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Korean Eating: Wait… I’m eating mud? Korean Loach Soup Actually
There have been a few times in Korea when I was glad that I wasn’t told what I was eating until after I was done eating it and chuotang (์ถ์ดํ) was one of those times. Usually the issue is just with translations though in my experience. Who wants to hear they’re eating the cow’s third stomach? The translations are just never as appetizing as the dishes that are served. With chueotang however, it isn’t the translation that’s the issue, it’s just the name of the fish. Called mud fish stew or loach fish soup, this Korean soup looks like mud but is so so good and healthy too. If you’re…
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Visit A Temple in Taebaek: Mandeoksa
While I tend to save temple visiting to spring in Korea due to how beautiful they are with the lanterns hung in celebration of Buddha’s birthday, I don’t just pass them by if I have the time and it’s not spring. While we were in Taebaek for the beautiful Taebaek Snow Festival, I spotted a temple nearby. Since we were spending the day in the area, we decided to stop into Mandeoksa (๋ง๋์ฌ). The golden statues at the entrance were beckoning and we couldn’t say no. Wondering what to see in Taebaek? Or want to do more when you head to the area for winter fun? Maybe a temple stop…
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Conversations With Koreans: How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?
Happy Seollal, or Lunar New Year! ์ํด๋ณต ๋ง์ด ๋ฐ์ผ์ธ์. It is the Lunar New Year in Korea and people around the country will be eating tteokguk. If you’ve learned Korean or are learning Korean, this is a great time to learn a little saying that relates to tteokguk. Tteokguk is a rice cake soup that is a must eat this holiday in Korea and it also relates to your age… you’ll see.ย (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking. Thank you for your support.) Whether or not families across the country will be celebrating in the traditional…
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The Taebaek Snow Festival: Snowy Fun In Korea
The Taebaek Snow Festival (ํ๋ฐฑ์ฐ ๋์ถ์ ) is one of the most popular winter festivals in South Korea. The fest features snow and ice sculptures, winter sports, traditional and not so traditional cultural performances and more. Located in the picturesque Taebaek Mountain range, it is where to experience the beauty of winter in Korea. If you’re looking for where to find snow in Korea, the Taebaek Mountains are the ideal destination with abundant snowfall and breathtaking scenery. Have fun this winter in Korea at a snow festival in the Taebaek Mountain range: How To Get There Where To Stay What To Know The Taebaek Snow Festival (This post contains affiliate links,…
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The Korean Karaoke: What To Expect In The Noraebang
A visit to Seoul is not complete without a Korean karaoke experience. Unlike the west where you find karaoke bars and you’ll be singing to a room of strangers, in Korea, karaoke, or noraebang is a much more intimate experience. Step into a private room with your friends, family, or go solo and sing all of your favorite songs. Korean karaoke has been a thing for decades and now it’s becoming a global trend. Find out why. From here on forward, we’ll be using the Korean term for karaoke rooms, noraebang. Learn more: (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you…
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Korean Cooking: A Pickled Ginger Side Dish for the Table
A couple weeks ago I really had a craving for ginger. I love love love ginger, or gari, with sushi and decided I’d make my own pickled ginger side dish for our table. It may not be a normal Korean side dish, but our table has become quite the place for fusion meals. Pasta isn’t complete without some fermented garlic between bites and eggs and hash browns in the morning are pleasantly accompanied by kimchi. I think ginger on the table will be just the thing with fish or chicken or just as a palette cleanser at the end of a meal. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I…
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We’re In The Korea Times Today
Today an article titled “Is dating harder for expat women?” was published in the Korea Times which featured a picture of me and my husband as well as some choice quotes from an over the phone interview I had with the author Kim Young-jin a few months back. The questions centered on why there is much more news about expat men dating Korean women than there is about expat women dating Korean men and how the expat women that have dated Korean men find them. I have to admit that I found the questions awkward because I don’t look at Jae-oo as a Korean man that I’ve married but I…
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It’s Our Cotton Anniversary & Finding A Home In Korea
Today is our second wedding anniversary! Time really flies when you’re having fun. I hadn’t even realized the cotton anniversary was upon us until it was here. Has it really been two years? Yes, it has and this year we’re thankful for not only each other but also moving into a new place where we can cozy up on our couch in our pajamas together to call our home for the foreseeable future. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking. These funds go to maintain the site. Thank you for your support.) Waking up in a place…
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Taejongdae: A Must See in Busan, Korea
Taejongdae Resort Park (ํ์ข ๋), named after the 29th King of the Silla Dynasty, King TaeJong, who enjoyed shooting arrows off the cliffs, is a must see for anyone traveling to Busan, Korea. The southernmost tip of Yeongdo-gu offers beautiful views of the ocean, cliffs, and on clear days people can even spot Daema, or Tsushima, Island of Japan. This is one of the top tourist spots in Busan and it’s worth the trip it takes to get out there. Whether it’s sunny, rainy, spring, summer, winter, or autumn, the views are gorgeous and the walk around the tip of the island, fun and energizing. The varying shades of blue as…
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Korean Cooking: How to make Yukgaejang
Yukgaejang (์ก๊ฐ์ฅ) is a Korean beef and veggie stew that I manage to forget that I like before being reminded that I liked it multiple times a year. It’s a classic dish in any Korean household and after we’d gone out to eat it quite a few times in the past few weeks, I decided to try and make it myself. After having good experiences with Korean side dishes, my confidence was high to try another soup. If you like Korean food with a spicy kick, this is a good soup to learn how to make but also, it’s pretty palatable for people that aren’t so good with spicy food.…
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My Top Ten Adventures of 2013!
2013 was a great year for traveling. Not only did I get to see some fantastic places in Korea, but I also enjoyed quite a few trips abroad. Here are the top 10 places, here and abroad, that I saw in 2013. What a year! 1. Fukuoka, Japan:ย We started off the year with a trip to Fukuoka, Japan in February. It seems as the end of winter nears we always start to get a little cabin fever, not that we live in a cabin, or that we completely hibernate all winter, but we just need to get away. I had been to Fukuoka before, as had my husband, but this…
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The Addresses They Are A Changin’ in Korea
Have you been getting letters in the mail in Korean and you can’t read anything except that you see your address is printed in the center or at the bottom with an arrow to another address? Have you been getting emails from your bank telling you to go online or to your nearest branch and update your address to the new system? You may have gotten an English letter from the immigration office some time back if they have your updated address on file, which they always should. Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t, or maybe you have and you didn’t realize it. The addresses are about to change big…
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Our Christmas Story In Korea
Twas the night before Christmas, and next to the tree the husband and cats were fast asleep awaiting the arrival of he. Who was the “he” that they waited for there? The postman of course, as Santa hasn’t found us since we were in daycare. The tree was done up with ornaments and lights, and the star was on top leaning slightly to the right. The handmade stockings were hung on the TV stand just there, and we were sure the cats would attack them with flare. The postman did not arrive as timely as we’d hoped, and as Christmas morning dawned, we could only cope. Our friends would be…
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Jagalchi Market In Busan: How To Get There & What To Eat!
Jagalchi Fish Market (๋ถ์ฐ์๊ฐ์น์์ฅ) is a must see for anyone headed to Busan on the southern coast of Korea. The fish market is the largest fish market in South Korea and fun to check out even if you won’t be dining but just want to see some amazing seafood delights. Each booth of the market is run by an older woman, who may not seem so kind on the outside, but thatโs just the strong southern demeanor. They seem used to foreigners ogling their fishy goods and snapping pictures without purchasing and just look the other way. Fishy water and maybe some fishy guts cover the small umbrella covered alley…
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Korean Eating: The Different Kinds of Korean Bean Sprout Soup
Bean sprout soup, or kongnamul-guk (์ฝฉ๋๋ฌผ๊ตญ), is one of my favorite dishes in Korea. It’s simple and clean, if that is a good adjective to use with food. It’s fresh and delicious and hits the spot no matter what mood I’m in. And if you’re in Korea you may be in for a surprise every time you order it. Why? Depending where you are and who is making it, the broth can be completely different. In some places, Korean bean sprout soup served with a clear broth, in some places it’s served with a red broth, and in some places it’s served with a cloudy broth and yet on the…
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The War Memorial of Korea: A Must Visit & FREE Museum In Seoul
Where once the Korean Infantry held their headquarters now sits the War Memorial of Korea (์ ์๊ธฐ๋ ๊ด), a museum that is free for the public to appreciate and learn. Not only is this a great stop for the budget minded traveler to Seoul, Korea, but it’s really a must visit for anyone that wants to learn more about the history of the country with specific regards to war. The memorial and museum have a TON of information and it’s an easy stop to make just down the street from the popular Itaewon district of Seoul. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if…
