Abundance Yum!: Sushi in Korea

Although we all love Korean food sometimes we crave something else. Perhaps having something close to Korean but different is a good idea. So how about sushi? For me I prefer the sushi I can have in California like an avocado salmon roll. Out here they do sushi a little bit differently, and I have yet to find a place that satisfies my taste for rolled up rice and seafood. However, other folks have enjoyed this cuisine out here, so let's take a look.

1. Elwood: Sushi and sashimi are basics here and in this post you can get a simple introduction to how it is done in Korea.

2. Lee's Korea Blog: If you do find yourself in a Japanese restaurant in Korea you will notice that it isn't some hole-in-the-wall, but usually are somewhat fancy. Here the family tries out some sushi and other fish dishes at this place near Seoul National University.

3. A Search for Happiness: In my experience with eating fusionized Japanese food it has been at company meals with schools. In this case this blogger experienced just that. How about this seaweed sushi-cone?

4. Ever Evolving Primate: Maybe kimbop is sushi and maybe it is just kimbop! Whatever your opinion on it is this is Korea's version and it's cheap and easily accesible.

5. Seoul Eats: Now I think making sushi would be quite easy, considering the ingredients are really simple. So why not take a class on how to make it? Here is what happened at the O'ngo Food kitchen.

I hope that got you hungry for something slightly different than straight Korean food, and maybe you will go out and support your local Japanese sushi place. Otherwise have a good day!

Abundance Go's: Swimming

It's getting hot out there and that means summer fun is on its way. If your like me then a hot day makes you want to jump into a cool pool of water. However, living in Seoul your options are kind of slim for this. You could use the pool at the Hamilton Hotel or perhaps swim with the kiddos at one of the Han River pools. But for me I would rather take a dive in the ocean or a river. Today I'm going to show you blog posts that feature trips for swimming. I hope it gets you to dust off that swim suit and find a place to go swimming this summer.

1. Kimchi and Cornbread: A good general post about where around Korea you can go swimming, which includes a handy map. Check it out to consider where to go this summer.

2. A Geek in Korea: More of a post about how they got their little one prepared for swimming, but gives you an idea.

3. A Search for Happiness: Here we see a place where people could go swimming in a river stream. I think river swimming in Korea involves getting use to chillier water. In the post you get to hear people coped with that. Otherwise just a beautiful place to relax.

4. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat: When I think of swimming I don't imagine myself diving around the water with sharks. Usually one tries to avoid that situation. But apparently you can go swimming with sharks in Busan. The price of such adventure includes the training and equipment. Plus it just looks like a good time to be had.

5. Korea Connection: For most of us the known place to go swimming in Korea is down in Busan. Here is a nice post about swimming at Gwangalli beach. It is supposedly less crowded than Haundae beach and also there are nice cafes nearby to rest at. Definitely, an easy place to get to and enjoy this summer.

6. The Compost Cook: Another look at the fun to be had in Busan, but this time from a more experiential view. I think you can tell she had a really good time.

As you can see it's not too hard to find yourself at a swimming hole here in Korea. I hope your summer is a soaked one, but not by the rain. ;)

Abundance Buzz: That MBC Video

June has just started and it seems the buzz for this month is that now infamous MBC "documentary" video, about relationships with foreigners (especially Korean women with foreign men). For a refresher here is the video with the English subtitles:

It's clear when watching this video that the production wasn't very sound, and the quick interviews with so called witnesses, is fuzzy at best. The truth is this video is racist towards foreigners, and at the same time shames Korean women for dating or seeking foreign men. In essence, this video is no more than the same propaganda seen before in years past. It is in line with the Anti-English Spectrum way of thinking and all together does not shed a positive attitude towards foreigners in Korea. 

What I think is the positive outcome of this event is the outcry from the foreigner community via Facebook and other venues. In my four years of living in Korea I have seen these sorts of things mostly get discussed on forums, but rarely become an organized public outcry like it is happening now. Yes in the past people have flooded network's websites with comments and managed to bring certain articles down. 

Whatever your opinion might be on this video, I think it is important to recognize that the foreign community does need a voice. Facebook and Twitter are just the start, and we should consider making a formidable group or coalition to be ready for any future events like this.

Today I am going to share with you links and blogs that are taking up this issue and offering their opinion or advice. I hope some of what you see today gives you an idea of the impact this video has on expats living in Korea, and also shows the need to have an organized response. 

1. Facebook Group "Action Against MBC and their, racist, biased "reporting": Already up to 6,000 members and counting, this group sprung up just last week and is already swinging into action. Of course some of the people in the group disagree with each other, but I feel it is important to see that there is one central location where people can discuss this issue. What is most engraving is when long-time expats post their family pictures and say something like, "According to MBC, my immoral and dubious plot has succeeded. For the record - 7 1/2 yrs together, great son and gets better every minute."

2. Roboseyo: I knew a post from him was coming, and you can go check it out. I think what is good to keep in mind is that Rob's perspective and background gives him a good voice to stand on. He reminds us that things aren't as bad as they use to be and also suggests ways to make an appropriate response to this video, which will have an impact on the Korean community. It's a thoughtful post which can help you get a good perspective on this hot topic.

I think the most powerful response to a video like this would be another video. A video that reminds MBC of the impact of spreading hateful messages. A video of long-term expats who speak Korean. Or who have families: multicultural families with kids who are Korean citizens, who attend Korean schools, who speak Korean, who have Korean grandmothers and grandfathers who adore them.

3. Gusts of Popular Feeling: A quick post but can give you and idea of how this relates to events in the past.

4. Scroozle's Sanctuary: I have never seen this blog before, but they offer up their own thoughts and gave us a translated version of the video.

This type of BS is exceedingly hurtful. It creates an air of distrust between foreigners and Koreans. It attempts to shame Korean women into staying away from foreign men. It damages Korea’s international image.

5. Groove Magazine: Some responses are more on the creative scale. Martyn Thompson seems to have been the first to suggest it but Groove Magazine is picking up the idea too. That is to make a collage of pictures expats and Koreans who have relationships together. Family portraits...etc. This is part of the response from married couples that they feel they have been targeted as "evil." Certainly a very good idea and I hope the outcome is seen by all. 

6. Busan HAPS: Another magazine picking up the news, but they contacted MBC and were told that the video was outsourced. Still people believe that MBC is solely responsible. 

7. MBC Feedback Board: And if you want to get a direct response to MBC for posting this video you can go do it at this link. 

Most importantly I think people should keep in mind that this video does not directly represent the way all Korean people think. And if you were to talk to your Korean friends or colleagues you would find them just as shocked as you are. 

In the meantime, I hope you have a response to this video and the issues at hand and are taking some time to write a response somewhere or consider some type of action. Otherwise, this is definitely going to be a hot topic for some time. 

Abundance Yum!: Pasta in Korea

You know you love Korean food, but now and then you still want to have something non-Korean. You have options in this matter, but the most easy one is finding a pasta / pizza place. These days you can get great options at various places, or lousy ones and wonder what's wrong with the universe. Let's see what folks have enjoyed in the past, and see for ourselves what's good or not.

1. Eleonora's Life in Korea: The reason behind the way pasta tastes in Korea can be said due to how the cuisine passed over. In this post she exams how some Western and Asian dishes transformed themselves as they made it into Korea.

2. Seoul Eats: It's possible to find the more fancy end of the pasta dish in Seoul. Here we are taken to the Tasting Room and shown a selection of yummy Italian fusion dishes.

3. Zen Kimchi: Perhaps heading out for pasta is not your thing, and you would rather make it at home. When you go to the supermarket you have choices of pre-made sauce you could buy. Here he found an odd Bulgolgi sauce and gave it a try.

It's fun trying new foods in Korea and can be even more exciting to try old favorites and have them taste fresh and new. What good Italian flavored places do you know to go to in Seoul?

Abundance Found: Nine

Spring is popping it's beautiful head out so why not take another spin around the Kblogosphere? Let's see what we come up with this time...

1. Cute in Korea: A blog dedicated to the cute side of Korea, but often has so much more. Here she shows us the La Petit Prince display at Lotte Mall. More often than you would like, you run into these often cute and sometimes bizarre displays around the shopping centers in Korea.

2. Grrrl Traveler: This post comes on the very adult side of life. It is about Korean love hotels and Korean porn. So if you've got a hankering to know what this is all about then check it out. Certainly, you might just discover things aren't always what they seem.

4. Daughter of Korea: Now for something a bit lighter...a post about her favorite things..this being reststops in Korea. I for one do enjoy these places as they have their own sense of culture sometimes.

5. Bathhouse Ballads: A fun post about cell phone use in Korea by both Koreans and foreigners. Certainly fun to peruse and check mark where you are guilty in your love of your hand phone.

Another fun round of Abundance Found complete and this time, I think we went all over. Till next time...

Abundance Thinks: Foreigners in Korean Media

There comes a point, living in Korea, when you are watching the Korean TV and see a foreign person mixed in on a regular TV program. The next thing you know they are spouting out nearly perfect Korean and you don't have a clue what they are saying. You can only hope they aren't making fools of themselves and indirectly making foreigners look like dum-dums. A lot of words have been exchanged throughout time on the Kblogosphere about foreigners in Korean media. Sometimes the imagery is good and other times it is scripted. The big issue seems to be most networks want to just book "beautiful blondes", which for some is misleading the audience. Let's take a look at several bloggers who commented about this article of interest in Korea, and also some sites that touch on the imagery.

1. Roboseyo: A nice long article about how both sides tend to portray each other in certain aspects. He makes the notion that, "Living overseas, we sometimes make the mistake of comparing Korean popular media with the very best our home cultures produce -- after all, THAT'S what we consume while we're overseas. It's hardly a fair comparison: we've got to compare SNSD with Miley Ray Cyrus, not with freaking Radiohead, and we've got to compare Misuda with Maury, not with 60 Minutes or even Oprah, or we're missing the point."


Check the post to understand more. 

2. Drama Beans: Here we get a bigger sense of how and what the foreigner make up looks like on Korean TV (for 2009). You can see that it is mixed up, but still shows foreigners as more eye candy than essence on the programs. "The problem is, the television roles for foreigners still don’t mix in freely, and the perspective on directing foreign actors is still as the “other.” We’re still at the level where the casting of a foreign actor stimulates curiosity with viewers."

3. Global Voices Online: Then there is the case of the show "Misuda" that has a set of foreign women, dressed up nicely who chat with Korean men. From what I recall around the grape vine, it is all scripted. I for one distaste this show as I am instinctively jealous of the ladies and also how they put them on a pedestal. Here in this post you can see the issues at hand. "f the purpose is to provide chances to reflect on Korean society and culture and to learn about other cultures, how about middle aged foreign women and grandfather? How about foreign kids?"

4. Zen Kimchi: But then you get hope that wholesome involvement of foreigners in Korean media is possible. Especially when Joe from Zen Kimchi and his pals are portrayed on TV. Also Joe has worked hard with Arirang to do several series. 

I for one have this advice, be careful answering video surveys on the street. You never how they can twist your words around. Anyways, if you have any thoughts on foreigners in Korean media than go ahead. 

Abundance Go's: Snow Resorts

Even though I tell people I don't like winter, they usually end up saying how much they love going to ski resorts in Korea. I'm not much of a winter sports person (or summer sports), but I'll take their word for it. However, I have heard that these places get really crowded. Anyways, here for you are some people who have been or can talk about winter in a good way.

1. Eleanora's Life in Korea: Last year she wrote about the best time to go skiing in Korea and where to get tickets in case you don't have your own transportation.

2. Kiwi Wonju Blogger: Here he takes us to the Pheonix Ski Park, which by the sound of must be good. Pictures and details await you.

3. KoreaJjang!: Generally have no clue what ski resort to go to? Well this post (although old) can sum up the popular ones to help you out.

4. Halfie in Seoul: Maybe you just find yourself not sure which hat is proper to wear. Keeping the head warm is essential to staying toasty in the winter time. Here is a fun post about hats to wear.

I for one find myself stuffed inside my house doing work at home. It keeps me warm but also away from all these winter wonders. Hopefully I can get out to something special this season, and you too!

Abundance Aid: Ondol Time

One of the first things you learn when moving to Korea is how to heat your house during the winter. For practically everyone this means using the ondol system built into your floor. Somewhere along your wall is a switch that controls the temperature and timing. But not all houses are alike and the same goes with the ondol system. Having lived in 4 different places already, I can tell you I have had 4 different kinds of ondol switches to deal with. Thankfully they all did the same thing, which is heat up your floor. Today I will take you to people's amusement with the ondol and how it has kept their life cozy during Korea's cold season.

1. Bathhouse Ballads: In this amusing post you get to hear how the Korean heating system can often lead your body to getting dried out. Tips are given on how to keep your home from turning into a dry place. Take a look at the post to find out more.

2. Grrl Traveler: Not a blogger linked on this site but I thought it would be useful for those who want to know how to heat themselves in other ways. Like those hand warmer things.

3. On Becoming a Good Korean (Feminist) Wife: This is a great post because it features her pets enjoying the benefits of the ondol. I bet it is paradise for them.

As great as the ondol is, one of the unfortunate aspects is how much your utility bill shoots up. In that case you have to be sometimes selective about your use of the thing, which could leave you freezing one night and burning up the next.

Culture Cookies: Korean Weddings

I remember during my first year in Korea I was asked by family back home what Korean Weddings were like. Eventually I went to a few and found them to be less what people thought they would be like. They were still full of rituals, but they seemed to be like just another day in a Korean's life. Korean weddings, for the most part, take place in "wedding halls" where everyone who knows the bride and groom comes. But people mostly seem to come for one thing, the after-ceremony buffet. During the ceremony people talk and walk around like it is no big deal. Although these sights can be alarming to see, it seems Koreans are fine with it. Because of this I have accepted what it is like for Koreans to marry here.

But let's see what other folks think about Korean weddings in their posts as part of my new series, "Culture Cookies." In this series I hope to present how Kbloggers have come to terms with culture shock and other general cultural awareness.

1. Xweing away in Korea: In this post you can see what the actual rituals are during the wedding ceremony are like. But also you can get a feel for how weddings in Korea are definitely different amongst other Asian countries.

2. I Got Seoul: Another really insightful post about the experience where she says, "There was so much missing, it appeared that while marriage is highly regarded, and highly pressured in this country, the actual act of getting married means very little." That certainly explains why the wedding ceremony seems like just another day in the life.

3. Buhay sa Korea: Although this post is about gift-giving in Korea it points to what kinds of gift one should expect to give at weddings. What does it turn out to be? Go and find out.

4. Roboseyo: This post wouldn't be complete without a more thorough look at the whole thing amongst Korean society. He proposes, "And here's the next big kicker: if we accept that, as I said before, nobody owns a culture, then we might need to take a different approach to the wedding hall wedding in Korea." A very insightful post on many topics that you should consider.

 The most interesting thing really, is when Koreans and Non-Koreans marry in Korea. Rob's wedding was very beautiful and less tacky than traditional ones held here. Some folks even manage to have true traditional weddings wearing hanbok and doing it at a palace. Whatever the place or time, marriage is an important step in a person's life no matter what the ceremony is like.

Abundance Thinks: Eating Dogs

It's a topic that will inevitably come up if you are planning to come to Korea or already here. That is the topic of the Korean cuisine known as boshintang (보신탕) a soup that includes dog meat. I for one have never tried this food and still can't as I just don't see myself eating dog meat. But there are other foreigners in Korea who have tried it out and lived to tell the tale. Included in today's "Abundance Thinks" are those experiences along with posters who have spent some time talking on the humane side of the subject. I hope these posts clear some questions you might have about this kind of food in Korea.

1. In My Time...: An old traveler to Korea, but had a boshintang experience. Here she gets a "pot of dog" and goes at it. Certainly she knew about the controversy but wanted to try it anyways. To hear about the taste and experience check out the post.

2. Hangook Summer: Here we take another person's experience, but this time he just watched his friend eat it.

3. Roboseyo: Now let's get into the issue of raising and slaughtering dogs for meat. Rob highlights for us the animal and cultural rights that this cuisine has created. He articulately gives us an understanding from many view points and also gets you thinking about whether it is right of us to come in and try to change this aspect of Korean culture. Check out the post for a good read.

4. Karori to Korea: Generally speaking there have been times I have wondered if Korea even has an animal rights group. I've seen animals on TV programs abused and handled in awful ways. Well on this post we see that people do care and even take their angst to the streets.

The topic of eating dog meat might come up someday with your Korean counterparts at work. It might be a good idea to get an understanding of the issue from all sides before leashing out some opinions. Remember not all Korean people eat dog meat and some even don't want to. In that case, don't assume all people in Korea eat it or support the practice. I hope these posts give you insight into the taste and political aspects surrounding this kind of food.

Abundance Found: Fivvee

It's another go around the Korean blogosphere. What crazy and wacky stuff will we find this time on Abundance Found? Let's see...

1. Plate Full of Onions: 

In this post they talk about this recent siting on a bus, that is questionably offensive. Certainly the imagery is eye catching but the after thought is a bit disturbing. Will Korean people equate this person with all westerners? Is that something really to worry about?

2. Tigers and Magpies:

 I got to this post by clicking on the category "bird watching" on their blog. Certainly, you might be surprised to know that you can do some kind of animal watching in this country that is rolled over with cement. These guys write well on traveling and also just the nuances in Korea, like the wildlife. Check out the post for more details and lovely pictures.

3. SoKo:

STREET GOLD~!

Since this blogger only posted a picture and no words I am just giving you a hint of what you will see when you click on the blog's name. Hint: It's very shiny.

4. Konglish Kids:

It's a part of life here, that is seeing in the distance the glowing neon of love hotels. My first place I lived at was very close to these and I enjoyed watching in the morning couples leaving and going their separate ways. Check the post for a fun opinion on the site of such "motels".

Another Abundance Found comes to a wrap...I wonder what we will discover next time?

Abundance Thinks: Rules for Expat Life in Korea

As we all know the internet is a place to start fires and get caught up in them. The world of the K-blogosphere is no different and perhaps, at times, thrives on drama. Recently, word got out about a CNNgo article that claimed 12 rules for expat life in Korea. Summing up our survival in terms that were generic and often a bit unsavory.

In my opinion, how one survives in Korea is based upon their own personal experience and you don't necessarily have to survive like the other expats next door. Plus, I feel we all come here for different reasons and therefore end up surviving in different ways. But if you were going to boil it down to just 12 general rules that people can live by, were the ones recommended by CNNgo valid? 

Let's take a look at several key bloggers out here in Korea-land who made their own conclusions and "rules" to this little fire on the net.

1. Kiss My Kimchi: First he put some reasoning into Kyle Burton's rules and then came up with his own. I'll just give you a few of them and then you can go and check out the site for more.

• "Be as gay as you want to be."
• "Shut Up, Smile and Say Thank you"

2. Roboseyo: Often poignant and on the spot, Rob gives us his own 12 and some good pointers on why generalizing this kind of subject is a bad idea. Here for you are just a few of his rules, so check out his post for more.

• "Pick an aspect of the culture, and dig in."
• "Get out of the city, and off the beaten track." (A popular one)

3. DavidSWills:A blogger I have not heard of before but definitely will start checking in on. He wasn't too sure on whether the article had truth to it or not, and his objective was to examine the 12 points made in the original article. He gives some good feedback and it is worth reading.

4. Paul Ajosshi: By far the shortest and the sweetest response to this whole thing...

• "Don't be a wanker.

5. International Cat Lady: I am happy to say I found a woman blogger who commented on this topic. She mostly just remarked on the existing rules but had this to say:

My tip for expats? Use common sense. Don't do anything in Korea (or any other country for that matter) that you wouldn't do in your home country. Being overseas doesn't license you to behave like a jackass.

This makes sense no matter where you are, home or abroad to think about how your social interactions affect the world around you. Definitely, the thought that we are micro-diplomats from our countries and are representing the "foreign world" when we are in public is something to ponder. You can drink all you want here and take in the great facial creams, but do it all with some sort of grace and consciousness...ok?!

;)

Abundance Thinks: Public Drunkenness

There is a section of this blog titled, "News and Views." There you can find a list of bloggers who write about the more political and social aspects of life in Korea. Sometimes, when I follow these stories too much I find myself feeling down in the dumps about Korean life. But, in the end, I still get some perspective on the issues at hand.

Recently, there was buzz about the scandalous site BlackOutKorea being discovered by Koreans. BlackOutKorea is a site (now open only to those invited) where some folks posted pictures of drunken passed-out Koreans. I recall seeing this site last year and at first was amused, but quickly found myself disgusted. Not at the site of drunken Koreans but seeing foreigners posing with them and at times even touching the innocent people.

Roboseyo wrote a great evaluation of what went wrong with the site and the troubles of what happens when Korean folks discovered it. You can read it over at his site and specifically at this post. There were a few other sites that picked up on this story and gave their thoughts. Here they are:

• My Kafkaesque Life: Truly a really in depth look at all sides on this issue.
• Scribblings of the Metropolitician: Whenever you read his blog you can be for sure that you will leave with a sense of rage and urgency to take action. Here he certainly doesn't hold back his thoughts on such matters.
• JakeinKorea: Although I have never read this blog before, it seems in this post he is willing to make a book out of the subject matter from BlackOutKorea. As this would be entertaining I think it is particularly insensitive to the major issues here. However, I think it was just for laughs. Check the post out for yourself. 

As you can see some folks take the social aspects and talk about it seriously while others use it as a way to reinforce their personal opinions of the country.


In the end, it is up to readers to interpret this material in their own way. However, I definitely feel that it all depends on what side of the Kblogoshphere you are reading mostly. With an issue like this one and many others, I suggest getting the full spectrum.