Sunday Wind Down

We used today to clean our apartment and do our weekly grocery shopping.  We've learned that when you eat mostly fresh food, you have to grocery shop more frequently.  It took a little adjusting, but we've gotten pretty good at it.

 

Things are looking pretty dead these days at the local farms in our neighborhood.  I wonder when you're supposed to plant peppers.  Some of the plots have been recently tilled.

We got some dried pineapple at EMart.  It's a little pricey, but delicious.

 

We couldn't ice trays, so we bought chocolate molds.

Now our ice cubes will be adorable.

 

Rainbow dduk (rice cake).  One of the many sweet varieties.  This one's alright, but I prefer the yellow kind we bought last week.

This one was on sale and after trying a sample of it, I decided to get it.  It's a little strange.  The powder coating is peanuty with the slightest (I mean really slight) hint of spice.

 

We met Ben and Amy later for frozen yogurt downtown.  The yogurt itself is good, but the topping choices are disappointing and they give you very little.  We got cereal, kiwi and banana this time.  I really like the kiwi with the yogurt.  The four of us stayed at the yogurt shop for over three hours eating our treats and chatting.  Ben and Amy spent the beginning of the day hiking in Danyang.  I'd like to get out there, but maybe we'll wait until it's not so icy.  I guess Ben hit the ground pretty hard.  That can really take the fun out of the trek.

Here's hoping for a continuation of the slightly warmer, sunny days we've been having.  Good night!

More Thoughts on Healthy Living

I know I'm a little behind on American news and its major corporation's current PR, so you'll have to forgive me.

When we first got to Korea, I was a little concerned with what we were buying at the grocery store.  What were we buying?  Where is it from?  How much of it is GMO?  Just, how exactly does the Korean food industry work?

Five months later, I still can't thoroughly answer those questions.  I have only a vague idea of how Korean agribusinesses work.  One thing I have learned, though, is that Korean legislation requires all GM food to be labeled.  I suppose it is my own country I should have worried about, as the US hasn't yet managed to pass that law.  Click here if you're interested in signing a petition.

I've recently been reading up on the American agricultural biotechnology MNC Monsanto.  Mansanto produces 90% of the world's GE seeds (think corn, soy, cotton and wheat).  And if you eat anywhere like the average American (since most GM foods remain unlabeled), you consume food products from Monsanto with every meal.  The company has recently recieved some negative PR because new studies have shown organ damage in animals (rats) that were fed three common types of GM corn consumed by people all over the world for 90 days.  The rats showed signs of toxicity in their kidneys, livers, hearts, adrenal glands and spleens (original article here).  Monsanto is simply denying the validity of the research.  The company is also facing negative press regarding the level of herbicides they use.  The GM crops the company has created are designed to be resistant to RoundUp (the brand of pesticide created and sold by Monsanto).  Because the crops are resistant, the use of herbicides as gone up dramatically.  Not only is this practice questionable for immediate health concerns, but new and more resistant weeds are popping up, creating a cycle of pollution (original article here).  Lastly, the company is facing investigation regarding its business practices and possible monopolization of the industry (read about that here).  Unfortunately, several former Monsanto employees are currently employed by US government agencies like the EPA and FDA.

I know that I am guilty of consuming food without thinking of its origin or safety.  Actually, I consume Diet Coke while perfectly aware that Aspartame is a GMO and that Saccharin is a possible animal carcinogen.  Ironically, I began drinking diet soda a few years ago when I began to get away from High Fructose Corn Syrup (which I still consume, though I try to moderate it).  It's damn near impossible to be perfect with agribusiness reducing our choices and, in some cases, completely mismarketing their goods to us.  I haven't seen Food, Inc. yet, but I think we'll watch it soon.  Here's a short interview (via Amazon) with the director, Robert Kenner.

We did, however, recently watch the movie The Informant! about the Archer Daniels Midland Company's price fixing scandal of 1993.  I was unaware that companies had that kind of control and that enlightenment inspired all this research.

I'm hoping that, in the future, consumers will figure out that what they choose to buy affects the market, and therefore gives them control.  Maybe then we'll see labeling on products.  I'm hoping for real choice, not just the illusion.

What foods or food products do you stay away from?  What do you indulge in regardless?  Or do you prefer not to know?

Good night!

Getting and Staying Healthy

One of the most positive changes that Ian and I have made since moving here is what we eat.  We're vegetarians, and we didn't eat too poorly at home; but, we definitely padded our diets (and our stomachs, butts and thighs) with processed food.  Most of the processed foods we ate were soy meat replacers.  We don't have any of that here, so we've been more creative in the kitchen.  We've definitely missed the easy meals that those make, but I'm guessing we'll eat a lot less of it when we get home.  Also, we eat out a lot less here.  That's another habit I hope we stick with.  We don't have many choices for going out here, but at home it's another story.

I'm actively trying to lose a pound a week, so I've reduced my calorie intake.  But, I still get to mostly what I want and reasonable portions of it.  I'm learning to stay away from flavored coffee (difficult, since the quality of the coffee is so questionable) and sweet breads (not as difficult, since they're moslty terrible).  Ian and I both have goal weights to reach by the Monday before we return home.  We know that slow and steady is the way to keep it off.

Our normal routine (Tuesday-Saturday) is pretty centered around our goals.  We get up around 8, eat a small breakfast (I eat a half cup of Cheerios and a smidgen of milk).  Then we walk to the gym, run 2 miles on the treadmill and finish with abs and stretching.  We do upper body strength training on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  Then we walk home, shower and clean up the apartment.  We eat a hearty lunch (today we had homemade stovetop mac and cheese and steamed veggies) and head to work.  I pack a small snack (around 100 calories, give or take) to eat in the middle of the day.  Usually it's something like fruit or a Cheerio, rasin and almond mix.  We don't get home until nearly 9pm, so dinner is always a late affair.  Tonight we are having tofu steaks, steamed broccoli and pan fried green pumpkin (Asian squash).  I usually leave room for a movie/t.v. treat like popcorn or chocolate, but Gene (who, by the way, is now acting as a temporary principal for Sinback while the shifting and changing takes place; more on that tomorrow) brought me hot chocolate and a bread snack today, so I will likely skip the indulgence tonight.

 

My snack today.

Korean green pumkin.  We love it. 

 

Our fridge is 90% fruit and veggie.

I don't think we eat enough fruit, but Ian prefers veggies.

 

Dairy, condiments and Diet Coke.

Diet Coke is by far our biggest vice.  We go through a ton of it.  Yes, we no how terrible it is for you and that Aspartame is genetically modified.  I'm trying to balance my horror at that and my love of the stuff.

 

Indulgences.  We split the other chocolate orange on the plane over to Japan.

Dinner tonight.

Tomorrow we'll be attmepting 5k runs on the treadmill.  Wish us luck!

Good night!

Domestic Life

Ian was talking to to his Fluent 3 class about chores today.  None of them do any chores except occasionally taking out the garbage.  And, in Korea, that usually just means setting it outside your door until someone is heading out and can take it down with them.  Ian's class also believes that women are naturally better at household chores than men are.  The young women share this opinion.  Ian asked them why they believe that and they linked the historical role of women to their now natural ability.  Strangely, that's partly true because any group of people who is consistently told they have a particular skill set and are pointed in that direction (as far as life skills go) will be better suited to it than someone who isn't.  More often than not, Korea reminds Ian and me of 1950s America. 

Domestic (gender) roles are very important in this society.  Terry, Julia's son who occasionally helps out at Yoon's, is obsessed with gender roles.  In fact, I've never had a conversation with him that didn't somehow lead to gendering.  He's lived in Australia for many years, but his concept of self is as Westernized as kimchi.  Sometimes his need to gender something is very obvious, like when he expressed amazement and disbelief at Ian doing most (read: all) of the cooking for us.  For us, it's a little strange, or at least different than how we expected things to go, but it started out that way when we got here and the kitchen is so small; it's impossible for two people to collaborate.  But, Terry acted as though Ian was lying or somehow surely mistaken.  Another interesting assertion came from Terry on the night of Yoon's banquet.  I decided to wait for Ian to get food because he was running late and I didn't want him to be put in an awkward situation and to have to eat alone.  Terry told me that I was "cool" and a "good wife" for waiting for my husband.  I still don't know how to process the intended compliment.  Sometimes his gendering is more subtle, like when he and I were discussing whether or not it's common for Americans to say, "Bless you," when someone sneezes.  I asked about Australians and he initially said yes, but then modified his answer by asserting that women do, but men don't as often.

Terry is the only person of our generation that speaks enough English for us to know anything about, so I can't say he is the norm here.  Gene certainly doesn't seem to think this way.  He always talks to me exactly the same way he talks to Ian; and his expectations of us are the same.  We met his wife once in E-Mart, and she was mousey, but very friendly.  It's likely that she was so quiet because she is insecure about her English.  I hope to meet her again and I wonder if she shares Gene's feelings about Korea and wanting to live abroad.

Yoon's is an expensive academy, so many of our students come from very affluent backgrounds.  Obviously, Terry has had a privileged life.  Usually, society's upper socio-economic tier hold on to the traditions of the past for longer than their more blue collar bretheren.  This could be one of the reasons our students' ideas on familial and societal roles seem so antiquated.  Ian's class also told him that it's not uncommon for the grandmother in a family to come over and cook and clean for a wage.  I wish there was a class I could take on Korean sociology, but I think we'll just have to keep learning through emersion; which is nearly impossible with our lack of a cultural link.

Misappropriately gendered Ian.

Good night!

Nothing to See Here

Well, I've been trying to use Wednesdays to report an interesting news story, but I came up short today.  And, I've got the Season 6 Premiere of Lost to watch, so you can't expect much focus from me.

Last week, my Essential 2 students had to write a letter home from an imagined foreign vacation for homework.  One motif that stuck out in almost all the finished letters was loneliness.  Most students reported being lonely on their pretend vacation and one even wrote that he wanted to return home.  None of them imagined that they'd travel with family or even a partner.  Very strange.

I see that no one tried out the MadLib, so if you're bored and underwhelmed by this post, feel free to give it a whirl.

Good night! 

MadLibs

My last class on Tuesdays is Essential 2, so we did some Madlibs.  The kids in this class are at pretty different levels, so it was a little tougher for them.  At the end of class, the oldest girl, Cailyn, was asking me for something and it took me a minute to figure out what she wanted.  She wanted extra MadLib sheets to take home with her.  Totally rad.  I know who's getting extra points on their next report card.

It's pretty quiet around here, so I figured I'd just post the MadLib sheet and let you guys do it.  If you want, you can post your results in the comments.  Or, you can make your own, since this one is really simple.  They'll get harder every few weeks, so I can keep posting them if you like.  Note:  all the verbs need to be in the past tense.  Have fun!

Good night!

A Movie Before Bed

Ian and I end our days by watching a couple episode of a television show or movie together on his laptop.  I'm really excited for LOST to start, but we probably won't be able to watch it on ABC's website.  They don't allow streaming video and when we use our IP Blocker our connection is just slow enough to lag the video.  So, we'll be downloading it episode by episode and we won't get to watch it until Wednesday nights or, more likely, Thursday.

Last night we watched Paranormal Activity before we went to sleep.  Not the best idea.  Ian and I are really resillient when it comes to horror and this movie is not even very good.  But, watching a movie that revolves around unexplainable bad things happening to a couple while they sleep and then exactly mimicking the characters' vulnerability is a sure method to stir up unnecessary anxiety.  Neither Ian nor I slept very well.  Our apartment was too hot, even with the window open and we were both awakened by our own nervous energy several times over.  So, we weren't exactly thrilled when Gene called at 9am to say our meeting was moved from 12:20 to 11.  But, better an earlier meeting with Gene than any meeting with Julia.

My classes went very well today.  We started using MadLibs (well, one that I made) in our Essential 1 and 2 classes today.  My Essential 1 kids got it and had a lot of fun with it, but, strangely, my Essential 2 struggled with it.  Hopefully, with more practice, they'll really get into it and better understand the ridiculousness of it.

Our three day weekend for Seolnal (Korean New Year) is coming up; it's the 13th, 14th, and 15th.  So, we'll be going to Busan for Ian's birthday.  We haven't done any research yet, but Gene did say that he would help us find a place to stay.  He used to live in Busan.  Later, he mentioned that he might come with us.  And, as nice as it is to have a guide, I'd rather Ian and I spend it just us.  It is also Valentine's Day, after all.  I always prefer going to a new place by ourselves the first time, anyway.  When you involve other people, you usually have to compromise a lot of what you want, or you are rushed through the experience.  Granted, our trip to Seoul with Ben and Amy wasn't like that at all.  But, the few times we've traveled with Koreans they've damn near literally drug us around by the elbow.

As of today, Ian and I have been married for six months.  It doesn't seem like it's been that long at all, for the most part.  It's amazing how much has happened since then.

Good night!