet paper goes down the toilet; our apartment is much too small for that business.

We're singing "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."  We also sang "Somebody Told Me" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" (complete with Wayne's World head banging) among others.

They mostly chose slow songs.  Their daughter had me sing "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson with her at one point.

This picture is too dark, but it kind of gives you an idea of what the rooms are like.  You can see the disco light and everything.

We were almost home when I heard a cat meowing (a strange occurrence here).  I stopped to see if I could see anything and a tiny little tabby cat came out from under a truck to greet me.

I'm pretty sure it was a female, but it was dark.  She was very affectionate, but she was rooting around on us a lot, so we decided to get her something to eat.  Ian ran over to the store and bought her a hot dog on a stick.  She gobbled it like there was no tomorrow.  We put what she didn't eat in a safe place on the ground and put her down next to it.  But, when we went to walk away she cried a little and followed us.  We started thinking of our options and decided that since there was no way we could keep a cat (no space and we're never home) that we'd call the animal shelter in Asan and ask for their advice.  Well, when we decided we would pick the cat up and do this, she decided to head somewhere else.  If I see her again and she seems as hungry and cold as she did tonight, we'll get her to the shelter.  I wish we could just take her in, but we live in a box.

So, that was our eventful evening.  Now, I believe we're going to settle in and watch Flash Forward.  Have a good Saturday!

It's a Chuseok Miracle!

Today was the first day since we've been in Korea that we allowed ourselves to wake up naturally without setting an alarm.  It was very nice.  I woke up at about 10:15.

We doddled around the apartment for a bit, washed our sheets (you have to let them dry all day) and ate breakfast.  Then we went out for a run.  We decided to go over to this little park that we can see from our window.  From our window we can see a green patch and a gazebo, so we figured it was a little nature park.  When we got there it turned out that there wasn't much nature to run in, but that there was a little family park with a small track attached to it.  It was so nice to run in a place filled with other active people.  It reminded me of neighborhood parks or even college campuses at home.  I think we have a new running place.  Plus, though the track isn't ideal (it's more like slightly padded cement), it's still better than the asphalt on which we've been running.

When we got back we went to Lotte Mart because we were running low on groceries.  Because Chuseok is tomorrow, there were about twice as many people in the store.

Including this couple who thought to themselves "Gee, we like each other a lot, maybe we should dress like each other, too!"  The girl is pushing the cart and the guy is standing next to it.  They're probably close to Ian and my age.  Only their shoes were different.

Hershey's seems to have exploded in Korea.  I Googled it, but found nothing that made me understand why we couldn't find it two weeks ago and now we can find it all over the place. (from left to right: Hershey's with almonds, Hershey's nuggets of various flavors, and Hershey's Kisses)

As I've mentioned, Chuseok is all about the gift pack.  Pretty much anything that you can buy in a grocery store here is available in gift pack.

Rice cakes are some of the gift packs that make the most sense to me, but you can also buy fresh meat, produce, and canned goods like Spam to give as gifts, too. I couldn't get a picture of the Spam.  Maybe Lotte Mart was sold out, because normally they are everywhere you turn.  Feel free to Google "Korea Spam gift pack" if you're curious.

Now for our Chuseok miracle.

Real cheese!  Ironically, we would reject this terrible excuse for sharpness in the states, much preferring Tillamook or something less mass produced.  But, in Korea we are MORE THAN HAPPY to eat this.  I mean, look how happy he is.

So, naturally, we made nachos and mexi-veggies for dinner.  It was delicious.  Though, the amazing mexi-veggies (made with a jalapeno pepper's Korean cousin) were so good that they over shadowed the cheese a bit.

So, we're going over to Chun wha's tomorrow for the equivalent of a Chuseok after party.  I thought I'd tell you a bit about the holiday.  I'm going to try to do this one without doing anymore internet research.  Let's see how much I've learned from living here.

Chuseok is Korea's harvest festival.  It's also called Hangawi and a few other things as well.  All of it's names refer to "Great Middle," though I'm not sure why, as it's not considered the middle of the year.  It falls on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar.  Expat's often refer to it as Korean Thanksgiving, and that's pretty accurate.  Chuseok is about food, family, and having a good time, just like it's American cousin.  However, Chuseok has a memorial aspect to it, as well.  The eve is traditionally used to visit one's ancestral  tombs and to pay homage.  There is a specific, sorrowful bow used for this.  One gets on their knees before the grave and bows forward until their head is on or near the ground, arms stretched in front of them.  Food offerings are given (sometimes on tables at home, or at the site itself) and incense is burned.

Another main difference between American Thanksgiving and Chuseok is gift giving.  Gift giving is common for Chuseok and the gifts usually reflect the fact that it is a harvest holiday.  People commonly gives packs of apples and other food.  Gift packs are sometimes used to give a group of people a gift to share.

Hanbok's were traditional Chuseok attire for a great while, but they've fallen out of style.  This is probably because they are uncomfortable and difficult to maneuver.  I can't imagine cooking in one.  Chuseok has changed in other ways, too.  Because it often extends a weekend (three days are given for this holiday, though this year, two are on a weekend), more and more Koreans are using this holiday for travel abroad instead of staying home.  Also, there are some people that give offerings to their deceased love ones via internet sites that allow for a person to participate emotionally and symbolically.  It is more common for people to hire companies to care for grave sites and tombs now.  Korean's lives have become more industrial only recently (within the last 20 years or so), so these changes, though inevitable, are pretty new.

Other than that, the holidays are pretty similar.  The women cook and the men and children play games or watch t.v.  They eat all day and enjoy the company of their families.  It's easy for foreigners to feel homesick during this time.

Maybe I'll learn more about the holiday on a personal level tomorrow.  I'll be sure to let you all know.  I'll take as many pictures as possible, but we will be in their home, so I'll have to be careful not to intrude.

Have an excellent Friday.  I know ours was good.

Hey, you there, name this post for me.

Ian and I slept until 10am this morning.  Sounds fun, but we had to do lesson plans.  Which meant no run.  The sleep was good, though.  I haven't been feeling very well.  I haven't really been feeling sick, either.  I feel like I'm in a perpetual state of "coming down with something."

  It was WAY too warm at Ha So today.  The thermostat was set to 27 Celsius.  That's a little over 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  It was not exactly pleasant. 

Today flew by.  Thursdays always do because our material is fresh.  For my last two classes (my two most fluent groups), I decided to ignore the book just talk to them for the most part.  In the first of the two, we discussed the ways in which America is different from Korea and vice versa.  Unfortunately, the students didn't really start to get brave until the end when I was met with "Americans keep guns" and "Korea is one country and America is made of many."  It was so awesome to address culture in such an open way.  I only wish the students were less shy with their English.  I'm sure as they get comfortable with me, they'll have more confidence in their skills and talk more.  My last class today closed with each student asking me a question.  They were pretty predictable, like "Do you have a boyfriend?" and "How did you know to come to Korea?" but it was still fun.  I'm amazed at how the fetishism over being a foreigner is equally flattering and frustrating.

I got an email from Ian today chronicling an mini-adventure he had right before work.

"So I didn't pack myself anything for lunch today, but being the large man that I am I decided that I would need to eat something in order to refrain from devouring my students.  I walked about a block down and found a small restaurant that sold Kimbop and, being that it is one of the only things that I can order, I did so.  It was average, mild in flavor, but filling.  Most importantly it is very very cheap.  One roll is about 95 cents US, I ate two.  But what was really nice was near the end of my meal and small child, perhaps one and a half or two came to my table, crawled onto the chair and sat down.  I offered her some of the sides that inevitably come with any Korean meal.  Her mother swiftly moved her away laughing, but luckily for me the child came back again.  This time gladly accepting my offerings.  It was one of the only things that has happened here that made me feel really normal.  It was quite a pleasant way to start work."

I thought it was a cute story.  It was weird to read it, however, since he didn't preface his story in the email.  It left me thinking "Did he mean to email this to me?"  Anyway, there's a little bit of Ian for you.  This time sans violence against Korean women and children.

Ian tried to make cheese last night.

This is one of the most disgusting pictures I've ever taken.  Milk turns my stomach, so the smell of hot milk was not my favorite.  You're welcome.

We couldn't find real cheese cloth, so Ian tried to make due with a look-a-like.  Unfortunately, it wouldn't drain.

So, Ian created this contraption to allow it to drain slowly overnight in the fridge.  Sadly, it... didn't.  So, we had to throw it out.  All our dreams of nachos and sandwiches were a little premature.

Chun wha gave a fruit today that I had never seen before.

It looked a bit like a wayward tomato, but it tasted delicious.  After classes I asked her if it had an English name.  "Yes," she said.  "Persimmon."  The look on my face was probably priceless.  I felt so dumb. I can't believe I've never eaten or seen one before.  Apparently, that's what I came to Korea for.

So, Ian and I will be going to Chun wha and her husband's house on Saturday afternoon.  There we will be fed Chuseok leftovers and liquor.  It's less like we're participating in Chuseok and more like a Chuseok after party.  I'm happy to be included.  Plus we'll get to meet their son and daughter, who are our age.

No plans for tomorrow.  In an ideal world, we'd travel, but the lack of funds and inconvenience of the holiday makes that impossible.  Tomorrow I'll post about Chuseok, since Mom was the only one who chimed in on what she wanted to know.  :)