Eats

I've discovered recently that I really enjoy cooking and creating new dishes. While, as you know, my resources in this country are quite limited, but nonetheless, I have enjoyed creating dishes with what I do have. Some of the recent ones I've decided to share with you all. I don't know if they are that spectacular, but Erlo sure seems to think so....or at least he's being nice.

First up, we have Erlo modeling a lovely pumpkin soup that I decided to try seasoning with red curry paste. We couldn't get enough and had the leftovers later that week. Erlo also had an andouille sausage on french bread since the soup wasn't filling enough.

Next, a lemon pepper crusted chicken breast with ricotta cheese and tomato sauce topped with capers. Also a hit.

Last night I made simple chicken salad sandwiches with avocado. The chicken to avocado proportions were just right. It takes living in a country where these kinds of things are not readily available to really appreciate this one. It was just lovely. The kind of thing you can't eat fast enough, and yet you regret not savoring it longer when you had it.

Unfortunately, these dishes come around only about once a week, when Erlo and my schedule allows for enough time. It really is tricky working with so little space.

Most of the things I miss are veggies I recognize(although there are quite a few good ones anyway), organic choices that don't go bad in a day, and spices. Oh, and a kitchen with a counter larger than 2 square feet, an oven, a microwave, and more than two stove top burners. Well, someday I'll have it all.

Last 5's

Stolen from my BFF, with a few alterations:

last 5 books I read:

1)Stolen Innocence-Elissa Wall

2) High Noon-Nora Roberts

3) The Opposite of Love- Julie Buxbaum

4) Rogue- Danielle Steel(not proud...)

5) Slam- Nick Hornby

Last 5 meals:

1) homemade pizza

2) kimchi, rice, and tofu patties

3) delicious deli sandwich

4) korean beef, rice, and kimchi

5) cereal

*Last 5 people I talked to on the phone/skype:

1) Erlo

2) a girl I interviewed at school today

3) my family

4) Alicia

5) Bethany

*some of those had some repeats!

Last 5 things I watched on TV(rather, the internet):

1)Law and Order

2)Private Practice

3) 17 Again

4) Medium

5) Grey's Anatomy

Last 5 things I've bought:

1) water

2) some groceries, including eggs, cheese, bread, and vegetables

3) a coffee this afternoon

4) that delicious sandwich last night

5) a cold beverage to go with that sandwich

that was probably more interesting for me than for you!

Pepero Day!

Yesterday was "Pepero" day here in Korea. These tasty treats are created by Lotte, a huge company here in Korea, that makes just about everything; food, candy, you name it. Lotte has many department stores, and even a theme park in Seoul. Basically, the holiday was supposedly created because the Pepero sticks look like 1's, so on 11/11, everyone gives each other Peperos. There are the regulation chopstick sized Peperos, medium sized Peperos, and giant Peperos. It's the essence of a commercial holiday! Let's all get sick on Peperos!

Welcome to the World Little Guy!

My nephew, Parker James Tamblin, was born on November 4, at 5 in the morning to my sister Angela(in case there was confusion). He's a big guy, weighing in at 9lbs., 2oz, and measuring 21 inches! I get to meet him in person at Christmas, but have been chatting to my sister and him online in the meantime! here are some of the first pictures.

And a little one to preview:

Rugby!

That's right folks, those of you who may have thought there was not much of an athletic bone in the Halls family would be pleasantly surprised. I played Touch Rugby a couple weeks ago. Some of my friends and I were convinced by a couple of New Zealanders to join a team for a one-day tournament. Needless to say, we lost, but got a couple of t-shirts and a day of fun in the sun! our team was named The Mobsters. Here is a team photo:

I also recently celebrated my birthday with some friends. It was fun, and I am now officially a quarter of a century! Wow, I can barely believe it myself. Anyway, take a look at my recently updated Picassa web albums, complete with pictures from Rugby and my Birthday. Enjoy!

Kimchi, Kimchi, it is good for you and me...?

So today, someone mentioned that Dr. Oz(the guy from Oprah) says that Kimchi causes cancer. If you don't already know, Kimchi is pretty much the national food of Korea. It is served in almost every restaurant, and eaten at every meal, even(if not especially) at breakfast. I first tried Kimchi last year in Taiwan, and didn't really acquire a taste for it until trying it several more times upon arrival here in SK. Now, I look forward to my near daily intake of the spicy fermented cabbage and relish in it when a restaurant serves particularly tasty Kimchi. Koreans believe in the healing power of Kimchi, but in search of the truth, I decided to consult all-knowing Wikipedia:

Kimchi is very spicy and can also be exceptionally sweet. Kimchi is made of various vegetables and contains a high concentration of dietary fiber, while being low in calories. One serving also provides up to 80% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C and carotene.[8] Most types of kimchi contain onions, garlic, and peppers, all of which are salutary. The vegetables being made into kimchi also contribute to the overall nutritional value. Kimchi is rich in vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium, and iron,[9][10] and contains a number of lactic acid bacteria, among those the typical species Lactobacillus kimchii.[11][12][13][11]
The magazine Health named kimchi in its list of top five "World's Healthiest Foods" for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly reducing cancer growth.[14] However, some research focused on high-sodium dietary dependence has found overconsumption of kimchi and doenjang (hangul: 된장) to be a risk factor in gastric cancer (most likely due to nitrates and salt) while unfermented alliums and unfermented seafood were found to be protective factors.[15] One oncological study found one type of kimchi to be a protective factor against gastric cancer while two other types of such high-sodium kimchi as dongchimi (hangul: 동치미) were risk factors.[16]

One study conducted by Seoul National University claimed that chickens infected with the H5N1 virus, also called avian flu, recovered after eating food containing the same bacteria found in kimchi. However, the veracity of these results has been questioned due to the very small sample size of only a handful of chickens and the fact that no subsequent research supported the claims. During the 2003 SARS outbreak in Asia, many people even believed that kimchi could protect against infection, although there was no scientific evidence to support this belief.[17][18] However, in May 2009, the Korea Food Research Institute, Korea’s state food research organization, said they had conducted a larger study on 200 chickens, which supported the theory that it boosts chickens' immunity to the virus

That's right....a possible cure for Bird Flu! Ha! Somehow I doubt it. Anyway, my conclusion is that like everything else in the world, it probably does cause cancer if its the only thing you are eating every day. I am going to keep enjoying the stuff. :)

Teaching with Grace

No, that is not a name of one of my students or a co-teacher, but in fact the old practice of having a little grace every once and awhile. Lately, I have been learning this more than ever. I recently returned from a hurried trip home and to Mexico for my best friends wedding. While it was an incredible, amazing time, I didn't really get the much needed rest vacations sometimes offer us. Instead, I came back--while missing my students--a little irritated that I had to be back at work.

The other day, I had a conversation with my students to try to figure out their "real", or western, age. I figured out that more than half of my Kindergarten students are only 4, and 80 percent of one of my elementary students are only 6. All this time, I was under the impression that they were 5 and 7. Not that its that big of a difference in the long run, but here is a video of a wee little 4 year old doing some reading. Be amazed.

Anyway, knowing how old they are and how hard they work every day, I am trying to have a little more patience and grace when they break the rules or just annoy me. I really do love the heck out of my kids, but there are those days that they just get under your skin. I just need to keep telling myself that they're just kids.