[MANNAM international] Famous Korean food; Perilla Seeds Sujebi(Korean pasta soup)

[MANNAM international] Famous Korean food: Perilla Seeds Sujebi(Korean pasta soup)

MANNAM recommend Korean food

Today I want to introduce dear MANNAM friends delicious and healthy Korean restaurant. Usually what do you think about Korean foods? Bulgogi? Kim-chi? Bibimbab? Today, forget about famous ones. This food is healthy but unfamiliar to even Korean. One day, I got bad cold and one of my MANNAM friend took me to this restaurant. At that time, I barely swallowed food but this food is like soup so I could eat a whole bowl.

Have you got cold? I want to recommend sujebi when you feel sick and have a cold in Korea. It will make you warm:D

This is a Perilla Seeds Sujebi(들깨 수제비).

 I can say it’s kind of Korean-style Pasta soup.

what is the Sujebi?

Basically, Sujebi is wheat-flour dumplings in as clear soup with soy sauce, which commonly also contains other ingredients such as thinly sliced zucchini, laver, carrot or potato. It's one of famous Korean foods.

In this restaurant, a wheat-flour dumpling mixed with acorn powder is  special. That's why it looks gray and tasty is more chewy. Plus, perilla seeds powder is in soup.

Effectiveness of acorn

If you look in eastern medicinal manual 'Donguibogam', The effectiveness of acorn is

 promoting digestion and making strong intestine and stomach. When you have a sore throat, it's effective.

This is an acorn pancake (도토리 부침개).

If you get there, you should eat it as well.

Piping-hot sujebi, with its chewy dumpling, is popular with Koreans especially on a rainy day. It makes melt our mind and warm on rainy day.

How to get there 

This restaurant is located in Guduri in chunchoen city. If you have a chance to travel Gangwon province, drop by this famous restaurant "Junghyuen dotori yimjatang"(정현 도토리 임자탕).  

address 강원도 춘천시 동내면 거두리 962-2 

number 033-263-0002

[MANNAM] Korean Culture: What Do You Exchange with your Neighbor?

[MANNAM] Korean Culture: What Do You Exchange with your Neighbor?

In modern life, what did you exchange with people today? Money? Products? Or Ideas?

Here is something special to exchange in Korean culture. I will give you a hint. It’s invisible.

In rural areas, neighbors help out on each other’s farm. Helping each other’s works for nothing, we called it “Pum At-i.” “Pum At-i.” means exchange of labor. “Pum” is “work”. “At-i” is “exchange”.   

As developing the tertiary industry, agriculture has declined in Korea. Therefore it is uncommon now like before but it is still exist with the other shape of “Pum At-i.” For example, helping friend in moving to new house, making kimchi together(usually make more than 10 heads of napa cabbage each house at once), featuring in album without no money, etc.

We have regarded mutual help as a virtue. In company, there is a Mutual Aid Society. If some employee has a family event like funeral or wedding. Mutual Aid Society attend and help him.

When I was a kid, I remember my neighbor who was genial middle aged women. She was willing to take care of me in place of hospitalized my mother. After mom came back from hospital, mom said to her “I am so appreciate your help. I don’t know how to repay you for this.” She said, “We need more mutual help in adversity.”

This spirit of mutual help and “Pum At-I” is what the root of MANNAM. MANNAM is exchanging not only labor also a warm heart. Let’s suppose we exchange a warm heart. so all of people got warm heart. Isn’t it easier to make world peace?  

[MANNAM] Background of the invention of Hangeul?

MANNAM! Do you know the background of the invention of Hangeul?

 

 

 

 

As we learn, or before we learn do you know the background of the invention of Hangeul?

 

You may have heard that king Sejong made Hangeul, but why?

 

Long time ago, in Korea, people communicate with speaking Korean but there were no letter to write down.

 

So, before Hangeul was invented, people use Chinese character for literature.

 

However, it was very hard to write in Chinese character because it was based in Chinese.

 

Writing with Chinese which is totally different from Korean was hard that people has to study a lot to write.

 

Therefore, only rich people could write and enjoy literature.

 

It wasn’t universal to ordinary people to write and read the letter.

 

This makes Hangeul as a method to maintain their power for ruling class.

 

So, king Sejong had to progress inventing Hangeul secretly.

 

Therefore he couldn’t borrow many hands to scholars.

 

If he had caught in the middle of the invention, he might have not succeed it.

 

Even after he pronounce Hunmin-chungum, lots of aristocrat resist to publish it.

 

Inspite of all these resist, king Sejong contributed Han-geul for ordinary people.

 

After that, the Korean culture of literature got vitalized and ordinary people’s knowledge got improved.

 

As a result, king Se jong contributed Han-geul to give a better life to Ordinary people.

 

This is why many Korean respect king Se jong and print his portrait on 10,000won.

 

 

 

 

I think the mind set of caring others and work for a better life, peace is similar with MANNAM.

 

So, today, when you study Korean, think of king Sejong and let’s work like him in MANNAM International to payback his love!

 

 

http://mannamgwkorean.blogspot.kr/2013/03/MANNAMKOREANCLASS_26.html

[MANNAM] Korean Culture: What Do Koreans Eat on a Rainy Day?

Hi, MANNAM International friends! It rained a lot today. Did you bring your umbrella with you? In Korea, people eat a kind of food on a rainy day and do you know what it is? You may have heard about it several times. The name of the food is “Jeon” —Korean pancake.

There are several kinds of “Jeon” in Korea, such as “Nokdu Jeon (mung bean pancake)”, “Gam-ja Jeon (potato pancake)”, “Pa Jeon (green onion pancake)”, “Bu-chu Jeon (Leek pancake)”, and “Ho-bak Jeon (zuccini pancake)”. You can choose your favorite vegetable and make some yourself.

As the reason why Koreans eat “Jeon” on rainy days, have your heard anything about it? As we know, people lived on a farm in the past, so whenever it rained they could not work outside. Then how to spend time on rainy days? At that time, there must be no cinemas, health clubs, or cafes. Here is the Koreans’ solution. On rainy days, Koreans got together at home and cooked “Jeon”, using materials such as flour and vegetables that they can get easily from their warehouse and farm. While eating “Jeon”, they may have a long talk on family history, farmwork, and life in the city.

                                                                                                

Different cultures, interesting stories. In Korean culture, people eat “Jeon” on rainy days. How about in your culture? Do you eat any special food on rainy days? We don’t know each other’s culture until we share it. Members of MANNAM International want to understand your culture. Join us and share your beautiful culture with us.

[MANNAM] Do You Have a Do-jang (Korean Seal)?

Hi, MANNAM International friends? Do you have a Korean name? If so, do you have a Do-jang? As shown in the pictures above Do-jang is a Korean seal with one’s name carved on it.

If you are from Western countries, you may usually write your signature on official documents. While in East Asian countries, people use Do-jang a lot as well as signature.

A Do-jang is usually made of wood, stone, jade, and ivory. In Korea, people usually have a Do-jang with their name in either Chinese character or Korean alphabet. Nowadays, one can also have a Do-jang with his or her English name carved on it. When you have a Do-jang, you can also buy a seal case with Korean traditional textiles.

It is said that a father may give a Korean seal to his son or daughter as a university graduation gift to congratulate them on becoming a working member of society. A Do-jang is also considered to be a good present for foreigners. If you are interested, you can have your own Do-jang with your name in either in Korean alphabet or English. You can also give it to your friends in your homeland as a souvenir.

Different cultures, interesting stories. A Do-jang is an East Asian cultural product. What is your cultural product? We don’t know each other’s culture until we share it. Let’s introduces each one’s culture and make a world full of understanding, respect, and happiness.

[MANNAM] Korean Culture of Birthday Ⅱ: “Dol-jan-chi (First Birthday Celebration)”

Hi, MANNAM International friends! While staying in Korea, have you ever attended in a Korean first birthday celebration? Since it is the first birthday for a baby, his or her parents prepare a lot for it.

On the first birthday, parents invite their relatives, friends, and colleagues and hold a big party. The baby is dressed in “Han-bok (Korean traditional clothes)” which is usually very colorful. Usually, parents will keep the “Han-bok” until their child becomes an adult.

Parents also prepare a big table, on which there is a big birthday cake, all kinds of fruits, flowers, and toys. The big table is called “Dol-sang” in Korean language.

Among the several events during the party, one event what all guests are expecting is “Dol-jab-i” — to see the baby choosing one object usually among a book, a microphone, a small ball, and some cash. Korean people think one’s future job can be predicted according to the object which the baby chooses on the first birthday. For example, if the baby chooses a book, he or she may probably be a scholar or a professor; if a microphone, he or she may be a singer; if a small ball, the infant is very likely to be a sportsman; and if some cash, then the child has a possibility to be a businessman. Nowadays, parents also add a computer mouth for their baby to choose. If the baby chooses the mouse, his or her future job may probably be a computer engineer.

MANNAM International friends, you can also ask your Korean friends what they chose on their first birthday and see if the prediction is correct. Different cultures, interesting stories. We don’t know each other’s culture until we share it. Let’s introduces each one’s culture and make a world full of understanding, respect, and happiness.

[MANNAM] Korean Culture of Birthday I: What Do Koreans Eat On Their Birthdays?

Hi, MANNAM International friends! Have you ever celebrated your birthday in Korea? Then what did you eat besides birthday cake? In Korea, there is one kind of food Koreans must eat on their birthdays and it is “Mi-yok-gook (Seaweed soup)”.

In fact, there is another group of people who eating the soup a lot in Korea. Can you guess who are they? Yes. They are mothers-to-be and mothers who have recently given birth to a baby. Then why do they eat seaweed soup on their birthdays? Seaweed is rich in iodine and calcium, which is good for women health both before and after childbirth. Therefore, the custom of eating seaweed soup can be seen as a way for children to remember their mother’s pain of childbirth and thank them for parental care. [1]

Here is a link for you to learn how to make seaweed soup. On the coming birthday of your mother, you may cook seaweed soup for her to express your appreciation in Korean way.

How to Make Seaweed Soup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr0MtL1-zng

---

[1] Customs. March 27^th, 2013. http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/AK/AK_EN_1_4_9_2.jsp