Ho!Ho!Ho!

Sunday July 19 the kids and I went to Christmas in July at the sit down restaurant on post called Alaska Mining Company. I forswore this place several months ago as being to pricey and poor quality food, but D wanted to go badly and it gave her something to focus on and look forward to with Mr. K being on vacation in Turkey. He has my camera so the photo here is by the post photographer and the only one I have.

The food was your standard Thanksgiving/Christmas fair: ham, turkey, green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc. Why the cook had to put coconut in the peach cobbler is a mystery.

Santa wore shorts and gave each girl a small bag with a little stuffed gorilla dressed as an elf. He was weird even for a Santa so no way was I letting D sit on his lap and Izzy refused to go near him. When D said she wanted a puppy for Christmas he asked if she meant, bosintang and went on to clarify that it is "dog stew". I sincerely hope she understood it to be, "stew for dogs" and not "stew made of dog". I ask you what kind of Santa talks of eating puppies in front of an eight year old girl?

I made this dress from the Anna Wrap Dress pattern. And yes I had to bribe her to wear it. Izzy wore a matching one, but didn't want to take hers off even to sleep!

High Tide

Day 2

Mr. K. decided we should head for the Yellow Sea. We drove for nearly two hours and then couldn't find a great beach right away. After driving to the end of the road (literally) we decided to grab lunch. All the restaurants featured raw seafood and while I'm all for sushi having a live octopus chopped up in front of me is not my idea of a yummy meal. Got back in the van and stopped at a place a little further away. At first it looked kind of hopeless but I was brave and asked a table full of college students if any of them spoke English. Luckily one did and helped us order. What we got was a huge pot sat over a burner on our table. In the pot were various sea creatures in a fairly natural state. Claims, scallops, and mussels still in their shells. Shrimp still with eyes and all. A medium sized crab, a small octopus, and a thankfully cleaned out squid. Honestly if the squid had still had eyes I think I would have bolted. I'm all for trying new things, but I have my limits. It was good once we figured out which bits of the clams to eat and which to avoid and was served with rice and a large number of kimchi sides.

Then we headed to the beach. We found a good little spot and the Kids and I played in the sand and water. The water was cool but not cold but we were the only people in it which made me somewhat nervous. (Talking to my Korean friend at the post office today I learned that most Koreans don't swim.) Defne loved playing in the small waves and Deniz loved digging and running in and out of the surf. As the tide receded I noticed these small creatures in the back wash. At first I thought they were minnows but then noticed tiny legs. Then I thought they were shrimp and this is what I am still hoping, but then the idea came to me that they might be a kind of parasite. (Having recently read Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer I see parasites everywhere I look.) If they were parasites my hope is that humans aren't in their life cycle because more than once I caught one crawling on my toes.

Around 6pm we loaded up to go home. I told Mr. K. a trip to the beach isn't complete until ice cream is had so I ran into a little convenience store and bought ice creams, shrimp crisps, and drinks. Back on the road we kept seeing roadside stands selling sweet potatoes. Finally Mr. K. pulled over and bought some freshly roasted and still warm. They were so good! Far sweeter but more yellow than the American variety. We munched on our various treats all the way home.

Look for Day 3 tomorrow. My all of two readers thank you for sticking with me!

Heat Resistant

Well trying to be anyway. First off I've misplaced the camera so no photos today sorry.

It was supposed to be a glorious weekend vacation to Jeju Island. I wanted to drive down and take the ferry over (four hours) spend one night in a hotel and another on the beach camping. Mr. K. said we didn't have enough time and he has to go pick up young cadets from the airport tomorrow. So instead we took some day trips all of which were less than perfect.

Day One
Saturday we decided to go to Coex Mall in Seoul because the weather was chilly and rainy. I was intrigued by the promise of a bookstore. The traffic on the interstate was bumper to bumper more than 50 miles out so we pulled into a train station. That station had no fast train so we decided to take the subway. 90 minutes, three trains and mostly standing room only later we finally arrived tired and hungry. The restaurant Mr. K. picked was confusing and expensive so I only ate a little. Then it was off to the bookstore which was huge and refreshing. I purchased a sewing book and though it is in Korean it has lots of adorable patterns. We got some small books in English for the Kids. Then we headed off to the food court for some rice and pizza. Later we went to a few shops and I bought some cute stationary items (another one of the things I hoard). We ate ice cream and stocked up on bread and cakes from Paris Baguette and got back on the subway home. The first train was so packed that even when pushed I couldn't fall because there was nowhere to fall. Yuck. The next train ended before the station we needed but a third train came quickly enough. The fourth train was the worst though because we ended up getting off one station to early and being abandoned like lost dolls. For more than thirty minutes no train stopped. We gave up and got a taxi to the next station were we had left the van. Do I like the IDEA of public transportation? Of course. Save the planet and all that jazz. Will I be partaking of it again anytime soon? No way.

Day Two will be published tomorrow.

Hwaseong

For mother's day we decided to have a little adventure and travel to Suwon Hwaseong (Fortress). My guidebook gives it three stars, a good place to go when the weather is nice (which it was), and a UNESCO World Heritage site. So why not right?

To say it was a disaster might be overreaching just a little. When we got to Suwon we found the signs sparse and confusing. Mr. K. took a lot of wrong turns and got the van into some very tight places. Eventually we did find an entrance got a map and directions and headed off on foot/stroller.



After walking down a steep hill for about half a mile and realizing we had quite a way to go I gave up and sat on a bench to read. (Anyone at all interested in science, biology, medicine, or parasites you must read Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer. It is excellent!)

Twenty minutes later Mr. K. and the kids came huffing and puffing back to my little bench. For reasons unknown they were not allowed on the mini-train to the archery observation. Their purchased tickets were taken away and money was returned. D was upset, Mr. K. was nonplussed and I simply added it to my list of reasons that I'm not in love with this country.

So we hiked back up the hill and decided to go to Papa John's Pizza for dinner. Mr. K. decided to drive around a bit and somehow managed to find two more much larger and ground level entrances to the fortress, but I was so over the whole thing and each time told him to keep driving as I took photos out the window.


We also spotted an IGA.


And cars ornamented for weddings in a style similar to the tradition in Turkey.


I felt so very American and a bit ridiculous taking photos out of a moving vehicle but sometimes it is necessary to give in to what we are in order to maintain this insane life we lead.

Eventually we came to the pizza place and everyone was happier.



Hilarious (at least to me!) menu item.


Table condiments.


Me with my kids. It was mother's day after all. I made the blouse for myself from Butterick 5217.


Izzy didn't want to share me.


Pizza was perfect, but oddly served with sweet pickles.


Then on the way home I asked if I could run into Paris Baguette. What a mistake to let me loose in that place! I wanted one of everything.

Hail and Farewell

We attended a Hail and Farewell dinner last Friday night at a buffet restaurant. It was a mix of Korean, Japanese,Chinese, and Western. Wasn't the best food we've had since arriving but I knew you'd all like to see photos.

Izzy gets a little shy at these kind of things.


The little bamboo box contained really yummy rice.


Sweet and sour soup etc.


No idea what any of these are LOL.


Various raw fish.


And lots more.

Hungry?

I have been loving the food here in Korea way more than I ever thought I would. Mr. K the kids and I eat out at least twice a week. Pork, beef, chicken, seafood, it is always delicious.

Our friend Greg has been helping us out by taking us to great restaurants and reading the menu for us. We are going to miss him tremendously when he leaves next week.


D's favorite is dumplings.


Izzy's favorite is soup.


This is a soup that you cook yourself at the table.


D is really getting good with chopsticks.


This mixed dish comes to the table already cooked but stays hot over a burner.


I love how everything is immaculately presented.






And if I want a taste of home it isn't hard to find.

Hypermarkets

Here in Korea there are number of hypermarkets similar to Wal-Mart back in the States. We went to several over the weekend just to get out of the room.

No idea what these fish are but they look cool.


Seafood is a very important part of the Korean diet.


Just a small portion of the seaweed available.


Sweets made from rice flour.


Izzy is adored wherever we go.