Chopsticks AND a Spoon

Many of my fellow "Native" English Teachers who had never been to Korea before, but were familiar with chopsticks, were surprised when I told them to eat their rice with their spoon.  They were trying to fit in by eating with their chopsticks, but didn't realize that they woud fit in just as well if they ate their rice with their spoon.

I, personally, always think Koreans are pretty clever with their metal chopstick/spoon combo.  First, I like that it's metal, which is far more sanitary than wood, more substantial than plastic, and also does it's own little part in saving the environment.  Second, I like the fact that you have options; if it is too hard to eat your rice with the chopsticks, go for it with the spoon... if you are a picky eater like I am, go ahead and pick the onions out of the soup with the chopsticks.  Finally, I like that you have the option of using both hands to eat, even though older customs dictate against it; that means I can divide that big piece of Kase (that's Tonkatsu, for those who don't know), by splitting it with my chopsticks and spoon. 

If you ever wondered where the whole chopstick/spoon thing came from, here's a link:

http://www.buddhapia.com/eng/extensive/4-a5a1.html

I thought it was interesting and seemed  correct.

(I took that lovely picture from this website, which also has an interesting, but gramatically poor, article about chopsticks and spoons in Korea, Japan, and China: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.prkorea.com/engnews/wys/file_attach/1184303793spoon%26chopsticks.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.prkorea.com/engnews/index.cgi%3Faction%3Ddetail%26number%3D518%26thread%3D10r01&usg=__vkw2SQ7PUmhpsA5CRW3f3VF4_2U=&h=800&w=600&sz=90&hl=en&start=5&sig2=sZqlt-rR_iGayhHwpMlnPQ&um=1&tbnid=JPlKCxlYFoRgLM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=107&prev=/images%3Fq%3DKorean%2Bchopsticks%2Band%2Bspoon%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7DVXA_en%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=pDxMS7NvhKa2A_na6IoB .)

It's in the mail...

Last Wednesday, I finally decided to send a letter to my birthmother.

I made a card, because I thought that was more beautiful and I also wrote it myself.  (I had help with the translation, though.)  The card looks crooked, but I assure you that was the fault of the camera work, not my actual card.)   :)         Inside the card I wrote my birth name, birthdate, and place of birth.  It then says that I was adopted to Americans.  It says that I am looking for my birthmother and gives her last name.  I then say that I am sending this same letter to many women, all with the same last name, in hopes of finding the one who is my true birthmother.  HOWEVER, I know that it was her because I had her name and had done all the other footwork (please see my previous blog entries, if you don't know what I am talking about.)  Then I write that I will be in Seoul until the the third week of December, so she should contact me soon, if she wants to contact me at all.

I dropped it in the mail, also with some help, the next day.

Seeing that the city is only 60 miles from Seoul, I figure the letter should have arrived Saturday or today, Monday.  If that's the case, then from today onward... I guess I just wait.

So here I am, waiting.

But she better hurry up, because I might be leaving soon... I already quit my job.

Making Kimchi

Last Saturday, the art teacher invited me to her house to make kimchi with her, her sister, her mother, and her nieces.

I had so much fun, and now I officially feel like a Korean. : )

Here are some pictures:

My Hood

I was just cruising my favorite reference site, Wikipedia, and I saw an article about the neighborhood where I live.  The article states that my area is  "known for easy and cheap sexual entertainment."

Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sillim-dong

Check it out... I thought it was really funny.

Insadong

In my Korean textbook, there are sometimes mini-articles about Korean culture.  One of the articles talked about Insadong and mentioned that is had many traditional crafts, especially crafts made of paper.  My teacher asked me if I had ever been, and since I hadn't, we agreed to go together.  We are about the smae age, and have many similar interests, so I was really looking forward to going with her.

After class today, we went to Insadong.  But before we could see any crafts, we HAD to eat.  We went to eat Kalguksu.  It was SO delicious.  Kalguksu is a noodle dish, with steaming hot broth and clams.  Here is a picture of the dish as well as a picture of my teacher, serving it. 

It was a perfect dish for the freezing cold, -1 C, temperature that it was that day.  They also had the most delicious kimchi that I have eaten here.  I like kimchi, but I usually eat about 3-4 pieces with each meal.  However, here, I think I ate a whole plate of kimchi.  It was so garlicky and delicious.  If you go to Insadong, you have to eat here.

After lunch, we started shopping and walking around Insadong.  They have many traditional arts and crafts, as well as some very nice museums and upscale shops.  Insadong is also well-known for its shops full of traditional paper, hanji, which is similar to mulberry paper.  While we were walking, I also saw this Starbucks.  There are SO many Starbucks in Korea, so that's not the big deal.  The big deal is that this is the ONLY Starbucks in Korea that says "Suh-ta-beok-suh-Keo-pi."    If you know even a little Korean, you know that there is no "f" sound, so Koreans replace the "f" sound with a hard "p," so that actually reads, if you say it really fast, "Starbucks coffee." (Which I thought was hilarious.)  Of course, I would not drink coffee there, though, because Insadong is also well-known for its Tea Shops.

We went to this great Tea shop, that I think was called "Tea Time."  It was a little off the main street and was on the 2nd floor.  I had cinnamon tea, and my teacher had this tea made out of a small melon-sized citrus fruit.  (I have a friend whose father makes a jam out of that fruit, and it is univerally agreed that it is too sour to eat plain, but it makes really good marmelade and tea.)  Those round colored things, are like crackers.  The look heavy, but they are light and fluffy.  In fact, if you break them little pieces flurry around, like snow.  They are good, but they taste a little like air.

 

I had such a nice day that I can't wait to go back!

An article worth reading

I am a member of the Korean American Adoptee Network, which is amazing.  Every month, they send out an electronic newsletter of issues regarding adoptees.  In this month's newsletter, there was this link to an article in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/us/09adopt.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2
I liked it because it helped me to come to the resolution that many Korean adoptees are going through the same sort of things that I went through growing up. 

If you are an adoptee, and you are reading my blog, I want to tell you, that Korea is not like it used to be.  In 2000, when I came, people were mean to me either because I was an adoptee or because maybe I look like I am not full Korean.  However, this time, EVERYONE has been really nice to me.  There was one jerk at the cellphone store who was rude, but I have a hundred people who are very kind.  So, please don't let what the people in the article said dissuade you from coming to Korea.

I like Korea, not as much as California, but I like it all the same.  If you have the chance, you should come too.

Merry Pepero Day! (and you thought Valentine's Day was commercialized)

     Right after I arrived at work today, one of the girls who seems to like me the most, ran up to my desk and gave me a box of Pocky, which if you don't know, is a box of long, skinny crakers dipped in chocolate or other things, but usually chocolate.  That student is actually always giving me cute things, so while I was surprised, I didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary.

Then, two more students came in and gave me boxes of Pocky. One of them had this note attached to it:

In case you can't read it.  It says: Dear Ms. ____.  from. Hannah (in the corner)  Today is Pepero (in Hangul) Day.  Pepero (in Hangul) Day is a give and take long chocolate snack.  It means "we are best friend!" or "thanks to (some person who wants give you)".  So I give you this snack.  (picture of a little girl face with HaHa written underneath).  I always thanks for your teaching.  It taste like coffee.  I want you like it.  Bye Teacher ^^ (^^  is the Korean equivalent of a smiley emoticon).

Is this the cutest thing or what?  She was with another friend who gave me one of the red boxes and it said, "Merry Pepero (in Hangul) day"  It was great.  On the front of her box, the print says, "11story #1. Hugs!Hugs! All in my arms, in my soul I want to hold you baby"  Classic.

That is my collection of gifts for Pepero day. 

I felt so lucky that the students would remember to include me on this day.  As I was arranging that picture, I noticed that one of the boxes even said "Pepero."  It's the box on the top.  Here's a better look:

So, as I was looking at this box, I realized that in Korea, Pocky is not Pocky, it's Pepero.  This whole day was fabricated by the Pepero company,aka Lotte.

Later that evening, in the subway, I saw tons of Pepero displays.  I saw a few people with these Pepero box towers wrapped in cellophane.  So as much as we complain in the states about Valentine's Day, at least Hallmark attempted to ground their "Holiday" in some kind of historical event.  However, Pepero (owned by Lotte) chose a random day, 11/11 and called it Pepero Day because the "double elevens look like Pepero in the box."

AND, just like in the states, on Valentine's Day, I love it and am so happy to have received boxes of Pepero.