otoke-panda

[otoke-panda]

Hair chalk adventure

If you ask me what are my associations with the word "chalk", I will tell you for sure: there's no "school" there. Not anymore.

At the beginning of my summer vacations, I decided to dye my hair tips. I wanted some color, but not necessarily a drastic change.  Dream color? Turquoise, green, dark blue - or all of them. I know that there are hair toners that are used by everyone, but I wanted to try something different. Popular trend in Korea: hair chalks.

In the description, I found only advantages: you can change the effect every day, it's cheap and I didn't have any problem with founding a set of five ideal colors. The idea is simple. You have to wet your hair, apply the chalk, let it dry and then seal the color with a heat or hair spray (or both). I ordered it right away.

And here's the first weak point. I had to wait more than a month for them. "Okay, that happens", I thought. During that time I almost changed my mind, but when they had finally arrived I immediately rushed to the bathroom to try them.

My first thought was that it looked like an ordinary dry pastel, and right now I'm actually convinced that it really was one. I thought that application of the chalk would be easy, but it wasn't. I had to rub it really hard, otherwise the color wouldn't stay on my hair. Then I made a huge mistake: I blow-dried it. The mist of green powder spread all over the bathroom. Literally everything was covered in it: the sink, the floor, my laptop (2ne1's "I am the best" as a soundtrack), EVERYTHING.

My neck after using hair chalk. Great for Avengers-look-alike party, but not exactly for everyday use.

At first, I wanted to use it every day, but it became obvious that if I had to deal with such a mess every day, I'd rather stay with my natural color. Was the effect even worth it? No. My hair looked like fake ones, I couldn't brush them at all, actually I couldn't do anything with them. I tried to make a braid, but it was impossible to separate three strands. I had to wash it right away. And I had to wash myself (three times), my head (two times, but after a week the water was still a bit green) and the bathroom.

I'm not the most patient person in the world, so after waiting for 3 weeks, I ordered another set of chalks. It arrived a week after the first one. I decided to try it on just one strand. But the feeling of it was way different. Application was really nice and easy. I let it air dry and the effect was nice too.

Sorry for the crappy quality of the photo... It looks a bit better in real life.

What are my overall feelings? Firstly, you have to be careful what you buy. It really has to be a hair chalk, though it looks a lot like dry pastel. Secondly, it will dye your clothes, so it's best to pin up your colored hair, or use it only on the upper parts, but the effect is really nice. Thirdly, it'd be annoying to dye larger parts of your hair - it's only for strands or some small parts. Fourthly, I tried it on a rainy day and nothing happened - that's great (the photo was taken after whole day of wearing it).

Will I use it again? Yes, but only from time to time or on special occasions. My hair tips are of the same color they were, but it gave me courage to experiment some more with pinning up!

J.

[otoke-panda]

Operation: Mandu

If "you are what you eat", not many Korean girls would willingly eat mandu. People use this term for short and fat girls because the shape of the Korean dumpling is round and resembles a face with chubby cheeks. But the shapes and looks are not that important as tastes and flavors

Mandu belongs to a big family of dumplings, a dish known all over the world. Its varieties are spread across Europe, Asia and both Americas. Although the names are different and the flavors are distinct from each other, the form and way of preparation is similar. Dumpling is always a kind of filling wrapped in a dough and then steamed, fried or boiled. In a Latin world for instance there are empanadas (esp.) or empadas (pt.) and probably their origin is samosa, Indian meat-stuffed pastry. Most of them are fried on a pan or deep fried.  Slavic countries have their variant under the names: pierogi, pirohi, varenyky, etc. Mostly boiled in the water, with a sweet, fruit filling, potato-based filling, sauerkraut and mushrooms or stuffed with meat. Finally there is an Asiatic branch of dumpling family with the standing out Chinese jaozi, Tibetan momo, Japanese gyoza and of course Korean mandu.

Mandu is believed to be descendent from Mongolian cuisine. They probably appeared in Korea in 14th century thanks to traders. In the past ages it was a royal dish but nowadays it's one of the most popular and recognizable Korean dishes.  It even had its appearance in pop culture. In the-probably-most famous Korean movie Oldboy, the imprisoned protagonist Oh Dae Su is fed with mandu. After he manages to get out, he uses the flavor of mandu, that he remembers from the prison to trace his enemies. These culinary scenes are really popular, and so is mandu.

Mandu was our next culinary mission. I was especially excited because I love dumplings, they characterize my childhood and I was really curious about the Korean equivalent. We mixed some recipes found on the Internet. The steps are quite simple and it's not time- consuming. We couldn't buy ready-made mandu dough so we prepared it ourselves, then the stuffing (no problems occurred) and... wrapping-folding step. At the beginning it was a complete disaster because we couldn't recall the Korean way of doing it (or simply we suffer some manual inabilities ^^), but at the end we decided to fold the dumplings the way we were taught by our mothers and grannies. Then we fried them on a pan and eat with suitable dip. Delicious!

Operation: mandu Status: succeeded! Observations: practical dish, easy to prepare, you can freeze the dough or the stuffing or the whole mandu; the flavour of stuffing and mandu dip is more distinct on the next day A.

[otoke-panda]

Korean customs of the first lunar month

Though right now Korea is in the middle of summer heats, I've decided to write about  Lunar New Year's Day (Seollal) and First Full Moon Celebration (Daeborum). Both of them are celebrated in the first lunar month which in Gregorian calendar is usually February.

Korean Lunar Calendar is actually more solar-lunar calendar and it consists of 12 months (29 -30 days each; 353/355 days in a year). Every fourth year a leap month is added between various months. Names of months are basically the number and the word for "moon", which also means month. Each lunar month begins on the day of a new moon and has a full moon on the 15th day (boreum). Lunar months are usually 4-6 weeks later than the corresponding Gregorian ones.

Lunar New Year's Day (Seollal) is one of the most important holidays in Korea. In 1985 it was restored as an official holiday (Folklore Day) and in 1989 named Seollal. Nowadays it's a three-days holiday known also as Wondan, Sesu, Yeosu ('beginning of the year").

Korean New Year falls on the day of the second new moon after winter solstice. It's a family holiday, when people usually have time to come back to their hometowns. Traditionally the day started with presenting food for the family ancestors, making full bows in the direction of the family tablets and later in the morning, taking the food to family's ancestral graveside and bowing again.

[fot. http://www.koreansafari.com.au/]

Bowing was also practiced by younger generation to the elders, and by children to their parents. It was a full bow with hands and forehead pressed onto the floor from a kneeling position.

Everyone is obliged to eat at least one bowl of rice-cake soup (Tteokguk) made with rice-cake rolls, leeks, eggs, and strips of meat. The preparation of Tteokguk represents a greeting of the New Year and a rebirth of all the things. Because on the New Year's Day everyone's getting one year older (rather than on the birthday like in the West) one way of asking how old is someone is asking "how many Tteokguk bowls have you eaten".

Still one of the very popular tradition practiced even in big cities is New Year's fortune-telling.

Daeborum falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is also known under the names of Sangwon, Wonseok or Wonso. Most of the Korean seasonal customs are connected with agriculture. Daeborum was the first full moon (moon in general symbolizes yin, female, childbirth, water and plant) before the farming season began and many traditions practiced on that day served for the harvest in the upcoming year.

A day before Daeborum was almost as important as the holiday itself. On the 14th day of the first lunar month people used to prepare sumptuous food and in order to protect a home from the evil spirits everyone had to try the food from three households with different names, which could be hard if the whole village had the same name. Drinking water was prohibited on that day, because it was believed that heavy rains will ruin the crops.

To stay strong and healthy children had to jump through the fire. Adults on the other hand, prepared so-called Je-ung dolls. People who was entering "the unfortunate age" (for men - 10, 19, 28 and so on - and for women - 9, 18, 27, ...) had to write down their birth date and put it with a coin inside a straw doll. The doll was thrown away under the bridge or alongside a road to mislead the misfortune.

Daeborum is also known for special food prepared on that day. Bureoum was a custom of giving chestnuts or walnuts to children, who with cracking sound of opening them with their teeth were deterring the evil spirits. Gwibalgisul was drank in order to sharpen the hearing so family could hear a good news. Well-being rice (yakbap) and five grain rice (ogokbap) are also served during that holiday.

The full moon of the first and the eighth month were thought to be the biggest and the brightest ones. In order to welcome the moon people were going to the highest point in the neighborhood and waited there. On the way there, at least one bridge should be crossed. If there was a chance of crossing 12 bridges, it meant luck for the upcoming 12 months.

Of course it's only a brief description of Korean customs for Lunar New Year celebrations. They varied between regions, social classes and ages. Though many tradition are not practiced anymore, especially in the big cities, it's still a very important time for all the Koreans.

J.

[I used D. E. Shaffer's "Seasonal Customs in Korea", which I highly recommend for further information.]

[otoke-panda]

"Faces of Korea" by Richard Harris

"Faces of Korea. The Foreign Experience in the Land of the Morning Calm" was first published in 2004. As its title indicates, it's a book about people connected in many different ways with Korea.

This publication's a collection of 47 interviews written in a narrative format and it's divided into six sections. First part entitled "Working in Korea" contains 12 stories about people who had worked in Korea or at least had some work connections with this country. Second section - Social Relations with Koreans - concentrates on love relationships between foreigners and Koreans. People of Korean descent tell their stories in the third section. Fourth part is devoted to English teachers and fifth to students. Last section contains seven interviews with people who decided that Korea will be their new home.

  In my opinion it's a very diverse book. While the first part roused my expectancies, the second almost ruined the good impression. What I expected from this book was a numerous list of culture clashes and similarities. What we do in a similar way and what is a problem for a foreigner in Korea. And while the first part was exactly what I was looking for, the second (about relationships, which I thought would be the best part) was more about people's life stories. Though one could learn a lot from others in general, it was not what I wanted to find in a book like this.

I think the book was written for people who wanted to go to Korea for work. There's a huge part about English teachers at private academies, work in general and students. Even stories about love or reconnecting with families say a lot about work. And if someone looks for a book with advices for foreigners who want to work in Korea- that's it.

Although it was written almost 10 years ago, and I think Korea changed a lot since then, it's a good publication, written in a easily-read format and in general I would recommend it.

J.

[otoke-panda]

Korean ceramics

Though many people may think that due to its geographical and historical conditions Korea should have a decorative art directly derived from China's - it hasn't. This country's culture is not another provincial variety - it's unique and original.

The domain of Korea was always pottery. During the times of Silla Kingdom Korean vases and lamps with open-work bases were so astonishing that many artists in Japan (Kofun Period) copied them. But the most recognizable are celadon works from Goryeo (Cheong-ja). Its main feature is unique jade green glaze. It was the main type of ceramics produced on the Korean peninsula. This unique color is owed to presence of iron in the clay. The finest examples were produced in the 11th century.  Koreans achieved perfection in this type of ceramics and gained recognition from the Chinese artisans.

(Ewer with cover, first half of the 12th century, fot. www.brooklynmuseum.org)

Symbols used in Goryeo celadon represent Buddhist beliefs and Shamanism. for example the circle stand for sun, crane for immortality and pine tree for fidelity. Shapes also had a meaning and were usually derived from nature.

(Bowl, first half of the 15th century, fot. www.brooklynmuseum.org)

After the Mongol Invasions celadon was replaced with Brown Porcelain called Buncheong. It was used by all classes of society, unlike Cheongja, which had been used by the higher class only. It was less delicate and precise than the celadon works. Most of Brown Porcelain items had bluish-green tone and were coated with a white engobe (slip) and then decorated with iron pigment. It disappeared from Korea in 16th century due to the popularity of white porcelains.

 (Wine cup, 15th century, fot.http://www.metmuseum.org)

  Joseon white porcelain (Baekja) was widely manufactured and used by all the classes of society just like Buncheong. Though of course it varied depending on the class. The style of these ceramics works reflects minimalist and purist Confucian philosophy - it has almost no decorative designs. The color is owed to both clay and glaze (calcium-rich) and changed during centuries from milky white (15th century), through snow white to bluish white in 18th and 19th century.

J.

[otoke-panda]

Korean mask dance dramas

Traditional Korean mask dance  has several names: talchum, sandae nori, ogwangdae, deul noreum and yayu, each rooted in a different region.

Talchum was originally handed in Hwanghae Province, but nowadays it has became a popular name for every type of Korean mask dance. Origins of talchum are not really evident. First dances with masks were introduced during the Silla Kingdom (kommu, sword dance with masks). Later the element of mask frequently appeared during the shaman rites. A mundang would wear a mask because this item was believed to ward away evil spirits, malicious animals and diseases. Dance with mask was performed to keep household or village free of demons or to facilitate contact with supernatural beings with the aim of repel them or pacify them. Basically talchum is a form of folk drama. It can be divided into three types: the rural dance, the urban dance and the vagrant dance. Rural dance has its origin in annual communal festivals, are performed obviously by farmers. Among rural mask dance dramas we can distinguish some important ones like: Hahoe Talchum, Bukcheong Lion Dance, Gangneung Gwanno Nori.

(fot. http://www.mask.org/coding/main.asp)

For vagrant troupes of artists, performing a mask dance in a host city was kind of a transaction. Vital plays would attract a lot of spectators. It would help to grow local businesses. The host city had its benefits and dancers had a place to sleep and eat. Important play in this type of talchum is Yangju Byolsande Nori. The urban dance has a lot of variations and is the most advanced and developed type of talchum. Korean mask dance drama reunites common themes or plots as: lack of morality between aristocracy, love-triangle of a wife, a concubine and a husband, corruption of monks, immortal and harsh realities of life, triumph of virtues and forces of good. Masks The most popular material is alder wood, but some of them are also made of rice-straws, gourds or paper mache. Masks are decorated with different types of items or signs as colour stripes, painted dots and circles, artificial fur. Frequently the decoration has its meaning as for example on a mask of Son of the East Sea Dragon we can find a peony which represents wealth. Sometimes the masks are attached to a black cloth which helps to hold the mask in place. Music Played by most traditional instruments as piri (type of oboe), jeotdae (transverse flute), janggu (type of drum), kkwaenggwari (hand-held gong) and haegeum (fiddle). Costumes No surprise that dancers wear traditional hanbok. This type of hanbok derives from late Joseon Dynasty hanboks, characterized by long, white sleeves. For further information I recommend Cyber Hahoedong Tal Museum (http://www.mask.org/coding/main.asp) A.

[otoke-panda]

The Great Script

"Intelligent people will need a day to learn this and for an idiot it won't take more than ten days" - with this "slogan" one of the creators of the Korean alphabet described hangeul.

Differently from most of the modern alphabets, hangeul is not an outcome of years of evolution. It's a result of planned activity. In 1443 the 4th King of Choseon Dynasty - Sejong and the scholars from The Hall of Worthies created a system that was easy enough for everyone to learn. Its rules were described in a document called Hunminjeongeum. Before 15th century Koreans used Chinese signs for writing, but both languages are so different (due to different origin) it was really difficult. The higher class for many years was boasting about the knowledge of Chinese, it was a factor distinguishing them from the common people. And because of that the history of hangeul wasn't so bright. The elites of the kingdom used to call it amgeul (woman's script). Because of the political reasons it was partly forgotten and "reborn" in the 19th century. In 1911 Ju Sigyeon created the name "hangeul" which means "Korean script" or "the great script".

There are 21 vowels and 19 consonants (originally there were 28 letters: 17 consonants and 11 vowels). Vowels are formed with three symbols:  sky (dot), person (vertical line) and ground (horizontal line). For example the vowel ㅏis formed by writing "the sky" (dot) to the right of "the person". The shape of basic consonants come from the shape of the tongue and speech organs. For example the shape of ㅁ(m) comes from the shape of one's lips when pronouncing this consonant. Consonants and vowels are grouped together by syllables. Vowels serve as the base and must be written with a consonant.

King Sejong's invention still has effects on everyday life of Koreans. Because the language is so simple the children learn it very fast and when they reach the age of two or three they can easily express their feelings. What is even more surprising, by the time they go to school most of them have a fully developed abilities of speaking and writing (in England people usually achieve that level in English at the age of 12). Illiteracy virtually doesn't exist in Korea.

Hangeul is used in both Koreas though North Koreans usually call it chosongul or uri culcha (our characters) as an expression of the nationalism.

J.

[otoke-panda]

Hanok

Every country's architecture style reflects its nation's wisdom, culture, geographic and economic conditions. These factors are easily noticeable while studying hanok. This term refers to traditional korean residential units (in contrast to yangok- western style architecture).

First of all hanok characteristics show how the humid climate influenced korean lifestyle. Tall foundation (gidan) made of stones blocks off moisture from the ground and prevents the house from slanting or sinking. Wooden rafters and columns keep the balance of the building. There are several types of hanok roofs depending on materials: tiled-roof, oak bark-roof, reed-roof, shingle-roof, etc. Lenghts of the roof layers were always well measured to control the amount of sunlight entering the house. Also windows and doors covered with traditional korean handmade paper (hanji) were adjusted to needs for natural lighting. Hanji was also covered with soybean oil to prevent from water damage.

  (fot. http://malaag.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/cimg0242.jpg)

Summer in Korea brings hot, humid weather. That's why Koreans developed maru: open space with wooden floor. Its function is to let air in between rooms and refresh it. Due to severe winter Koreans introduced to their housing a new heating system called ondol: floor made of flat and wide stone slabs; hot air from the kitchen, before leaving the house enters the empty space below stone slabs and warms them up. Ondol gave an origin to jjimjilbang, famous korean bathhouses.

A typical hanok is divided into five to six rooms. Anbang, a bedroom and lady's room, geonneonbang for aged or children, sarangbang was a male- centered domain and served to receive guests and study. The kitchen, connected to anbang was called bueok and a outhouse- cheugkan. Upper-class families could also afford hengrang, servants accommodation.

Hanok beauty is based on its natural materials and proximity to nature. Its utility and cleverness is related with an old medicine's rule which says that one's head should be cold  and feet warm (頭寒足熱), a rule easily applied thanks to maru and ondol system. The largest number of hanok can be found in Bukchon.

A.

[otoke-panda]

10 facts about: Jeju island

1.  Jeju island is usually called Jeju-do which means Jeju province. It is one of the nine provinces in Korea (Jeju Special Self-governing Province).

2. Tamna means "the island country" and it's the name of the kingdom that ruled the island until 1404 when it became a part of Joseon Dynasty realms.

3. The island was created entirely from volcanic eruptions approximately 2 million years ago. Halla Mountain (Halla San) - the shield volcano is also the highest mountain in South Korea. Nowadays Korean cosmetic brands offer products with volcanic clay from Jeju-do.

4. Jeju World Cup Stadium (42,256-person capacity) was built to host matches during FIFA World Cup in 2002 (Brazil - China, Paraguay - Slovenia and Paraguay - Germany) . The design of the stadium was inspired by the shape of Halla Mountain. In 1989 Jeju United FC (proffesional football team from Jeju-do) won K League Classic (Korean First Division).

5. One of the symbols of Jeju-do are Dol hareubangs (derived from kor. dol - "stone" and Jeju dialect's hareubang -"grandfather").  They are considered to be gods offering both protection and fertility. Three meters tall statues carved from volcanic rock portray grinning old man with a mushroom-like hat. Their origin is unknown, but they are thought to be connected with mudang.

(fot. qldaccommodation.com)

6. Heanyo means "sea woman" the name was used to describe women who took over the household income and practiced diving to find food. Women, unlike men, didn't have to pay taxes, so it was more profitable for them. Also it is thought that woman's body is better adapted to dive. Haenyo were skilled divers who were known to be able to hold their breath for almost two minutes and dive to depths of 20 meters. Now they're representative of the matriarchal family structure of Jeju.

7. Jeju has its own dialect that differs greatly from the mainland Korean. It can be found in UNESCO's  Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger and has a "critically endangered language" rank.

8. Due to its geographical location Jeju has a lot of wind. It affects not only architecture but the common knowledge. People of Jeju use a lot sayings that teach the wisdom of life through parables of the wind.

9. There's a special dog breed called "Jeju dog". In 1986 there were only three dogs of this breed living on the island, but they were brought back from the edge of extinction and in 2010 the Jeju dog population was estimated to be at about 69. They are similar to the Korean Jindo dogs in terms of color and size.

10. Nowadays Jeju-do is called "honeymoon island". It is also often showed in Korean dramas (e.g. Secret Garden) or movies.

J. 

[otoke-panda]

Everlasting religion: Shamanism

When it comes to religions, Korea is a really fascinating country. In accordance with the statistics the largest number of believers comprehends Buddhists, second group- Protestants, then Catholics. Statistics describe the composition of population by religion, however, the numbers are irrelevant. What is important, in Korea such religions as Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism coexist in peace. What is even more intriguing, conventional religions are not the only religions established in Korea. Although in Korea Christianity raises in numbers of followers, primitive religions are still well ingrained in the Peninsula and even the followers of systemized religions practice some of them.

(fot. http://graphics8.nytimes.com)

Shamanism has really strong history and accompanies Koreans in their everyday life. Professor Tae-Gon Kim divided Korean Shamans into four main groups: 1) mudang- reside central and northern areas, are recruited if manifest shamanic illness or enter state of ecstasy, they are charismatic shamans and perform gut (or kut) 2) myeongdu- can be find throughout except for north-eastern area, they initiation is similar to mudang and they specialize in shamanic divination (jeom) 3) tangol- live in southern areas (Youngnam, Honam), their profession is hereditary, tangol are priestly shamans and also perform gut 4) simbang- originally from Jeju Island, they inherit the profession or pass the initiation thanks to ecstasy state, perform gut

The most well-known and popular are mudang, a female shaman who occupies the central position (male shamans are called pansu, but their role in the ritual is insignificant). A world mudang probably comes from Chinese  'mu' literally means 'the one who performs miracles' and 'dang', added much later, means 'an altar' or 'shrine'. First notes about mudang come from the first century A.D. Nowadays we can find a large variety of mudang, starting from fortune-telling shamans who advertise their houses and kiosks in public transportation or newspapers. But there is also a great number of mudang living in a rural area, their households are always marked with a Shamanism's flag. These mudang are professionals allowed to perform Shaman rituals.

Mudang's ritual is called gut. To perform a gut three components are required: spirit, mudang and followers. During the gut shaman consults follower's problem with the spirit, acts like a medium and announce spirit's answer. The ritual is based on dances and chants. Actually performing a gut always means a festival party. In former days when a mudang arrived in a village and was about to perform the ritual, villagers gathered together to be a part of the ritual, dance, sing and 'let things out'. Everyone would assist on equal rights, breaking Confucian hierarchy.   

Nowadays people attend shamans rather to ask for a fortune telling, but for example on Jeju Island Shamanism is seen more as a traditional medicine than religion. Anyway Shamans were always members of the low social class and government wanted to minimize their influence. Lately, due to ascending cultural self-confidence we can observe a Shamanism's revival in Korea. UNESCO World Heritage proclaimed pansori (genre of traditional Korean music) and Gangneung Danoje Festival, both inseparably related with Shamanism, Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (on 2003 and 2005 respectively). 

A.

[otoke-panda]

The blood types phenomenon

A few days ago I was talking with my Mom about Zodiac signs. We were discussing characteristics of each sign and examples of our family members or friends. Though it's not something I think about when meeting a new person  I find it quite interesting. I've heard  once an opinion that what conditions our behavior is not a Zodiac sign itself but a knowledge of its characteristics and a belief that it really works that way. True or not in Western culture we do think about it and we know more or less what being a Cancer or a Virgo means.

During our conversation I remembered that I've read once about blood types and its similar meaning to Zodiac signs in Asian culture (mostly Japan) and I've decided to read some more about it. I've heard about special diets for each blood type before and I know a few people who tried it and were satisfied with the effects, but in reality most of my friends don't know their blood type unless they had to check it for some medical reason. And yet in Asia blood type is so important you can even get fired because of it (so-called blood type harassment - burahara).

The beginnings of the blood type interest date back to World War II and Nazi eugenics and though now many people see it only as a way to earn money (e.g. special soft drinks or condoms for each blood type, books etc.)  it is for sure great cultural phenomenon. It's a topic of everyday's conversations, books, articles and it affects both private and professional life.

The most discriminated blood type is B. People with this blood type are known to be individualistic, selfish, irresponsible, wild and erratic. It is especially dangerous for women to date a man with blood type B. It is quite rare blood type (more or less 20%), but many people avoid admitting that they are B's. Also AB is considered a rather bad sign. People with this blood type are due to popular conviction controlled and rational but also critical and forgetful.  A's are earnest, creative, sensitive and stubborn and 0's - confident, optimistc, strong-willed but cold and doubtful.

I did a little research. I asked my friends about their blood types and knowing more or less their vices and virtues I was trying to find any connection. In some points blood type's characteristics were true and in some absolutely not. For example I have most features of blood type A (especially the "makes good accountant" thing...) though I'm a... B. But for example my father is type 0 and I would say he has 90% of the characteristics that I could find online.

Reading more about this phenomenon I've found a few opinions on why it is so important in Asian culture. Sakumi Itabashi said for example that "people want to find a rule in everything, including personality, because that makes things more predictable and they feel more secure" and that would probably apply for Zodiac signs too. But I've also found opinions that judging by blood type is a new way to tell people indirectly what we think about them or that in a largely homogenous society, it provides an easy framework to divide people up into easily recognizable groups. J.

[otoke-panda]

A short one about politics

After a few months of being seriously interested in Korean culture I discovered I have absolutely no idea about its political system. Obviously I knew something about North Korea, but South?

If you want to find some information you can either open Wikipedia or a book. Wikipedia is great for basics but because I wanted to know something more I headed for our University's library. What I found there? Almost nothing. There were a few books about economic boom in South Korea but that was it. I've only found one book about history where I hoped to find something about politics.

I asked myself why I wanted to know more about it than I can find on the Internet and I discovered that I'm being fascinated by the fact that South Korea's new president is a woman. I don't think that in our country it would be possible. No one would say out loud that women are not capable of ruling a country, but in fact no one would vote for a woman. Other thing is that women just don't stand for election. Why Korea has no problem with that? Stereotypically thinking I always considered Asian countries more chauvinistic than European.

What my historic book told me about this? First thing that caught my attention was a fact that in the beginnings of political units on the Korean peninsula (Three Kingdoms of Korea) women could inherit the power and rule independently (Silla) and that kings could be elected (Goguryeo). In 19th century in Spain king Ferdinand brought forth the Pragmatic Sanction, so that his oldest daughter would inherit the throne, otherwise due to the Salic Law all the power could be inherited only by the male successor. Yet in Korea it wasn't a problem in 4th century. So maybe I was narrow-minded again.

After a few hundred years of changes and wars Korea is now divided into two parts - North and South.  South Korea is a semi-presidential representative republic and North Korea is a single-party state under a totalitarian family dictatorship, but that's only the beginning of the differences between these two countries (which I don't want to amplify because it's a topic for at least one more article if not a book). Focusing on South Korean politics we could say that the country with the most similar political system in Europe is France. What does semi-presidential system mean? Basically that both president and prime minister are active participants in day-to-day administration of the state. The president though is a head of executive branch. And now a bit more information: The president is elected directly by the people for one five-year term and is the head of government, head of state and commander in chef. He or she can propose the legislation to the National Assembly. The Prime Minister of South Korea (appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly) assists the president in his/hers duties. The legislative branch consists of the National Assembly of South Korea (unicameral legislature). 299 members are elected from single-member constituencies and 56 are elected through proportional representation for four-year term (similar mixed system in Europe: Germany).

So now if anyone asks "What do you really know about Korea?" I can answer "Well, I know something about its political system!" and that would be true.

J.

[otoke-panda]

Snail revolution

On the Korean cosmetic market have recently popped up skin care products containing so called snail extract which is in fact snail secretion filtrate.

The first time I saw this kind of product on my friend's shelf I thought "Yuck! I would never apply something made of snail!". But after a few days I abandoned a vision of snails crawling around and leaving a sticky mucus everywhere and I started the research. A multitude of Korean gels, creams, ampules and serums based on snail extract I had found on the Internet,  astonished me. I went even deeper and tried to analise, where the snail's secret lies.

Snail secretion filtrate was registered on the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) list. It is the product obtained from the filtered secretion of one or more species of snails, but the most common species is Helix aspersa known by the name garden snail. Slime's components are: allantoin, proteins, collagen, elastin, vitamins (A,C,E), Alpha-Hydroxy-Acids, Mucopolysaccarides, Proteolitic Enzymes. The skin benefits supposedly are: exfoliation and skin regeneration, nutrition and smoothing. Moreover it is said that snail extract provides hydration and protects from irritation, external aggression and certain strain of bacterias. It also contains antioxidants that prevents skin aging and protects from UV. Most of the skincare products based on snail has become popular because they are said to reduce wrinkles by improving elasticity of skin and equalize skin tone by exfoliating and healing properties. The most repeated key word while promoting snail secretion filtrate products is 'skin repair'.

Although a lot of doubters still think snail slime properties are nothing more than a hoax, people use snails in beauty and health routine since time of Ancient Greece when Hippocrates documented the health benefits of snail slime. It seems that after all it persisted forgotten until 1995 when the Chilean snail cream hit the market and after a few years the snail-fever burst in Korea. Now nearly every major Korean cosmetic company has launched its snail-based cosmetic line: ElishaCoy (Skin Repairing Snail Cream, Eye Balm, Essence, Lotion, Mask Sheet), Missha (Super Aqua Skin Renewer Snail Cream, Essential Moisturizer, Sleeping Mask), TonyMoly (Intense Repair Live Snail Cream, Eye Cream, Mask, Lotion, Essence, Ampoule), Holika Holika (Snail Skin Care Cream, BB cream, Emulsion, Eye Serum) , Mizon (All In One Snail Repair Healing Cream, Recovery Gel Cream, Ampoule, BB cream, Eye Cream), It's Skin (Prestige Creme Ginseng D'escargot Cream, BB cream). As we can see, the ample range of snail products confirms its popularity.

Once the research was done, the next step was to buy a product. I decided to purchase Mizon All In One Snail Repair Healing Cream and Eye Cream. Why this brand? The reason is simple, I heard good opinions about Mizon, I have tried their products before and I was satisfied every single time. Moreover All In One Snail Repair has high concentration of snail extract (92%). Up till now I'm also satisfied with this product. I like the aesthetical packaging, glass jar and the lid inside which protects the content from messing everything up. The cream has really nice texture, it's a little sticky so it literally reminds snail slime but in the same time it spreads and absorbs easily. It is not oily and gives to skin matt appearance. Almost odourless. The eye cream contains 80% snail extract and is obviously more oily. Up till now the only disadvantage I noticed about Mizon All In One and Eye Cream is that they contain a few parabens and I try to avoid them. Although I don't use snail extract creams for a long time, I can already see some benefits: my skin is really hydrated and elastic and I have an impression that it has already slightly healed some of my blemishes.

The interesting thing to mention is  that with all the Korean cosmetics boom sometimes my friends and I bet a lot of people forget that not only Korean industry supplies great skin-care solutions. Western market also provides snail based products with outstanding Elicina's snail creams, actually one of the first companies introducing snail secretion filtrate. 

A.

[otoke-panda]

We wanted to cook a Korean meal for some time. It is known that food is a great part of every culture and by discovering the tastes and traditions you learn more and more about the country. Probably the first choice would always be kimchi but because A. had made it before, we've decided to try something else.

Why bibimbap?

First. The name. BI-BIM-BAP. It sounds awesome - it should taste awesome. Simple enough. Besides it appeared to be quite easy to prepare. The decision was made and we headed for the next step - the ingredients.

Most of the ingredients are available in any European store (or at least in a store with well-being food or Asian cuisine). There were however two things that we had a problem with. One of them was marked by us as potentially hard to find from the beginning, but the other seemed quite easy. The Hard One was gosari, the Easier One - soy bean sprouts. I tried to find it online but there was no gosari. Also when my friend discovered that I was searching EBay-like site for a fern that I wanted to eat later and looked at me like I was seriously ill, I thought that maybe buying food online, especially something that you don't know how it should look or taste like, is not the best idea.

Our only hope was a small Korean store in our city. Very nice lady told us that they'd have gosari next Friday, but when we explained what we needed it for she recommended us sweet potato vines instead of gosari and explained how to cook it ("Water... Heat, heat, heat... One hour. Ok?"). We still don't know how gosari tastes, but at least we were able to make bibimbap. With sweet potato vines, soy bean sprouts, tons of ramyun and pepero we headed home.

The preparation is not complicated though doing it for the first time we spent almost two hours in the kitchen. We wanted our first pibimbap to not only taste great but also look great and that's why it took us so much time. Though we were a bit afraid of shiitake mushrooms (because we've never prepared it before and badly prepared mushrooms can be quite dangerous) we decided that after frying they have to be eatable (#shiitake YOLO). What else do you need to make a great meal? Music of course and there's only one right song for it: Super Junior H's 'Cooking? Cooking!'.

Korean cuisine is very practical. Both kimchi and bibimbap are something that takes some time to prepare, but once you do it you have food for the rest of your life. Especially kimchi because you can store it for a very long time (bibimbap is made with meat, so it should be eaten  within 2-3 days, but still you can feed your whole family with it).

The effect was great (both taste and looks - just as we wanted). The taste wasn't "strange" so if you're planning a party and you want to feed your guests with bibimbap it's a really good idea. The ingredients are quite easy to find or at least to replace with something more common in Europe.

 A. sent a photo of our meal to her Korean friend and her reply ("It is bibimbap! Looks delicious!") was the greatest award for us.

Operation: Bibimbap. Status: succeeded!

  [We used Maangchi's recipe]

J.