It's been ten days since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan. I just saw a special footage on NHK which showed the stark reality of the situation in Japan after the earthquake hit. As I was watching, I couldn't stop thinking how little we are in front of the fearsome power of nature and how grateful we must be with every second we have with our friends and families, in comfort of our home. Some of the scenes captured on video were just too painful to watch. In one scene, I spotted a man stranded on a roof top of a building and then the camera turned away to capture the approaching tsunami nearby, and when it panned back there was only a tall tide of black water to be found where the building had been, as if the scene was taken from a different location... In an interview, an old hospital worker mumbled in teary eyes, that she saw a patient lying on the bed in a hospital with his eyes wide open, and then engulfed in water shortly after. Those who are fortunate enough to survive are devastated emotionally and physically. They pleaded for help as they are in dire need of food and water and warm shelter. Thanks to international relief efforts, there are many ways we can help.
We feel even more close to the Japanese people now since it's been only four months since our first visit to Japan last November and our memories of Japan are still vivid. Memories of kind hospitality we received from the people of Japan always make us want to go back. And I am heartbroken to see the people who lost so much in this terrible disaster. While there are many ways to help the Japanese people now, in a long run I want to encourage people to visit Japan especially if you have never been there.
What I liked about Japan the most during our trip was their appreciation for traditional assets and their efforts to preserve them in their most original forms. Unfortunately I find this is something that many countries often neglect as they advance fast towards the state of modernization. And yet Japan sets a very good example to follow in terms of historical preservation.
This includes not only physical assets but also social values such as moral integrity and respect for others. I read somewhere that if you leave a laptop on the street in Japan, it is likely you could find it in the same state the next day where you left it. When I read it, I almost wanted to test it myself. Having lived in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 10 years, I really wished American cities could one day post such a headline on newspapers, too.
During our trip, we particularly enjoyed staying in a Japanese traditional ryokan in Hakone, a small and quiet hot spring town located about two hours southwest of Tokyo. The ryokan we stayed named Taisekikan, was situated along a creek that runs between picturesque mountains that were fully wrapped in yellow and red foliage. Our room was almost void of any furniture except for a low table in the middle of the room. After we changed to yukata, a casual traditional Japanese lounge wear, we were served a traditional Japanese course meal, kaiseki, which was delicately prepared using fresh seasonal produce. After the dinner we took a traditional bath in the outdoor hot spring attached to the ryokan. The hot spring literally sat next to the creek surrounded by mountains on the side and the starry night sky on top. It was an amazing experience. We really loved this unique experience of staying in ryokan and I strongly recommend to anyone who is planning a trip to Japan.
As a Korean, I want to point out some historic relationships between Korea and Japan. As a matter of fact, Korea and Japan had rarely stayed in good terms in the past history. Japanse colonization of Korea took place in 1910 and lasted for more than 30 years until the end of the Wold War II. During this period, the Japanese colonial regime oppressed Korean human rights and many Korean people suffered or died helplessly. Even today, there is a territorial dispute over Dokdo Island between the two countries. And they are the fiercest rivals in international soccer games, and Korean people go all "Red" whenever there is a game against Japan. Nevertheless, both countries are inseparable neighbors who share many popular cultures, through Korean Wave, J-Pop, Anime, Manga, etc. There is, and will always be this love-and-hate relationship as far as I can see -- I doubt if there is any country in the world that does not have, or has had, any dispute with its neighboring countries. But it's nice to see that Korea is actively lending helping hands to Japan after the disaster. Korean government was quick to send a rescue team to Japan, and civilian supports/donations are flowing in from Korea as well as from the Korean American communities around the world. I too, sincerely wish for the safety and swift recovery for Japan and the victims.
First, this post is over a month overdue since Min's birthday was in July and it's already the end of August. When I was brainstorming Min's birthday gift ideas last month, I realized that if you are over 30 and you are a guy, there are not many gift options out there unless you are in need of something. At the last minute, I tried to make a dinner reservation at Chez Panisse but was too late. So, I decided to throw him a birthday party at home instead.
I intentionally planned a typical Korean birthday fare like seaweed soup and bulgogi for the menu, plus yangjangpi japchae which is one of Min's favorite dishes. Thanks to many cooks among our friends, their delicious dishes also supplemented our dinner table.
A dinner party with friends on a summer night was so relaxing and fun. The birthday boy seems to have enjoyed it, too.
This is an excellent documentary on Korean foods and its culture. I came across this clip couple weeks ago on PBS and felt so thankful to WGBH for making this film. This film captures the essence of Korean foods in terms of its culture and history.
I think the Korean foods and its culture are still very much unknown to the western society. Compared to other ethnic cuisines such as Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Thai, Korean foods definitely lack some spotlights. I blame it partially on the lack of marketing by Koreans.
Did I impress anyone yet? I wish I made all of these wonderful dishes myself. No, I didn't. We were invited to a friend's house for dinner few months ago, and this is what they had prepared for us. How lucky we are! :)
These dishes come from our friend Jihea's Kitchen. Her cooking is far beyond my level, and I have lots to learn from her. It turns out Jihea is not only an excellent cook but also a very talented food stylist. I didn't hesitate a second to invite her to Migi's kitchen, I mean the KoreanHomeCooking.com. Thanksfully, she accepted my invitation, and decided to be a co-chef for the KoreanHomeCooking.com. She is currently visiting Korea away from her kitchen, so won't be able to see her cooking for awhile. I can't wait till she gets back and starts sharing her recipes here, starting with the dishes above. Thanks, Jihea unni!
Happy birthday, Migi's Kitchen aka KoreanHomeCooking.com! It was about this time of the year last year when I first came across the idea of Korean food blog and launched KoreanHomeCooking.com from my mac. Since then, I enjoyed cooking Korean foods more than ever, and so did my mom and mother-in-law. For the past year, more than 15,000 people visited this blog and the average number of visitors is now well above 100 people a day from literally all over the world. And it keeps increasing every day. (Any ad sponsors out there?) So far, I have had visitors from all five continents, and it truly makes me feel connected world wide. Thanks all for your support and love for Korean foods and KoreanHomeCooking.com. I'll try to make each post better than the previous one. Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestion.
I made the fruit tart above using the recipe from this site; I only substituted most ingredients with organic items. By the way, after reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver recently, I have become a big supporter of organic and locally grown foods. It's supposed to be good for your health as well as the environment!
새해 복 많이 받으세요 [se-he-bok-ma-ni-baa-de-se-yo] Yes, happy new yearS to you all! I mean both solar and lunar new years. In Korea, lunar new year is called goojung or seol and is supposedly a bigger celebtaion. Similar to western culture, we eat lots of food, play games and exchange greetings on seol. My family used to celebrate seol when we were living in Korea, but after our move to the States, we opted to celebrate on January 1 instead simply because it's a better time for everyone to get together. So, these pictures are actually from our new year's celebration from January 1 this year.
There is a special rice cake soup called ttukook that we all (have to) eat on seol. When we were young, parents used to say you get a year older only if you eat a bowl of ttukook on the new year's day. The math was simple then - you get older as many bowls of ttukook as you eat. Of course, this used to be a pleasant pursuit when you are younger. From some time, I don't like having this thought any more. By the way, for those of you who have been waiting for a new recipe, how-to-make ttukook is coming soon.
There is another exciting tradition on seol (Well, it all depends on which side you belong to - payers or payees.) It's called sebe. Younger generations bow to the elderly on their knees and wish new year's greeting. Then the elderly give you sebedon, money in return for your sebe. It was so cute of my nine-month old niece to learn her first sebe this year.
On seol, you are supposed to get dressed in hanbok, traditional Korean costume. In old days when clothes were rare and relatively expensive, young children were given new clothes by their parents probably once a year and that was on seol; it's called seolbim. Nowadays when clothes are more than abundant, this tradition goes much unnoticed. Min and I dressed in hanbok last year on seol (shown in picture above), but this year we just went with our everyday clothes.
When all the family members are gathered on seol, you play yootnori, a board game usually played with four sticks. In some (serious) families, they opt to play Go-stop card games instead of yootnori. In yootnori, there are four sticks, or yoots, with front and back. Depending on how many backs and fronts you get when you toss, you walk your horse on the board just like in the Monopoly games. Whoever finishes early wins. It's as simple as that.
An African-American lady walked up to me one day when I was grocery shopping in a nearby Korean market. She had a bag of chili power on oe hand and asked me where she could find a paste, pointing to the powder. I showed her a stackful of different chili pastes on the next aisle. She then asked me if she could mix it with water as seen in [Korean] restaurants. I told her it depends. It could be used to make soup base sometimes, yes.
I knew from my heart that I needed to explain more because the use of chili paste varies by the type of soups or dishes you are making. But I didn’t have time and left the lady. A picture of an African-American lady in Korean market left with a bag of chili powder on one hand and the paste on the other didn’t leave me for a long time. I wished I could invite her to my kitchen and show her all the delicious and wonderful dishes she could make with the chili power and the paste and also with other ingredients found in the market.
This story sets the beginning of my blog. I discussed with my geek husband the idea of creating a blog dedicated to Korean food recipes and Korean restaurant reviews, and he of course volunteered to help. (When I said I want a custom domain, he hesitated at first but said ok after saying it’s only 10 bucks. I think he had a doubt how long this would last.) Ever since I got married three months ago and have been out of a job due to relocation, I've been cooking more frequently than ever in between my breaks from job search and feeding a hungry husband. And I realized that more you cook, the richer your life gets.
I learned most of recipes posted on this site from my mom’s kitchen as I was growing up, some experimentations in my own kitchen, Korean cook books, the Internet and many more. Unfortunately, I found out that many of the resources are not not available in English.
I hope this website in turn serves non-Koreans and English speaking Korean Americans as a helpful guide to delicious, healthy Korean Home Cooking experiences.
Please feel free to comment and/or request a recipe. If I don’t know how to make it, I’ll ask my mom or mother-in-law and tell you all the secrets. ^^
