Happy Friendsgiving

Thanksgiving came to Ireland this year and what an event it was! Except, rather than Thanksgiving, it was nicknamed ‘Friendsgiving’, instead. Everyone (table for 10!) brought a different dish ranging from Ratatouille, Sweet Potato,  Mac N Cheese to Bannoffee Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie and not forgetting the most important dish of all….The Turkey!!

Anyway the point of he day was to have fun, share some delicious food and be thankful for all the amazing friends we have. So let be take this opportunity to give a shout out to my friends, my family, and all my blog followers, “Happy Thanksgiving! I love you all very dearly”. Janet XxX

 

11-11-11

The 11th day of the 11th month in 2011. No, not the end of the world. Nothing nasty like that. Quite the opposite actually, especially if you are a lover of chocolate!

I always though Arthur Guinness day was the master of all marketing campaigns, that was until I discovered the madness of Pepero Day in Korea!

 Arthurs Day, was introduced 2 years ago to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the Guinness brewing company and of course the infamous founder, Arthur Guinness. Guinness drinkers were expected to raise a glass to the memory of Arthur Guinness and an 82c stamp of an Arthur Guinness portrait was also released by An Post to commemorate the anniversary.

Everyone thought it was a once off stunt by Guinness to sell an unprecedented amount of pints in one day! However, 2 years on and the “tradition” continues! Why…umm to celebrate the 252nd anniversary?!?! In an attempt to make it a National holiday? Everyone just laughed it off as a marketing coup!

Thanks to my awesome students in Korea I realised that maybe Arthurs day COULD become a national holiday. Why? Well when I was teaching them the months of the year and asking them what their favourite month was, “November”. was the answer they all shouted. “Why November?”, I asked. “Pepero day, Pepero Day!”

For those who don’t know what pepero day is, it’s a Korean National holiday where people buy their loved ones (children, boyfriends, parents, friends) boxes of Pepero (chocolate covered biscuit sticks).

I can remember getting box after box after box of Pepero chocolates from my students last year…in fact 6 months on and I STILL had them stock piled in my kitchen! They far from helped my attempt at a diet!

Pepero Day started as an elaborate marketing campaign by Korean owned Chocolatiers to sell more chocolates and is now a NATIONAL holiday. It is celebrated on the 11th of November(11/11), as on that day it looks like 4 little Pepero sticks are standing side by side. This year however, there are SIX little fingers standing in a row..The ULTIMATE Pepero Day…Chocolate sales must be through the roof in Korea this week!!

Want to read about more crazy Korean Holidays? CLICK HERE!

Korea: What Grinds my gears

Let me share with you the TOP TEN things that really grind my gears about Korea! If you look back through all my posts about te last year you will a whole lot of positivity praising Korean food, events, festivals, sights and of course the people. But every diamond has a flaw, so here is my list of 10 things that REALLY frustrate me about living in the land of “morning calm”.

10.Why can’t I get a decent sandwich?

I mean is it really too much to ask? All I want is to walk into a grocery store like I would back home, walk up to the deli counter and get a freshly made chicken and stuffing baguette. Or a ham and cheese sandwich. On bread that isn’t full of sugar. With cheese that doesn’t taste like plastic and with some chicken that hasn’t been DEEP FRIED!! Come on Korea, is it really THAT hard to produce a half decent sandwich? I’m begging you!

9. Korean Ajosshi’s asking if I’m RUSSIAN!

Now normally I would have nothing against someone calling me Russian. I mean Vodka is part of my staple diet and Russian ladies are known to be very tall, slim a beautiful but when Korean Ajosshis ask if our Russian they are in fact asking if you are a prostitute. This is thanks to many young russian women making their way to South Korea for this specific purpose. Last week I was with Samy in an elevator and this old ajosshis walks in, looks me up and down, then turns to Samy with a dirty grin and says “Ruiske?!” THAT really grinds my gears!!

8. Korean taxi drivers

First off I “thought” this was how the taxi business works. Customer hails taxi, hops in and taxi driver brings them wherever they wish to go. They pay and all is good in the world. Obviously Korean taxi drivers never got the memo! You hail taxi, then tell them where you want to go then they kick you out of their cab cause it’s not convenient for them or they tr and double the price of the normal fair just because you are a foreigner and obviously have the $$$ sign stamped on your forehead. They have ripped me off, over charged me, brought me to the wrong destination and often plain refused to bring me anywhere many times. They also drive like maniacs. As do Korean bus drivers, but thats another story!

7. Shoes shoes shoes

I love shoes. I love shoes with all my heart. So moving to a country for a year that does not stock my shoe size was far from a wise decision! With a population of over 50 million and 100,000′s shoes stores on every corner, every train station, every shopping mall; it is depressing to never be able to buy any shoes. It wouldn’t be SO bad if this were not also the case for clothes. I am both too wide and too tall (my legs too long, my arms too long, my hips too wide) to ever fit into all those cute Korean clothes. What’s even worse is I will never know for sure as Korean shops are too small to have changing rooms so you either chance your luck and buy it or get the hell out.

6. Eating out alone is IMPOSSIBLE

Sometimes after along day working, I really don’t feel like cooking and just feel like going out for dinner. If my friends are feeling the same, we can all go out to galbi and have a nice night out. However, If I wish to do this alone my choices suddenly become very limited! In Korea eating is a social thing. All the food is shared. You don’t get individual plates as most dishes are placed in the centre of the table, and you cook your own meat at the table. It’s like your own little private kitchen. Here lies the problem; restaurant owners don’t like giving away one of their “private kitchens” if only one person is eating so even if there are free tables available they will always turn you away. This can be very disheartening and is something that really frustrates me. If I want to eat alone in Munsan I’m pretty much limited to getting a take-out pizza or eating a mingin seaweed and rice kimbap roll. Korea just isn’t made for loners!

5.My bank is the worst bank in the world

They don’t “deal” with Ireland so when I transfer money home they send it via the USA leaving me to pay all the exorbitant currency exchange and bank charges. They speak crap English, hardly ever understand what I’m looking for AND always seem to “lose” my money! Okay they finD it a week later but SERIOUSLY how can you just lose people’s money. Moving to Korea? Stay away from IBK!

4. Ajummas

Ajumma is the Korean word for any married woman or woman over the age of 35/4o.  These little ladies deserve a post of their own. While I respect that they portray this powerful image of women, I hate their pushiness, disregard for others and the fact that they are downright RUDE. They go out of their way just to push and shove you out of the way when getting on to buses and trains, steal your seat, elbow you, skip the queue in restrooms when your BURSTING to go and constantly stare at you for no apparent reason. I think everyone in Korea has a crazy ajumma story!

3. The Korean Private Education System

I feel silly writing about this considering as a teacher I’m technically part of it, but it really frustrates me how over worked young children are here. Kids here often go to school from 8am until 8pm jumping from Maths school to English school to History school, 5 days a week. They have no time to just “be kids”. Also working in a private school which needs to be looked upon as a business rather than a school can be really frustrating. Kids are moved up levels just to keep parents happy, even if the kids are unable to do the work. students who may be dyslexic or suffer from other learning disabilities are thrown in classes with other students just so the hogwon directors can keep receiving their tuition ee instead of recommending they attend special schools that will be more beneficial to their learning. Treating Kid’s education, and if you want Kid’s lives as a business opportunity is really awful.

2. Cosmetic Surgery

I recently wrote a whole post on this topic which you can read here. It really upsets me to see children as young as 14 or 15 obsessed with their body image and already planning to get cosmetic surgery. Korean women are already SO beautiful I really don’t understand why they feel the need to keep changing their image.

1. Dirty, rotten toilets

I wrote a post about this when I first got to Korea, mainly comparing western toilets to the squat toilets which the mainly us here. Now after living here for a year squat toilets are n longer an issue. The issue is with how dirty  toilets here are. In Korea, you are not allowed put your used toilet paper in the toilet, so you must instead place in the usually over flowing trash can next to the toilet. If public toilets have not been cleaned that day this “dirty, used paper” can be found all over the ground and often trailing out of the toilet. As it is uncommon to see women smoking in public, they all sneak off to the restroom where their trail of cigarette butts can be found. Also evidence of Koreans love of SPITTING can also  seen here, with spit dripping down the walls or on the floor. I will not not be sad to ay goodbye to Korean Toilets!

So that is what GRINDS MY GEARS about Korea, wha about you readers, anything to add?

Doesn’t matter if you’re black or white

No, this isn’t a post about the late King of Pop, or some insightful post about racial oppression. This is, in fact, a little more light-hearted, although perhaps not as cheesy as those struck by cupids arrow may desire.

Valentines day is always cheesy. The soppy poems, the chocolates, the public displays of affection. Turns out I have not seen the half of it, and neither have you, unless you are currently residing in Korea that is.

With D-day fast approaching, the streets of Korea appear to be over-flowing with an array of overly cheesy gifts; ranging from florists selling fake flowers (why, oh why would a FLORIST sell fake flowers?! My  mum would be appalled!) to every 7-11 and corner shop selling tacky bouquet shaped packets of Ferrero Rocher, wrapped in tacky, multi colored plastic, truly horrific.

This would all be bearable if we were reassured it will all be over come Monday. Alas, Korean marketing companies have really tapped into their soppy, doting population by creating not ONE but THREE holidays.

Valentines day, on February 14th where girls hand over cheesy gifts to their boyfriends, March 14th, “White Day”, where the boys repay the favor but usually handing over much more expensive gifts and April 14th, known as the ever tragic “Black Day” where all the poor single ladies convene at a local noodle joint and devour black noodles to mourn (or in an ideal world celebrate) their singledom. 3 months, 3 days, 3 (Korean) holidays and an overload of cheese.

On that note, if you are feeling a little adventurous this Valentines day why not EMBRACE the cheesiness, and create or invest in these unique gift ideas. Enjoy!

 

Some heart shaped Cheddar for your loved one?

A bit of... hard wood??! (Also known as a cheese board!)

 

Some Cheese and crackers, love?

I LOVE CHEESE,Oops I mean YOU!

Extra Cheese...purleaseee

Strawberries in my toast?!...You are a KEEPER!

The Bul, The Dak and The Galbi

This is the first in a new series of posts entitled “The best of Korea” which I plan on posting weekly. Thanks to the great response to my post “The Food, The Bad and The Ugly“, which was about the “not-so-good” dishes they serve up in this fine nation. This first post will be all about what I LOVE about Korean food, “The bul, the tak and the galbi!”

 

Less of these "Hot Dogs" please Korea!

No 5 – Samgyeopsal

Samgyeopsal is a traditional Korean dish mainly consisting of very fatty cuts of pork, which diners cook themselves on a grill in the centre of the table. It is accompanied by Kimchi, yellow radish, garlic, lettuce leaves, peppers, spicy soup ,salt n pepper sauce and rice too if you request it. This stuff is seriously tasty, but try find a place that does the least fatty cuts as sometimes it can be a bit much.

No 4 – Ddukbokki

When I first arrived in Korea I detested these squishy, stodgy rice cakes, believing them to be the spawn of satan. (Mainly due to the fact the ones I had were drowning in spicy pepper paste!) However as time goes on I am loving these little rice cakes more and more. If you are lucky, and they are cooked with some Tak Galbi for just the right amount of time, they are melt in your mouth sensational!

No 3 – Shabu Shabu

A boiling broth of vegetables brewing at the centre of the table, the perfect meal to warm you up on a cold winter night. Add a plate of delicious, thinly sliced beef to the hot-pot along with chinese cabbage, mushrooms and onions and you have yourself a feast. But WAIT..there’s more…along comes the bowl of delicious noodles which are added to the mix and it is topped off, last but not least, with some hot and steaming rice. When all is said and done you can drain the remaining soup from your bowl and be happy at having just consumed a 3 course meal, all in one. Mmmm shabu shabu.

No 2 – Dak Galbi (Chicken)

I had this for my birthday dinner and simply cannot get enough of the stuff. Dak Galbi is a mixture of chunky, marinated chicken pieces, chinese cabbage, rice cakes and hot pepper sauce, as always, cooked on a big hot plate in the centre of the table. Looking at all the delicious ingredients slowly cook is maddening as you just want to dive in and gobble it all up. A great dish for sharing with big groups and can be topped off with fried rice mixed into the leftovers and rolled up in snack size rice rolls. Deliciousssss.

No 1 – Galbi

Undoubtedly THE most popular dish in Korea. Galbi (Korean for ribs) can be either beef or pork and is cooked on a charcoal grate in the centre of the table. Getting to cut up big slabs of prime cut, raw meat with a scissors is a cultural experience in itself! Add to that up to 20 tiny side dishes( which will always appear, whether you ordered them or not) in which you can spend and age trying to figure out whats what! From tofu to radish, up to 5 different types of Gimchi, different sauces, a variety of vegetables, lettuce leaves, bean sprouts, sizzling soups, garlic, jalapeno peppers…you name it, they have it! The best type of galbi restaurant is one where you pay a set amount (10,000 won which is only 6 euro!!) and it is all you can eat! I meat lovers dream!

 

Slaughtered Alive

***Update***

The Taebaek Snow festival and Hwacheon Ice fishing festival have been cancelled do stop the spread of the disease.

Over 1.8 Million pigs have been buried alive in rural regions of South Korea in an attempt to stop the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease. This is reportedly the worst case in Korean history of the highly contagious virus, which can spread from hand to hand, from vehicles or even by air born dust.

Animal rights groups the world over have been left outraged as the truth about the mass culling seeps into mainstream media.  Guidelines set by the World Organization for Animal Health, which clearly states all animals must be killed in a humane way and must have stopped breathing before being buried, were blatantly ignored as truckloads of pigs (up to 40,000 a day in some areas) were dumped unceremoniously into mass graves, squeaking and squealing as the earth was piled in on top of them.

Slaughtered alive

Bringing the crisis a little closer to home (my home in Korea anyway), residents of Paju (where I live and which has also been badly affected by foot and mouth) have, according to The Korea Times “have seen their faucets start to deliver water mixed with blood since the beginning of the New Year.” Thank GOD I don’t drink my tap water, although even seeing that would be more than a little disturbing.

Now I’m no vegetarian, and as the daughter of a farmer, I know how devastating it can be to discover your animals have been found infected and that such virus can be an awful financial burden and can even destroy your livelihood, BUT this sort of mass killing makes me sad to the core. How can officials get away with such blatant law breaking? How can any country justify killing 2 million animals, and even worse allowing them to be buried alive??!

Only 120 animals tested positive to the disease. So why on earth, I wonder, were close to 2 million animals slaughtered? (10% of the total amount of livestock in Korea!!) As usual, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, it comes down to Money.

 

 

Highway to Hell

 

 

Instead of opting to vaccinate all the animals, in an effort to save time and money, animals were instead slaughtered. Injecting the pigs with poison similar to the cattle was thought to be cost to much money and require too much time, as they required larger dosses than the cattle and there were simply not enough vaccines available in the country.

Since the outbreak began in November, price of Pork has risen 22% while price of beef has gone up 9% in supermarkets. In the last few weeks I have heard of masses of people in the likes of CostCo in Ilsan rushing to buy large quantities of meat before the price soars even higher.

With the government concentrating on vaccinating the remaining 13 million animals, the “meat market” has opened up, welcoming imports from Australia and America, albeit at much higher prices.

The overall cost of the crisis is expected to cost the Korean government BILLIONS of dollars, but can you really put a price on a life? Or should I say 2 million lives?

Kim Jong Il looking at things

So, I came across an awesomely hilarious blog today. Like Ronseal, it does exactly what it says on the tin. Kim Jong Il Looking at Things is a photo blog of North Koreas undefeated, satanic leader Kim Jong Il well… looking at things! What is crazy is that he seems to be touring the country and releasing random pictures to the media while his country turns to, well, shit. What a man.

Here are a few of my favourites, Kim Jong Il looking at things, food things.

Kim Jong Il, with his entourage, looking at Chocolate

 

Kim Jong Il, with his entourage, looking at Corn

Kim Jong-Il, and entourage, looking at Biscuits

Kim Jong Il looking at eggs...!

Kim Jong Il looking at Bubble Gum

Frustration Station

Gah. Korea really drives me crazy sometimes. It’s not that there is in fact anything wrong with Korea, I just get frustrated that Korea isn’t more like home. Which is stupid, I know. But when you are tired and hungry and are walking around the supermarket for what feels like hours and can’t find ONE SINGLE THING you are looking for, I want to scream.

I had a long day, I had no lunch due to a bit of a mix up at school and was looking forward to cooking up a mean chicken stir fry for dinner. I’m sick of eating out. Especially when Korean restaurants must be the most homogenous in the world…you will be served the EXACT same thing in every single place. Oh, sorry you want choice? Well piss off to another country loser.

So anyway I want to cook. I go to HomePlus to buy all the ingredients. They have no chicken. NO CHICKEN. WTF?! Koreans love chicken. Homeplus is the biggest supermarket in Munsan, where is the freakin chicken?! I look for rice. Koreans LOVE rice. Rice is normally everywhere. But can I find rice here? No, no I cannot find any rice anywhere. Gah.

So I somehow end up spending 30,000 won on crap, none of which I can actually cook for dinner, and leave feeling drained, snapping at my boss saying that “half an hour shopping in HomePlus is more stressful that 8 hours teaching!”, and continue to tell him my woes about not finding what I wanted. He just laughs and says “Bastards” which makes me laugh. He is my boss afterall! Ahhh Korea.