Disappointment

I'm really disappointed in myself. I am leaving for Seoul in less than two weeks and I still can not hold a conversation. I've failed not only myself, but also you. I've had so much school work to do, including writing a paper on Cochlear Implants, exams, etc. Then I had my part time job. And the last few weeks with the American holidays have thrown me out of whack.

As the school semester comes to an end, it feels right to temporarily take a break from blogging about the language.

Here's what's coming up for me:

Cochlear Implant paper (2000-2500 words)
Microeconomics Exam
Financial Accounting Exam
Packing for South Korea
Packing for California

Oh yeah, I'm moving to California in January 2013. As you can see, I really can't make time to personally learn the Hangul, but I have a better chance of getting a class on Korean Language in California than in Florida.  My current major is Management Information Systems (M.I.S.) in the College of Business. I've been the one to start something, but almost never finish it.

This blog has been proof of that. My goal was to learn enough Hangul to communicate well when I visit South Korea. I failed.

I wish to try again next semester, maybe picking up where I left off, or just generally reviewing what I've learned if I've managed to snag a Korean class. I've greatly improved in my time management skills when it comes to doing assignments, but I really need to improve more because this goal I set for myself wasn't achieved.

As of now, this will be my last month of posting this year. (Ha ha).

I really wish the best for you students, if you are one, and I will try harder to achieve my goal next year that I didn't achieve this year.

And I hope my trip to California will be a smooth one. I'll be moving to the Los Angeles area, so if you are around that area, drop a comment and I'll be sure to meet with you!

Happy Holidays everyone. :)

Kimbap Memories

김밥, it's a wonderful light meal and you can make it ANY way you want. How awesome is that?!

It's very similar to a Japanese sushi, but without the raw fish and seafood. Well, you can still add seafood. The blogs I've mentioned before, K.A.M., KC, and Beyond Kimchee, all have different recipes for each Kimbap they made.

Which version would you prefer?

Korean Cuisine comes with Galbi:

Here's the link to the recipe found at Korean Cuisine.

K.A.M. (Korean American Mommy) doesn't come with meat, which is a plus for vegetarians, but it's more suitable for breakfast.

Last, but not least, Beyond Kimchee shares her Kimbap recipe and memory. Her memory is that of a classmate in middle school who was seen as a "geeky" girl, but became the most popular girl in school the next day after participating in a local talent show. 

I really enjoyed reading this post because I'm a fan of Michael Jackson's music, and that's what her favorite memory of Kimbap was. 

If you ever made something, like a homemade dish, and there was a favorite memory associated with that dish, what was it?

I remember having my last Thanksgiving meal with an old family friend before he passed away. I had made my mother's Pink Stuff for the first time. (SECRET RECIPE) It's a nice memory to have of him that's lasting.

TV Shows

The last two weeks have been incredibly busy for me for school and family reasons. I have not been able to get a moment to teach myself more Korean vocabulary, which is disappointing to me. I'm leaving for Seoul in less than a month and I'm not close to speaking a basic conversation.

I want to share with you what I have done in my free time the last few months in terms of relating to Hangul.

I've watched Korean Dramas on Netflix, which is a online streaming media that provides movies and TV shows at a monthly subscription.

They have a huge variety of Korean Dramas, which I am very surprised about but I like it.

Right now, I'm in the middle of My Fair Lady, which is about a heiress of a large multimillionaire company falling in love with her butler, whom used to be a gigolo.

I don't pick the dramas I watch by popular demand, but rather by what Netflix suggests. They have a way of allowing you to rate the movie/show you've just seen, and suggest more movies/shows based on your rating.

My favorite one so far, is Secret Garden, which is about a rich man of a big company (I'm sensing a pattern here, are you?) who falls in love with a poor stunt-woman. But here's the kicker, look at the picture below and tell me if you see anything strange.

The man is acting a little too feminine isn't he? It's interesting once you find out just why he is. This one was really fun to watch and not too frustrating on the viewer's side. 

Do you have any shows you've seen that you'd like to recommend? Whether it's Korean, Japanese, American, they're all worth a trial period to see if it's a good series or not. 

I really liked The Sopranos, the ending on the last season made me sad that it ended. I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Catching up

It's so nice to catch up with old friends, especially ones that live far away. Gregory (mentioned in the last post) was one and I spent another weekend catching up with more friends.

They wished to not be pictured, but the food they chose were good enough.

As per usual, I had my 순두부찌개, but it was extra special this time since the egg they put in was raw. My best friend also ordered the same soup, which was a first for her since a few months because she always ordered the 돌솥 비빔밥. My long time friends came from Georgia and California. They didn't receive their food when this picture was taken but one ordered the 갈비탕 and the other ordered the 해물파전. 

I wish to share with my Tampa Natives this restaurant, it's a literal hole in the wall place. This restaurant is family owned, hence it's name One Family. As for the food, here's what the 갈비탕 looks like:

Fortunately, there is someone who was able to create this from scratch. Her name is Susan and her blog is COOKING WITH SUSAN. I included all searches of Korean food just for you.

The 해물파전 is not usually an entree, but rather an appetizer. My friend did not know what it was, and according to the menu, it could be served as dinner. It's basically a Korean Pancake, made with seafood, green onions and various ingredients depending on how the chef usually makes it. 

This is an actual pancake that was photographed from the same restaurant, I found this picture on Yelp.com. How convenient it is to share pictures online with complete strangers to tell them of how the food looks. 

Let me know if you are willing to meet with me to have some Korean noms, I'm more than willing to share with you my Korean secrets.... 

Here's one: I have none. 

~Annyonghi~

First timer

My blog supporter, Gregory, has finally had his palate exposed to Korean Cuisine. He drove from Tallahassee in North Florida to Tampa, which is about a 5 hour drive. Let me introduce ourselves,

On the left is me, Harmonity (aka Dorothy) and on the right is Gregory.

We went to a local restaurant in Tampa called Sa Ri One, which is it's popular's name, and I invited my other two friends to come along. I had my usual 순두부찌개, and my two friends had the 돌솥 비빔밥. Gregory, however having no idea what he wanted, I suggested something that I never had myself, but had all the small experiences Korean Cuisine could offer. 뚝배기 불고기, which is beef broth with 불고기 and noodles found in 잡채.

As you can see above, it was a very nice gathering of Korean Dinner.

Here is a video of how wonderful Gregory's soup was from Steve Miller's eyes.

I found this personal blog, but also a professional blog for Korea's Tourist Industry, of a traveling video journalist who visited South Korea. He's the guy in the video above and his blog is located at this website.

Warmth

November is upon us, and we are expecting a cold front this winter. When you think about it, South Korea has a very cold winter. Let's look at how Eat Your Kimchi, a Canadian married couple staying in Korea, try to stay warm.

I thought Martina was quirky in how she explained the different methods of staying warm. At the end, she says another way to stay warm after all of the other clothes, was a Spudgy. Spudgy is their pet that has been with them since May 2008. That's impressive to me for being there for at least 4 years and still rocking their English. I definitely want one of those animal capes... To my dismay I have not been able to find it.

I can find full pajamas, but I think that would be inappropriate in a normal city setting.

More other ways that are not mentioned, are floor heaters and your food. Martina explained that floor heaters don't have the same benefits on them since they are Canadian and they love to cuddle.

The foods are almost never mentioned, but I wanted to give a shout out to all the stews and soups that we have tasted and found delicious that keeps us warm inside.

Dinner time!

순두부찌개, my favorite soup.

There are many different variations, which some include seafood or pork instead of beef. I prefer the one with beef, which I honestly prefer without the beef itself. The blogs I've been following, Beyond Kimchee, Nosh on me, and Korean American Mommy, have different variations of 순두부찌개. Below is Nosh on me's picture of her soup from her local Korean restaurant with seafood.

For those curious, it usually comes with Oysters, Clams and any kind of fish they put it with. Usually white fish. Beyond Kimchee has a recipe on this, but she has Clams and Beef. Interesting combination and she made it herself, which doesn't matter how it should be made since you can really customize it.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. This soup usually comes with a raw egg on top because the soup is boiling as it gets to your table at any Korean restaurant, which cooks it while you wait for it to cool down. 

Korean American Mommy has such a great flow in her blog about the making of the soup, it made me hungry after I just ate dinner. She showed pictures of her using beef, boiling the water to make beef stock, the addition of other ingredients, and the final product.

Kudos, K.A.M.