Never Mind Pepero Day - Happy Farmers' Day on Nov 11!

Forget about fretting if you haven't received any pepero sticks from your beloved etc. this year. Spare a thought instead for the farmers who put the bap in your bowl, the kimchi in your side-dish and the vegetables in your bibimbap. November 11 is also Farmers' Day in Korea; or it has been so long before the day was hijacked and transformed into Pepero Day by savvy marketeers for manufacturers of choco-dipped pretzels .

Some Korean farmers are also doing good beyond their borders. A group here are sharing rice-planting techniques with farmers in Kenya.

Rice exports from Korea may not be available yet in the local supermarkets but we can already buy Korean-grown strawberries, mushrooms and seaweed in addition to tubs of gochujang and doenjang. Asian appetites for Korean agricultural products is on the rise as we learn to cook our own kimchi chigae and japchae but what's less clear is how the dwindling number of farmers can meet the growing demand for Korean food products outside its country.

But if you insist on learning more about Pepero Day, click here.

sources:

http://www.demotix.com/news/200238/korea-steps-boost-kenyan-food-security

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2009/12/123_33193.html

http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=66731&code=Ne6&category=7

A New Code of Conduct In Korean Restaurants?

The photo above  was obviously not taken this year - 2010 has been a nasty year for those who love Korean food in Korea. A combination of factors such as Typhoon Kompasu and unexpected heavy rains in September have conspired to wreak havoc with the cabbages and have turned the vegetables to soggy, stinky mush in recent months.

Earlier in the year, there were already signs that all was not right with Mother Nature.  Watermelons had to condemned to the rubbish heap as unexpected frosts made them unfit for consumption. Fingers are mostly  pointing at global warming though there have also been some who have identified the Four Rivers Project as another culprit as it led to a reduction in the area of land available for cultivation.

Housewives already struggling to balance their home budgets are experiencing new headaches as prices soar. 

 - Do I buy cabbages from China even though I think they may not be as good as our local produce?

- Would it be such a sin to compromise and buy pre-packed kimchi as it's too expensive to buy cabbages and make my own kimchi?

- How seriously can I take Lee Myung -bak's suggestion to opt for the round, short-leaved cabbages from the West instead?

- Can I afford to buy any vegetables, raw or pre-packed, this season?

- Should I start growing my own vegetables for next year?

The winter ritual of kimjang ( making kimchi season) this year may not require that many hands as the number of cabbages has been drastically curtailed. However, you'd need a lot more won to buy your main ingredients to make your kimchi.

As consumers and restaurant owners brace themselves for a sharp spike in the prices of pre-packed kimchi as well, here then are SEVEN suggestions for a new code of conduct in Korean restaurants in Korea:


1. Don’t be surprised if the banchan doesn’t include baechu kimchi ( made from Napa cabbage);

2. Don't complain if your banchan looks smaller and less varied than usual or if substitutes like ‘ yeolmu kimchi’are used;


2. Don’t even ask for kimchi;

3. Don’t kick a fuss if the cabbage isn’t the Napa variety, if it comes from China or if it is the prepacked version;

4. Don’t ask for refills;

5. Don't waste any kimchi served to you;

6. Even if the restaurant owner invites you politely to help yourself and eat as much as you like, don’t take that offer too literally. Instead decline politely and be gratified by the look of relief on her face;

7. Expect to be charged for kimchi served as a side dish.

sources:
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_Dm_detail.htm?No=76082

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2926763
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/10/05/2010100500320.html
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/10/123_73896.html
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?p=2482567
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/10/202_73702.html
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2926625
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/1004/South-Korea-s-kimchi-crisis
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/10/123_73896.html
http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/441960.html
http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp?id=31453
http://www.orientalmart.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=31&products_id=983&osCsid=13f5db20e5ca08117ad96227412a6398
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/southkorea/7609285/South-Korea-in-midst-of-pickled-cabbage-crisis.html
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FO/FO_EN_6_1_2_3.jsp
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/myeyes.kto?cmd=view&md=ena&lang_se=ENA&bbs_sn=1608127

Lotus Roots, Lotus Leaves

Long before Tupperware or cardboard boxes for take-away lunches, Koreans carried their home-cooked meals in lotus leaves when they had to go on the road. Yeonipbap or yeunipbap ( 연잎밥) was made from wrapping a mixture of glutinous rice, sorghum, millet, ginkgo nuts, jujubes, chestnuts and even diced lotus rhizomes in layers of lotus leaves and then steaming the securely-tied bundle.

Pumpkin slice as garnishing to lotus leaf rice

This nutritious and substantial meal preserved well by the lotus leaves, is still common in Korea, China, Vietnam and Chinese communities elsewhere. It probably comes closest to Middle Earth’s “lembas” which fortified those in the Fellowship of the Ring on their long journey. Just as the elvish bread had its own virtues, steamed rice in lotus leaves has long been regarded as a wholesome dish with some medicinal properties.

Pretty in pink - Sliced and pan-fried lotus root or rhizomes

The 16th - century Chinese Compendium of Materia Medica identified different parts of the lotus plant ( Nelumbo nucifera ) which were believed to address different ailments. For instance, lotus leaves and stems were used to treat people suffering from heat stroke in summer. Today, there are various kinds of on-going research to study the anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, etc. properties of the lotus –from the seeds, leaves, rhizomes and even stems.

Grilled lotus roots or rhizomes with mushrooms on a bed of pine leaves

The lotus leaf alone can appear in other forms, aside from functioning as a food wrapper. You can drink it as herbal tea. Lotus leaf wine is served to one’s ancestors during family rituals by members of the Yean Yi clan of Oeam Village, Asan, Chungcheong-nam-do. Lotus leaves are even crushed into powder before sprinkled onto rice served with vegetarian meals in temples as Buddhists regard the lotus not merely as a symbol of enlightenment, but also as nature’s medicine to purify the body.

The Koreans have produced lotus leaf tea; question is - How can they market it?

So if you’re looking for some virtuous cuisine in Korea, you might want to check out the following places. One blogger recommends Mulmaegol (713-5486, 019-696-5486), in Jeju which offers yeonipbap. The restaurant serves the dish with various banchan ( side dishes) “including tofu sprinkled with cilantro, mushrooms, and fermented radish leaves. Gamrodang is another restaurant which offers vegetarian dishes in Seoul ( Jongno-gu Hwa-dong 87-1). Or if you fancy going the distance, join the templestay program in Daewonsa in Boseong, Jeollanamdo which offers cooking lessons for lotus leaf rice.

 Not temple cuisine but the lotus leaf rice is on the left

sources:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=45,9314,0,0,1,0

http://eng.gg.go.kr/entry/Gungwon-Hanjeongsik-Gunpo-si-Gyeonggi-do-korea
http://www.cj100.net/english/sub06/?menucode=06_05
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2914067
http://www.koreana.or.kr/months/news_view.asp?b_idx=558&lang=en&page_type=list
http://img.kisti.re.kr/originalView/originalView.jsp?url=/soc_img/society//ksabc/OOSMBK/2006/v49n2/OOSMBK_2006_v49n2_163.pdf
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=349112
http://www.watergardenersinternational.org/journal/3-4/daike/uses_page1.html
http://jejulife.net/2008/10/19/vegetarian-restaurants-by-jenie-hahn-jeju-south-korea/
http://www.whitelotusaromatics.com/newsletters/lotus2.html
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2923841

How Many Types of Kimchi Are There?

The three-day “Kimchi Love Festival 2009” has opened at Gyeonghui Palace and the Seoul Museum of History.  Didn't realise that there are at least 192 different kinds of kimchi; at least that's the number on display at the Festival. Wonder how this one managed to avoid getting cancelled when others have been axed because of the H1N1 scare.

It'll be interesting to see how the Koreans can make kimchi part of global cuisine. When it comes to food, I'm not sure if people like certain things because they think it's good for their health, their complexion or prevent them from contracting avian flu and so on.  It may not be love at first bite or smell for many non-Koreans.

Indeed, my travel companion and I still have vivid memories of the strong smell of left-over kimchi emanating from one ajumma's kitchen of one yeogwan while we were standing at the door, waiting to get some hot water. The odour was particularly pronounced that winter's day and my friend beat a hasty retreat to our room, leaving me to wait for the water with the heavy smell of pickled anchovies in the cold air.

But I've come to love kimchi especially when it's in the form of kimchi tchigae (stew). It's also great as the main ingredient as fried rice and surprise! Left-over kimchi with beancurd and chicken cubes is OK too with cooked oats. One of the most delicious dishes with kimchi I enjoyed was when I spent the night on the floor of the living quarters with the ajumma who takes care of the temple at Mai-san. It was a dish of simple stir-fried chopped-up kimchi  with a pinch of sugar and ground dried anchovies. Heaven.

Excuse me while I go to the supermarket. I hear the kimchi calling my name.

source:
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_Dm_detail.htm?No=67587
http://www.trifood.com/kimchichigae.html

Songpyeon on My Pillow

Don’t be surprised to find songpyeon instead of complimentary chocolates on the pillow if you’re staying in a Korean hotel this weekend. After all, it’s Chuseok and what better way for Korean hotels to involve their foreign guests in the harvest celebrations?

I was touched by this thoughtful gesture, courtesy of Core Riveria Hotel, when I was in Jeonju a few years ago. The pretty rice cakes were sitting on a thin bed of pine leaves in a basket. Can’t recall what the filling was – was it chestnut or were red, green or mung beans used? Anyway, the charming picture the songpyeon presented gave me even more pleasure than the taste itself.

Unlike the Chinese who observe the Mid-Autumn Festival with cakes that resemble the full moon, Koreans like their songpyeon shaped like half moons. A full moon can only mean it’s waning while the half moon promises fullness and greater brightness to come. Honestly though, the songpyeon look more like tiny conch shells than half moons to me. Apparently, shapes and sizes vary from region to region – those in the south make smaller cakes while the Gangwon-do variety resemble clams.

Lee Ho -jeong writes:

Donggukseshigi, a Joseon Dynasty publication from 1849 that documented the seasonal customs of the period, states that songpyeon "uses the rice grain taken from rice straw that has been kept since the fifteenth day of the first month of the year. Some as large as the size of a hand or as small as an egg, the songpyeon are made in the shape of a half circle of jade" .The Donggukseshigi also says that songpyeon was dispensed to servants according to their age.The gifts of songpyeon were designed to increase the servant’s morale as the harvest began.

There are stories that have passed from generation to generation about the making of songpyeon.
For the unmarried, they can find a beautiful wife or a handsome husband when the songpyeon they make has a beautiful shape. An unattractive or mishapen songpyeon will result in a life spent with an ugly husband or wife. Another legend says that a pregnant woman who hoped to learn the gender of her unborn child should steam the songpyeon while placing a pine leaf or pine needle in a horizontal position within the songpyeon. If the sharp end of the needle or the pine leaf appears when the woman takes a bite from the songpyeon the child within her is a boy. If the smooth flat area appears the unborn child is a girl. "

Those who are really into making desserts and traditional cakes, check out the Rice Cake and Kitchen Utensils Museum (open Mon –Sat, 10 am – 5 pm; tel: 02 – 741 5411/4). There’s a café nearby selling a wide range of such delicacies as well. Or if you happen to be in Insadong, ask around for the rice cake stores in Nagwon-dong, Jongno-gu.

For more information and a recipe, click here.

The photo above shows Hyundae employees making songpyeon for the elderly  in a home as part of their community service. It would be interesting to know if many Korean families still follow the tradition of making songpyeon together or if they prefer to buy them ready-made at the convenience store.

For more on tteok ( rice cakes ) in general, read this.

Sources:
http://english.seoul.go.kr/gtk/news/reports_view.php?idx=1071&cPage=45 http://www.korea.net/News/news/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20061004038&part=111&SearchDaykorea.encyclopedia.co
http://www.sulyapinoy.org/feature-stories-f12/what-is-the-meaning-of-chuseok-http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/include/print.asp?newsIdx=10234
http://www.korea.net/News/News/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20080609001&part=106&SearchDay=
http://www.joonsfamily.com/lofiversion/index.php/t8572-200.html