Korean living daily tip #2

Disclaimer: all opinions expressed are my own and based entirely on my personal experience. Things may change depending on situations and just because it happens one way one place doesnt mean it will always be that way. Please keep this in mind when reading and/or commenting.

Now on to tip #2. There is no right of way for people who are walking. This is seen most in subway stations and on sidewalks. While the general "rule" is to stay to the right, hardly anyone follows the rule. There are arrows suggesting it and videos urging it (for people to stay right) but 95% of the time people ignore it and go where they want. This is most stressful and annoying when trying to go up or down stairs. A full wave of people will be coming down, stretched from one side to the other, and you will have to bob and weave to make your way up. That is if you can manage to even make space. Now, most people I know just push on through. This is generally how the Koreans do it too, this observation based on being someone they have repeatedly pushed past. Yet, I am a bit too timid, so I usually just have to be the bob-and-weaver or wait for the flow of people to lessen.

Also, and I am sorry this post ended up being more of a rant, watch out for people who will literally cross the length of space just to walk where you are. For instance, you are walking on the right and another person is on the walking toward you but on the left. There is a I chance that person on the left will cross the way and walk directly toward you expecting you to move. It becomes a game of chicken, and I always lose because I cave and move to let the person pass. Perhaps it is complete coincidence, but it happens too often for me to believe it.

Anyway, enough complaining from me today. It is not always bad, but it is something to keep in mind when you are in busier cities.

Korean living daily tip #1

I plan on trying to post short, often quirky, little tips now and again as I roam through various parts of Korea (mostly Seoul but hopefully other places too) since I never really manage to get longer more detailed posts finished. These will be tips (or info) that may help you know what to expect in daily life in Korea. These are from my viewpoint as living in Seoul, so they may not apply to everyone or every place. So on to my first one:

Sneaky escalators! Here, unlike in some other places I have been (mainly North America), the escalator may appear to be broken when infact it is really just sleeping. Way to go conserving energy, Korea. Seriously, if people arent using it, they often stop, but will usually start back up as you walk up to it. I am sure this happens in other countries too, but it was something I had never personally seen before. I would walk up saying, "awww that sucks," then it would start up as I got closer. It seems that a broken escalator will usually have a sign blocking it completely, so dont be too disappointed at first glance if you see a still escalator. It likely is just waiting for you to get closer before it starts.

Adventures in Korean Cooking plus more language learning.

So I wanted to post my pictures of my wonderful adventures in cooking ddeokbokki (떡볶이). This was an adventure indeed, but it still came out pretty good - in my opinion. Let's start with the set-up:

So I had the ddeokbokki, gochujang paste and powder, fish cakes (that had onion and carrots in it), green onions, carrots, mushrooms (just because I love mushrooms), salt, pepper, soy sauce, and some sugar. It was all cooked in a shallow pot/pan using instructions from Simon and Martina's cooking demonstration of the same meal. And the final result was:

Overall it was a success though there are some changes I might make next time. First, I think I cooked the sauce down too much, so as you see it wasn't very saucy. I also think it could have cooked a little longer because some of the ddeokbokki wasn't quite done. I would also most likely make less of the fish cakes or slice them up smaller. The taste was pretty good. I haven't ever had it by actual Korean cooks though, so I could have been way off without even knowing it. It wasn't too spicy but I put a heaping spoonful and a half of the paste, so I don't think I would put any more than that. I did learn that substituting almond milk instead of regular milk (to reduce the spicy burn) is a TERRIBLE idea, not to mention completely pointless since apparently it's the lactic acid in milk that gets rid of the burn.... almond milk is lactose-free. >.> Yeah, you live and you learn.

Up next on the cooking schedule is either going to be kimchi stew or kimchi fried rice. Either way, I have to cook that when everyone else is asleep so they won't complain about the smell of the kimchi. As it is, I can't eat it in a small portion when people are around. I can only imagine how it'll be when making a meal where it is a huge portion of the meal itself.

Ah yes, and to the second part of this post - Korean Language Learning!

Below is a white board I have that I put a different word, verb, and phrase up in Korean every day - or every other day if I don't feel I have mastered those completely. 

This idea is thanks to MrJaeGun on youtube, who has been so kind to post up various videos of his lessons as he teaches in S. Korea (among other interesting and informational videos). I don't want to stick the board to the wall, so it is precariously standing with the aid of a full coke can and a bottle of powerade - flanked by a squad of Hello Kitty stuffed dolls and my XBOX 360, but it's in good view of my desk and seems to be helping me a great deal. Along with my other study aids and class videos, it brings be one step closer to my goal each day. 

Yep, that's it. Later!

HMart and Korean Food

So, I have been really super busy, but I have made time to stop at the HMart in Houston and pick up some things. First, let me say that that is the most awesome grocery store ever. I mean... really EVER. They have a cool section in the front like a mini-mall. I picked up some really nice headbands there. The one on the right, I wore to a wedding. It was a nice accessory and added some nice sparkle to the dress.

  

I also had a nice dinner in their food court, which has really good Korean food despite it being "food court" style. I had bibimbap and it was delicious! It came in a hot stone bowl, and came with soup and kimchi. So far, I've had it twice there. It is absolutely repeat visit kind of good.

Anywho, while I was there (I've been twice so far so this covers all of those visits) I picked up a few things to try. Check 'em out:

Okay, these chestnuts were just terrible. Perhaps they were bad, or perhaps it's something you either have to get used to or have to grow up with to like. Either way... they were bad. They tasted more like vienna sausages - which doesn't really fit in with the sweet part of the description on the bag. Don't worry all you Chestnut fans - I haven't given up on them forever. I will try them again when I can get some fresh roasted ones... some that don't come in a foil pouch. I will see if I like them better then. I hope so, because I was rather looking forward to liking them.

Oh, lovely lovely kimchi. This stuff is really tasty. From what I have heard, it isn't quite as spicy as it could be, but I am okay with that. I can add more spice if I want. I got some gochujang and red pepper powder, so there is plenty of spice to be had. Let me also say, I haven't had any kimchi that I didn't like. I did, however, find some in my local (non-Korean) market today and it sort of scared me. It looked really really bland, was full of water in the glass jar it came in, and had no color. It didn't look good at all. I thought about buying it just to try it, but decided to stick with what I already knew was good.

This wasn't something surprising, but I like Pepero. I already knew I liked Pocky, so this one was pretty much a given. I really wanted to get the one that was all fancy and had almonds or peanuts or some kind of nuts crushed into the chocolate but it came in a box the size of my head, so I passed on that this time. My birthday is coming up though, so I might buy it then. :p

And lastly I have some rice cakes. These were Strawberry and Blueberry flavored bean paste filled. Really it might sound weird if you don't already know what it is, but these things were DELICIOUS. It was just really too bad that one little thing was something like 400 calories. I ate 4 of them on my 6 hour drive from Houston to New Orleans, realized how many calories each had, and decided to ration out the rest. Additionally, I should note that these aren't Korean. They are actually wrapped up in a pink and purple Japanese package. That didn't matter. They were good, so I will have them again. There were a lot of other little rice cakes, some of them looked like regular flour cakes too, but most of them looked too messy to be eating while driving so I passed on them. I might get them another time or the next time I have an extended stay there in Houston.

Well, that's part of my haul I guess. I did get some other things that aren't included like ddeokbokki, the before mentioned gochujang paste and powder, and some fish cakes, but I will talk about those things later when I discuss making ddeokbokki for the first time in a later post. I also will weigh in on a kimchi stew meal I plan to make later in the week - but my family doesn't like the smell of kimchi so I sort of have to sneak it in when they are asleep or something. Bummer.

Yup, that's it for now. Let me know what you like to buy at the market and what you like to cook. If you have any cool recipes, let me know. I would like to learn to make more things. 

A most awesome discovery... KWOW!

Okay, first... yes I know I am mostly talking to myself here lol errr... O.o;;
That's okay though. I have NEVER been able to keep up a blog and I am doing pretty good so far, so I am just going to keep at it until someone notices and reads along too  =^_^=

With that said, I found something so amazing today in the world of Korean Language learning.

-drum roll please-

http://sweetandtastytv.com/

Tada!

I actually stumbled upon a video on youtube, and that's what started it all:

http://www.youtube.com/user/sweetandtasty

It's funny, fun, and still informative.
There's some "Learn Korean" which is pretty straight learning. They start with teaching the Korean alphabet and there's also the numbers. Then comes Kwow! This is "Korean word of the day" but it's so much more than a simple word then the end. It is: emotions, fruits, colors, holidays, days of the week, snacks, animals, body parts, and the list goes on and on. These are a great vocabulary supplement while also giving a good deal of information on Korean culture. The different characters are also really cool.

If you are learning Korean, are interested in Korean, or just like seeing creative and funny videos - then check them out:

Learning the language~

I am working on learning Korean, as I previously mentioned. As part of that, I've started making some videos (well... not quite vlogs) of the Practice your Korean segments from talktomeinkorean.com. So, let's start this off with my first video, for Level 1 lessons 1 & 2:

Who wants to go to Korea? I do!!

Yeah, so I originally wanted to do some youtube vlogs but that's not working as planned, so I will start with a blog. Oh yeah! So, what's the point? Here's the low-down.

I want to go to South Korea to teach English. If worse comes to worse, I will just visit, but I'd like to have something actively productive to do, plus I think being a teacher will help me obtain friends a lot easier than if I just go for a few months here and there without having any social connections. That point aside, I do still have to finish school first. *sad face* I am classified as a senior, but I have about a year left to complete my degree. So, the plan is to hop on the EPIK train and try for fall 2013. Hopefully I can make it in before all of the schools decide to follow Seoul's ways and drop the native English teachers.

What am I doing now? Well, for now I am doing a few things:
First, I am researching Korean culture, and starting to learn the language. I am using the supremely helpful talktomeinkorean.com for the language part, plus Rosetta Stone as well. I love Rosetta Stone, but I find TTMiK to be a lot more practical, especially since I can listen to the lessons in my car... something I can't do with Rosetta Stone. I have watched a multitude of videos from past and current English teachers in Korea, to get an idea of what I can look forward to, plus I've also been reviewing cultural and food videos, blogs, websites, etc for more Korea specific information.

Second, I have a recruiter lined up to help me search for a school once I am ready. We aren't on a daily active connection basis since it'll be a while still before I officially need their help, but it's nice to have someone to answer questions about the process when needed. I've started getting some of my paperwork requirements organized so I am ready (like lining up references and making sure I know what I need and when), though it'll still be a while before I need these things.

Third, and perhaps the most obvious, I am completing the required education portion and I will be working on certification... probably over the summer.

Lastly, I've been enjoying kpop and kdramas, perhaps more than is normal... I sort of include this in the first point, but make it separate since it's mostly for entertainment lol

There's probably still more I need to do, but I think I am making good headway to prepare myself. *nods*

That's going to be it for my first post here. Next time I will post about my first Korean food experience, and I may also include here some stuff as I am learning the Korean language. Overall, I will just post things as I think of them, chronicling my year and a half before heading off to Korea... and then some!

If you live, lived, or plan to live in Korea (or even if it was just for a visit), let me know. If you have a blog, vlog, or website about your adventures, post the link so I can check it out!