#Korean Guide

[koreaguides]

Side Dishes in Korea

Why do we get served so many each meal? 

1. Background Information 

One of the most appealing things about eating out in Korea is the unlimited free refill on the side dishes, known as banchan. 

This practice is deeply rooted in Korean history and character as a nation 

2. Kimchi 

There are hundreds of different types of kimchi, but the signature cabbage banchan is offered at pretty much every restaurant. 

Koreans have for generations been storing vegetables in pots to ferment so that they will have food available for the winter. 

3. Common Banchans 

Other than kimchi, there are bean sprouts, cucumber vegetables, and sesame leaves pickled in soy sauce. 

Some of the more luxurious Korean restaurant sever egg rolls, tteokbooki, and ganjang gejang. 

4. Banchans At Restaurant 

Eating at a Korean restaurant is always an exercise in how to maneuver all the dishes to actually fit on the table. 

It is not uncommon to receive 3 or more different banchan dishes alongside the main course that you order. 

5. Homemade Banchans 

During a kimchi-preparation event called kimjang, a large amout of kimchi is laid out for all members of the family work on. 

This practice is less common these days, but parents still like to prepare kimchi and distribute it to their children as a show of affection. 

6. Why Are Banchan Unlimited? 

One reason is that white rice was much more expensive than kimchi and banchan during difficult times in the Korean economy. 

It was too expensive for restaurants to give refills of rice, but in order to make sure you were full, they offered you a second helping of banchan. 

7. How Is Banchan Served? 

In order to reduce operating costs, some restaurants have suggested limiting or removing the unlimited banchan options, which many Korean people weren’t happy about. 

To meet in the middle, many Korean restaurants these days have adopted a self-service system in which you can eat as much as you like, but you have to approach the food station and fill your own bowls. 

[thelailasblog]

[andaniellight]

SO FASCINATING that the detective has been carrying his own light from the very start, which means he's been fated or chosen by the (in-between) afterlife to be the next guardian so the one who's been guiding him to the light shop can finally cross over

[xoxo-diary]

lim jugyeong inspired outfits ˚₊‧ / style guide !

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

colour palette : pink , blue(denim) , grey , beige , a little black for bags/shoes

wardrobe staples : skinny or straight leg jeans, tweed jackets (pink, white, cream), simple shoulder bag, trench coats (beige, pink if you want to make a statement♡), mini skirts, simple white shirt .

personally i really love jugyeongs chic and often pastel outfits, they suit her so well. she really is my muse when it comes to clothes and makeup <3 i hope this helped !

xoxo, L

(p.s. kang soojin version coming soon 0_0) ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀

[nanaosaki3940]

Romance Manhwa You All Should Read...

So there are a few Korean manhwa that I have been reading recently. Some are new manhwa which I just picked up to read while the others are old ones that I read before and now I'm re-reading them again. All of them are of modern-setting with the premise of high school or college romance. 🥰🥰🥰

The new ones that I'm reading for the first time -

My First Love Hate

Seasons Of Blossom

Our Secret Alliance

Just Twilight

I Don't Hate Us

Cheese In The Trap

Revelation Of Youth

Operation Name: Pure Love

The Law Of Being Friends With A Male

My Introverted Boy

See You in My 19th Life

The old ones that I've read before and now re-reading them again -

Something About Us

Positively Yours

Marked By King BS

The ones that I haven't read yet but want to get into it -

Romance 101

My Younger Brother's Friends

Rewriting Our Love Story

1 Plus 1

Villain With A Crush

This Must Be Love

Now I wanna talk about some of the Manhwa series that I recently read in the last couple of days...

Our Secret Alliance

Manhwa Status: Completed Troupe: Childhood best friends turned lovers. THE NO. 1 BEST FUCKING "CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TURNED LOVERS" TROUPE MANHWA OUT THERE💘!! PERIOD😤!!!

No, seriously. I really enjoyed reading this series, and OMG !!! Female lead Se-i Yun and male lead Jaeha Kim are so fucking adorable!!! Se-i is a cutie, for sure, and seeing Jaeha as a boyfriend in this story raised my "boyfriend" expectations to an unrealistic height...

Also warning: you'll encounter a soft, bashful male lead here... so beware!!!

Seasons Of Blossom

Manhwa Status: Completed This story has four different parts: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. And damn, the stories are so good, y'all!!

(This is gonna be a LONG rant here btw...)

I really loved the 1st part of the series "Bomi's Flower" which is the season of Spring. The sweet female lead (Bomi Yun), one of the most popular and studious girls in school, has a little crush on the 2nd male lead (Jaemin Lee), another popular kid in school, but later finds out that her best friend/2nd female lead (Seonhui Kang) also has a crush on Jaemin. But the thing is everyone in their school ships Bomi and Jaemin together as a romantic couple. Seonhui also shows her genuine support to Bomi as a good friend if she ever tries to get together with Jaemin, but Bomi knows that deep down inside her heart Seonhui is hurting by the fact that Jaemin likes Bomi and everyone ships them, meaning her love towards Jaemin is unrequited. So to save her friendship with Seonhui and also to save Seonhui from a potential heartbreak, Bomi gets into a fake relationship with the male lead (Jinyeong Choi), so that Seonhui and Jaemin get the chance to be together... But the thing is Jinyeong is the complete opposite of Bomi. Unlike Bomi, Jinyeong is blunt, ruthless with his words, always has a straight bored look on his face, and has an "I don't give a fuck" kinda attitude. He doesn't fuck around and hates those typical high school dramas and bullshit. Even though he's a gaming otaku and only has two male friends, he's quite famous among the students; guys want to be friends with him because of his game recommendations and girls think he's really cute. Also despite the fact that he's shorter than Bomi in height, my man has balls for sure when it comes to speaking up about his mind or taking action for anything.

This story talks about how opposites attract one another, how to discover and learn new yet unexpected things, how to fall in love for the first time in life and that sweet feeling like falling in love in your youth, and how to break out of your own shell and discover a new side of yourself. This 1st part of the series will give you nothing but fluff, sweetness, and butterflies.

And then later comes the 2nd part of the series, the season of Summer aka Hamin's Flower...

Okay, this one was really tough to get through. Not because the story sucked or anything. It's because of how painful, angsty, and heartbreaking it is. In the 1st part (Bomi's Flower aka Spring), we get to know that the 2nd male lead Jaemin Lee had an older brother named Hamin Lee (the golden child of the family) who died 6 years ago by committing suicide. We don't get much info about Hamin Lee in the 1st part (other than the fact that he's Jaemin's brother) until it comes to an end and the 2nd part begins. The 2nd part opens up with Jaemin Lee and the gang bumps into a 24-year-old art college student named Somang Han who happens to be Hamin's girlfriend from high school. Through Somang's narration and flashbacks, we get to know what kind of person Hamin Lee was, how she and Hamin met and fell in love, and how he spiraled into depression which resulted in him ending his own life. And also through Jaemin, we get to know more about Hamin as a son and a brother and how their parents' rough parenting pushed him to darkness and depression. At first, when Hamin was first mentioned in the 1st part, I didn't think much about him and only felt empathy for Jaemin for losing his older brother. But after getting introduced to Hamin in the 2nd part and learning more about him through Somang and Jaemin's POV and narrations, I couldn't help but bawl my eyes out for him in every single chapter. It got even worse for me since I already knew where the story was going and what was going to happen to Hamin in the end (it was more like the Shinichiro Sano effect from Tokyo Revengers like you know who Shinichiro is and what happened to him but that doesn't stop you from falling in love with him despite him being dead throughout the whole series). RIP Hamin Lee; my heart will always go out to you, forever, always.

The 2nd part Hamin's Flower aka Summer talks about some heavy topics/subjects like - dysfunctional families, rough parenting going wrong, dealing with societal burdens and depression, losing your loved ones and dealing with the aftermath, your first tragic love story, handling regrets and dealing with your traumas, how to overcome those traumas, and finally how to let go of your past and move on with life.

Hamin's Flower left me in such a numb and gloomy state that I couldn't read the other two parts (Autumn and Winter), but I'll try to get back and read them sooner or later. Even though I haven't read the complete series yet, I'll still give out a biased statement - I really, really loved Bomi's Flower and Hamin's Flower, and these two parts will always gonna be my favs from this series (doesn't matter to me if Autumn and Winter are better than these two).

Cheese In The Trap

Manhwa Status: Completed The oldest series in this list...

This story... this story... Oh God, where should I begin?!?! I can't believe that I didn't read this until now!! This is a truly mature love story. If you read this wanting a simple light college romance, this is not for you. While there are very cute interactions between the main character and her love interests, it is a very well-thought-out and complex manga - definitely the most realistic I have read thus far. The character development is out of this world and adds a sense of tangibility to the characters that you really don't see in fiction normally. To explain, the important main and side characters in any story are always bound by rules of development to identify them as cogs in a narrative; we have underlying expectations about what the characters might do, or how they might subvert those expectations. But, this webtoon is the study of social relationships and the nature of people. You get to see that there will always be some sort of social hierarchy, that there are meanings and repercussions beyond what you expect to happen in life, and that we all have some degree of victim and perpetrator in us. We all cope and process in different ways, while also continuing and evolving in life the way we know how. Unlike anything I have ever read before.

Also, this story is under the tag of "Psychological Drama" and it's all because of the male lead named Jung Yu. God, I've such a love-hate relationship with him, y'all!! Like I love him but also hate him at the same time. He's mysterious, charming, alluring yet so damn confusing. Also, the fact that he's a sociopath with a bit of a Yandere-ish tendency in him and that he's also obsessed with the female lead (Seol Hong) in a very twisted way??? He's a walking red flag for sure, but then again not... In short, Jung Yu is a complex character and my simple brain just can't comprehend him. I also love the female lead (Seol Hong), the 2nd male lead (Inho Baek), and Seol's two best friends (Bora Jang and Euntaek Kwon). The only important side character I despise is Inho's twin sister Inha Baek (don't ask why; just go and read it for yourself and you'll know why... also I hate those bully characters too btw, just so you know...).

I Don't Hate Us

Manhwa Status: Completed Troupe: Childhood best friends turned lovers.

Another series with "childhood best friends turned lovers" troupe done right!!

The female lead (Wonsu Ha) and the male lead (Jaesu Sang) have been childhood best friends since their middle school days. They had been best friends through high school and college until one day Wonsu got herself a boyfriend. Jaesu has romantic feelings for Wonsu, but she only sees him as a friend and has platonic love for him. Wonsu then breaks up with her boyfriend, not because the guy is a cheater but because they aren't that compatible with each other, so they mutually break up and separate. Wonsu also gets separated from Jaesu because his romantic feelings for her were getting in the way of their friendship at the time, and also her relationship with her ex-boyfriend took a toll on her mentally and emotionally, so she cut off all her connection and simply focused on her studies and graduating from university. Years later, now working in a small yet growing company, Wonsu reconnects with an adult and more mature Jaesu, who now works in a multinational corporation, and that's when sparks and butterflies start to fly left, right, and center. Almost all the characters are likable, the story and the plot are realistic, and overall it was an enjoyable read for me truly.

Also warning: you'll encounter a soft, bashful male lead here... so beware!!! I mean, the fact that despite the bad boy looks and everything, he's so cute like a puppy is fucking adorable, yo!!!

My First Love Hate

Manhwa Status: On-going Troupe: Childhood best friends turned lovers

This one came out this year and so far I'm really enjoying it. Just like the previously mentioned series above, the female lead (Eunha Kang) is relatable, funny, smart, studious, strong-willed, and whatnot. The male lead (Seungmin Ha) is Eunha's childhood best friend since elementary school but they stopped hanging out with one another ever since he became a delinquent back in high school despite the fact that they went to the same school and were in the same classroom. Years later, Eunha got into a prestigious university in Seoul and later learned that Seungmin was also at that university!! Not only that, he also stopped being a delinquent for good and suddenly started dressing up like a nerdy college boy. When Eunha asked what he was trying to do, Seungmin simply replied that he was returning back to his old self again and wanted to reconnect with Eunha... But things got a bit spicy all of a sudden when a tattoo-bodied 2nd male lead named Ryu Seonhoo walked into the scene and Eunha had to tutor him for the GED test on a regular basis...

Also warning: you'll encounter a soft, bashful, puppy-like male lead AND 2nd male lead here... so beware!!!

Just Twilight

Mahwa Status: Ongoing Troupe: Strangers to friends to lovers

I won't say anything about it... JUST FUCKING READ THIS SHIT ALREADY!!!

If you're a fan of another famous manhwa series called "Positively Yours", then you'll also love this series since it's written by the same author. The female lead (Junyoung Yun) is literally my spirit animal and the male lead (Beomjin Kwon) is such a husbando material, y'all... like, just look at him!!!

That's all for now... I'll make more Korean manhwa recommendation posts again very soon!!!

My manhwa recommendation list posts - Link 1, Link 2, and Link 3.

[blacksapphicguide]

Yuri x Juliana XO Kitty (TV Series)

[whumpslist]

The K2 [Deo Keitu]’s whumps’ list

[referred to main male character: Kim Je Ha, portrayed by Ji Chang Wook]

Season 1

.01: laying in bed and groaning waking up, bloody bandages and many cuts, heavely panting, crawling out of bed and holding his dressed flank, many grunts and groaning in pain, looking out for support and heavily panting, molested in street, somebody ran on him, folding in pain and holding his flank, tugged, rough fights twice, limping and panting, conflicted and tears in his eyes, exhausted, worried and agitated, fought against multiple opponents simultaneously, bloody lip and blood drops on his undershirt, attacked and fought against multiple opponents.

.02: memories of war during agitated sleep: gunfight and shot; rough awakening, heavely panting and moaning, rough fight, brief scuffle, under gunpoint, tied and gagged, manhandled, groaning in effort, bloody wrist for handcuffs, broken his own thumb to free himself and groaning in pain, brief scuffle and bloody cut near his eye, fought against multiple opponents simultaneously and bloody lip, tazered and fallen to the ground, wobbly and heavily panting, shocked.

.03: bloody lip eye and wrist from previous episode, shocked, chased and into a remote controlled car, into a car accident, upside down car, bloody face and wobbly, panting and groaning, helped getting out the car, bloody and many cuts, heavily panting and wobbly, exploded car and blasting, on his knees, hit at his back by a debris, groaning in pain and collapsed, passed out and laying defenseless, in hospital bed restrained, hand in plaster and various cuts, sore, difficult confrontation, limping, shocked and painful memories, fought against multiple opponents simultaneously.

.04: panic attack, feeling sick and heavily panting, helped standing up, collapsed on his knees and heavily panting, exhausted, painful memories and screaming, heavily panting, rough fights and chased, plaster removed, (ridicolous) sparring, scars on his body, attacked and fought against multiple opponents simultaneously.

.05: alarmed, panting, fought against multiple opponents, manhandled (fake), embarassed.

.06: painful memories (upset and grief, hit at his neck and knocked out, emotional pain and distraught, screaming and crying, under gunpoint, arrested and dragged away), upset and sad, alarmed and worried.

.07: worried and agitated, upset and panting, conflicted, chased, saddened.

.08: argued, brief scuffles, rough fight, bruised and bloody face, eyebrow patch, almost fallen from the roof and sore.

.09: eyebrow patch and bruised face from previous episode, argued, nervous, agitated and worried, heavily panting, shocked, pensive, nightmare and sweating, rough awakening and heavily panting.

.10: eyebrow patch and cut on his cheek from previous episodes, restless and conflicted, tense and worried, argued, attacked with soporific gas, fought against multiple opponents twice, on the floor dizzy and bloody cut on his face, unstable on his leg and collapsed, passed out on the floor, dabbing the blood on his face and snorting in frustration, accepted a suicide mission, emotional.

.11: undercover into a suicide mission and exposed, under gunpoint and almost shot, into a furious gunfight, conflicted and heavily panting, uneasy, slapped at his back and gasped in pain, uneasy and unable to sleep, uncomfortable, laying belly down and bruised back treated, cut disinfected and covered with a patch, painful memories and comforted, silent tear.

.12: cut on his cheek from previous episodes, worried, frustrated and conflicted, shocked.

.13: grabbed and restrained.

.14: restrained from previous episode, fought and chased, fought against multiple opponents twice, hanging outside a building, jumped and rough landing, shot in the flank, sweating and groaning, rescued and barely conscious, chased by police, laying unconscious and bloody on a gurney, in surgery attached to a ventilator and bullet removed, cardiac arrest and CPR, used defribillator several times, dream (about being injured and bloody, collapsed and unresponsive), recovering and laying unconscious with IVs, wobbly and groaning trying to get up, emotional and crying, moaning and panting, sitting on the gurney and holding his flank, sieged.

.15: still injured from previous episode, sitting on the gurney and holding his flank, sieged, grimacing and moving slowly, punched on the wound and on his knees, punched to the ground and gasping in pain, under gunpoint and rescued at very last minute, moaning in pain and helped standing up, shirt stained with blood and heavily panting, pale and sweating, under gunpoint and harsh confrontation, conflicted, brief scuffles, receiving upsetting news, fought and into a gunfight, bleeding again, heavily panting and groaning, agitated and worried, upset, sore and panting, fought against multiple armed opponents simultaneously, rough fights and bloody head, heavily panting and sweating, hit at his head again and almost passed out, rough fight and bloody collar of his shirt, screaming in frustration.

.16: still badly injured from previous episodes and bloody head, worried and agitated, weak and unstable on his legs, heavily panting and sweating, crashed into his girlfriend and fallen to the floor, fought against multiple opponents, folded and collapsed on his knees, unconscious on a dtretcher and rushed to the infirmary bay, tented to his injuries, agitated, holding his torso and groaning, heavily panting and sweating, blackmailed, shot in the leg and collapsed on the floor, helped walking, upset, walking using the wall as supoprt and stumbled repeatedly, helped getting up and walking, into an elevator in free fall.

Field Surgery by Arlothia [ref. ep. 1.16]; Cat and Mouse by Arlothia [original]; Narrow Escape by Arlothia [ref. ep. 1.01]; "Please" by Arlothia [ref. ep. 1.16].

[lore-of-the-mushroom-kingdom]

Bowser Is Based On A Kappa?

So many people know Bowser was designed as a shell creeper and was based on the Chinese Softshell Turtle and the Demon Ox King, and that the name is based on the Korean dish Gukbap.

But turns out there appears to be one more thing Bowser has in what he is based on. In the Super Mario Galaxy Prima Strategy Guide on page 7 there is a blurb revealing that Bowser is in part based on a Kappa.

[ql-of-all-time-bracket]

QL of All Time - Round 1 (Loser Bracket): A Practical Guide to Being a Superstar's Assistant (2022) vs Love Tech (2021)

[bl-bam-beyond]

OUR DATING SIM (2023, SOUTH KOREA)

So Beautiful. Wow, South Korea is killing the BL industry lately with some awesome works. The New Employee was fantastic and now this one. Pure Perfection. Watch out Thailand. Korea is hot on your heels.

Finally after of 7 years of searching. Shin Ki Tae (LEE SEUNG GYU) has nailed down his feelings for the ever fleeing Lee Wan (LEE JONG HYUK) and it was able to say the words he couldn't 7 Years Ago. The words that would have made Lee Wan swoon. I LIKE YOU.

Then He saved his love from a flying soccer ball. The shock on Lee Wan's face and the sincerity on Shin Ki Tae's made this confession a home run.

[sketchonista]

Demoo SS25 shot at Paris Fashionweek

[koreaguides]

K-Dramas Based on True Stories

1. Fight for My Way 

This rom-com drama stars Park Seo Jun and Kim Ji Won. It is loosely based on the life of a real mixed martial artists Choo Sung Hoon and his wife Yano Shiho. The writer of the series had once mentioned in an interview that he saw Shiho crying while watching her husband in a match. 

2. Move to Heaven 

This drama was inspired by the non-fiction essay “Things Left Behind” by Kim Sae Byul. He had mentioned before in an interview that he cleaned the house of a man in his 70s who died alone and was only found many weeks later. It was in the form of different and was only found many weeks later. It was in the form of different characters but an exact setting was featured in one of the episode. 

3. Signal 

The top-rating K-Drama Signal stars Lee Je Hoon and Kim Hye Soo. The crimes shown in the series were derived from real cases in South Korea. This includes the Park Chorong Bitnari kidnapping case and also the Hwaseong serial murders that took place in Gyeonggi province. 

4. Reply 1988 

The series of K-Drama was loved by many viewers. One of the characters from the story was inspired by a real person. Taek played by Park Bo Gum was actually inspired by a real-life Baduk player, Lee Chang Ho which won lots of local and international Baduk tournaments. 

5. Crash Landing on You 

The writer of this drama revealed that her inspiration came from South Korean actress Jung Yang’s real-life even where the actress and her friends rose a leisure ferry boat and sail across Incheon’s shores but was swept away to the Northern Limit Line due to bad weather. The writer then proceeded to write a similar story.

[thelailasblog]

[helenstudies]

Day 50 of 100 Days of Productivity

Planning out this AND next week

J.Test prep because I have to take it on Sunday (14th)

Revising HSK 5 with my friend everyday because we're going to start taking HSKK (Advanced) classes on weekends starting on 13th

I also have chinese hsk 1 classes that I'm teaching on weekends.

Basically my weekends are fucked.

And then I'm teaching a new basic chinese class on thursdays and fridays

Trying to handle my workload as a tarot/oracle reader on the exam week

At least I got 100 out of 100 on my pali language diploma assignment! Yay!!!

Also Fantasy High Junior Year is premiering and I. Am. Psyched.

I am going on a study-work-staycation for 3 days before the J.test so that I can feel at ease :]

I'm also making pick a piles and giving out free questions for my paid telegram channel

also I'm gonna start selling books again after J.Test

god... I hope this is all

[xoxo-diary]

Hi can you make affirmations or guide on wonyoung ?

hii thank u for the request, i hope this helps ! 🎀

jang wonyoung outfits / style guide ⊹˚. ♡

♡˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ♡

main colours: pink, black, cream/white, blue denim

wardrobe staples: pink tweed everything !!! (e.g. skirt, jacket, shirt), basic black mini skirt/dress, straight leg blue jeans, cropped shirts (even better if it has details like small bows), dainty jewellery, small black or white hand/shoulder bag opt for pleated skirts over skin tight !

to me Wonyoungs style is very expensive yet youthful, although i struggled a little i tried to show of multiple sides of her fashion such as the more barbie-like, classy/neutral and casual outfits. our it girl Jang Wonyoung can really pull of anything !!

xoxo, L

(this is the first request i have done so its enjoyable hehe)

[rsumaiya]

Let's check out some best Korean traditional food

Kimchi: The Heart and Soul of Korean Cuisine

It would be impossible to discuss Korean cuisine without discussing kimchi. This traditional Korean food has a history extending back more than 2,000 years to the Shilla Dynasty. People usually use cabbage or radishes for kimchi. All the ingredients are usually seasoned with salt, chili pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, and other herbs and spices. The end result is a dish that Koreans adore with every meal because it is sour, hot, and pungent. Due to its probiotic nature, kimchi is not only delicious but also has several health advantages.

Korean Fried Chicken: The Crispy Delight of Traditional Korean Food

Korean fried chicken recreates the classic American fast food in its own special way. Unlike its American equivalents, double-fry the chicken in vegetable oil before covering it in a sweet-spicy sauce. As a result, the inside of the meat is extremely moist. And the lightly battered skin is crispy and low in fat. Korean Fried Chicken is a famous late-night treat with beer.

Tteokbokki- Red Rice Cakes

Tteokbokki is a beloved traditional Korean food that has become a popular street food dish across the country. It features chewy rice cakes, known as tteok, cooked in a spicy sauce, creating a flavorful and satisfying meal. Tteokbokki is known for its unique combination of heat, sweetness, and umami flavors.