Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Kimjang

'Tis the season for kimjang (김 장)! Ask people worldwide what comes to mind when they consider Korea and you're likely to hear "kimchi", the famous side dish of spicy, fermented cabbage with a powerful taste and a distinct smell, especially on your breath a few hours after you've eaten it! Kimjang is the centuries-long practice of making loads of kimchi to last through the winter. The custom has become less commonplace in modern times, as today's career women simply don't have time for the hours upon hours of washing, chopping, stuffing, and storing, and buying imported varieties in supermarkets is cheaper (and easier) than making the real deal. Still, many Korean homes are equipped with a refrigerator designed specifically to hold massive amounts of the accoutrement. Some families continue to store kimchi outside, buried underground. Since the trademark dish is served with nearly every Korean meal, making enough to last a family three or four months is surly a daunting task. My "Worldwide Friendship" co-host, Haewon Yoon, recently toiled with a group of friends for two days, turning 200 cabbages into kimchi. She was nice enough to take my camera along to capture the event.

This is how it all begins. Haewon and friends used about 200 cabbages for this year's kimjang. The entire process takes about one week. Day 1 is spent washing the cabbages, preparing other ingredients, and soaking the cabbages in salt water.

Just a few of the many tubs of ingredients.

Haewon, middle, and friends, preparing cabbages, radishes, and onions for kimjang.

The cabbages are halved and soak in salt water overnight before being stuffed on Day 2. Kimjang can be great exercise; Haewon came into work bemoaning sore limbs after two days of throwing hundreds of cabbages around.

Here, Haewon is mixing up kkakdugi (깍 두 기), another popular side dish, made of cubed daikon radish, red pepper, garlic, onion, and spices.



On Day 2, many gloved hands stuff hundreds of cabbages with red pepper powder, fish sauce, minced ginger, garlic, and green onions to create the delicacy widely regarded as one of the world's healthiest foods. After the stuffing, the kimchi will be packed in plastic containers (or earthenware jars, traditionally) where it will ferment. It's ready to eat in about a week and stays good through the winter. In fact, many people prefer aged kimchi over the freshly-made.

Over 2,000 volunteers came together outside Seoul's City Hall last week to make 58,000 cabbages worth of kimchi to be donated to underprivileged families. (Photo courtesy JoongAng Daily)

Friday, November 14, 2008

The CSAT stresses everyone out!


From The Korea Times. A student is rushed by police escort to a testing site.

This Thursday marked one of the biggest, and most high-stress, annual events in South Korea. About 590,000 high school students across the nation took the college entrance exam (College Scholastic Ability Test), which many believe will seal their fate when it comes to their future career prospects. As the Wall Street Journal notes, the exam is a "national obsession", and its impacts stretch far wider than the students who take it. State employees go to work an hour later to cut down on commuter congestion. Oversleepers are rushed to exam sites by police escort. Parents wring their hands with worry that their kids' performance may reflect poor nurturing. Around the time of last year's exam, I posted the following entry with my thoughts about this South Korean phenomenon:

National University Entrance Exam Day


From The Korea Times. Praying for good results.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

November 11 is Pepero Day!

The already ubiquitous sweet treat is even more visible today, with the gift of chocolately, crunchy cookie sticks being bestowed upon friends, lovers, and co-workers nationwide. Pepero (빼 빼 로) means "skinny like a stick", and while most Pepero varieties fit the bill, on this special day you can find gigantic examples no averge human could possibly consume on his or her own. Some reports suggest Lotte Confectionary, which manufactures Pepero, makes 55 percent of its annual earnings in November, thanks in large part to Pepero Day. Another newsy tidbit: many schools have restricted their students from Pepero Day celebrations, since the commercial holiday falls on the important national observance of Farmers Day. With bounds of Pepero covering my desk by 3:00, I'm wondering . . . is it kosher to re-gift Pepero?

One of our listeners impressed the English section by sending a huge box with various types of Pepero. Thanks, Steve!

When it comes to Pepero, the options are endless. They range from the inexpensive, but most popular varieties you can find in any convenience store, to more expensive varities available at bakeries. KBS World Spanish service chief, Sonia, poses with fancy Pepero.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I Voted!


I was a little disappointed that there was no "I Voted" sticker in my absentee ballot packet. Like many Americans, I have become completely immersed in the excitement of this year's election. On one hand, it's a bummer to be half-way around the world as my fellow Americans head to the polls on Election Day. On the other hand, it's been very interesting to live in a foreign country during a historic campaign that comes at a tumultuous time for the entire world.

I've done some very unscientific polling, and concluded that Koreans' opinions about the U.S. election are just as diverse as the U.S. itself. Many Koreans tell me they like Barack Obama, but believe John McCain will win. Most say conservative U.S. policy better serves Korea. Some have blatantly said, "I like Obama, but . . . he's black," while others have intimated that the Illinois senator's good looks should be reason enough to vote for him. McCain's P.O.W. experience pulls at some heartstrings, but some have said he's just too old. And I've been humbled by a few who have said, "I'm not American. I don't care."

Since the results will pour in during my Wednesday morning, I'm looking forward to observing the atmosphere around KBS. I may be the only one riding an emotional roller coaster tomorrow, alternately shrieking with joy and anxiously wringing my hands, but there's no doubt many are looking forward to seeing how America votes.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Hiking Dobong Mountain (도 봉 산)

Hiking is one of Koreans' favorite pastimes, and autumn is the best time of year to catch breathtaking views and comfortable temperatures. Matt Kelley and I headed north to Dobongsan on Sunday to join the crowds for a fun and beautiful hike. We left Seoul around 6am and took the subway (Line 1) to Dobongsan Station. We marveled at opportunity to access an area so starkly different from Seoul by subway in just an hour.


Matt snags a shot of one of Dobongsan's peaks on our way up.


The top! Check out the guy just casually perched on a rock, with death just a slip away! Somehow, I always forget that I'm terrified of heights until I find myself hundreds of meters above sea level with a line of hikers behind me, waiting as I muster the courage for the next death-defying step. Thankfully, Matt was a calming coach.

View from the top (my demeanor was not quite so casual). That's Mt. Bukhan in the distance.


Hanging on for dear life along the ridge line while begrudgingly cooperating for a photo


Descending is more my style


We found these chilies out to dry near a Buddhist temple



Seoul through the trees

Look close for the truly crazy . . . at least they're attached to a rope!