in yun

fate would have it that i felt drawn into a traditional tea shop at the park and the three of us sat down for a free cup of nokcha (green tea) served in the traditional way. the tea master made small talk with us as she explained korea's tea customs. she asked where we had been while in seoraksan and i mentioned the situation at the sauna the night before. without hesitation, she invited us to stay with her and her husband in their home. these are the experiences that we dream of as travelers! we gladly accepted and came back to the tea shop a few hours later to pile in her wagon (mayo in the trunk) and head down the mountain road to her home.

her husband was waiting for us when we arrived and, thankfully, spoke more english than his wife. we learned that their daughter is living in vancouver and marrying a canadian next year. they love their son-in-law to be and they were happy to share the same kind of hospitality with us in their country as they know their daughter is receiving in canada. amazing! we had dinner with them and their friend and talked for hours about cultural differences, tea, country life, korean food.

they even showed us their daughter's wedding dress which i noticed had my name on the label. i pointed it out and the tea lady brought up the topic of In Yun. In Yun means destiny and it is an important part of korea's ideas about relationships. they believe that all relationships (even fleeting encounters) are a part of our destiny and she felt this when she met us at the tea shop.

the concept of In Yun is much deeper than english translation can explain but, in essence, every encounter has great significance. no meeting is by chance. no interaction is without greater universal meaning...

happy birthday buddha

for buddha's birthday, a korean national holiday equivilant to memorial day, we spontaneously decided to take advantage of the long weekend and make our way up to seoraksan (korea's most regarded mountain and national park). situated in the far northeast corner of south korea (and with the help of holiday weekend traffic), it took us nine hours to get to seoraksan by bus. luckily, we had the company of our lovely friend amy and chatted the time away with ease...

you may be wondering where i've been...

i admit i'm a bad blogger. i haven't posted since we've moved to the countryside four months ago. certainly, we have been spending so much time enjoying the natural world that surrounds us that sitting in front of a computer is the last thing i want to do.

however, something else has been keeping me busy these days... mayo and i were filmed for a documentary about our life in the country. for two weeks, we were followed by cameras from morning to night. at first, we declined the offer out of bashfulness and in attempt to keep our personal life private. we were convinced that it would be a great opportunity and decide to go for it.

the theme of the show is slow food/slow life. it was quite strange adjusting to a camera in my face during routine tasks such as chopping vegetables for dinner, making tea, washing my hair... but it quickly became easy to forget the cameras were there and it was well worth it because we were afforded beautiful experiences that we would never have stumbled upon on our own.
stay tuned for a video post once it airs!

an unexpected salad

at our slow food retreat, we learned about the process and sampled many of the fermented sauces and extracts. we learned a traditional salad dressing recipe of the region that was fantastic. if you can find korean doenjang, i highly recommend giving it a try! mix the following together and serve over your favorite fresh greens...

6 tbs doenjang (soybean paste)
3 tbs strawberry extract (made by fermenting equal parts strawberry and sugar)
1 cup of soymilk
1/2 cup of chopped peanuts
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp vinegar
1-2 tbs honey

fermentation

in korea, fermented foods were traditionally stored underground when most homes didn't have refrigerators to keep things cold. the below ground temperature was natures refrigerator. now, fermented foods are kept above ground in earthenware jars that keep cool in the heat.

slow food

preserving korean culinary traditions

(our teacher and her niece, a student of korean slow food)...

one of the highlights of the documentary was a trip to gyeongju, the ancient capital of korea, for a lesson on korean fermentation processes. korean cuisine is the epitomy of slow food because its core ingredients are doenjang (soybean paste), gochujang (chili paste), kanjang (soy sauce) and of course kimchi... all are fermented, some for up to five years. the longer it is fermented, the higher quality and richer taste it has.

life in technicolor

the 30 minute ride on my bicycle to and from work is the best part of my day. the scenery is mostly farmland and rice fields laid in perfectly aligned rows.  the new blanket of green since planting time has made me feel like my black and white world has been painted in brilliant color... 

hello neighbor

...

age is nothing but a number

the 30 minute ride on my bicycle to and from work is the best part of my day. the scenery is mostly farmland and rice fields laid in perfectly aligned rows.  the new blanket of green since planting time has made me feel like my black and white world has been painted in brilliant color...

my companions on the old farm road are other cyclists that are nearly triple my age. at times, i feel exhausted by the ride but i’m filled with a new energy when i see farmers the age of my grandparents in the fields on their hands and knees planting, weeding, pulling... working harder than i ever have in my life. they use no machinery. they have no strong young grandkids to help them (they’re probably in town at their after school academy and have no time to help on the family farm). i say hello to everyone as a ride by and i’m always greeted with a huge smile and a look of surprise. i’m probably the only foreigner they’ll ever see.

village life

when i got home, i stopped at the corner pharmacy to visit my favorite neighbor, kang, the 69 year old pharmacist whom I call dad. we sat on a bench in front of the store eating ice cream and talking about life. we sat together until sunset and then kang left to meet his friend for dinner.

before heading up to my apartment, i paused to admire my garden that kang helped me with (actually he and his wife did almost everything without letting me help because he wanted to surprise me). my vegetable plants are so lovely, each with the promise of a beautiful dinner hanging from its stems. this summer will be filled with an abundance of beautiful green salads, grilled eggplant, creamy tomato soups, and spicy green curries.

summer in the country is here...

neighborhood charm

yesterday, i didn’t rush home to make dinner.  i took my ride home slowly, taking photos of my favorite spots along the way.  i felt a strong connection to my path and saw things i somehow missed before, even though i pass them everyday.

i stopped to say hello to my dog friends that live outside a tiny and very rustic farmshed. the owner, a toothless old woman whom i’ve never seen before, came outside and i apologized for bothering her and told her i couldn’t resist taking photos of her cute puppies. she smiled and said “no problem! come in, it’s dinner time.” i entered the clay and concrete shed to find six old men (probably farmers) taking a break to have dinner and  some drinks together. the woman’s small stove was aflame with pots of boiling stew and rice. i couldn’t believe what i thought was a shed is a restaurant! the old men were delighted to see me and invited me to sit with them for some steamed squid and makgoli (rice wine). i fared well with my korean conversation skills and, after a glass of mokgoli and a new excitement for life, i said goodbye, promised i’d come back soon with my husband, and hopped onto my bicycle... smiling all the way home.

in my backyard