Now we will work for our red belts...
-Us
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Shooty!
Well, we missed getting our hapkido award by 2 points, but we are proud to announce that our yellow belts have officially retired. No longer Yellow Bellies!
Now we will work for our red belts...
-Us
Now we will work for our red belts...
-Us
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Hapkido Blue Belt Test
We took our blue belt test on Friday. Our Master said that we did so well that we'll receive a certificate! Everything wasn't perfect, but after watching this video and comparing it to our first test, we can really see an improvement in the way we move. Hope you enjoy the video.
We posted an entry a few days ago too, so don't miss it down below!
-Us
We posted an entry a few days ago too, so don't miss it down below!
-Us
Monday, May 11, 2009
Gyeongju, Geoje-do, Oe-do, and Haeinsa (a rather overdue update)
So we've finally realized that we don't need to spend 2 hours writing a blog, making sure every detail is perfect. That belief combined with the fact that we've done something new every weekend left no time to update. Since the beginning of April, we have been busy busy enjoying this great weather. Before we got to Korea, we vowed to go somewhere different every weekend. The first few months made that difficult because the weather was not desirable traveling weather. But since the first day of Spring, we have stuck to our vow, traveling somewhere different every weekend!
A few of the highlights are two trips to Gyeongju (the capital of the Korean peninsula during the Silla Dynasty), a tour to Geoje-do and Oe-do (two scenic islands in the South Sea), and yet another Buddhist temple, Haeinsa.
We'll start with our first trip to Gyeongju. It was the beginning of Spring, and the Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom. Here we are celebrating this happening at the Cherry Blossom Festival.
On our second trip to Gyeongju, we went to a famous temple here in Korea, Bulguksa.
This structure houses an 8ft. bell at the entrance to the Seokguram (a Buddhist grotto in the mountains).
A few weekends ago, we went on a tour of a couple islands in the South Sea of Korea. It was strictly sight-seeing, and the sights were beautiful. The next 4 shots are of this tour.
After hiking all around this beautiful island, you can sit down on the rocky coast and enjoy some fresh sushi snacks!
This island (Oe-do) is privately owned by a couple who bought it about 30 years ago and have spent those years transforming it into this magnificent garden. It felt as though we were walking in a Dr. Suess book.
Here we are with our friend who stopped us on the path to offer us some soju (korean rice wine). He also gave us his business card and told us to come visit him! Perhaps we will....
Last weekend, we made a trip to another temple complex, Haeinsa. Here, we were able to help paint the intricate designs on one of the shrines.
Not really. But we were able to watch the artists at work. They are truly talented.
Here is a photo of one of the Buddha statues in one of the shrines. You are not supposed to take close up pictures of these statues, so since this was taken at a distance, it doesn't do it justice. Actually, even the best photo would not be able to reinvent the true feeling of seeing it. Use the person's noggin' at the bottom of the photo as a size reference.
And here we are at the top of Gaya Mountain. It was a long and tiresome trek, but man was it worth it!
And that's our past few weeks in a nutshell. Sorry for the delay, but as you can see, there is much to be done in this small country, and it keeps us busy.
-Us
A few of the highlights are two trips to Gyeongju (the capital of the Korean peninsula during the Silla Dynasty), a tour to Geoje-do and Oe-do (two scenic islands in the South Sea), and yet another Buddhist temple, Haeinsa.
We'll start with our first trip to Gyeongju. It was the beginning of Spring, and the Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom. Here we are celebrating this happening at the Cherry Blossom Festival.
On our second trip to Gyeongju, we went to a famous temple here in Korea, Bulguksa.
This structure houses an 8ft. bell at the entrance to the Seokguram (a Buddhist grotto in the mountains).
A few weekends ago, we went on a tour of a couple islands in the South Sea of Korea. It was strictly sight-seeing, and the sights were beautiful. The next 4 shots are of this tour.
After hiking all around this beautiful island, you can sit down on the rocky coast and enjoy some fresh sushi snacks!
This island (Oe-do) is privately owned by a couple who bought it about 30 years ago and have spent those years transforming it into this magnificent garden. It felt as though we were walking in a Dr. Suess book.
Here we are with our friend who stopped us on the path to offer us some soju (korean rice wine). He also gave us his business card and told us to come visit him! Perhaps we will....
Last weekend, we made a trip to another temple complex, Haeinsa. Here, we were able to help paint the intricate designs on one of the shrines.
Not really. But we were able to watch the artists at work. They are truly talented.
Here is a photo of one of the Buddha statues in one of the shrines. You are not supposed to take close up pictures of these statues, so since this was taken at a distance, it doesn't do it justice. Actually, even the best photo would not be able to reinvent the true feeling of seeing it. Use the person's noggin' at the bottom of the photo as a size reference.
And here we are at the top of Gaya Mountain. It was a long and tiresome trek, but man was it worth it!
And that's our past few weeks in a nutshell. Sorry for the delay, but as you can see, there is much to be done in this small country, and it keeps us busy.
-Us
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The Sauna
One night last weekend a few of us from work were on our way out to have a few drinks. We were all dragging a bit because it had been a long day, so we were looking forward to relaxing. We were about half way there when Kim Hye Jeong and Kwon Hye Jung sprung their idea on us: Let's go to a jjimjilbang (luxury sauna)!
I have seen them everywhere, and I know they a regular part of the Korean culture. People of all ages go. I have read about them on the internet and in my LonelyPlanet travel guide. They sound great: relaxing and cheap. There's only one tiny detail that has steered me clear of them since being here: nakedness! Ah! The rules are simple: you pay at the front desk where they hand you a pair of pj looking clothes, go up to either the men or women's locker room, put ALL your belongings in a locker, and shower in a huge public shower room covered with mirrors (no stalls or anything). There are also hot tubs in the shower room that many people lounge in. After your finished showering and hot tubbing, you put your provided clothes on and go up to the sauna which is co-ed. After sitting in the saunas for a while, you do the whole showering thing again.
If you're a man reading this, you may not see any problem in this. Mitch didn't feel nearly as awkward about it as I did. Locker room rituals are much different for men than for women (atleast in the tiny town I grew up in). Sure, we changed clothes in front of each other, but walking around naked, showering, and sitting in a hot tub together naked was not really something that we did in a locker room. I don't know if you can quite imagine the feelings I had upon hearing that little suggestion the Hye Jeongs' sprung on us. On one hand I wanted to fake appendicitis and dash home. On the bigger hand, everyone else was very excited about the idea, and there was no way I was going to be the one to back out. Before I crossed that big sea, many people asked me if I was scared. No! I wasn't scared. I was excited (I still am excited). When someone asked my mom if I was scared about moving so far away from home, she simply said "no". When they asked her why, she simply said "because she's my daughter". It's true. I have her blood, and so I knew that no matter how scattered and spun my feelings were on our walk to the jjimjilbang, I was going to soon be walking around naked with lots of other Korean women.
It happened exactly how I expected, exactly what I read about. There were people of all ages: Small children were running around, and grandmothers were sitting around scrubbing each other's backs. Hye Jeong, Hye Jung, and I took our time in bathing. We even sat in the hot tub for a while. And after we were there, I don't' know if my nerves went numb or if they actually were calmed by all the steam, but I did feel better. As with many things, thinking about it was the hardest part. I didn't even care when I heard a few people talking about me. I'll say it again that there aren't many foreigners here, so we are often a spectical everywhere we go. All in all, the experience was relaxing. I'm not sure that I'll go again on my own will, but Mitch has already mentioned several times that he'd like to go back.
I have seen them everywhere, and I know they a regular part of the Korean culture. People of all ages go. I have read about them on the internet and in my LonelyPlanet travel guide. They sound great: relaxing and cheap. There's only one tiny detail that has steered me clear of them since being here: nakedness! Ah! The rules are simple: you pay at the front desk where they hand you a pair of pj looking clothes, go up to either the men or women's locker room, put ALL your belongings in a locker, and shower in a huge public shower room covered with mirrors (no stalls or anything). There are also hot tubs in the shower room that many people lounge in. After your finished showering and hot tubbing, you put your provided clothes on and go up to the sauna which is co-ed. After sitting in the saunas for a while, you do the whole showering thing again.
If you're a man reading this, you may not see any problem in this. Mitch didn't feel nearly as awkward about it as I did. Locker room rituals are much different for men than for women (atleast in the tiny town I grew up in). Sure, we changed clothes in front of each other, but walking around naked, showering, and sitting in a hot tub together naked was not really something that we did in a locker room. I don't know if you can quite imagine the feelings I had upon hearing that little suggestion the Hye Jeongs' sprung on us. On one hand I wanted to fake appendicitis and dash home. On the bigger hand, everyone else was very excited about the idea, and there was no way I was going to be the one to back out. Before I crossed that big sea, many people asked me if I was scared. No! I wasn't scared. I was excited (I still am excited). When someone asked my mom if I was scared about moving so far away from home, she simply said "no". When they asked her why, she simply said "because she's my daughter". It's true. I have her blood, and so I knew that no matter how scattered and spun my feelings were on our walk to the jjimjilbang, I was going to soon be walking around naked with lots of other Korean women.
It happened exactly how I expected, exactly what I read about. There were people of all ages: Small children were running around, and grandmothers were sitting around scrubbing each other's backs. Hye Jeong, Hye Jung, and I took our time in bathing. We even sat in the hot tub for a while. And after we were there, I don't' know if my nerves went numb or if they actually were calmed by all the steam, but I did feel better. As with many things, thinking about it was the hardest part. I didn't even care when I heard a few people talking about me. I'll say it again that there aren't many foreigners here, so we are often a spectical everywhere we go. All in all, the experience was relaxing. I'm not sure that I'll go again on my own will, but Mitch has already mentioned several times that he'd like to go back.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Our Hapkido Yellow Belly Test
If you were not aware, we started taking Hapkido lessons around 2 months ago. Well, the time came for us to receive our yellow belts. But, not without a test first.
The order of persons from closest to farthest goes me (Mitch), Hyo Jin, Hye Jung, and Cordia. Hyo Jin and Hye Jung have already received their black belts. They just participated in the test for "kicks."
-Us
The order of persons from closest to farthest goes me (Mitch), Hyo Jin, Hye Jung, and Cordia. Hyo Jin and Hye Jung have already received their black belts. They just participated in the test for "kicks."
-Us
Sunday, March 22, 2009
갓바위 (Gatbawi)
We hiked up Palgongsan to the 1000 year old Buddha statue named Gatbawi yesterday. Another moving experience added to the list.
And we posted some pictures of the hike and following festivities on our picasaweb.
Please enjoy!
-Us
Monday, March 2, 2009
갈비
Galbi is one of the many new foods we have enjoyed while being here. It very popular in Korea, and it's actually the first food that we had when we arrived in Daegu (the first pictures we posted on our blog). We thought some of you might like a little taste of our delicious world.
This is a recipe we found on this website. You may have to alter it a little depending on what you can find in the grocery store, but I think you'll be able to find most things. They refer to Kai bi many times...it's the same as Galbi. The Galbi Ssanju Ssam is what we had in the photos: Galbi wrapped in lettuce leaves with rice, garlic, really whatever you think would be good in it. We always grill the garlic with the meat. We haven't experimented with this recipe, so I hope it turns out okay....let us know.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds of either: 1/4 inch flanken cut beef short ribs or 1 inch cross cut beef short ribs, separated and butterflied.
salt
Marinade
1/2 cup natural brewed soy sauce
1 small onion
1 small Nashi (Asian) pear or semi sweet apple
6 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
2 tablespoons brown sugar or 3 tablespoons honey
4 spring/green onion
2 teaspoons pure toasted sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon rice wine
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
water as needed
Additional Ingredients for Galbi Ssanju Ssam
4 bunches red leaf lettuce
“sticky” rice
6 cloves garlic
5 fresh jalapeño peppers
Ssamjang
4 tablespoon of soybean paste (Korean-doenjang/Japanese-Miso)
4 tablespoon medium ground red chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
2 green/spring onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
water
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix Marinade:
Cut onion, pear/apple, and ginger into small pieces and place in blender with garlic and just enough water to blend into a smooth pourable paste. Pour into medium mixing bowl.
Trim root and top 1/8 inch of green onion, rinse in cold water, and finely chop. Add to bowl.
Add all other ingredients. Mix well and let stand for at least fifteen minutes.Note: If marinade is very thick, you can thin it by adding water and soy sauce in a 1 to 1 ratio.
Prepare Meat:
1/4 inch flanken cut: (L. A. Style)Very lightly salt each slice on both sides and let stand for ten minutes.
1 inch crosscut ribs:(Traditional Style)If your meat counter can not butterfly the ribs;Separate the ribs by slicing down the center between ribs.Next, with a small thin knife, slice into the “meaty” side at the center of the rib section, stopping just before cutting through the membrane. Turn your knife 90º (perpendicular or flat to the bone) right and carefully slice the meat at roughly 1/8 inch thickness outward until just short of slicing through, roll the loosened flap of meat away from the knife, and continue slicing until again just short of slicing through.Repeat until you reach the “end” of the meat. Do the same for the left side and repeat this with each rib section.Very lightly salt each section on both sides and let stand for ten minutes.
Place meat into a bowl, pour in enough marinade to just cover the meat and mix well. (Any leftover marinade may be refrigerated for later use)
Cover and place in refrigerator. Let meat stand in marinade for at least one hour.Meat may now be placed in zip lock style bags and frozen for later use. If not freezing at this point, let stand in marinade for 6 to 24 hours.
Cooking:Heat grill on high heat. Grill until well browned on both sides.(about two minutes per side)Serve with steamed white rice and ban chan.
Kai Bi Sangjju Ssam (Kai Bi in loose leaf lettuce rolls)Prepare Kai bi as above.
While marinating:Mix the Ssam jang -Finely chop the garlic and green onion. In a small mixing bowl, add all Ssam jang ingredients and mix well. Add a small amount of water if needed to maintain a mixable paste. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Separate lettuce leaves, rinse, and drain. Gently pat dry and place on a serving plate.Thin slice the garlic and peppers, and place in separate small dishes.
Cook the kai bi as above.Serve with one bowl of rice for each person.
How to Eat -Put one leaf of lettuce in one hand, add a little rice, a piece of kai bi (cut from the bone), some sliced pepper and garlic, a bit of kimchi, and a bit of the Ssam jang. Carefully close your hand, forming the lettuce into a ball around the “stuffing”, and eat the whole roll in one bite. A little practice may be needed to get that “one mouth full” size right.
This is a recipe we found on this website. You may have to alter it a little depending on what you can find in the grocery store, but I think you'll be able to find most things. They refer to Kai bi many times...it's the same as Galbi. The Galbi Ssanju Ssam is what we had in the photos: Galbi wrapped in lettuce leaves with rice, garlic, really whatever you think would be good in it. We always grill the garlic with the meat. We haven't experimented with this recipe, so I hope it turns out okay....let us know.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds of either: 1/4 inch flanken cut beef short ribs or 1 inch cross cut beef short ribs, separated and butterflied.
salt
Marinade
1/2 cup natural brewed soy sauce
1 small onion
1 small Nashi (Asian) pear or semi sweet apple
6 cloves garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
2 tablespoons brown sugar or 3 tablespoons honey
4 spring/green onion
2 teaspoons pure toasted sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon rice wine
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
water as needed
Additional Ingredients for Galbi Ssanju Ssam
4 bunches red leaf lettuce
“sticky” rice
6 cloves garlic
5 fresh jalapeño peppers
Ssamjang
4 tablespoon of soybean paste (Korean-doenjang/Japanese-Miso)
4 tablespoon medium ground red chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
2 green/spring onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
water
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix Marinade:
Cut onion, pear/apple, and ginger into small pieces and place in blender with garlic and just enough water to blend into a smooth pourable paste. Pour into medium mixing bowl.
Trim root and top 1/8 inch of green onion, rinse in cold water, and finely chop. Add to bowl.
Add all other ingredients. Mix well and let stand for at least fifteen minutes.Note: If marinade is very thick, you can thin it by adding water and soy sauce in a 1 to 1 ratio.
Prepare Meat:
1/4 inch flanken cut: (L. A. Style)Very lightly salt each slice on both sides and let stand for ten minutes.
1 inch crosscut ribs:(Traditional Style)If your meat counter can not butterfly the ribs;Separate the ribs by slicing down the center between ribs.Next, with a small thin knife, slice into the “meaty” side at the center of the rib section, stopping just before cutting through the membrane. Turn your knife 90º (perpendicular or flat to the bone) right and carefully slice the meat at roughly 1/8 inch thickness outward until just short of slicing through, roll the loosened flap of meat away from the knife, and continue slicing until again just short of slicing through.Repeat until you reach the “end” of the meat. Do the same for the left side and repeat this with each rib section.Very lightly salt each section on both sides and let stand for ten minutes.
Place meat into a bowl, pour in enough marinade to just cover the meat and mix well. (Any leftover marinade may be refrigerated for later use)
Cover and place in refrigerator. Let meat stand in marinade for at least one hour.Meat may now be placed in zip lock style bags and frozen for later use. If not freezing at this point, let stand in marinade for 6 to 24 hours.
Cooking:Heat grill on high heat. Grill until well browned on both sides.(about two minutes per side)Serve with steamed white rice and ban chan.
Kai Bi Sangjju Ssam (Kai Bi in loose leaf lettuce rolls)Prepare Kai bi as above.
While marinating:Mix the Ssam jang -Finely chop the garlic and green onion. In a small mixing bowl, add all Ssam jang ingredients and mix well. Add a small amount of water if needed to maintain a mixable paste. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Separate lettuce leaves, rinse, and drain. Gently pat dry and place on a serving plate.Thin slice the garlic and peppers, and place in separate small dishes.
Cook the kai bi as above.Serve with one bowl of rice for each person.
How to Eat -Put one leaf of lettuce in one hand, add a little rice, a piece of kai bi (cut from the bone), some sliced pepper and garlic, a bit of kimchi, and a bit of the Ssam jang. Carefully close your hand, forming the lettuce into a ball around the “stuffing”, and eat the whole roll in one bite. A little practice may be needed to get that “one mouth full” size right.
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