Jangdari Sikdang

We sit down, starved after a day of sightseeing and ready to taste something new. We get the menu, pricey, hmmm. The hunger growls in my belly and I realise I don't care about the price, I just want food and I want it to be something I have never tried before.

Outside the restaurant

Turns out where were at the right place. Danyang is famous for garlic and this restaurant (Jangdari Sikdang) specialises in Garlic rice. Yum. 20,000Won for Garlic Rice. What? Oh well, we are here now and the waitress assures us it is amazing. We nod.

Quintessentially Korean

This is a blog post that should actually have happened months ago. This is a post we should have done the day we came here, or at the latest, the day after our first restaurant visit. This is a post about a food item so Korean, so engrained in the culture and society, it makes K-Pop and Soju look like distant relatives. There can of course only be one thing I'm talking about. It is the spicy, the delicious, the fermented, the one and only...Kimchi (김치 in Korean).

Wait...what did I say in that last sentence? Delicious? Yes. Spicy? Yes. Fermented? A fermented food item. Sounds strange, doesn't it. And it is indeed strange. But it is incredibly delicious, apparently really healthy for you, and it is eaten at every meal in Korea.

So what is this phenomal food called Kimchi? Let me break it down.

Kimchi can be made from a variety of different vegetables, but for the sake of simplicity and understanding, I will talk about the biggest and most widely eaten type of Kimchi, the variety made from nappa cabbage (배추 Baechu).

Let me point out at this point in time that this time of year in Korea is the season for Kimjang (김장),which is the event or process of making Kimchi for the coming year. Due to a considerable amount of Kimchi being made (enough for a year), it is a pretty big event, that is often spread out over the course of several days or a weekend.

I am not Korean, and don't have first hand knowledge on the Kimchi making process but I have spoken to many Koreans about it, and this is what they've told me.

The amount of cabbage used varies from family to family depending on all sorts of things, from how much Kimchi they plan on eating to how big the family is, but to give you a rough idea, one of my co-teachers made Kimchi with her mother in law, and the made 50 heads of cabbage worth. Yes.50.

So the cabbage is rubbed down with a very course pickling salt, and left to sit for a while, so as to draw out some of the moisture. Once it has sat long enough, the cabbage is then rinsed under fresh water, to get rid of all the excess salt. After that (it might even be before that) the cabbage is then smeared full of a tasty, spicy, salty red pepper paste that has been specially made for the Kimchi.

The paste is made of several ingredients, the main ones being garlic, fish paste or fish sauce, sticky rice paste and Gochugaru (고추가루), which is a powder made from ground up red peppers (chillies).

The layers of cabbage with the tasty red paste

After the cabbage has been smothered inside and out with this spicy paste, it is then put into jars or tupperwares and put away for storage. The modern method of storing is not half as exciting as the old method, because nowadays, it is simply stored in a Kimchi fridge. Most families that have the space will have one of these, a fridge made especially to store Kimchi for the coming months. Whoohoo...excitement.

The old method is a little more involved and makes for a much greater story.

Back in the day (how far back I cannot tell you) after this whole process was done and dusted, Koreans needed a place to store their Kimchi. Outside was too cold, and the Kimchi would freeze, and inside might have been just that little bit too warm. What would happen is that the finished product would be placed in a kimchi pot and then buried to protect it from the harsh cold experienced during the Korean winter. If any was needed, it could be dug up. The pots are generally quite large, so burying one of these would have been no mean feat. There are of course still some families that try and stick to the traditional way of doing things, and they still use the pot method.

This is what the Kimchi pots look like

Whether it's being stored in pots or in a fridge, the months of storage after making allow the Kimchi to ferment and only increase in flavour and awesomeness!

This is known as a 'kimjang' bag. It is a very large (100x70cm) bag, into which the Kimchi is placed before being put into the pots for storage

Kimchi dates back pretty far; as early as about 3000 years ago, but I'm not going to go into the whole history of this Korean speciality. It is incredibly delicious, served everywhere and is also really good for your health.

As mentioned, Kimchi is eaten at almost every single meal, and I'd almost be willing to put money on (almost) that in all of our 'table covered in food' photos, there is Kimchi to be seen. It is a side dish that accompanies almost all food items. It is also often used to make its own dishes like stews or rice dishes.

All in all it is an incredible delicious food item that has an interesting and tedious making process, is eaten all over the country and is as ingrained in the culture and lifestyle here as bagpipes are to the Scots or cheese to the Swiss.

I for one know that I will most definitely miss this tasty morsel once my stint in Korea is over.

Post by Oliver

Six months in

Can you believe it! It has been six months since we first arrived in Korea and were greeted by the stark realisation that we couldn't read anything, couldn't talk to anyone and couldn't find any decent sized towels to dry our cold behinds, that all seems like so long ago. OK, finding a decent sized towel is still a bit of an issue but we can read relatively well and we are starting to have really broken-awkward conversations that we can semi understand, YAY!

we can read it! Can you?

In six months we have done a substantial amount. We have gone to festivals that blow your mind with their awesomeness, like the Lotus Lantern Festival and the Andong Mask Festival, we have had a chance to be little children and run around one of the world's best amusement parks, Everland and we have stuffed our faces with delicacies that we are already sad we will have to say goodbye to.

I could list all the cool places we have been to or tell you about the amazing festivals we have attended or brag about the greatness of the food we have tasted but I simply wouldn't be able to sum up all the awesomeness. So here are some of mine and Oliver's typical photos in some of our favourite spots.

At the Gimje Horizon Festival

At Everland

In Gyeongju 

At the Lotus Lantern Festival

On Gwangalli Beach in Busan

We went out on a limb and decided to take on and experience a new culture and we have never been happier. We are experiencing life from a different point of view and I think we are both growing from the experience. No, no, I am not going to get all soppy on you and start playing drama music while I tell you our life's lessons, I just think Korea has changed us in subtle but good ways.

Living the life of an expat is interesting. We have met people from all walks of life...young, old, Irish, American, and even fellow South Africans. Many of the other expats are truly intelligent, thought provoking people that are not afraid to get hammered, be opinionated, and have a good time. It really has been fantastic to meet so many interesting people.

Brock and Lauren

Daniel and Lisi

Caoimhin

Rob and Chrissie

The one downside is when people leave, you find yourself just getting to know someone, or already semi-attached to them and POOF their contract is up and they're leaving on a jet plane. In my opinion, this is one of the hardest things about expat life.

Another hard aspect is missing things from home. Being in Korea while our country hosted the greatest world cup in history was a difficult time for us as we had both witnessed how much blood and sweat South Africa had put into the event yet we weren't there for their shining moment. We have missed friends and families and we have realised that no matter where we are in the world we will always have this uncanny longing for Africa.

On a side note, I have also found myself missing South Africa's juicy, succulent steaks.....Mmmmmm. (Pause a moment and salivate a little bit).

Ok, it feels like I am just blabbing now but I think you get the point...we have loved being in Korea and our blog is a testament to the amazing travels and experiences we have had and continue to have.

So, what's next? Well....our main highlight in November (other than the fact that it is Oliver's birthday) is that we will be visiting the DMZ, I can't wait. Our highlight in December is that we are heading back to South Africa for 4 days to celebrate an beautiful couple's wedding....January, well in January I plan to try my hand at ice-fishing and we will be going on a temple stay! February....hmmmm, probably more fun in the snow (Oliver can't wait to get his hands on a snowboard). In March we will start getting our stuff together for our end-of-contract trip. April, Oliver's mom is coming over for a visit and we start to pack up our little abode (sniff sniff) and then on May 3rd our contract is up! Phew...it doesn't seem that far away at all.

Then it's another stopover in South Africa for my big sister's wedding (This was only finalised a day ago so shhhhhh, it's our secret). Then it is back to Korea to show Oliver's dad around Korea and then...wait for it...and then we will be doing a two month backpacking trip around Asia which should be absolutely epic!

I hope you have enjoyed the stories, photographs and information that we have given you over the last six months. This blog started out as a way for friends to be kept up to date but it has turned into our baby and we hope that for the next six months of our Korean Adventure you will continue to enjoy our perspectives on life and everything else from a small peninsula in Asia.

Post by Claudia

Ke Ri Se Pi Ke Ri Me...

...also known as Kripsy Kreme doughnuts to someone who can't speak Korean. The heading is written the way it is, to give people reading this some sort of idea of what 'Romanised' Korean sounds (or reads) like. I'm not sure how recent this phenomenon is, but once one learns to read Hangul (the Korean alphabet), one starts to see how many things are actually written in English, in Korean. Another great example of this is 'Starbucks' coffee, which when written in Korean reads as follows: Se Tar Buck Se. What does the reading of Korean have to do with Krispy Kreme and Starbucks? Well, as of recently it has a lot to do with it.

Claudia and myself have found ourselves lucky enough to have a genuine Korean (not one of the fake kind) teach us the Korean language. One of my co-teachers (Sunny) has been gracious enough to offer us her services as a Korean to teach us. In return, we teach her, or rather help her improve her English. Any closer to why I started out with Krispy Kreme? No? Well here goes.

We meet Sunny twice a week, once to teach her English, and once for her to teach us Korean. And guess where we meet? Yup, Krispy Kreme it is! Now I don't want to bore you with pictures of our textbooks, so I will instead irrigate the inside of your mouth with images of some of the products they have on offer at KK!

Krispy Kreme claims on their website that they indulge all 5 senses. I can tell you one thing. They most definitely stimulate the nasal passages. You will struggle to walk into too many restaurants with a greater smell the Krispy Kreme. It truly does smell amazing.

Thus far, Claudia and myself have been strong enough to restrain ourselves from eating these amazing looking creations, but we are not sure how much longer we can hold back. As the months go on, and we find ourselves getting better at speaking Korean, we might trot on over to the counter and order ourselves half a dozen of Krispy Kreme's finest Dou Nut Se. Who knows!

We're moving ahead full steam with our Korean lessons, and are starting to show some very definite improvements, slowly starting to make out things that people are saying to us, and actually being able to build some of our own, very basic, sentences! Another friend of our, Rob, is pretty much fluent in Korean, and he is now also giving us Korean lessons. With this two sided bombardment were bound to make some headway, or so we hope!

Hopefully in a couple of months time, we'll be able to do a full post in Korean. As for now, we will keep on meeting up at the heavenly smelling Krispy Kreme doughnut store for a good dose of Korean, and an even greater dose of nasal stimulation!

Post by Oliver

추석

For those not 'in the know', the title of this post is 'Chuseok'. Chuseok is one of Korea's biggest holidays. This along with 설날 (Seollal) are the two biggest holidays in Korea, and apparently they are bigger than Christmas!! We'll see.

Chuseok is a holiday that is celebrated for the most part within each family. It is a traditional holiday that runs along similar veins to the American Thanksgiving Day holiday. It is in essence a harvest festival in which thanks is given to the ancestors for a good harvest. During the 3 day celebration, the ancestor's gravesites (or tombs) are cleaned and tidied up, and offerings are made to the ancestors to show respect and to show gratitude for the good harvest.

It comes as a bit of surprise then that this years harvest was apparently among the worst in many years (decades even), this is obvious when one realises that current fruit and vegetable prices sitting at between 3-5 times the price of previous years. Nevertheless this didn't spoil the event in the least!

Chuseok is a relatively private holiday, celebrated with family and many foreigners are left to their own accord to do something over these 3 days. This year the 3 days of Chuseok fell on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Many foreigners took off  Monday or Friday (or both) and made themselves a cosy mid-term holiday. Claudia and myself didn't get these extra days off but we were lucky enough to be invited to by one of my co-teachers, Sunny, grandmother's home for the entire 3 day period.

So off it was, to a ridiculously busy bus terminal on the Tuesday morning, to head off to Jin Bu, which is where Sunny's grandmother lives. This having been Chuseok, the buses were packed to bursting point, which resulted in us having a not-so-comfy 1 1/2 hour standing bus ride! Not recommended!

Climbing off the bus, we were both pretty keen on some seat time, although this was all going to change over the next 3 days!

Sunny's parents came to pick us up from the bus terminal, and after packing our luggage in the boot of the car, Sunny made us recite to her parents the Korean phrases she had taught us ('Nice to meet you' and 'Thank you for inviting us' were among the more popular ones).

After a brief 5 minute stint in the car, we took our luggage out of the boot and headed into the house, to be greeted by about a dozen strange Korean faces. We didn't know these people from a bar of soap, but again, out of courtesy, Sunny made us recite our lines (this time we threw in a 'My name is...' and 'I'm from South Africa). We were immediately well received by the whole family which made us feel a lot more at ease with this overwhelming situation. After throwing our bags down in the sleeping room, which thanks to the amazing Korean hospitality, was given to us, we immediately took part in one of the traditional activities...making Seongpyeon.

Seongpyeon is one the Korean foods traditionally made around Chuseok. A thick dough is made from glutinous rice powder and various other ingredients. This dough is then coloured using some other additives (we had purple, made with grapes, yellow, made with pumpkin, and green, made with various herbs). The idea is to take pieces of this dough, fill it with one of several ingredients, among them chestnut and some or other bean, and then the roll up this piece of dough and make it look somewhat pretty. There is a saying in Korea that if you can make pretty Seongpyeon, you will have beautiful children. Let's just say neither Claudia nor myself will have anything resembling human babies if that's anything to go by...and God forbid we should have kids together...oh the horror!

These were the Seongpyeon done by the professionals who I am sure will have amazingly beautiful children!

The finished pieces of Seongpyeon are then thrown into a large steamer and steamed until perfect. Traditionally they are steamed on a bed of pine needles, although we did not do this with ours. Nevertheless, Seongpyeon is a scrumptious, traditional Korean food!

After a few hours of sitting on the floor doing this, and observing the other ladies cooking like madmen in the kitchen, it was time to eat. A mealtime during Chuseok is really something to behold. The amount and variety of food that is available is just staggering. It was a meal of ambrosial proportions! After the eating is done, the women are back in the kitchen cleaning up and washing pots and pans and dishes and chopsticks and spoons and all sorts of other odds n ends! The kitchen was nothing but a non stop hustle! And before we get angry emails from girls out there saying "you're being sexist...,etc.", this is the reality of things. There are still very real gender roles in Korean society, and they definitely come to the fore during holidays like Chuseok, when it is the women's job to make food and clean dishes, while the men relax and watch TV or chat about whatever tickles their fancy.

With full bellies and smiles on our faces we thanked all the cooks and moved on to our next activity...playing games with the kids. 2 of Sunny's cousins were at this family gathering, Joshua who is 13 and David who is 11, and they took it upon themselves to introduce us to a traditional Korean board game called Yut. It's a game played with wooden sticks on a board game, which involves a lot more strategy than it makes one think. I am not going to go into the finer details of the game right here, but rather will direct those interested to this very detailed Wikipedia entry.

As the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun, and so before we knew it, the games were over and packed away and we found ourselves around the dinner table once again feasting on a magnificent array of delectable foods!

"Maagie vol, oogies toe", is the best way for me to describe what transpired next. It is an Afrikaans saying that literally means: "Stomach full, eyes close". And that is what we did, we had a great nights sleep.

The next morning we woke to the sound of many people talking, and of course the, by now standard, sound of clinking pots and pans and frying delicacies. Mmmmm. What a great way to wake up! After a quick shower it was time for breakfast, which needless to say was once again amazing. I must point out to fellow westerners that breakfast in Korea is not what we are used to. There is no cereal, yogurt and boiled eggs. No, breakfast here consists of the same soups, broths, fried noodles, rice and other food items that are eaten for dinner or lunch, a little strange but delicious either way.

Sunny decided it would be a good idea to take us to the near by Oh De San mountain park, and I tell you, it was not a good idea, it was a spectacular idea! What an amazing place. Korea as a whole is a achingly beautiful country, and this area is definitely one of the highlights. We walked around for a couple of hours, also visiting the nearby temple. Visiting a Buddhist temple planted smack-bang in the middle of a beautiful mountain range on a crispy Korean morning is something that everyone should aspire to doing at least once in their lives! Amazing!

Head back home...time for lunch. At this point I shouldn't have to tell you what an amazing feats this was! Simply awesome, much like all the other meals.

We spent the last couple of hours milling about town, with 2 of Sunny's high school friends, and enjoying an amazing cup of coffee at one of the local coffee shops (the best cup of Coffee so far in Korea!!). After enjoying a great dinner and playing some more games, it was off to bed, only to wake up again to the hustle and bustle of a busy Korean house at Chuseok!

The morning was spent saying goodbyes to the various branches of the family, and wishing them all goodbye and a safe journey back home. Claudia and myself also said goodbye in our own freshly learnt, broken Korean phrases. With all the goodbyes done, it was our turn to head off to the bus terminal, which we did in a huge hurry, realising that our bus was about to leave. We got there as the bus was leaving! All's well that ends well they say, and I can speak for myself and for Claudia here, Chuseok was an amazing experience, and we are most grateful to Sunny and her awesome family for letting us experience it with them!

To add one more thing, Chuseok is a time of giving...many gifts are given, and children are more often than not given money by their relatives...big smiles all round. There is nothing new about gifts being given, but one thing that is different is the types of gifts that are given. Walk into any store before Chuseok, and you will see shelf after shelf covered in gift packs. These gift packs range from tea assortments to packs of canned food.

 This is the tea pack that Claudia received from her school.

There is nothing strange about receiving tea as a gift, but SPAM! Wow, that's weird. No, apparently it isn't. Spam(or canned meat) is a very highly regarded gift in Korea. No joke! It seems that the origin of Spam runs back a few decades to the post war years in Korea, when fresh meat was almost impossible to come by and refrigeration was also basically non-existent. Spam was then considered a huge luxury item, and this seems to still hold true today.

There are large varieties of gift packs that can be given, some containing an assortment of toothbrushes and toothpastes, other with Soaps and bath items (I'm not talking bath salts and body scrub, I'm talking straight forward, old school bar soap!). The variety is endless, and people buy these items left right and centre as gifts for family and relatives.

This was is the gift given to me by my director, and as you can see it contains bottles of cooking oil, cans of tuna, and yes, the great canned meat, Spam!

Chuseok was a fantastic experience, and I am glad that I am currently living in the 'Land Of The Morning Calm', and that I was able to be part of these fantastic celebrations!

Post by Oliver



Marathon eating: Shabu Shabu

Hmmmmmmm!

As you all know we LOVE food and we write about Korean food often always claiming our next entry to be the best food yet. And today is no different; there is another dish that deserves to be added to the best list.

Not only is this food incredible delicious but it also healthy and inexpensive! Yip,  you heard me! People are constantly weighing their options...do we go here? No it's expensive. Do we go here? No, it's not healthy. Do we go here? No thanks, I'm not a big fan. Most Korean food is healthy, delicious and inexpensive, but I will explain to you why Shabu Shabu is even more worth your while.

There are many different types of Shabu Shabu, including seafood, ribs and beef. Beef is our favourite; it is not everyday in Korea that you get an inexpensive meal with beef in it. We are used to beef being very cheap back home so we would eat it quite regularly. For 300g of mincemeat in South Africa you would pay approximately R30 (just over 3USD) but for the same thing in Korea you will pay roughly 40,000Won (34USD). It is crazy! So the moral of the story is, we don't get to eat a lot of beef which is another reason why Shaby Shabu rocks.

I am getting ahead of myself, I will get back to the beef a little later. Like any good Shabu Shabu, it starts with the vegetables! Yummy!

The burner, the broth comes on

You get a big broth to boil on you table and you slowly add a cocktail of different vegetables to the broth, which include: cabbage, other green leaves, mushrooms, and some fish cakes (not a vegetable I know but it goes in the same time as the veggies). Then you start to eat away at the vegetables dipping them into some or other scrumptious sauce on your table. You have a couple of spoons of the broth, with is absolutely yummy and then you start adding the meat.

Shabu Shabu has very thin slices of meat because it cooks in a matter of seconds once added to the broth. So you add the meat and what you have left of the vegetable, turn down the heat so that you have a low simmer going, and continue to stuff your face full of wholesome goodness!

Once the meat is gone, which with our carnivorous appetites is quite quickly, the broth has thickened somewhat and is ready for you to add the noodles. So now the broth has added flavour from all of the meat and vegetables that it makes these noodles amazing! Turn up the heat, and soon it will be time to eat again!

Throw some of the noodles into your bowl! Add some of the yummy sauce (Oliver is a big fan of doing this) and chow down!

Now in some Shabu Shabu places this might mark the end of your culinary experience (like the one we are showing photos of) but in others (like our favourite spot introduced to us by a good friend but where we did not have a camera handy) the meal continues. By now, your stomach is reaching proximity but you just can't help but push on!

The next stage requires you to add some rice and egg to the now boiled down broth. You give it a couple of minutes to figure itself out and by then you would have given your tummy some time to breathe! It ends up being a delicious rice porridge...my favourite part of the meal (even more so than the meat). If you are really lucky you will also be served a delicious cinnamon drink to finish off the meal.

So Shabu Shabu is no ordinary meal, it is a marathon of eating which is also healthy and cheap.....how cheap? On average you can eat Shabu Shabu for about 8000Won (Just under 7USD).

A damn good deal if you ask me!

Ppost by Claudia

Scrambled eggs and bacon!

Tomorrow a friend of ours (Mason) is organising a brunch and he has promised that there will be scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes! Hmmmm, it is at times like these, when you get all giddy and child-like about breakfast, that you realise you miss the joys of a western breakfast!

You see, in Korea, breakfast is very much like lunch and supper. The breakfast will be hot, Kimchi will be involved, rice is likely to be there and I am pretty sure there will be a soup of sorts as well. And while I love all of these foods (I really do) they just don't appeal to me for breakfast, except if I am hung over like a crazy person, because let me tell you something, a good Budae Jjigae (a spicy soup with everything in it) will fix you up one time.

Other than that though, I like an ordinary breakfast. You know, cereal and milk, that sort of thing. And although there is cereal available in South Korea it is often of an incredibly sugary descent (not good for your health eating that every morning) and it's expensive (not good for your wallet either). On top of that, sometimes you just want a change!!!

Yes, there are bakeries that sell pastries that make you want to cry because you don't know which one too choose, but still, there is something missing...maybe it's the greasiness and awesomeness that is bacon! Or maybe the sweetness just gets too much and you need something a little savoury in the mix. Does that sound contradictory?

Well, you see, breakfast in Korea is either totally savoury or totally sweet, no taste-bud balance I tell you! However, this is where western breakfasts have got it down!

Just last weekend, when Oli and I were rocking at the Seoul Fringe Festival, we came across a little restaurant that was selling western breakfasts to die for (our first on since leaving South Africa so it was doubly impressive). It came complete with crumpets, potatoes, bacon, vegetables, coffee, and sausage. Amazing!

When you haven't had something for a long time, it becomes easier to forget it but once the flood gates open again and the eating demon inside me awakens, I crave it like a mad woman thereafter (so Mason's invite came at a great time).

Another flood gate, which we also opened at the Seoul Fringe Festival was the wine gate!!! Holy Molly! I haven't had a sip of good red wine since we left SA. We found an amazing open air wine bar in Hongdae (there aren't any in Wonju that I have seen), the wine was expensive but when I put my nose to the glass and got a whiff of its pleasurable aromas, I almost wanted to cry. So we sat savouring its flavours for as long as we could (with some complementary cheese and crackers) but alas, the wine soon dwindled and we were left with nothing but empty glasses. Good news though, later that evening I found out you can buy an alright bottle of wine from your local convenience store for a reasonable price, I just need to find some decent glasses now!

Sorry, I deviated a little bit there. Went from my breakfast rant to my wine rant....

I am not sure what else there is to say, except for the fact that I am looking forward to tomorrow and I am already salivating!!! Hmmmm, I bet you are now too! Heehe!

Post by Claudia

There's something fishy in Busan

The Jagalchi Fish Market is a cultural experience in itself, it is filled with so many sights, sounds and smells that vistors easily get consumed by the place for a couple of hours.

It is the largest fish market in Korea and when I say large I mean HUGE. There is a massive outside market where all sorts of fish (already dead) and other fresh produce are sold and then there is the indoor market where all the fish is sold alive.


For those of you who love the flavours of the sea (like we do...hmmmmm) this market is for you and for those of you who are fussy about the fish you eat then this place is also for you because there is such a variety of seafood that you are bound to find something you like.

 We were expecting to see meat there that shouldn't be there, like dolphin, but to our pleasant surprise we saw none. The only out of place fish we saw were two small sharks, which had obviously been accidently caught in the fishermen's nets. Furthermore, they didn't fly off the shelf like we expected because when we went back to the market a few hours later, they were still there. So I guess Shark meat isn't as sought after as I thought (I am purely basing this assumption purely on this one incident).

There were many small restaurants around the market which fried up their fresh fish with an array of delicious smelling spices. Other than ordinary fish, one of the most common items we saw for sale were octopi, but there were always alive and always trying their best to get out of the bucket of water they were being kept in.

Other common items included dried quid, sea urchins, giant crabs, small turtles, and sole. All of these were also available to be eaten at the fish market and you could decide just how fresh you would like it. Outside they had set dishes but at the indoor market you could walk past tanks of live fish, choose the one you like, watch them chop off its head and go upstairs and have it prepared the way you like it (whether that is fried or raw is up to you).

If you are animal lover and like to remain ignorant as to where you food comes from and how it is killed ten you might need to do some mental preparation before you go to the market because you WILL see one or two things that just don't sit well with you.

This is also the cheapest seafood you will find in Korea because the market is on the harbour which means that there is a constant supply of fish coming in! However, they will try take advantage if you are a foreigner so have your wits about you.

Like I said earlier though you can also buy other items at the market, such as giant green chillies (you never know how hot they will be. They are either sweet and make for a delicious snack or they are piping hot and ruin the rest of your meal and your next morning, if you know what I mean)

Despite the great prices and variety Oliver and I didn't eat at the fish market that day because we had had a bad experience at a restaurant the night before where live octopi where thrown on a grill right in front of our eyes.... But looking back it is one of our greatest regrets that we did not eat at the market and we are already planning to go back to Busan simply to eat at the market. I think it is a cultural encounter we deprived ourselves of!

Either way, the fish market is a great place to go and explore, even if you don't eat any fish, just walking around the harbour and market are a real treat!!!!

Post by Claudia

That's one way to find a meal

On our first night in Gyeongju we felt ourselves overcome with the desire to have some Dakgalbi (stir-fried marinated chicken), yummy, one of our favourite dishes.

So we hit the streets, we are used to there being Dakgalbi places on every street corner, but Gyeongju, to our amasement is quite dead at night. In fact we struggled to find a decent place open which wasn't on the tourist path.

So Oliver took the lead, turn left here, a right there, and another turn and yes before we knew it we were lost...horribly lost. So in true Claudia fashion I decided to take charge. Adamant that I could get us to our beloved Dakgalbi. But all I did was get us even more lost! Hmmmm!

Before we knew it we had been walking around for two hours, were starving, my feet were dying, and we had ended up where we had started. Dammit!

So we thought another approach was needed. We hopped into a taxi but didn't know the name of any place where we could eat. So I confidently said Dakgalbi to the taxi driver, in my typical mumbled Korean. She repeated, or at least I thought she repeated Dakgalbi. I smiled, and responded with a YES, VERY HUNGRY!

She drove for about ten minutes and we were in the heart of what felt like local territory (how did we miss this?), she did a couple of turns up small winding roads and before we knew it we were outside a restaurant (HALLELUJAH!!!).

We confidently stepped inside, greeted the host, and looked up at the menu anticipating the awesomeness of our Dakgali meal ahead! To our shock, there was no Dakgalbi on the menu, nothing! URG!

Stay or leave? stay or leave?

Skrew it, we have had Dakgalbi so many times, lets try something new! And I am so so happy we did!

We ended up eating Dwaegi galbi Jjim (steamed pork in a sauce that makes you want to cry it is so good). And in typical Korean fashion it was accompanied by several side dishes and salad leaves. That together with some beer and soju made for a great first dinner in Gyeongju!

Dwaegi galbi Jjim in a no fuss pot which comes straight off the stove

Some of the side dishes which accompany the Dwaegi galbi Jjim

Highly recommended!

Post by Claudia

Let's get muddy!

This past weekend, we (together with hoards of other English teachers and foreigners) headed for the 2010 Mud Festival.

Who would have thought the idea of rolling around in mud and getting super dirty would be so appealing. It took us close to four hours to get there, but man did we have a good time.

The festival is held on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. The beach is beautiful and the water surprisingly warm.

After a short walk we realised that we had literally walked smack into the middle of a mud fight! What fun! After a couple of bruises and some good laughs it was time to find out where the rest of the soft mud was. We then found a small area covered with several slides which all involved a fair amount of mud and water.

The downfall was that there were queues at each slide! Booo, so we only got to go on a limited amount of rides.

Other than that, we were somewhat disappointed by the lack of mud at the festival. There was no area to just paint yourself in mud and relax. It is also hard to tell that the festival is in fact a Korean festival because there are swarms of foreigners everywhere and suprisingly few Koreans. The other downfall to this is that prices of food and accommodation had exploded and everything was simply expensive.

It was for this reason that we decided not to get any accommodation (not that there was any left) and did an all-nighter. Phew! It was actually achieved more easily than I thought simply because restaurants stayed open...we ate a second dinner of samgyeopsal at 3:30am....Mmmmm, best food ever. We were back at the bus terminal by 6 and we all crashed for an hour and then it was time for the long haul home.

All in all it was a fantastic day and we had a wonderful time. On top of that my skin is feeling really nice and soft!

Oli couldn't take his camera for obvious reasons so here are a few snap shots to prove that we did in actual fact get muddy and dirty!

Serious mud goers, meet our mates Brock and Lauren!

Oliver, Rob and Chrissie couldn't resist a swim before I took a photo, hence why they look like fake mud festival goers!

Post by Claudia

The best food yet!

Sitting in Korea in the middle of summer without airconditioning is not fun. It's an experience that drains your energy, and makes you lazy. It leaves you sitting and wondering what to do next, and how to go about it. For one, you don't feel like cooking anything, and at the same time the thought of eating something hot or even warm just does not seem appealing.

And this is where I have an intense urge to pat some old-school Koreans on the back, and say:"Well done, my friend, I thank you with all my heart."

What would I be thanking them for? Only the greatest summer food dish you can think of. They really did come up with the most appetizing dish in the world when it's 35 degrees outside and sweltering hot.

The dish? Neangmyeon. Bibim, or preferably Mul.

Let me start off by explaining a little. Neangmyeon are noodles that are served ice cold. Not room temperature or just fridge cold. If possible they are served ice cold. The noodles are made from several ingredients, the main one being buckwheat. They are incredibly thin, a light brown colour, and somewhat chewy and bouncy (for lack of a better word).

The noodles are boiled in hot water for a very brief period (about 3 minutes, if I'm not mistaken) and are then cooled down by running them under some cold water. They are then thrown into a (usually) big metal bowl, along with a substantial amount of ice cold broth. The broth is apparently made from a mixture of chicken broth, beef broth and kimchi brine(kimchi is another Korean speciality, but more on that in another post).

Added to the noodles and broth are a few thinly sliced (or julienned) summer veggies. Most often the vegetables will be cucumber and radish. One thing that cannot be forgotten is the half boiled egg.

If the restaurant where you are eating your Naengmyon is on top of their game, the broth will literally be icey, as in it will contain some frozen bits....oh yes!


This is how the dish is served, and then often you will be given a little coindiment tray, on which you should find some vinegar, mustard, and chilli (red pepper) sauce. These are then added to your dish according to your taste. The vinegar obviously gives a little sour-ish kick, the mustard adds tang (together with the vinegar) and the chilli sauce adds spiciness.



One of my Korean co-teachers showed me how to eat Naengmyon properly. The way to do it is to hold your chopsticks in your right hand, and have the left hand free to pick up your bowl. After putting some noodles and veggies in your mouth with the chopsticks, you pick up the bowl and drink some of the ice cold goodness.


Above, I mentioned Bibim and Mul. Bibim Naengmyon are served with a sauce made mostly from red peppers and garlic, and have a great flavour, and Mul (literally translated = water) are served in a much greater amount of broth and have a much tangier taste. Definitely the more refreshing of the two.


I can only imagine that to many of my western friends this sounds like a really strange dish. I thought the same when I was first offered noodles in ice cold water, but man oh man...Naengmyon really is something else. I LOVE Korean food. All of it. But Naengmyon is the one dish that has had the greatest impact on my life so far. They really are that magical.


If there is one dish that I will miss when I got back home, (which, luckily is not for a loooong while) it's the cold, icey, tasty goodness called Naengmyon!

Post by Oliver

Our Seoul experience!

As I mentioned in my previous entry, our weeks have become pretty standardised but as for our weekends ... who knows!!!

Well this past weekend we headed off to Seoul for the Lotus Lantern Light Festival which is held every year a week before Buddha's birthday. What an experience!

Seoul is massive, but I mean MASSIVE. There are high rise buildings everywhere and it has a vibrancy about it that I expect you would find in any big city.

We decided to use the subway to get to where we were going. Looking like real tourists I had my Lonely Planet Book at hand and we were trying to figure out how the subway system worked. After a while of looking a little confused a man approached us and offered to help. What a nice guy. But then he whipped out a book about how to be saved or something .... we soon realised that every foreigner was being targeted. Heehe!

Eventually we figured out where we where heading. Once there we realised just how big this festival really was. People were everywhere. We walked around for the next hour or so trying to find accommodation. After being turned away a couple of times we landed with our bread in the butter. We got a clean room with a double bed and bathroom for close to nothing!!! whooop whooop.

After such an eventful morning we were hungry ... super hungry. After Chrissie and Rob joined us we went for some grub! YUM! The pic below is what was left once we were done. You have to love all the side dishes





We then headed off to Changdeokgung Palace which was amazing!


I set up my gorilla pod in an attempt to get a photo of all of us jumping in front of the palace but it went off too soon and instead we all just ended up looking constipated.

While walking we stumbled across this!!! Hell yeah!!! This kind of stuff really makes me miss home! Bring on the world cup! Whoop whoop!

We tried our hand at some arts and crafts. These flowers are Lotus flowers, hence, the Lotus Lantern Festival.

Oliver has all the amazing pics of the event!!! I just have the cute pics of us ... so here are some of them!

Oli has like a gazillion phots to work through ... once he is done I am sure he will post photos which will blow your mind.

I tried my hand at filming .. heehe. I used my little camera to film so that I could give you just a small taste of what the atmosphere was like when the main lantern parade started. It was really festive. Enjoy!

Post by Claudia