Abunance Go's: The Museum

Wherever you live or travel often times you know you find yourself inside a museum. These are a city's place where you can learn and discover more about the local culture or get a sense for contemporary art. Living in Korea there are many museums to choose from and not just in Seoul. Often times you do find yourself at museums that house odd objects. Today's post is to show some bloggers who have ventured into the stone walls of museums around Korea.

1. George Bailey Sees The World: Here we are taken to the "Santorini" museum in Hongdae. It's a museum that mostly has "trompe l’oeil" or trick-eye artworks. Personally I am not a fan of this kind of art, but now and then one does need to have a little fun. Check the post out for some funny photos and a good read.

2. I Got Seoul: It's one of the more infamous museums in Seoul, that is the Chicken Museum. The place houses artworks with the theme of roosters and hens. I suppose if you are a poultry lover or enthusiast this would be the place to be. Seriously though this museum is one of many unique ones to visit in Seoul.

3. A Search for Happiness: Like I mentioned earlier you don't have to always look in Seoul to find a museum. Here you can see that there is one in Busan called, "Busan Museum of Art". Amongst this post are other highlights one could do in Busan, so go take a look!

Even if you have visited most of the museums in Seoul or elsewhere it is wise to go back and take another look. Often times there are special exhibits and temporary ones that spice up the space inside.

Abundance Buzz: Chuseok

Chuseok is here! A time when Korean people celebrate their culture and family heritage. For us expat folk it means several things, for one we get time off from work and another an opportunity to experience this aspect of Korean culture. Today I will take you into Kbloggeres experience of Chuseok in the past. I for one had a memorable time when my ex took me to his family gathering in the mountainside.

1. Plate Full of Onions: For these folks the holiday meant gifts and dressing up. The pictures show how colorful this time of year can be with people wearing hanbok.

2. The Harrington Times: Chuseok means vacation to most of us and with that said you can go and do anything. Also this time of year has a lot of festivals, but people like to gather and go places. This blogger went on a hiking trip, which turned out pretty nice.

3. Wonju Wife: Although no longer in Wonju she does bring us a post from the past about a family experience of Chuseok. She visited her husband's Grandma's house in Cheong Sang a place apparently famous for apples. Take a look at the post for some great photos and a good story.

The air is getting cooler and there might be some rain this Chuseok, but whatever you do enjoy this special time in Korea.

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.