Chinese Kimchi and Korean Kimchi

So... there's something I would like to say about Kimchi and other Asian food...

Some people think Sushi is totally Japanese.

Some people think fried rice are totally chinese.

Likewise, some people think kimchi is totally Korean.

They are true, yet false because they do very much exist in the countries the food is known to come from,

but it's not the country's food alone...

Sushi is found in Korea and China,

and fried rice are actually more common in Japan and Korea...

and kimchi is found a lot in all three countries: Korea, Japan, and China.

Although they all differ in taste and ingredients, it's the same concept.

So, now that I made clear that Kimchi is not Korea's alone, but is shared in China and Japan,

let me tell you the difference of Chinese kimchi and Korean kimchi...

Japanese kimchi is different, too, but our kimchis are similar.

Anyway, the main difference of Chinese kimchi and Korean kimchi is that

Korean kimchi has more "stuff" in them, like

vegetables or sliced radishes.

Sliced radishes makes the kimchi more suitable to Korean taste,

and some people like just the sliced radishes without the actual cabbage that makes the kimchi.

The sliced radishes look like this:

and it is often eaten a lot with Bossam (steamed pork).

There are other types of kimchi in Korea, Japan, and China,

but when we're looking at the ordinary kimchi,

this is just about all the difference.

Not so different, is it?

Here's an extra thing just because the baby looks pretty cute eating those kimchi.

Honestly, why kimchi is hard to like is not because it's spicy.

It's mostly because of the smell and the taste of the kimchi that comes from salted fish or their extract that makes it hard for everyone to like kimchi...

Well, this kid seems to really love it.

I mean.. that's pretty damn cool!!!

Korean Singer Psy(싸이) Rises Above K-pop

It's been more than 10 years since he has debuted,

but his popularity is still on fire unlike other singers of his age.

Well, here are two things almost everyone is certain about him:

1. He's butt-ugly.

2. But we all love him anyway because he's pure awesome and is very civil and nice.

Other facts:

I think he graduated in Berkeley school of Music....

When I say civil, I mean not only his heart but also as a Korean citizen.

It's mandatory for all Korean men to go to the army to serve the country for two years.

This guy, Psy, went to the army not once, but TWICE!

Civil and nice, eh?

For popular celebrities, going to army is like a death sentence to their popularity.

It's hard to get back their popularity after being two years in army,

but Psy just pulled if off like it was a piece of cake.

You may be tempted to put a "cho" at the end of his name and call him a "Psycho",

because he has a very unique style....

His belly fat's spilling out!!!

But I, as well as many many others, love him all the same

because he's so funny,

and many of his songs encourage positive attitude in a really cool way without being pathetic or geeky.

He's very passionate, funny, civil, and nice,

and being not-superstar-hot actually only adds to his popularity

because it shows that your looks can't get on your way

especially in such a appearance-based judging countries like Korea.

Well, this is why there are so many audiences in his show,

and it's HOT in there!

Like I said, when it comes to music,

I really should just shut my mouth and let you listen to the music...

Here it is, FINALLY:

These are the videos that someone took on his surprise concert.

Feel that heat....

Okay, too much heat from the audience...

This is how the song actually sounds:
This video encourages to express yourself and just have fun because that's what makes you a champion :)      (2002 released)

This guy really knows how to make his songs fun without swear words are sexual innuendos.

Now, that's RARE.

Gyongbokgoong, South Korea's Palace

This place is Kyongbokgoong, a Korea's used-to-be palace,

which is now more of a museum or a touring place rather than where Kings live.

Well, here are some highlights!

I don't really know what's the deal with heights in Korea as well as other Asian countries,

but do you see the stairs on the upper right corner of the picture below?

If you look at the very center stair, its slightly higher than the stairs on its left and right side... Yeah, the higher stair is where the King walks.

Like.... I think it wouldn't even matter much if the King was a total midget.. 

And these rocks with some Hanja(Korean word for Kanji) written on the stones

are the places where each people stand according to his (I would also add "her" but there were not many women back then involved in politics...) social status, which was pretty strict and distinct back then.

This is the King's chair, which, again, is higher than others... lol what to do

with our mighty midget king :D

The little animal statues on the roof is known

to protect the palace from the evil.

Left is the decoration of the roofs of Korea back then,

and the right is what you could see in every village back then.

The wooden statue on the left is the male, and the right is the female,

and the villagers believed that they would protect their village.

So many symbols, decorations, and statues are about safety and protection,

so you can kind of tell that's what their primary concern was back then.

These are some of the shoes worn back then.

The "high heel" shoes(left) were worn when it was raining,

and the straw shoes(center) were most worn,

and the shoes made out of rubber (right) was for special occasion or for richer people.

Finally, here is Hanja (Korean word for Kanji).

These characters were originally made in China, and eventually spread to

many other Asian countries like Japan and Korea.

Now, the literacy rate in these Asian countries are extremely high,

but back then, it used to be only the royal family who could read and write.

This place is probably a must-go hot spot for people who are visiting Korea.

Here's a little advice for your own convenience and enjoyment:

Go on the weekdays when there are less people touring around!

Korean Humor: The Worst Photoshop Works EVER!

Just to clarify!

When I say "Korean Humor", it doesn't mean Koreans photoshopped these.

It's just photos from many different places that were photoshopped very.... very poorly.

But at least they give us laughs, so I guess it could be a good thing, too.

Now, I know explanations kill jokes.

Jokes are not funny when explained, so I'll try to talk... or type as least as possible!

Ma'am, you have a white purse stalking you.

This one I think isn't as bad as other ones in this blog.

This one could have fooled me.

This one's kind of subtle, too.

It's just... you can tell she was not wearing this cloth at all,

...almost natural but not enough... :(

Oh my gosh, her waist!!!! :O

So.. I guess if you eat this cereal, you get a whiter tummy...?

 

Holy crap! She has 3 arms!!!

Whose hand were you holding...?

A guy with 3 legs...?

It almost makes me feel embarrassed just by watching these

careless, stupid mistakes.

I got a laugh out of this,

but I really should be careful not to make stupid mistakes.

Like... I don't know why, but when I want to type "fried chicken",

I always ALWAYS mistakenly type "friend chicken".

I really should watch out for that.....

K-pop: Seven Releases His Second Album

If you love K-pop,then you must surely know who Seven is.

He's the handsome guy in the picture below, and he's one of Korea's most famous singers.

He's a singer-dancer. I bet he wrote some songs, too, since many of his

songs tend to have very personal lyrics.

.... correct me if I'm wrong, all ya K-pop geniuses :)

Anyway, it looks like he's released a new album recently.

It's already a pretty big deal that he released a new album,

but it's a bigger deal than just that 

because the two of the most popular entertainment companies, YG and JYP, which are rivals

got together to make this song.

I can certainly see lots of JYP-ish dance moves and YG-ish melody in this song.

Good combo!

It's called When I Can't Sing

So, this song is a big deal, alright.

There's something more that spices things up a notch more.

In the music video, G-Dragon (GD) makes a brief appearance,

and if you know K-pop, you should know GD is a pretty big deal.

It's really really brief, but some people go head over heels over this.

Okay... enough about GD, peeps! Jeez...

Let me tell you a bit more about Seven.

It looks like his song really was a big deal to peeps out there.

It was #1 most downloaded in Korea, but even better....

It hit #1 in iTunes, which probably means Koreans are taking over iTunes.

OR

it could also mean many non-Koreans are downloading his songs.

Like, if you're not so much of a K-pop person,

maybe try listening to this song and see if you like it?

You know, just give it a shot.... or a click of a mouse.

If I go a teeny bit deeper into his life,

he has a super famous actress girlfriend who he's been going out with for seven years.

SEVEN goes out with his girl friend for SEVEN years.... HAHAHAH..... HA... ha.... sorry...

... I'm running out of unscrupulousness for not-funny humors, aren't I.

Anyhow!

When their relationship was uncovered,

people (... more like his female fans) totally freaked out,

and his popularity went D.O.W.N. crashing to the ground.

But of course,

his guy who's hot and talented won the popularity back,

and he even managed to keep his relationship stable and unbroken through the crisis.

You know... not many celebrity couples make it through this kind of hardship.

But even this seemingly perfect guy has his failures...

He knocked on the door of America,

and I don't think he made it as big as he wanted to.

Still, he's one big-ass deal in Korea,

and knowing him, I think he'll keep trying until he succeeds.

Go Seven! :)

Yeah, yeah I know, I know.

It's annoying that I'm leaving the best for the last isn't it?

Well'p!

I'm going to keep on doing it,

so stick with me

and check this out!