On my mind: Rainy day cravings

So it's been raining all week here in San Francisco. Although there isn't much sunlight, I'm pretty much used to this kind of weather, since it rains almost all summer long in Korea. But one thing I don't like about rain is that it makes me want to eat way more than I normally do. Whenever it rains, Koreans tend to share a general craving of certain foods - Bindaedduk (Korean pancakes, pictured on right) and Ramyun (or any other kind of noodle soup).

In Korea, you can easily buy Bindaedduk; they sell them for about $1 each on the streets. But if you try to make this at home, it's rather complicated and costly - with all the ingredients and preparation that are involved in making these special pancakes. So to satisfy my rainy day cravings,  I often turn to my second option: Ramyun.

Even here in U.S., you can easily buy Ramyun at any kind of markets/grocery stores (I've seen them at Safeway and liquor markets). But I strongly recommend going to a Korean market, so you have more legit variety to choose from. My top 3 Ramyun choices would be (pictured from left to right) Shin Ramyun, Sam Yang Ramyun, and Nuguri Ramyun. Korean Ramyun cost around $1 each, but you can also buy them in bundles/boxes for a better deal.

In addition to being extremely affordable, Ramyun is also very easy to cook & surpringly fulfilling! If you're cooking one for the first time, you can just follow the instructions on the back. But once you get used to the amount of water needed for the soup, you can do everything on your own, and even begin to improvise for best taste. Here are some cooking tips:

1. Before water starts to boil, insert soup-base powder. Let it melt/mix thoroughly.
2. Patiently wait until water is actually boiling! Then insert noodles.
3. Using chopsticks, grab noodles & dunk them in and out of water while cooking - this creates better texture.
4. After about 2 minutes, insert egg(s). Do not stir/break the egg yolk, unless you want a milder soup.
*Cooking time (after you insert noodles) should not exceed 4 minutes. Do not overcook the noodles!

In 10 minutes or less, you can have a fabulous meal that looks something like this (pictured above). Ramyun can be pretty addicting, but it's kind of unhealthy.. so be careful & try not to eat this too often. Perhaps save it for a rainy day? I know I will :)

♥_dwon

On my mind: Stop hatin'

KPOP music videos are more than just flashy eye candy; they're more like condensed version of movies & Kdramas. Korean music videos usually consist of elaborate storyline, sophisticated cinematography, and sometimes, even famous actors starring in them. And most of the time, these music videos turn out to be pretty dramatic, leaving viewers stunned, in tears, or really confused. Because the interpretation of these music videos (or mini-movies) are subjective to each viewer, some videos end up with massive criticism and misunderstandings.


Recently, KPOP sweetheart IU's latest music video "The Story Only I Didn't Know" raised controversy among netizens, for implication of a father-daughter romance. This 6-minute music video tells the story of a young woman (played by actress Park Bo-Young) locked up in a mental institute, who suffers from recurring nightmares/flashbacks of her relationship with a mysterious older man (played by singer Yoon Sang) who comes to visit her. Towards the end of the music video, a nurse asks the girl if her father had passed away, and the girl responds, "He's coming. Everyone knows him as my father, but he's not my father." This questionable dialogue confused the viewers, and many commented with disappointing remarks against incest. IU & her representatives claim that the video simply portrays the love between a girl and an older man, and it has nothing to do with incest. So why include that dialogue? What is the true message behind this film? Well, incest or not, everyone just needs to calm down & let it be. After all, music videos are another form of art.

♥_dwon

On my mind: Weight

Ever since I came back from Korea this past winter, I've been way more conscious of my weight than ever before. Although I knew (for a couple of years now) that I had put on some extra weight after moving up to San Francisco, it never really bothered me that much... That is, until I went back to Korea. While in Korea, I was shocked & triggered by the general population of Korean women, who are (coming from an American point of view) extremely skinny. And I mean skinny, to the point where some of their legs were about the size of my arms! So during my one-month stay in the motherland, I ended up losing 10lbs. And the best part of this is that I didn't even have to try! :) Because Korea has smaller food portions & excellent public transportation system, it became only natural for me to eat less & walk around more. After I got back to U.S. - it felt surreal to find that all of my pants were now very loose on me. WHOA. I felt like one of those weight loss infomercial people, who hold up their huge pair of jeans in their before/after pictures... Pure awesomeness.

So where exactly do I fit within the Korean standards?
Here's the actual average weight/height of Korean women in their 20's: 114lbs/5'3''.
So for my height (5'6''), I assume the average weight would be somewhere between 116-119lbs. Looks like I'm in pretty good shape for now (whew), but a part of me wants to weigh a little bit less than average. I may sound greedy, but hey - it's a girl thing! :P

Now, there's huge misconception in Korea - especially among men - that if a woman weighs more than 50kg (about 110lbs), she is considered "fat." This is probably the result of false reports in Korean celebrity profiles, where almost all female stars weigh exactly 45kg, which is about 99lbs!

Ridiculous, right? Notice that these women all weigh the same, despite having different heights (some of which are recorded untruthfully as well). Obviously, 45kg being the "ideal" weight for women in Korea is not true. I'm so not down with being anorexic. At this point, I just want to continue on with my new, healthier lifestyle by monitoring my food portions & exercising more often. And if I eventually end up losing more weight? Great! If not, I would be content to maintain the figure/weight that I have now.

Wish me luck! :)

♥_dwon

On my mind: Month of love?

It's February... You know what that means? Flowers. Chocolates. Listening to lovey-dovey commercials on TV, radio, even at the grocery market... -_- It's a warning for us single people that Valentine's Day (the saddest day of the year) is near! Prepare to see more lovin' around the world - more kisses, hugs, and inappropriate PDAs... Because love is in the air.

But Korean entertainment headlines seem to say otherwise: "Park Jung Ah & Gil Break Up." Um... WHAT?! Park Jung Ah (actress/singer) and Gil (singer) were my favorite Korean celebrity couple! :( As one of the most famous "Beauty & the Beast" couples in Korea, these two opposites had been together for almost two years. And two years in a publicly-acknowledged relationship is a huge deal for mainstream celebs, especially in Korea. I've always admired their courage and the way they  loved & cared for each other. Although Gil & Park Jung Ah had made their relationship public since (almost) the beginning, they never boasted about it. Instead, whenever I saw them together, they were so sweet & happily dependent on each other, which was simply adorable.

It saddens me to see that these two lovebirds just couldn't survive an awful timing in their relationship. Their spokespeople explained that both stars' "busy schedules" (Gil with his variety shows & Park Jung Ah with her daily drama filming) caused them to become gradually more distant & eventually led to their break-up. But they still remain as good friends.

So is February really the month of love?
Sorry, St. Valentine. I say, not so much.

♥_dwon

On my mind: Introduction

When I was 10 years old, my family and I left Korea to immigrate to the United States. Although I did most of my growing up here in America, I recently discovered (and finally admitted) that I ended up becoming way more "Korean" on the inside. In high school, I only listened to Korean music (known as KPOP). Then in college, I found myself watching countless hours of Korean drama and memorizing the names & profiles of the newest "IT" Korean celebrities. I spent most of my spare time surfing through Korean blogs for lifestyle tips on everything - from fashion/makeup to food recipes. I guess distance really does make the heart grow fonder. Despite being (6-7)thousands of miles away from Korea for more than 10 years, it was obvious that my heart & my mind were helplessly stuck in Korea.

I created this blog to share my passion, my identity, and my life as a 1.5 generation Korean-American girl. Before I begin, please understand that I have absolutely no intention of being ethnocentric in favor Korea. I'm not here to compare, judge, or boast. I'm simply here to tell my story and whatever's on my mind. With some creativity, humor, and research,  I will do my best to come up with fun & interesting contents :) So sit back, relax, and enjoy whatever is to come out of my spontaneous mind.

♥_dwon