Happy Chuseok!
Image by freepik
I’ll celebrate the Korean thanksgiving tomorrow by going to H-Mart and buying sikhye (sweet rice punch with rice bits), songpyeon (dainty rice cake shaped like a half moon), japchae (glass noodles), and galbijjim (beef short ribs).
Hope you can celebrate Chuseok too, even in a small way, wherever you are.
Happy Chuseok to all who celebrate it! We might have ramyeon either at home or out. 🙂
Happy Chuseok to all those who celebrate it!
Let’s be grateful for what the Earth gives us!
Happy Chuseok!!!
I’ve been searching for authentic Korean Kimchi but no luck. Costco usually have it but no stock at all.
Hubby doesn’t want the Australian made one. 😂
Dear @agdr03. Perhaps it is a good project for him to make kimchi himself.
Happy Chuseok! Thanks, @packmule3. I wish there was something like your H Mart around here. Galbi and the rest sound pretty tempting. I think I’ll have to go with ramyeon – the nearly universal option.
This is a big tangent, but I was wondering if any of the BoD posters who live in northern areas have seen the Northern Lights over the last week or so. I can’t because we are on the south side of higher altitudes, but those on the north coast of our county and even in Cornwall have had quite a show. What an amazing world we live in…
Happy Chuseok to all who celebrate it. The full moon looked amazingly huge when it rose tonight. Harvest moon, indeed!
@Fern, I wish I could see the aurora, but I live too far south to see the aurora borealis, and too far north to see the aurora australis. Maybe I’ll get lucky during one of my visits to Seattle.
@Welmaris,
I forgot to look outside my window for the full moon! Thanks for reminding me to look up tonight.
What are you eating for dinner today?
@Fern, I think even if hubby tried to make kimchi, it’s not going to be the same. You know how it is with you liking some recipe and then you try to cook it but for some reason, it’s just not the same. 😄
I’ll keep looking at other Asian shops here. ☺️
@Fern,
To vary from the normal ramyeon, I suggest you try “jajangmyeon” if you can order it online or buy it from your local grocery. It’s the noodles with black sauce. I used to avoid eating it in public in case I splatter some black sauce on my blouse or jacket when I’m slurping the noodles. But I feel like I’ve “graduated” to a higher level of Korean cuisine when I can twirl black jajangmyeon on my chopstick and eat it with savoir faire.
It’s not spicy at all. It’s a bit sweeter than the normal ramyeon — which I find salty.
@agdr03, I’m sure you’re correct if he’s satisfied with a particular type that you can buy. I was thinking how my husband isn’t satisfied with any Christmas fruitcake or jam except his own. Similar to how some people don’t think anyone except themselves can barbecue correctly.
Come to think of it, he only completely approves of the mashed potatoes that he makes, the omelettes, the Bolognese sauce, black bean chilli, etc, etc. I think the list is growing. Note that other family members besides me are not completely in accord. Could it be some sort of post-Covid sensory problem? 😉😆
@Agdr03,
I have the “Pulmuone” brand of kimchi in the fridge. I used to buy the generic ones (made locally?) but I find that they don’t keep long in the fridge once you unseal the container. With the Pulmuone kimchi, I have a week to finish it.
It’s funny that Pulmuone comes in this container that’s shaped like those Korean earthenware jars, onggi, that we see in kdramas. It even has a tiny hole (pin-prick size) on the lid to release gas during fermentation. My husband asked me once if it was explosive. lol.
@packmule3, I would love to try Jajangmyeon. It’s mentioned so much in dramas and tv shows. It sounds quite a bit like Chinese noodles with black bean sauce, which I love. I could probably find jajangmyeon in the town centre at one of the international grocery shops.
Strangely enough, in the local and very conservative grocery uphill from me (where there are NO Halloween candies yet or maybe not at all), I can buy Shin Ramyeon and chilled kimchi.
@packmule3, those Pulmuone kimchi jars sound adorable. We can also get gochujang paste in the rectangular tubs within walking distance. But not a decent pizza or Mexican ingredients anywhere in a 50 mile radius. Just pouting now. 😞 1st world problems, right?
@Fern, could your husband’s devolving taste buds be a sign of post-Covid sensory problem or could be due to his age??? Hahaha.
My husband became more finicky as he grew older and I attributed it simply to his taste buds aging. In the same way that our hair becomes gray and skin becomes wrinkly, our taste buds also decrease with age. They’re not as “refined” as before so they settle for tastes that we are accustomed to since our childhood days. Like Alzheimer of the taste buds.
My husband used to like eating seafood like shrimp, squid, and clams until he didn’t. I don’t mind because now there’s more shrimp cocktails, calamares and clam chowder for me. 🙂
In England there is a Harvest Festival celebrated on the Sunday closest to the Harvest Moon. So this year, it’s the 1st of October, this coming Sunday. The primary schools have special celebrations and songs. There are collections of non-perishable goods that are given out through churches and other locations. The school our children went to had a tea and homemade cakes morning for elderly people in town. The secondary school had food collections in exchange for a day of non-uniform/mufti.
@Fern, the Pulmuone plastic jars reminded me of a scene in “A Business Proposal.” I don’t know if you remember the male lead going to the US for a sales pitch. IIRC, he described the kimchi food container as evoking the shape of the traditional earthenware onggi. Lol. That stuck in my head. For shipment and packaging purposes, it would have been easier — and not to mention, more cost-effective — to use a straight-up cylindrical bottle.
That’s why when I saw the Pulmuone plastic jars on the shelves, I had to smile.
Oh I’m pretty sure this Pulmuone Kimchi is the one that I usually get from Costco. I looked it up and yeah that’s the shape of the plastic container too. Thanks 😃
I’ll look for it when I go hunting for kimchi. I just want to make kimchi fried rice with fried eggs. 😋
@Fern, I think it’s cute how your hubby thinks that those foods are the best when made by him. ☺️
I only love the fruit cake that my old Boss makes. 😁
@packmule3, I do remember that scene now that you mentioned it. I had no idea it was a real thing – I just thought it was clever writing.
I think the first time I saw kimchi jars it was the big yard full of kimchi crocks in the alternate Kingdom of Korea in The King Eternal Monarch. I didn’t know what they were at the time. I very incorrectly assumed it was some funereal setting which I’ll blame on National Geographic archaeology articles. Silly me. 🤦♀️
@agdr03, I can’t complain much because at least he cooks and gives me a break on weekends. He’s allowed his opinions although he gets a lot of banter about them at the table, especially if there are lumps in the mash. Lol. Good luck finding your kimchi!
@packmule3, I didn’t want to mention taste bud senility! Lol. Or it could be the result of eating hotter and hotter food due to growing his own very spicy peppers, which he serves to himself on the side.
I agree about the change in taste buds especially the difference between children and adults. I think children can be almost hyper-sensitive to tastes and textures but become less so as adults — at least in family.
Sorry, ‘my’ family.
True! Thanks hubby for cooking! ☺️
Oh yeah, a mash potato cannot have lumps. That’s in my house too. 😂
There’s actually plenty of Korean supermarkets here but they’re just not close from what I’ve searched. I’ll update you. 😉
Happy Chuseok, everyone!
@agdr03 I hope you find that perfect kimchi!
@Fern I find it cute too that your hubby thinks only his cooking is the best😄
@packmule3 I missed seeing the Harvest full moon too, though I think it was cloudy last last here in London. I was out and it was drizzling. Maybe I can catch a glimpse today if we have clearer skies.
I did go to the big Asian supermarket nearby and bought mooncakes with red bean fillings – they were on sale for the Mid-autumn festival (which is the Chinese equivalent of Chuseok I think). They were delicious 😋
Hi there @Phoenix!
Another nice thing about Chuseok for me as a non-Korean is the display of all the pretty hanboks. I used to find their skirts weird because they made the women look pregnant. But now I can see how the skirts are “forgiving” to those women with “extra” bulges where bulges are not wanted.
My hubby and I are going on a late-evening drive tonight. I’m hoping that a brilliant full moon will grace us with her presence along the way.
@packmule3, your comment about hanboks reminds me that I saw a University student wearing a hanbok in Exeter yesterday. There must have been some event.
Isn’t it fun, @Fern, that we can spot a hanbok from a distance and feel a connection, like, “I recognize that! I’ve seen it in hundreds of time in historical dramas set during the Joseon period”? Lol.
Whereas before all the traditional dresses I could identify are kilts, dirndls, kimonos, cheongsam, sari, kaftans, and Chanel (lol).
I saw a website of modern hanbok designs. They were fabulous and you may have seen such things in your trips to Korea. Yes, it’s fun to see something from K-dramas brought to life.
There’s a young pansori singer who has some of the most beautiful contemporary hanboks – Song So Hee. Have a look at the one she’s wearing here as she sings the BTS song ‘Spring Day’ in a traditional style.
@Fern
Wow! I love how the singer has combined the hanbok with a collared jacket. It reminds me of the fusion saris that are in vogue in India now.
What beautiful singing! Thank you for sharing the video. I’ll go find more of her songs on YouTube now.
@Phoenix, I’ll have to look up fusion saris now. Love this.
@Packmule3, I probably won’t eat Korean cuisine in celebration of Chuseok: salad last night, salad tonight, and probably salad tomorrow night. My younger daughter’s wedding is in three weeks, so I’ve gotten serious about logging what I eat to keep myself from overeating; I wouldn’t have a clue how to enter any of the Korean dishes I might order. I’ve been working with a personal trainer at the gym since May and have gotten stronger, but didn’t shed pounds or inches because I continued to snack late at night while binge watching dramas.
Hi @pkml3, I believe there are a few of us who are watching or going to watch Twinkling Watermelon.
🥛🍪🧇☕🎼🎧👨👩👦👦🎸🍜🍵🍱🍶
I’ve watched half of the first episode and find that it has the holding factor ie, it will hold my attention… although I felt tempted to FFD the difficult bits. It is warm and angsty and hopeful.
Please open a thread for @Cleo (who asked for it first) and for those of us who will watch the Show. Much thanks!!
🥛🍪🧇☕🎼🎧👨👩👦👦🎸🍜🍵🍱🍶
@Packmule3, with my dinner tonight I decided to give a nod to the Chinese influences in my family, since this is also the time of the Chinese Harvest Festival. I made spinach eggdrop soup, had a mandarin orange, and allowed myself a small wedge of mooncake filled with lotus seed paste.
@Fern, you are correct to think jajangmyeon is similar to a Chinese dish: it was inspired by the noodles in bean sauce that Chinese migrant workers in Incheon used to eat in the late 19th century. The sauce in the Korean version tends to be darker and sweeter, per Wikipedia.
In a town not far from where I live, there’s a restaurant called Noodle Street where you can see hand-pulled noodles being made to order. Maybe I’ll go there for lunch tomorrow and order the noodles in black bean sauce, diet be damned!
Happy Chuseok and Mid Autumn Festival to those who celebrate it! Cheers!