kombucha

pretty bottles of kombucha… made with mulberry leaf tea brought home from my temple stay in the mountains last fall. hoping my morning drink will fill me with the same sense of calm and awakening that temple did :)

tea time

hidden tea shop

korean tea

korean tea is different from what we commonly regard as tea because it can be made by using fruits, grains, and roots... much more than just leaves.

korea's commitment to eating seasonally extends beyond fruits and vegetables. it has been said that by ingesting the season's bounty as tea, our bodies assimilate the season's vital energy (chi). traditional teas embrace centuries-old wisdom used to link human life to nature. just as we naturally desire water after eating salty foods,  teas made with seasonal ingredients provide elements our bodies crave at particular times of the year.

autumn's tea is omija. in korean, 오미자 (omija) means 'five taste berry'. the five flavors of this berry - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent - are uniquely distinct but can be somewhat compared to a cranberry.

our region of mungyeong is said to be the finest omija-producing region in the country. the pristine conditions deep in the mountains provide the perfect environment to cultivate the berry prized by epicureans and herbalists alike.

the omija harvest has just come in and i was oh-so-pleasantly surprised to receive a gift of the idolized berry from one of mayo's co-workers. i delightedly washed my three kilos of omija, layered them in a large glass jar with equal parts white sugar and sealed the lid to start the 100 day fermentation process. i'm thrilled to observe my berries as they ferment into the sweet and sour fruit extract i will be using to make omija tea to keep me warm in the new year!

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...