Recipes of 2 new favorite foods

I've written a recent article of two recipes of my newly favorite foods (that are gluten-free!).  One recipe is for bibimbop (Korean) and the other is Pad Pak (Thai).  You can find the article: http://voices.yahoo.com/delicious-ethnic-recipes-gluten-free-10891729.html

Thailand - New Years 2012

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Which life is better?

Light-colored sand, crystal clear blue water, and the warm sun -- this is how I spent the week of my winter vacation.  Just by viewing a picture or two, one can easily see the natural beauty of Thailand's coasts and islands.

After a few days at Koh Samet island and observing the lives of Thais, I couldn't help but wonder: Do these islanders have it better?  These Thai people lived simple lives with simple jobs.  Some gave massages and facials, while others made jewelry.  Some cooked and served food at restaurants, while others sold fruit on the beach.

When I mentioned this thought to the friend that I was traveling with, she quickly said, "But why do many try to leave here then?  Why are there mail-order brides?  The trouble is that they can't ever leave."

I sat and reflected on this a bit.  Despite reflecting on her statements, a part of me still couldn't help but believe that the life of an islander is still better.  As I watched them going about their daily activities, I saw that their lives were not congested with empty material things -- fancy house, cell phones, TV, designer clothes, etc.  When I imagined having a life like that, I couldn't help but wish I had that same simplicity.

After our four days at Koh Samet island, we traveled back to Bangkok to celebrate the New Year.

Many people told me before going that Bangkok is a weird city.  I will admit that it is pretty unique, but I didn't feel that it was weird in a bad way, but in a good way.  You still had large malls and name brand material items, but it wasn't "ritzy".  The amount of materialism wasn't as pronounced.  In fact, it was quite obvious that the city still had a good portion of poverty and that the city was still developing -- gradually.  In this regard, I suppose that I felt that it was more authentic and genuine than most cities in this world.

As a foreigner visiting Bangkok, perhaps the frustrating part of being there was the consistent bargaining for all goods and services.  There was also the struggle with dishonesty in when those goods and services were provided.  These were consistent trends that I saw throughout all of Thailand, but I sensed a stronger drive to earn money on the streets of Bangkok.

Truly, I can't blame them.  After all, every society and country had bargaining and dishonesty (to some extent) as their economy was developing.  It is human nature to act in such a way when in such living conditions.  We believe that our material possessions are never good enough, so we react in hurting one another.

With that thought in mind, I look back to the developed countries of the world -- such as the United States.  The US is one of the top leading economies in the world, but are the people who live their satisfied?  No.  Instead we seek to find happiness in empty material things such as name brand clothes, a brand new car, or a new house.

So which life is better?

Personally, I'd still choose the life of an islander -- eating delicious fruits and delectable Thai food every day without ever needing to be surrounded by such man-made physical illusions for happiness.

After all, how could you not appreciate seeing this every day?

Winter in Korea: Heated Floors

I must say that the idea of heated floors is quite an amazing invention.  Since heat rises, it keeps the room warm AND keeps your feet warm (a problem I would always have in the states).

The down side: You don't have it in every room.  You'll have it in one room of your apartment, but then either need a room heater or something to keep warm in the other rooms of your apartment.

Also, in some schools Koreans will tend to leave windows open during the winter (why?  I have yet to come to the reasoning... but I have learned Korean logic is very different).  So you may be warm when you walk into the classrooms, but freeze whenever you walk in the hallway or go to the restroom.

Purple Sweet Potatoes

What I recently found at the grocery store that I didn't know existed: Purple Sweet Potatoes.  I must say, I do love the smell of them -- more than their orange cousins.

Other random trivia: Sweet potatoes are very popular in Korea, as you will find them in foods where they may not be found as commonly in the states.
For instance, there is a food here pronounced  "dun kaus", which translates to basically pork cutlet, or as many in the states would like to call a fried pork tenderloin.  Its similar, but a bit different (I actually think dun kaus is better now).  Anyway, there is an option to have sweet potato filled pork cutlet -- and it is really quite amazing!!
Another unique way of eating sweet potato (pronounced "gogok ma" in Korean) is in a latte... yes, I do mean at a coffee shop.  Right next to the green tea lattes, you will find sweet potato lattes and they are really quite good.  At most places they are a bit yellowish in color, but I did go to one place that used the purple sweet potatoes.

Citron Tea - What a great idea for the winter!!

So I've recently discovered a tea through one of my schools that I've found is GREAT for the winter time.  It is known as Citron Tea or, aka, citrus tea.  They have them in a variety of flavors and varieties, but it seems that the default is lemon and honey flavored.  I've found that it is great for soothing your throat, (since the air is VERY dry here in the winter), boosting your immune system (tons of vitamin C  - yay!  This is really needed when dealing with little kids), and its very soothing on your stomach (Got heartburn or stomach upset?  This has done wonders for me!).  The best part -- it's absolutely delicious.  Thankfully they sell it in huge jars.

Foods that I didn't know existed until I came to Korea

During my time in Korea, I've discovered many foods that I either never realized existed or knew it was something people consumed.  These include:

- Black garlic (they'll sell it in a liquid - kind of like a soy sauce)

- Purple Sweet Potatoes

- Asian pears (round and bigger than apples)

- Red ginseng (its EVERYWHERE!!)

- Asian cabbage (used to make kimchi)

Also, there are a lot of eggplants here.  A lot more than you'll ever see in the states.