The end of September marked the changing of the season and also Korean Thanksgiving: 추석 (Chuseok). At this time, Koreans flock together to their hometowns to visit family and partake in the harvest time traditions. While the main traditions are more or less the same across the country, each family participates a little differently. For me, this weekend was about going to my roommate's house with our American friend Susannah and having a relaxing weekend full of eating food.
Note: the pictures in this post are courtesy of my ever-lovely friend Susannah. Also, this may be a
bit of a photo-dump.
After arriving in a beautiful suburb of Seoul, we went to 노량진수잔시장 (Noryangjin Fish Market), an extremely large fish market located in Seoul.
After hearing stories and watching videos of people eating still-moving squid, Susannah was determined to try it.
Not pictured: our squeamish game faces, ready to eat the squid.
We spent some time walking around the market and taking in all the live seafood swimming around in tanks, flopping around in buckets, and trying to escape capture.
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| Crawl, Crabby, crawl! |
In addition to the squid, we had a delicious meal of fish head soup, raw fish, and cooked shrimp.
This guy sold us our seafood feast and this lady took us to a restaurant and prepared our meal.
The market was amazing and there was so much to see. I would love to go back or at least to a different fish market.
Yes, it was still alive!
Susannah, me, and my roommate.
The next day was the day before Chuseok. Like families in America, it involved preparing food for the big holiday event. We went to my roommate's aunt's house to cook (and eat!) some traditional and delicious food. Her aunt's house was amazing. It was huge, gorgeous, and spotless.
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| The backyard was open and beautiful. It was a perfect clear day with a great view. |
Inside one of the rooms, there was a stunning lacquer with pearl inlay cabinet/storage area.
After the house tour, we made our way to the kitchen, where preparations were well underway...on the floor.
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| Roommate and her mom |
Turns out, this is a fantastic set-up: there's much more room to work and it is more convenient for everybody (unless you have to get to the sink, in which case, let's hope you can hop).
We made some 전 (jeon), a traditional Korean pancake. They can be made with almost any ingredient you can imagine: seafood, meat, vegetables, you name it. We got to eat...I mean
make... two types: one with seafood and green onions, and one just plain mung bean pancake. They were both delicious and super easy to do. Simply pour out a ladle-full of batter onto your skillet and when it looks ready to flip, flip!
Susannah and I also breaded some fish fillets, which were later coated in egg and fried in a pan.
송편 (songpyeon) is a traditional Chuseok food. It is made of 떡(tteok), a glutinous rice. Each color is a different flavor and each is filled with something different. Usually, the songpyeon are filled with chestnut or sugar. One of my professors told us a story about his childhood, when he and his sister would poke small holes in the songpyeon to check inside for the flavor before committing to eating one. Songpyeon are easy to make. You pinch off a small amount of tteok, roll it into a ball in your hands, make a little bowl, add filling, and pinch it shut. After many have been prepared, the balls (or more traditional half-moons) are steamed in a bed of pine needles. Almost magically, they become tasty little balls of rice and sugar.
The next day was Chuseok. For this, we went to another aunt's house and were greeted by a beautiful wide spread for the day.
The young copule of the family wore 한복 (hanbok), the traditional Korean dress.
There was a massive amount of food prepared and laid out for the ancestors.
Celebrations started with a well-practiced routine of offering food, drink, and respect to the elders and ancestors.
After each family member had paid their respects, we ate what felt like enough food to feed an army. Jeon, songpyeon, galbi, seafood soup, and so much more. And after we ate and were full to the point of bursting, like any good Korean family meal, out came the fruit. Giant apples and pear. Fresh, juicy peaches and grapes. It truly was a feast.
Once we had finished eating, Susannah, my roommate, and I went to a palace to walk around. It was a beautiful day outside and many people were out enjoying the holiday, good weather, and free admission to the palace. The name of this palace is 창덕궁 (Changdeok Palace). One of the five grand palaces, it was built in 1405 as a secondary home to King Taejong in the Joseon Dynasty. Like the other Korean palaces, it was destroyed in the early to mid 1900s during the Japanese occupation. In 1991, reconstruction began and is still underway.
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| Throne room |
There were many families out with their children dressed in hanbok. This little girl was so adorable, everyone stopped the family to ask for a picture.
These girls were helping explain to people about Korean traditions and traditional dress.
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| Some more traditional costume |
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| Susannah, my roommate, and their shenanigans |
After the palace, we walked to Insadong, a wonderful area of Seoul with many little coffee shops, restaurants, and touristy things to buy. There was a performance by a group with drums and other percussion instruments. It was amazing to watch them amble down the main street and stop and perform.
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| Many people stopped to watch |
It was a long and exhausting day. For everybody.
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| Gotta love Korean-style subway riding |
Overall, Chuseok was an amazing experience full of tradition, culture, and a seemingly endless amount of food. I am go grateful to have been invited into my roommate's home to experience this packed weekend of fun. It truly was an adventure that I will remember fondly for the rest of my life.
And for those of you back home who keep asking me if I've learned Gangnam Style....yes I have!
