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How to Make Korean Soybean Sprout Bulgogi Posted by Flying Oyster on Oct 9, 2019
One day, I told my friend how much I miss Korean 집밥 (jib-bob: homemade food). She said that she often soothes her stomach with 콩불 (kong-bool: a Korean dish. It is short for 콩나물 불고기: kong-nah-mul -bul-go-gi: soybean sprout Bulgogi). She couldn’t stop talking about how satisfying this dish can be whenever she craves Korean…
Korean Expressions to Describe Weather (part 2) Posted by Flying Oyster on Sep 30, 2019
I lived in Seattle for a decade. Summer in Seattle was beautiful, but it was always too short. Looking back, wet and cold weather might have affected my moods in Seattle. I have recently moved to a warmer place, hoping that I wouldn’t have to go through wet and cold winters anymore. I have been…
Korean Expressions to Describe Weather (part 1) Posted by Flying Oyster on Sep 5, 2019
When I was studying English in Australia, I was very intrigued by the cultural habit of engaging in small talk with strangers. To me, this was something both foreign and welcoming. Back then, I wasn’t shy about making mistakes in speaking English, but the practice of making small talk itself was something which pushed me…
Korean Summer Delicacies I Miss the Most (part 2) Posted by Flying Oyster on Aug 27, 2019
As I promised you from part 1, I am going to share two more Korean 여름 (yeu-rum: summer) 별미 (byul-mee) with a 재미있는 (jae-mee-it-nun: funny) story. Although I need to give you a small lesson about 이열치열 (ee-yul-chi-yul: fight fire with fire or like cures like. ) before I introduce you the first delicacy. 이열치열…
Korean Summer Delicacies I Miss the Most (Part 1) Posted by Flying Oyster on Aug 7, 2019
I have lately noticed that I crave Korean food more than ever, which surprises me a little. I don’t recall any previous times since I moved abroad when I got crazy about missing Korean food. I am not sure whether my taste buds are changing as I get older (as they say) or the recent…
How to Describe Pain in Korean Posted by Flying Oyster on Jul 30, 2019
개떡같이 말해도 찰떡같이 알아듣는다. (gae-ttuk-gatchi-mahl-hae-doh-chal-ttuk-gatchi-ara-dut-nun-dah.) We have this Korean expression which perfectly describes the difficulties of a novice interpreter. It means the listener should basically understand the gist of what someone is saying based entirely on situational context and common interests, even if the speaker can’t articulate with words. One of the most difficult things…
Superstitions My Grandmother Believed Posted by Flying Oyster on Jul 3, 2019
Before my grandmother converted to Catholicism, she was a devout Buddhist. She insisted that we follow many rules at home, such as never placing the head of spoons upside down, or making sure that we leave our umbrellas on the 현관 (hyun-kwan: porch) and never to bring them inside or open them in the…