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EAST ASIA korea | |
대완민국 // korea // east asia THAT TRAVELLER'S BIBLE LONELY PLANET HAS DESCRIBED SOUTH KOREA AS ONE OF THE UNDISCOVERED JEWELS OF ASIA, AND AS DESIRABLE A DESTINATION AS CHINA OR JAPAN. I have to agree with this claim, having being surprised during my first visit to the land in May 2002. I had never seriously thought of going there before, even though I had lived with a group of wild Korean backpackers for a time in a share house in Sydney Australia, and had been introduced to the wonders of kim'chi and barbequed Korean beef. Perhaps from time to time I had considered making a trip to Korea, as I want to see and understand the entire world -- that is my mission. But, it was never a serious plan, and Korea was a long way down my list of want-to-go-to-soon travel destinations -- well below Ethiopia (currently about #6 on my list) and China (#12) and Mongolia (#16). Physical Location Map of South Korea, highlighted continent I just didn't expect it to be very interesting, even though I was sure it would be enticing in its own kind of way. For some reason it didn't appeal to me so much. However, Fate has a way of intervening in your plans, and opening your mind to undreamt of possibilities. In May 2002, teaching English in Japan, and having just obtained a new job, I found myself sent on the familiar "Japanese visa run" to Seoul, South Korea. It has become standard for people working in Japan to make a brief trip to Korea, only one hour away by air, to renew their visas. This was the way I was introduced to Korea, and I am glad that the introduction was finally made. of Seoul was that compared to Tokyo, it is actually quite an attractive city. There are numerous protruding yellow hills which tower above the city, covered with forests -- in fact, there is a national park in the heart of the city. That is something you will never see in Tokyo, where trees and hills are rare, and every centimeter of land is covered with concrete or metal or glass. There are many parks in Seoul, some of them quite large. The Beijing Official Web Portal" puts it thus: "Surrounded by hills, Seoul has numerous small and large parks within easy reach. Places of historical interest―including Ch'anggysng, Ch'angdsk, Kysngbok, and Tsksu palaces and Chong-myo Shrine―annually attract large numbers of citizens and tourists. The city also has excellent sports and recreational facilities, notably the Seoul Sports Complex, which was built for the Asian Games in 1986 and the Olympic Games in 1988." Personally, the best attraction I have visited in Korea thus far is not in Seoul but a little out of the city, in the dormitory city of Suwon. I haven't been to China except in my dreams but the old walls around Suwon look to me exactly like the Great Wall of China would look, just on a smaller scale. It was amazing to visit there and feel so close to China -- an exotic experience indeed! The sense of history and culture was amazing. I visited Suwon during my second Korean trip, which took place in May 2003. I haven't been back to the peninsula since, and probably won't for a while, there being a whole world out there which I want to see first. But one day I will be back, and the next time, I want to get out of the Seoul area, and see more of the country.
DOG SOUP AND CAT WINE.
Dog Soup is called, Gaejang, Gajangkuk, or Gujang, Gujangaeng,
Guyoukgeng. It has been called Bosintang from the later part of 1940,but during
the period of the 1988 Olympic games, it was banned to use the name of
Bosintang, so its name was replaced by Youngyangtang, Sacheoltang,
Mungmungtang. But nowadays, the name of Bosintang is widely used instead
of Youngyangtang. Bosintang is made by boiling dog meat with thin soy paste,
tearing it into pieces, putting ingredients such as green onion, leek, stalk of taro,
brake into broth, and boiling it again to make Bosintang. In Kyungsang
province, to get rid of the smell, perilla purple are put in the soup. Perilla are
also used for ridding the smell. Taste of perilla is similar to that of dog, and
it becomes a good match to dog meat. Side dishes of dog meat are Kimchi,
fresh peppers, and cucumbers. Adding a glass of Soju(liquor) enhances the
taste.
The standard amount of ingredients for one portion:
(2) Sauce
(3) Cooking instruction For more dog recipes, click here. And here's the information I promised about where to find quality dog burgers in Seoul: Dogmeat hamburger restaurant in Korea: Renoir Restaurant, 143-5 Songpa-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Tel: (02) 421-6345 Menu: dog meat hamburger, dogmeat cutlet, dogmeat meatball, dogmeat soup.
If the idea of dog soup freaks you out, Koreans also use cat meat -- not to eat, but to boil into a kind of cat wine. I kid you not -- and I am looking forward to drinking some someday, because it is meant to be good for curing arthritis, which I fear I may one day develop. There is a whole world of natural cures out there to prolong our life and fight disease, if we only open our mind to receiving them.
-- Korean Introduction - Seoul -- Incheon // Suwon Castle - Girl Hunting -- 17ZHucL2G3yM5nYJvTKQnPJggvJrRo6AQF | ||
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