Korean Festival

My most-anticipated event for this October has come! Korean Festival 2009 which run through this weekend (Oct 10-11) at Eastwood Park. Eastwood is home to one of Australia largest Korean communities together with Campsie and Strathfield. It originated in the late 1980s as a Campsie-based event that was part of the Carnivale multicultural festival program, co-ordinated by the NSW Ethnic Commision and now is organised by the Korean Society of Sydney.

I was a bit late today and missed some morning performances like Korean Folk Game and Drum performance, but I still enjoyed the Korean traditional dance while hopping around from one food stall to another. Some others performances like Korean Pop music, Soul & Funk Band, singing and talent contest did entertain the folk and the food stalls satisfied my craving for Korean food like pajeon (seafood pancake), kimchi, tteokbokki and odeng. There were also some stalls selling Korean wines and served free tasting. One stall from Sydney's Korean Tourism was attracted folks with some free brochures and Korean books including travel guide and Korean food book.

I bought some Korean red ginseng product and a bottle of Makgeolli, a Korean traditional wine made from rice which gives it a milky, off-white color and swetness. Makgeolli and Pajeon, what a perfect combination!

(A stall from Korean Tourism office providing free brochures and travel guide books)

(Korean red ginseng products on display)

(Odeng)

(tteokbokki, spicy rice cakes)

(A stall selling some Korean wines)

Some stuffs I brought home: Honeyed Korean Red Ginseng, Red Ginseng jelly and candies, and a bottle of Makegeolli

Happy Chuseok!

Chuseok, originally known as 'hangawi', is a major harvest festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Chuseok also means a mass exodus of Koreans heading to their hometown to pay respects to the spirit of one's ancestors and visiting their family back home.

One inseparable thing during holidays, especially Chuseok holidays, is holiday-gift culture. Some would opt for hampers or boxes of meats and ribs for a 'heavy' gift or Korean sweets and cookies for a more delicate one. One of the Koreans' most popular holiday gifts is Ginseng, or red ginseng in a healthy gift set to be exact. Another popular items on shoppers' list are fruit and wine. If you are a wine lover, Chosun ilbo has some tips on choosing the best wine for Chuseok, wine that goes well with your Korean food (focusing on French wine) such as Bordeaux for meat dishes, white wine for fish dishes and sparkling wine for pan-fried food and seafood.

Koreans also enjoy the holiday with big feast at home, and one of the major food prepared and eaten during the Chuseok holiday is songpyeon, a crescent-shaped rice cake which steamed upon pine needles. While the half-moon shaped songpyeon is perhaps the most popular one, it also comes in a variety of colors and shapes depending the region. There are rice cakes in shellfish, dumpling and flower shapes in different areas. Even the thickness of the rice dough varies, as the ones in Gyeongsang and Gangwon areas appear to be thicker. Korea Times has a neat article about songpyeon including the best recipe to make songpyeon with a delicious flavor, chewy texture and the fragrant scent of pine needles.

Well... Happy Chuseok Holiday!..

(Photo courtesy of Chosun Ilbo)

Dancers perform a fan dance at Seoul Station Plaza celebrating Chuseok holiday.

Taste of Nature, Heart of Sharing

'Taste of Nature, Heart of Sharing' is the theme of 2009 Korean Temple Food Festival which will take place at Bongnyeongsa Temple in Suwon from October 8-10. Korean Temple food is a precious cultural heritage Korea has long nurtured.

The three-day event will be held in a quiet and and serene Buddhist University located in Suwon city, about an hour drive from Seoul. Showcasing a series of exhibitions including a temple food market, tea ceremony, tea talks with monks, temple stay programs (for selected international students only), and 'balwoo-gongyang' (communal Buddhist meal service). Eating is called gongyang in Budhism while balwoo means bowls containing rice and vegetables. In this unique and special way of eating in Korean temples, the meal is eaten in total silence and not a single grain of rice is wasted.

This festival is admission free and visitors can register via www.templefood.org until September 30, to get there go to Gangnam Subway station line 2, exit 3 and take buses 3001 or 3007 or take bus 7, 77-1 or 700 from Suwon station. For more information, visit the 2009 Korean Temple Food Festival website.(source: Korea Herald and Korea Tourism)

For your who interested in temple stay program, you can find the detail information on Korea Tourism web.

Daejanggeum Jeongsik

Daejanggeum Jeongsik is a set menu described as Joseon royal cuisine traditionally prepared for the king and served at royal banquet. It's a new creation at Korea House, a meal course inspired by the hit MBC series 'Jewel in the Palace'. The set menu comprises 15 courses and costs 250,000 won per person.

The course starts with simple appetizers such as 'ejeolpan' (assorted Korean dry snacks), 'gujeolpan' (thin crepes with nine different fillings), water kimchi, king prawns with a pine nut sauce and assorted pan fried vegetables, mushrooms and meat.

The main dishes are divided into eight recipes, including lotus leaf-steamed pork belly, court style casserole, pine mushroom and broiled beef ribs, and braised abalone. The finishing touch is bibimbap with various side dishes. After feasting on the appetzisers and main dishes comes a dessert of fruit and rice cakes.

Daejanggeum Jeongsik set menu.

(Picture courtesy of Korea House)

Korea House itself is a tourist spot for learning Korea's tradition and culture in Seoul, it has been renovated as a cultural complex. For those who would like to learn how to whip up traditional Korean dishes, there is a new program where visitors can learn how to make kimchi, bulgogi and wear hanbok. The program will cost 55,000 won ($45) per person and is slated to be held in the new Chiseon Gwan building.

Korea House is located near exit 3 Chungmuro station, subway line number 4.

(Source: Korea Times and Korea Herald)

Seogwipo Chilshimni Festival

History:

Seogwipo Chilshinmi originally was the name of the 27 km of land from Seongeup Village to Seogwipo Harbour in Jeju island.

Events:

Jeju Folk performances, street parade, ocean sport activities

When:

17 - 20 September 2009

Where:

Cheonjiyeon Falls Plaza and town - Jeju-do

Transport:

From Jeju International Airport, take bus# 600 to Seogwipo, pass the New Kyungnam Tourist Hotel and get off at the Cheonjiyeon bus stop.

(Picture courtesy of : http://www.70ni.com/)

Nearby Tourist spots: Cheonjiyeon Falls, Jeongbang Falls, Seogwipo submarine tour, Jusangjeollidae (sea cliff at Jungmun-Daepo Coast).

(Source : Visit Korea)

Geumsan Insam Festival

Insam or Ginseng is one of Korean signature products, known as the best health item and originally used as medicines but nowadays you can find many delicacies made with Ginseng like tea and cookie. There are about six or seven types of Ginseng known worldwide and the ones cultivated in Korea called as Goryeo Insam (Ginseng).

Goryeo Ginseng

(Picture courtesy of Visit Korea)

Geumsan, a town of South Chungcheong Province, is home to Goryeo Ginseng and the largest producer of ginseng in Korea. This month, Geumsan is holding the annual 'Geumsan Insam Festival' which will be held from September 18 to 27. The festival, which has been running for 29 years, is held to promote the beneficial affects of Geumsan Ginseng.

The Geumsan Ginseng Pavillion will feature exhibits on everything related to ginseng, including a special fair for the international trade and a hands-on health area featuring folk medicinal remedies. Visitors will be amused by Geumsan traditional folk performances, singing and dance contests, a dramatic production about ginseng and other attractior. There are als some programs for foreign visitors, like singing contest, ginseng herb quiz, ginseng t-shirt painting and oter unique programs.

If you are coming from Seoul, take an express bus for Geumsan for 2 hours and 40 minutes ride and get off at Geumsan Bus Terminal then take 5-minutes walk to the venue.

(Source: Visit Korea)

Relax yourself at Jjimjilbang

Got a long tiring day? Relax yourself at Jjimjilbang!

Jjimjilbang literally means 'sauna room' or you can call it Korean sauna. Jjimjilbang normally are large public bathhouse complete with sauna, hot tub, shower room, pool, massage room, and a lot more. Most of them open 24 hours and also have restaurants, wide-screen TV's, noraebang (karaoke room), and napping area where people can sit or lie around sleeping or just relaxing and watching TV.

The speciality of Jjimjilbang is sauna room. There are several different saunas with different themes and benefits, such as rooms made from a certain type of rock known in Korea as 'maekban' are good for rejuvenating skin, amethyst for improving blood circulation, and yellow mud are good for digestive system.

After you sweat your stress out in the hot room, drink a cold glass of 'misutgaru' (ground mixed grains mixed with wather or milk), or 'sikhye' (sweet drink made from fermented rice) and you will be fully-recharged!

(picture courtesy of Korea.net)

The admission fee is considerably inexpensive with less than 10,000 won or about $10, so when you are traveling around Korea why don't you stop by at this uniquely Korean sauna and relax yourself at Jjimjilbang!

(source: Korea.net)