Alleyways

I’m putting my journalism reference books to good use these...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:27:00 -0700

I’m putting my journalism reference books to good use these days.

Hello~ I have a question about the 깍두기 recipe that you posted. I followed the recipe exactly, but mine does not look as red as the picture you posted. Do you think I should add more red pepper powder? Thank you!! ^^

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:16:32 -0700

Mine looked paler in the beginning as well. The colour will darken more as it ferments, but you could try adding a bit more powder. The recipe also said to rub the powder into the radishes with your hands as you mix it (wear gloves so it doesn’t stain your hands), this might make the colour stick more, but I just used a spoon. Good luck, you’ll have to let me know how it tastes!

Maple bacon donut…America

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:30:00 -0700

Maple bacon donut…America

Who said yoga was a 21st century fad? Came across this in while...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:17:00 -0700

Who said yoga was a 21st century fad? Came across this in while looking through family photos.

Henry Morgentaler, campaigned relentlessly for abortion on demand in Canada: Admired as he was reviled

Thu, 30 May 2013 10:14:02 -0700

Henry Morgentaler, campaigned relentlessly for abortion on demand in Canada: Admired as he was reviled:

“I decided to break the law to provide a necessary medical service because women were dying at the hands of butchers and incompetent quacks and there was no one there to help them. The law was barbarous, cruel and unjust,” he said at the time, “I had been in a concentration camp and I knew what suffering was. If I can ease suffering I feel perfectly justified in doing so.”

“The situation in Canada is much better than in most other countries in the sense that abortion is practised by good physicians under good conditions…I believe as a medical doctor my duty was to help humans, and I did it.”

tembleques reblogged your post: The pendulum swings the other way: Unexpected racial discrimination...

Wed, 29 May 2013 08:47:00 -0700

tembleques reblogged your post: The pendulum swings the other way: Unexpected racial discrimination

I agree completely with you. While I’m caucasian, I was born and raised in Latinamerica and have a Dutch last name - and…
… I also think it’s a dreadful example to imprint on the students, especially young ESL learners, because it’s very unlikely that in one classroom (at least in the Western world) all students are going to be a homogeneous group. What I feel schools, colleges, whatever institutions are doing is misleading ESL learners into thinking that the only people who can teach them English must be a native English speaker from a native English speaking country, and to hell with any idea that IN FACT English is so diverse that it really does not matter if the English teacher comes from the UK or Mozambique or Argentina.

I worried about that too when I first applied for teaching. I found some places look specifically for Korean/Asian teachers (especially female ones). But yes, usually it goes the other way. :P

abcinkorea replied to your post: The pendulum swings the other way: Unexpected racial...

Wed, 29 May 2013 08:43:00 -0700

abcinkorea replied to your post: The pendulum swings the other way: Unexpected racial discrimination

I feel you. Even when I was applying for international schools, I felt they wouldn’t accept me because I didn’t look Caucasian, meaning English couldn’t possibly be my native language (which it is.)

I worried about that too when I first applied for teaching. I did find some places look specifically for Korean/Asian teachers (especially female ones), but yes, usually it goes the other way. :P

Wild mustard along the river trail.

Tue, 28 May 2013 16:12:11 -0700

Wild mustard along the river trail.

The pendulum swings the other way: Unexpected racial discrimination

Tue, 28 May 2013 10:46:00 -0700

“Sooo, what’s your background? Are you…Chinese?”

“No, actually, I’m Korean.”

“Right, nice…are you married?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I see. When I saw your name I wasn’t expecting you to be…Asian.”

“Yeah, well, Hammond is my maiden name. English is my first language.”

A conversation during yesterday’s interview for a PT, casual conversation academy run by Koreans, not unlike a couple other experiences I’ve had.

I’m not sure if I got the job, but pretty sure I’ll be first on the chopping block if the other applicants are equally qualifed…and not Asian.

_______________

I live in a multicultural city where I often hear complaints against caucasians of racism and racial discrimination. After recently applying to two English academies managed by and catering to East-Asian populations, however, I’ve been reminded that the pendulum easily swings the other way.

I’m not obligated to inform employers of my superficial name-ethnicity incongruence - even if you’re a language school catering to Asians. You’re not running an English academy in Asia where it may be acceptable to hire “White” people so you can visually advertise your “Englishness” (Still racial discrimination).

We live in a transient, global society where one should never make assumptions about ethnicity and language abilities based on last names or appearances. One should be especially reluctant to make assumptions in North America which has been largely populated by multiple generations of immigrants.

I have friends who are third/fourth-generation “Asians” and friends of mixed racial marriages with “foreign-sounding” names. My husband is a white-Russian immigrant who still forgets articles and prepositions and I’ve met Irish people I can hardly understand.

As an English academy or college hiring in Canada, I expect you to stand by the quality of your employees based on skill and character, not skin-colour and eye shape. The employer and potential students should assume that if I’m applying for the job and not lying on my resume, I’m a competent English-speaking applicant passionate about teaching.

I should not feel that my ethnicity compromises my chances of getting a job.

깍두기 (Kkakdugi - white radish kimchi) - One of my favorite...

Sun, 26 May 2013 12:27:00 -0700

깍두기 (Kkakdugi - white radish kimchi) - One of my favorite kimchis; it pairs well with pajeon or rice for a simple meal in itself.

I knew I couldn’t do without it once I got to Canada, so I experimented with making my own using Chang, Sun-Young’s recipe from A Korean Mother’s Cooking Notes (I’d recommend it. It includes extra tips and is authentic yet simple. I’m not always a fan of the newer fusion/fancier Korean cookbooks).

Recipe

The first time I made it I didn’t leave it out long enough (I left it 24hrs) because the apartment was pretty warm, but it wasn’t long enough so it took about a week and a half in the fridge before it lost its bitter taste and got nice and sour.

Prep time is about 25-35 min

2 lbs Korean white radish cut into 1/2 in. cubes - I peeled it first (8 cups)
1/2 Tbs table salt
1/2 Tbs sugar
4 Tbs red pepper powder
1/4 C. chopped green onion (I didn’t have it at the time so used Korean chives 부추)
1/4 c. fish sauce
1 Tsp minced garlic ( I like it garlicky, so I used maybe 1Tbs)
1 Tsp minced ginger (Again, I like it more flavourful so used app. 1Tbs)
2 Tbs chopped shrimp (I didn’t have it, so I used salted shrimp 새우젓, which I rinsed to reduce saltiness)
1 Tbs sugar
__________________

1. Sprinkle and toss radish cubes with salt and 1/2 Tbs. sugar. Let stand for about 15 min. and drain. (Taste it to check for saltiness, I rinsed mine a bit after).

2. Using rubber gloves, combine 1 Tbs red pepper powder and radishes. Mix well by rubbing in the pepper powder to give radishes a reddish tint (I just stirred mine in)

3. Clean green onions (or chives) and half them, but into 1/2 in strips. (I just chopped the chives in 1/2 in strips)

4. Mix fish sauce with 3 Tbs red pepper powder; mix well.

5. In a bowl, mix garlic, ginger, shrimp and red pepper powder mixture and add the radish cubes. Mix well before adding green onions and sugar (otherwise the kimchi liquid will thicken). Mix well.

6. Leave the finished kkakdugi in a covered container at room temperature. After a day, taste the broth and see if it’s begun to ferment. If it has, store in an airtight container for 3-4 days before serving.

Photo

Sun, 26 May 2013 00:30:10 -0700

Success: home made 깍두기I could eat it every day.

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:51:00 -0700

Success: home made 깍두기
I could eat it every day.

Traditional Korean food.

Sat, 25 May 2013 00:30:13 -0700

Traditional Korean food.

I'm _??_-years-old

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:39:32 -0700

I’ve had a few awkward pauses when people have asked my age.

In the Western world I’m 25, in Asia I’m 27. I tend to give an age ranging between the two.

life: Teen mom, 1971 edition. Photos from a 1971 LIFE magazine...

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:01:13 -0700

life:

Teen mom, 1971 edition.

Photos from a 1971 LIFE magazine story on teen pregnancy, “Help for High School Mothers,” chronicling the lives of teen moms and moms-to-be.

(Ralph Crane—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

One of the letters LIFE received after publishing:

“the April 2 cover sets some sort of new dimension of achievement in crass, lurid, inelegant journalistic bad taste. To proffer a picture of this pathetic schoolchild with her grotesque maternity figure over the bold type ‘High School Pregnancy’ simply makes a bad, sad scene.”

Taster appies and soft pork belly at Suika on West Broadway...

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:12:00 -0700

Taster appies and soft pork belly at Suika on West Broadway - sister restaurant to Kingyo downtown.

The appies packed a lot of flavour, except for the the chicken one which was too simple. The pork belly was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Service was super quick and friendly with no wait for the bill - a bonus for me after getting used to Korean stand-up-and-pay-right-away-at-the-front style.

I’ve always loved Japanese food, but I realized how used to Korean food I got. My mouth kept waiting for a spicy kick.

Delicious all the same.

If I were ship, I’d sail to your shore just to see my true...

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:30:22 -0700

If I were ship, I’d sail to your shore just to see my true love; the one I adore.

fyeahkorea: Hanbok

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:57:11 -0700

fyeahkorea:

Hanbok

Homemade 잠치 김밥, one of my favorite Korean convenient store...

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:40:00 -0700

Homemade 잠치 김밥, one of my favorite Korean convenient store foods. That and their wide array if drinkable yogurts.

Rice triangles - thus dubbed by Anton and me - were a favorite of ours when we were in Korea on previous trips. They’re cheap, about 800-1,200 won depending on size and type and I always seemed to crave them as a late-night drinking snack too.

Rice triangles can be found in China and Japan but the fillings tend to cater to the local flavors: Japan had more fishy stuff and natto (which I’ve yet to eat enough of to like) and I think I had one in China with corn and shrimp.

I was happy to find the kits for making them here at a Korean grocery store a couple years ago. You can find pre-made ones sold at the local T&T’s (Chinese-Asian grocery stores), but they lean towards Chinese flavours which lack my favorites - kimchi and bokkeum bap.

Here, they tend to be more of a novelty than a snack-on-the-go as I usually end up eating them at home, but they’re fun to put together and bring back fond memories.

Mine. All Mine. $$!

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:39:00 -0700

Some goals I had when I set out for Korea:

5. Pay off the remainder of my student loans (about $9,000 CAD) - Check with some to spare!

And yesterday $2,100 showed up in my bank account - my pension lump sum return. I’m expecting my last month’s pay, severance, airplane ticket refund and damage deposit. Profit baby!

Some of my other goals

1. Live in and experience a new culture - Check

2. Learn Korean - I left with lofty expectations, but came back satisfied considering I was self-learning

3. Mingle with the locals and not get completely sucked into the expat group - Check

4. Improve my Korean palate and learn how to cook more Korean food - Check and still perfecting it

6. Travel within Korea - Check