Last gasp of autumn

Walking home a couple of weeks ago, I snapped these pictures, not knowing that I was actually capturing the last of autumn. There was just enough green and browns to offset the grey that was to come, and the sky was a lovely clear blue.
If I do move to Seoul next year, this will be the aspect I'll miss - nature decking herself in all her costumes through the year.

Here you can see the last of the grasses in seed, and a verge that is still green, even if a dusty green.

But the mists were rolling in, and the warning of the snow which came two days later was implicit in their presence.

One last look at the hills in their autumn splendor, and we will next see this in grey and white when the snow comes down!

Dinner and dancing...

As more and more South Africans flock to South Korea, the social networking available has grown, and these days there is actually an organization available to them - SAKORNET. And, they arranged a dinner dance at the Marriott Hotel in Seoul on the 28th to end the year in style. This is the party dress Christine, my daughter, had made in Iteawon for her - doesn't she look stunning?
And this is me, in my party dress from the same place as Christine's. Red really is my color!
Here I am with my two co-teachers, Mrs Yoon on the left and Mrs Kim on the right. Unfortunately their idea of what is 'formal' left much to the imagination...
A shot of the ballroom and some of the guests - we had an absolute ball.
And finally, Bernard, the social organiser for Sakornet, Christine and myself in front of the ice sculpture!

The menu was quite nice - salmon tartare, cream of broccoli soup, roast beef and lemon meringue tart - but I would have loved to see some SA dishes on it, things like roast leg of lamb, smoked snoek pate etc.

Still, the night was wonderful, the room we stayed in fantastic and the overall experience great!

Pepero Day!

The 11th of November, which, as you can see from this view taken from the classroom window, dawned cold and grey, is of course remembrance day for some.

Yet, many of my students were eager to get to school, for here in Korea this is Pepero day. What's that, you may ask? Well, it's basically the straight pretzel stick dipped in chocolate that we in South Africa know as Yogisticks. Why? Well, the reason given is that the long thin sticks are reminiscent of the 11/11!

Here they are, in most of their incarnations. I was given these today - a large single one, dipped in caramel chocolate and covered with nuts, a smaller one covered with pink sprinkles, and the more traditional small ones in boxes of ten. 

The green box holds sticks covered with chocolate and almond, the red box is the plain chocolate and the big brown box, which holds 8 boxes of 10, are those made with chocolate on the inside of a hollow tube. Judging by this, I'm pretty popular, since the idea is that you give more to those you like very much.

This, of course, means that some girls are flooded with boxes and baskets in which teddy bears, pepero boxes and other edibles are packed, while some get nothing. Yet another way in which we make sure our lives are as difficult as possible - it's great to be one of the popular girls, but it is hell for the others.

Anyway - Pepero sticks are made by one of the big groups here in Korea, Lotte, and it seems the day is actually very clever marketing on their part!

Chuseok

I've gone through my third of these thanksgiving ceremonies, and so far the tally of gifts received reads as follows:

2007 - Set of SPAM

2008 - Set of SPAM

2009 - Set of rice cakes

For those of you unfamiliar with SPAM, it is the canned, chopped and reconstituted 'ham' that formed a staple of many an army meal, and which, after the Korean war, became a hugely popular delicacy. It is fatty and salty and absolutely disgusting if you are, like me, a true meat eater.

So, you can imagine that I welcomed the set of rice cakes with considerably more enthusiasm! The two photos shown above show the opened box, with each of the little boxes holding a different color and shape of rice cake, and the lid - very opulent with its gold and royal blue finish.

As for taste - well, let's just say it's basically like mixing Rice Krispies with sugar and water and letting it dry - hard, crunchy, but no basic taste to it beyond sugar!

Purple

It is said that purple foods are good for you, if so, this must be excellent! It is a purple sweet potato - as you can see, purple all the way through. It tasted like any other sweet potato that has been oven baked, so it really only is the color that sets it apart.

Autumn

That herald and brightener of the wayside during autumn in both South Africa and here in Korea is the cosmos. I know of some gardeners who cultivate this wonderful flower, but most of us just enjoy the spectacle as they wave at us from unlikely corners and verges, nodding their heads as if saying: 'Yes, we know summer is over and autumn is here, and soon winter will banish us, but isn't it glorious while it lasts?'

Of course the crops are ripe and ready everywhere, almost begging to be harvested.

The orchards are not only flaunting their ripe fruit, in the case of the grapevines they are also releasing a heady smell, the promise of wine and juice, as you walk past. It intoxicates the senses and beguiles you into slowing down, winding down, getting into the pace of life getting ready for the winter sleep.

And it wouldn't be autumn in Korea without seeing the graves being spruced up for Chuseok. This five day festival is a thanksgiving for crops, honoring ancestors and just having a good time all rolled into one.

The practice of going to the graves early in the morning, bearing plates of delicacies to share with the ancestors to thank them for the past year and ask their blessing on the year to come, is one that draws everyone in a family together.

A final visit to the vineyard. The sight of them decked in autumn colors is surely on a par with a spectacular sunset!

Icheon Pottery Village

A place I've meant to visit for quite a while now is the Icheon pottery village. This is a place where craftsmen throw their pots and fire them in the traditional wood burning kilns, like the one shown above, and where they each have a shop showing off their wares.

The trip there takes about an hour by express bus either from Seoul or Suwon.

This little shop had some of the best celadon ware on display at quite reasonable prices. Celadon is a glazing technique developed by Chinese potters to mimic jade, that lucky and heavenly stone, in vessels that ordinary people could own. The artists are two brothers, Kim Bu Yung and Kim Ha Yung.

The glazes vary from a delicate bluish green to a darker aquamarine hue, and good celadon ware has a depth to the glaze that makes you feel as if you are gazing into it. These ones certainly had that.

This shop, belonging to Hyang Ro Bit, also displayed some of the rami cloth quilting made by his wife. Rami cloth is similar to linen, but is stiffer and more airy at the same time, and is used for summer hanboks, as opposed to silk and brocade for winter ones. Unfortunately the shop itself was not open yet, so I couldn't go in (yes, I know, the door is standing open, but that was to get air into the shop!), and had to content myself by snapping a picture that is less than perfect due to the reflections in the windows.

This shop belongs to one of the female potters, Hyu Li Min, and this display of plants complemented the flowery designs of her work on the big urns in the background.

This shop specialises in kimchi pots. The kimchi pot is made with thick red clay walls, then it is glazed with an iron rich glaze to give the almost blackish brown colour. They come in all sizes - small, ornamental or gift pots to the big, serious ones that will hold the kimchi for a whole family.

If you're ever wondering how to spend a pleasant morning, if you like pottery and pots, and if you want to buy some truly unique pots from the artists, you could visit this delightful place.