Etiquette

Dining traditions and utensils vary from country to country, as do notions of etiquette. Here are some examples of Korean Table Etiquette. When in the company of elders, take your seat according to social ranking with the youngest or lowest ranked person closest to the door. After the elders pick up their spoons, others can begin to eat. Try to keep pace with elders while eating. It could be considered rude to show that you have finished your meal before elder people have. If at all possible, keep eating a bit until the elders have finished their meal. The spoon and chopsticks should not be held together in one hand. Use the spoon only for rice and soup. For the sake of cleanliness, do not use a used spoon for side dishes. Use an individual plate for your own food when platters arrive for the entire table. Be careful not to make noises when eating and drinking. Avoid knocking your spoon, chopsticks or plates around. Take food within reach and do not stretch your arms out too far. After a meal, return your spoon and chopsticks to the spot where they were placed. Fold the used napkin and put it back on the table. When coughing or sneezing during a meal, turn your head to one side and cover your mouth with a handkerchief as to not bother your neighbors. Nose blowing should be saved for the restroom.

* Source: The beauty of Korean Food: With 100 Best-loved recipes by Institute of Traditional Korean Food

K-POP Monday

Shinee- Ring Ding Dong

Make a Korean Kite

the rectangular korean shield kite is made from five bamboo sticks and covered with traditional mulberry paper. it is always in the strict proportion of two by three and has a circular hole in the center, with a diameter half the width of the kite. the hole functions as an efficient air control device. four of the five bamboo spars - one vertical, two diagonal, and one horizontal intersect at the hole. the bow line is tied to the fifth spar, across the top of the sail, and is tensioned to give the kite its convex face.

although most korean kites have the same shape, they come in different sizes, and use different colors and imagery in the decoration of the sail. many feature bright colors, usually red, blue, yellow, white, and black, and simple shapes, such as circles, half-moons, or stars. others are decorated with images as bats, butterflies... or are inscribed with the four chinese characters ‘song aek young bok’, believed to shield the flier against bad luck and help to get rid of evil spirits. korean kites continue to fly - koreans enjoy making and flying kites made of paper, both for fun and religious purposes. many different kinds of kites are flown high up in the air during winter. most flying is done between january 1st and january 15th. on the 15th (full moon day) people cut the string connected to the kite and let it fly away.

http://www.designboom.com/sde_history.html

The Korean Tiger at Mansudae Art Studio in North Korea

The Korean Tiger at Mansudae Art Studio in North Korea

Seoul

HANBOK Traditional Clothes of Korea

Pororo Plays Hockey

K-POP Wednesday!

GIRLS GENERATION "GEE"

Pororo and Catty

Korea is a small, politically divided country that occupies the strategically important Korean peninsula in East Asia. The peninsula is 600 miles long, 200 miles wide, and it shares land borders with China on the north and Russia on the northeast, while Japan lies just 120 miles to the east, on the other side of Tsushima Strait. Most of the land, like Japan, is full of rugged forest-covered mountains; only about 20% of the whole Korean peninsula is suitable for settlement and cultivation, meaning that most of the population of both republics is concentrated in small, isolated coastal plains and inland valleys that open onto the western coast. The name by which we call the land is derived from Koryo, the dynasty that ruled the peninsula from 935 to 1392, which in turn is an abbreviated form of Koguryo, the name of an older kingdom.(1) Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea; Seoul is the capital of South Korea. Both republics seek eventual reunification of the peninsula through the political overthrow of the other. Following the devastation of the Korean War (1950-53), both nations had to rebuild their economies; South Korea looked outward, developing a successful export-oriented economy. North Korea, one of the world's most highly regimented and isolated societies, focused on economic self-sufficiency. The estimated population of South Korea (2002) is 48,324,000, while that of North Korea is 22,224,195. For South Korea that works out to a population density of 1,261 per square mile, going up to 43,700 per square mile in Seoul, making it one of the most crowded places in the world. There are also an estimated 7 million ethnic Koreans living just across the Yalu River, in the Manchurian provinces of China. Finally there is a community of slightly more than 600,000 Koreans living in the United States, immigrants who have come over since the late nineteenth century, and an equal number live in Japan as descendants of domestic servants, brought there during the years when Korea was under Japanese rule.

Numbers

Numbers

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Ggachi

Korean Magpie The Korean Magpie Pica (pica) sericea, known as "ggachee" (까치) in Korean, is generally treated as an East Asian subspecies, of the European Magpie (Pica pica), but it may be a distinct species. It is a common symbol of the Korean identity, and has been adopted as the "official bird" of numerous South Korean cities, counties and provinces. But it is not limited to the Korean Peninsula and if considered a valid species its range may extend almost to the Himalayas. Consequently, other vernacular names may be used for this bird, e.g. Asian Magpie or Chinese Magpie. Compared to the European Magpie, it differs not in size but is somewhat stockier, with a proportionally shorter tail and longer wings. The back, tail, and particularly the remiges show strong purplish-blue iridescence with few if any green hues. The populations found east of the Tibetan Plateau, which might belong to this species, are larger (the largest Pica magpies on Earth). They have a rump plumage that is mostly black, with but a few and often hidden traces of the white band which connects the white shoulder patches in their relatives. The Korean Magpie has the a similar chatter call as the European birds, but it is markedly softer.

It's K-POP Monday!

SUPER-JUNIOR BONAMANA!

THE DISOBEDIENT FROG

    A young frog lived with his widowed mother in a large pond. A rascal and a trouble maker, he never listened to his mother and caused her much grief and embarrassment. If his mother said go play on the hillside, he went to the seashore. If she said go to the upper neighborhood, he went to the lower. If she said do this, he did that. Whatever she said, he did the opposite. "What am l going to do with that boy?" she mumbled to herself. "Why can't he be like the other boys? They always listen and do what they are told. And they're always kind and respectfuI. I don't know what wiIl become of him if he keeps behaving like this. I have to do something to break him of his bad habits." Mother Frog sighed deeply. "Ha! Ha! Ha!" Iaughed Little Frog. "Hush aIl that mumbling. You don't have to worry about me. I'm doing fine just the way l am." "Is that so?" said Mother Frog. "Then why can't you croak properly? You don't even sound like a frog. Let me teach you." With a smile, she puffed herself up and let out a loud Kaegul! Kaegul! "Now you try." Grinning broadly, Little Frog puffed himself up and let out a loud Kulgae! Kulgae! "Why you impudent little rascal! You're going to be the death of me!" cried Mother Frog. "You'll Iisten to me if you know what's good for you. Now you..." "Kulgae! Kulgae!" croaked Little Frog, hopping away. Day after day Mother Frog scolded her young son but he continued to do as he wished and just the opposite of what she said. She fretted and worried so much about him that she became ill. Still he continued to misbehave. One day she called him to her bedside. "My son," she said, "I don't think I will live much longer. When I die, please don't bury me on the mountain, bury me beside the stream." She said this because she knew he would do the opposite of what she said. A few days later Mother Frog died. Little Frog cried and cried. "Oh my poor mother! I worried her so much by misbehaving. Why didn't I listen to her?" he scolded himself. "Now she's gone. I killed her. I kiIled her." Little Frog thought about his mother and all the trouble he had caused her. Then he told himself, "I always did the opposite of what Mother said because it was fun. But this time l will do exactly what she told me to do." So Little Frog buried his mother beside the stream, even tough he did not think it was very wise. A few weeks later there was a storm. It rained so much the stream overflowed its banks. Little Frog could not sleep for worrying that his mother's grave would be washed away. At last he went to the grave to keep watch. In the pouring rain he sat, crying over and over, "Kaegul! Kaegul! Please don't wash my mother away!" And that is what he did every time it rained. And ever since then, green frogs have cried Kaegul! Kaegul! when it rains.http://park.org/Korea/Pavilions/PublicPavilions/KoreaImage/hangul/litera/dis-frog/index.htm

What Is Kimchi?

Koreans eat so much of this super-spicy condiment (40 pounds of it per person each year) that natives say “kimchi” instead of “cheese” when getting their pictures taken. The reddish fermented cabbage (and sometimes radish) dish—made with a mix of garlic, salt, vinegar, chile peppers, and other spices—is served at every meal, either alone or mixed with rice or noodles. And it’s part of a high-fiber, low-fat diet that has kept obesity at bay in Korea. Kimchi also is used in everything from soups to pancakes, and as a topping on pizza and burgers. Why to try it: Kimchi (or kimchee) is loaded with vitamins A, B, and C, but its biggest benefit may be in its “healthy bacteria” called lactobacilli, found in fermented foods like kimchi and yogurt. This good bacteria helps with digestion, plus it seems to help stop and even prevent yeast infections, according to a recent study. And more good news: Some studies show fermented cabbage has compounds that may prevent the growth of cancer.
http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410300,00.html