KPOP Jacket Lady
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Happy Anniversary Weekly Idol.
![[Press Photo] BTS @ Week idol (Preview):](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/5c/b0/35/5cb035fa49db04c4da5da9d3f705c501.jpg)
I don’t know how the 5th anniversary managed to slip my attention since Weekly Idol is, and has been for a long time, one of my favorite shows. (Actual anniversary was July 23rd.) With artists such as BTS, Girl’s Generation, SHINee, G.Dragon, Super Junior, AOA, Infinite, IU……the list of idol groups, soloists, duo’s, and individual appearances is almost endless, it would perhaps be easier to list those who have yet to appear than those who have.
Begun 5 years ago in a basement studio with white walls, little to no furniture, and hosts who really had no idea what the show was meant to be about I doubt anyone had even an inkling as to how popular it would become. In fact originally it was only meant to run for six weeks as a ‘special’. It was low budget to the extreme and was intended for cable/satelite, not broadcast TV. The hosts Jung Hyung Don (also written as Jeong Hyeong Don) and Defconn appeared lost and confused for the first few broadcasts, although even then you could see certain roles beginning to form. Doni, as many followers call him, was no stranger to comedy when he joined Weekly Idol as he had been on Gag Concert in 2002 and was a regular host on Infinite Challenge from 2005 onwards. Weekly Idol, however, allowed him more leeway to guide the show in the direction he wished it to take. Defconn, or Coni, was originally known more as a rapper and songwriter, although there were often comedic aspects to his songs. He won the Korean Music Award in 2004 for ‘Best Hip-Hop Album’. Since being on Weekly Idol, and joining 2Days 1Night in 2013, he has become somewhat a celebrity and many people don’t know of his early hip-hop days.
Now one of South Korea’s most popular shows, particularly among Kpop fans around the world. It is one of the few shows in which most idols seem relaxed, if not at the beginning of filming, then definitely by the end. They seem to have fun and many see it as an entryway into appearing on other Variety shows.Idol groups also want to appear as a good showing can boost not only their fan base, but also their album sales. The fans love the show because they get to see another side of their favorite groups.
With a free flowing concept made up of ‘corners’ or segments the show can provide multiple opportunities for idols to show of their personalities. One of the most popular segments is the ‘Random Play Dance’ where snippets of the group’s songs are played and they must instantly perform the choreography. My absolute favorite Random Play Dance group has to be Teen Top, not because they were the best, but because they made me laugh so hard. Some groups are notoriously bad at dancing to their own songs whilst other groups are almost perfect.
Another ‘corner’ is the ‘Profile Verification’. This is when Coni and Doni ask each member about things that may have shown up in their online profiles. Sometimes it is a simple as checking that their height is listed correctly, but most times the hosts pick a random or obscure ‘fact’ that needs to be verified. Many idols use this as a good opportunity to showcase themselves, or to prove how funny, or engaging, they can be. Some fans find that this ‘corner’ can wreck their bias (favorite) when they see a particularly cute or funny moment featuring a different group member.
For five years and 263 episodes Weekly Idol has kept many fans happy, and often amused at the antics of their favorite Kpop groups. Congratulations on your anniversary and I hope Doni feels well enough to return to the show soon. (Jung Hyung Don left Weekly Idol in Nov. of 2015 due to health issues and it is unknown when, or if, he will return.) To all the idols who have, and are continuing to help Coni in the meantime, thank you. A lot of us would really miss Weekly Idol if it were not able to continue. Here’s hoping for another 5 years.
If you haven’t watched Weekly Idol I highly recommend you do so. It is funny, and cute, and most of all entertaining. Most episodes can be found on Youtube and fans have also made collections of some of the funniest bits.
Have a great day everyone.
Photo credit to original owner, probably Weekly Idol. MBC
SHINee Shines Bright In Texas.
With the temperature hovering around 100 degrees we decided to forgo an early arrival, which unfortunately limited our time to mix with the fans and check out all the fan signs and fashions. Even arriving 30 minutes before the doors were due to open meant we felt the full force of the Texas summer sun. There were long lines and groups of people who had braved the high heat for hours, showing the dedication of the true Shawols. SHINee is a S.Korean group who made their debut in 2008 under SM Entertainment. They are particularly known for for their vocal abilities, and well as amazing choreography and dance skills, with a fashion look that has become iconic for many.
As per usual the entry process was chaotic, but we all slowly made our way inside to the blissful air conditioning. Our San Antonio travel group split up as we all had seats in different sections, and I managed to grab a quick beer and a chat with a few SHINee fans. It is amazing how friendly the US Kpop community is and friendships were quickly made, with fans from all over the country, and world, mingling and learning more about each each. Bonding over favorite songs or particular bias brought everyone closer together.
The auditorium was pretty full, although the Fan Meet itself was not sold out. I blame this on scheduling something for basically the same time as KCON as lots of fans had made travel plans, including flights, to go see SHINee in LA before the Dallas Fan Meet was announced. I did meet one young lady who had seen them at KCON and actually was on the same Dallas bound flight as them, but unfortunately most fans had to choose one or the other.
I had time to get to know a little about those in the neighboring seats and then the auditorium lights went dim, the excitement level of the crowd began to rise and the screaming began. There are really no words that can adequately describe the anticipation, excitement, and tension of those minutes before a Kpop concert begins, if I could bottle and sell that feeling I would be a millionaire. SHINee fans, called Shawols, are particularly dedicated to their idols.
My seats weren’t particularly good so please excuse the quality of the photographs. Sometimes I took photos of the big screen to show how, although they were far away down on the stage, their presence dominated the theater. Ring Ding Dong was played on video on the big screen to pump up the excitement. Each time I thought the crowd couldn’t get any louder, they proved me wrong.
The first song was Everybody (2013) followed by Hello (2010). SHINee debuted in 2008 and have produced many excellent songs between then and now so choosing a limited number for a Fan Meet must have been difficult, however, these two choices worked the already screaming crowd to be even more vocal. The choreography was amazing and every member was on point, with sharp crisp moves and overflowing enthusiasm. Their vocals were good, but the venue sound system seemed to be lacking at times. In fact this, along with the entry procedure, would be my two main criticisms of the evening.
After the first two songs, and a quick change of clothes for them and a video for us to watch, everything calmed down a little so that the MC, Martin E Kim, could direct some questions to the members. One of the questions meant for each member, “where will you be in 10 years?” was hijacked by Jonghyun who answered where he thought each would be in 10 years time. He thought Onew and Minho would be acting, Taemin would be performing solo, and Key would own his own fashion brand. This made me a little sad as he didn’t specifically mention them all being together in SHINee as a group. A fun moment was when Key spoke about the way the first thing some of the other members did upon landing in America was to download Pokemon Go. He said he felt like his Dad because he didn’t understand them.
The game choice of the evening was charades with each member having 4 audience members on their team. The players had been chosen earlier from those who had arrived early to the venue. Key got to choose the order of play through a quick ‘guess the song’ game which his team won. After he saw which category each team received, with Minho getting ‘Sports’, Taemin ‘Occupations’, Onew ‘Emotions’, Jonghyun ‘Animals’, and he himself getting ‘Movies’ he decided that to help him determine which team played in which order he would ask each member for ‘aegyo’. Minho’s hip wiggle was deemed inadequate and he was chosen to go first. Minho and his team did quite well, although ‘curling’ slowed them down a bit. Occupations seemed a little tricky for Taemin with him being yelled at by Minho when his acting of water polo was sooooo wrong with him lying on his back and looking nothing like a water polo player. Key was at a disadvantage with movies as his category, and even with some assistance from Onew and other members he didn’t do very well at all.
Onew was absolutely incredible with his portrayal of emotions, a category which was perfect for him, and his team whizzed through guessing them correctly so many times it is no wonder he ended up as the eventual winner. And he was so fun to watch.
It is difficult to describe the dorkiness that is Jonghyun. His facial expressions were so fluid and sometimes downright weird, yet somehow his team were able to guess which animal he was channeling. He did dinosaur by holding up one arm and everyone guessed it correctly. It was almost like watching some kind of avant garde theatre performance.
After another short break for an outfit change SHINee was back on stage with Lucifer (2010) and Sherlock (2012) which for many of us are among their most iconic and most loved songs. Their performance of both songs was all you could ask for and more. Their singing, dancing, stage presence, and just everything coming together was almost overwhelming. After singing and dancing they said ‘goodbye’ and there was a pause, and an indrawn breath from the whole audience. It couldn’t be, it just couldn’t end like that.
And it didn’t. We chanted, and waited, and chanted, and they came back on stage to continue to wow us. This time with Replay (2008). This was the song that started it all and I think many of us were nostalgic watching them perform. Eight years and counting, that’s a long time for a Kpop group to exist, and SHINee not only exists they continue to come up with new and wonderful songs. Again the performance was spot on and a joy to watch.
And that was followed up with View (2015) which showed us once again each of their colors and their charisma as they continued with yet another top notch performance. We were all sad that the evening was drawing to a close and yet so happy we had been able to spend some time among family enjoying an evening that will stay in our memories forever.
So what I haven’t mentioned would be the fan chants, the audience singing and dancing along to the songs, the humor and sheer likability of each member, the love they have for their fans including even recognising one from their Chicago Fan Meet, and overall just how enjoyable the whole evening was. And how could I not mention the birthday surprise for Taemin when the whole audience held up mini banners and sang him ‘Happy Birthday’.
Thank you SHINee for coming to Dallas, you have shined brightly for a long time and here’s to hoping you continue to do so for many years to come.
Y’all come back soon.
Have a great day everyone.
The Humor In Mud: Idols and Celebrities At Play.
Mud can be found in many places such as mudflats, river edges, rice paddies, fields and gardens after the rain, and anywhere where water and soil come together. Mud is cool and wet and slimy and it oozes and squishes and makes lovely gloppy, gloopy, sucking noises as you walk through it. It is a substance that attracts the child in many of us and can still make us smile when we watch others play in it. Many Korean variety shows have taken advantage of this and place show members in mud to play games and face challenges. The best mud for this is often found in mudflats.
Mudflats are large stretches of muddy land that are found at low tide when the sea recedes, sometimes leaving upwards of 2 miles of mud before you get to the sea itself. They are also sometimes called tidal flats, because they only exist as long as the tide is out.
Mudflats are important feeding areas for birds, especially migratory ones, and team with life, including many crabs, clams, and crustaceans that have food value to other animals and humans alike. Salt farms are often found on mudflats and are an eco friendly use. In the past mudflats were often seen as useless and were dredged and turned into agricultural land. In some parts of Asia 65% of mudflats have been destroyed in the past 50 years. Fortunately S. Korea has seen their value and is taking steps to preserve theirs.
S. Korea is home to some of the largest mudflats in the world and they often appear prominently in Korean variety shows, where they elicit much laughter and joy. Some of my favorite funny moments have been watching celebrities play in mud. One of the first Korean variety shows I watched was Family Outing Season 1. It was full of funny games and comedy, but it also combined aspects of traditional culture and practices. Episode 7 had the ‘family’ along with guests GDragon of BigBang fame, and actor Shin Sung Rok, who had to fish using traditional methods in the shallow waters at the edge of some mudflats. It wasn’t really a mud challenge per se but for me it was a precursor of things to come.
I never liked Season 2 and my variety show watching was somewhat sporadic until Running Man. I began watching it because it had some members of Family Outing in the cast, but I stayed because it was fun to watch. I would actually laugh out loud at some episodes which is somewhat rare for me. Episode 115 has the team playing games on the mudflats….well actually they spend a lot of time in them if you catch my meaning. Unfortunately not all of the early episodes have been subbed in full on Youtube, so to watch the whole episodes you may have to use a site such another streaming service.
Running man has often played in mud in general, which means that when mudflats weren’t available they used flooded rice paddies, muddy fields, and even specially made mud pools. Mud appears in numerous episodes including episodes 163, 209, 213, 220, 233, 236, 254, and 302. Of these episode 163, which featured members of BigBang, is probably my favorite. The fact that big name celebrities are willing to play such strenuous and dirty games is a wonder to me and I enjoy seeing a more natural side of them in that I think their true character slips out when they’re in the middle of a game. Poor GDragon put in a lot of effort, but being on the same team as Yoo Jae Suk soon meant that, for his team, the game degenerated into farce. All the players looked absolutely exhausted by the end of the game, and I was quite tired from how much I laughed. This was one of the best and funniest games ever played on Running Man.
Episode 254, with Girl’s Generation as guests, probably comes in second on the laugh scale for mud episodes. They really entered into the spirit of the day and forwent their usually sexy and beautiful screen personas. They were fairly determined in all the games, not minding the mud and really getting down and dirty in the sock game in particular. Not being a real fan of Girl’s Generation I was impressed with how hard they played. There are plenty of laughs in this episode and it is worth watching.
Running Man is not the only Korean variety show to utilize mud. Episode 592 of 2 Days 1 Night is particularly funny, and there are other 2 Day 1 Night episodes where they play games or challenges in the mud. In fact it would probably be hard to find an outdoors Korean variety show that hasn’t played in the mud at some point. Play and deliberate humor however, are not the only focus, as you can also come across variety, and reality, shows that film the catching of mud creatures as these often provide humorous moments as people come across the weird and strange creature that can be caught in the mud. Invincible Youth, The Return of Superman, Roommates, and Let’s Go Dream Team, have all had episodes that feature mud.
Years ago when BAP were still new they went to the beach mudflats in Killing Camp, episode 2, which is still funny to watch.
Korean people do go to mudflats to catch things, enjoy the scenery, and play games. There is also a big mud festival every year in Boryeong where Koreans and tourists alike play games and enjoy all the benefits of mud. (It is good for your skin and many spas and beauty salons sell mud treatments.) So if you can’t be where you can enjoy some mud, sit back and laugh at some of the Korean style mud games.
Have a great day everyone.
Please do not copy or use without permission and accreditation.
All photo credits to original owners.
You may also enjoy Korean Salt, and Korean Games, and where to find out more about them.
Ssireum: Korean Style Wrestling.
Painting by Kim Hong Do.
I was first introduced to Ssireum through Korean variety shows such as Running Man and Two Days One Night, and became somewhat intrigued with it. Although I’m not a particular fan of wrestling Ssireum seemed to me to be just as much a head game as a physical one, with each participant feeling out the other, waiting for just the right moment to move. Strength of course was a major part of each bout, as was speed, but experience was not obviously not to be discounted. It was fun to watch.
SSireum holds a unique place in the hearts of Koreans and when I was trying to find facts about its history I kept running up against what is often called ‘folk knowledge’, that is things that everyone knows to be true, but actually may not be. It not only became hard to separate fact from collective knowledge, but also to not offend. This crops up with legends, origin myths and oral traditions all over the world. As I was growing up I hated the way my ‘Robin Hood’ was picked apart by historians and researchers trying to find the real man. So I hope to give a fair history of this wonderful traditional Korean sport.
Wrestling is one of the oldest sports known to man and was independently ‘invented’ by multiple cultures all around the world. The World Sports Encyclopedia lists over a hundred different known variants, and many more have probably been lost over time, or were only played in small local areas. Most traditional wrestling styles had at their core the use of a hand to hand struggle, without the use of blows, although some styles did have some slapping as seen in Sumo. Some modern styles of wrestling, which evolved from the circus wrestling of the 19th century, have more entertainment features and aspects of a spectacle rather than sport.
The first evidence of wrestling comes from a Sumerian sculpture dated to over 5,000 years ago. There are also statues from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Crete that are over 4,000 years old. Types of hand to hand combat are described in Ancient China from the Shang Dynasty onwards and statues, and engravings depicting wrestling have been found on bones, tortoise shell and bronze items have that been found also from that time period. Originally a military exercise, along with archery and charioteering, by the Warring States Period (475-221 BCE) wrestling had also become a competitive sport. Wrestling was also a spectator event in early China, with Emperor Wu in 108 BCE entertaining his foreign guests with jiaodixi (wrestling) performances.
There were various names and different styles of wrestling, including styles that used belts, in China and Mongolia and whether either country influenced Korean traditional wrestling styles is still being debated.
It is unknown when Ssireum developed in Korea, but it was likely quite some time before the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 BCE – AD 660) when the mural below was painted on one of the tomb walls. (Tombs and other architectural art works don’t tend to show unimportant things, so for Ssireum to be portrayed it must have been important and/or popular for some time before the tomb was built.) The Gakjeochong Tomb is often called The Tomb Of The Wrestlers because of this mural. The tomb is now in a part of China which was once part of the Korean Kingdom of Goguryeo. I, like most other people, assume that this is a portrayal of SSireum, or an ancestor style of wrestling, but one or two people have suggested it might be an image of a religious rite or ritual. At this time wrestling was known by many Sino Korean names and there may have been multiple methods of play.
Wrestling continued to be practiced in Goryeo, (AD 918 – 1392) and it was not only a sport but was also tied up with religious festivals, particularly the Dano festival, where Ssireum competitions were an integral part of the festivities. In AD 1330 King Chunghye, (AD 1315 – 1344) was reprimanded for wrestling with an errand boy. It appears, however, he continued to wrestle and folk knowledge says he wrestled every day.
In AD 1430 a man was killed while playing Ssireum, and in AD 1560 the palace servants were banned from playing Ssireum on palace grounds, although children were still allowed to play. In AD 1664 the loser stabbed the winner of a Ssireum match. These few minor reports in all the court documents tends to show that the sport only shows up when dealing with occurrences that had to be dealt with by government officials. Outside of these references there just isn’t that much information.
It seems to me that Ssireum may have been a sport of the military and lower classes, particularly the agricultural class, which makes sense when you consider the Yangban focus on education as a method of social and political advancement. That is not to say that young men of all classes didn’t test their strength against each other by wrestling, but that it wasn’t particularly a noble pastime. We know that King Sejong (CE 1397 – 1450) held a Ssireum competition among his soldiers while on a pleasure cruise, and he is also said to have hosted family events where they watched archery and wrestling matches. This might hark back to the earlier Chinese example of Ssireum being a spectator sport for the upper classes rather than a participatory one.
Ssireum may well have started with religious overtones in agricultural communities which then turned into a military exercise and pastime, but it really became popular when it moved into the growing urban areas. Seoul was known to have multiple areas where wrestling took place and competitive matches occurred. Spectators increased as city folk had easier access and the popularity of the sport took off. Matches were held across the country and standardized rules began to develop. Not needing much in the way of specialized equipment it was a much easier sport to participate in than say archery, and the rewards could be quite large with prizes such as a bull being popular.
During times of occupation and of uncertainty SSireum in many ways came to symbolize one aspect of Koreanness to Koreans. It could be looked at in perhaps the same way people see an image of a small thatched cottage with a garden overflowing with flowers as representing Englishness. Ssireum is unique to Korea, and evokes idealized images of their agrarian past, before the onslaught of modernization and globalization. It is many things, it is the oldest extant Korean sport, it is a polite sport that is still very competitive, it can also be seen as a non violent sport, but most of all perhaps is that it tugs at their collective identity. It is theirs.
Ssireum rules can be found in many places online and Youtube has many examples of matches so I won’t try to explain the rules here. Ssireum has seen many declines and reversals in popularity over time, but hopefully it will be able to survive in the modern world, where without commercial backing many sports disappear. There has been a small revival in interest recently with variety and other TV shows spotlighting Ssireum, and even idol groups getting in on the act, but whether this means Ssireum will be more than an attraction at festivals and folk life villages remains to be seen.
Have a great day everyone.
Please do not copy or use without permission and accreditation. All image credits to original owners.
You may also enjoy Horseback Archery In Korea: A Traditional Sport, Juldarigi: An Extreme Form Of Korean Tug Of War and Archery In Korea.
Best Kpop Rookie Groups For First Half Of 2016.
(Photo : Fantagio )
As those of you who follow me know I prefer male Kpop groups to female, but even if I included girl groups there weren’t any really stand out female rookies in the first half of 2016. Cosmic Girls might go on to do well, but so far it seems to me to be more that they have a good marketing ploy and production staff than talent, since their choreography is just so so and the MV’s rely heavily on camera gimmicks and short takes, making the end result choppy and distracting.
There were more male rookie groups to choose from for the first half of 2016, with a few of them having the potential to do well. Imfact, and Voisper deserve at least a listen, and may well succeed in the future, although as each year passes I feel it is harder and harder for the rookie groups to gain a foothold in an already talent saturated industry. Although some of the the NCT project groups debuted in 2016 and seem quite good I’m not a fan of the whole project group idea. It truly makes it obvious to me that Kpop is an industry that is going to go with whatever concept will make them the most money. Since they are a project group with one of the big entertainment companies backing them I have no doubt they will be a commercial success, but I think the format does a disservice to both the artists and the fans, so my choices for the first half of 2016 are Astro, and KNK.
Astro was formed in 2015 under Fantagio Entertainment. They are a 6 member group, all of them being 20 years old or younger. They starred in their own web drama called ‘To Be Continued’ in August of 2015 and then had their own reality show, ‘Astro OK! Get Ready’ in January of 2016 which allowed their audience to see, and to get to know, them before their official debut. They debuted in February 2016 with their first mini album Spring Up. They had enough overseas fans to help them reach #6 on Billboard’s World Albums Chart. The title song and first MV was Hide & Seek which has well over 2 1/2 million views on Youtube. They quickly followed this up with a second single in March, Cat’s Eye which didn’t do quite as well. I often watch group’s dance practice videos as I can then get a better look at their choreography and dance skills, and I thought both were up to par.
Their second mini album Summer Vibes was released on July 1st and the title song Breathless really does have a carefree summer feel to it. I really liked the concept of the MV and the cute visuals. It is cheerful and bright and a perfect pick me up on a hot summer day. Summer Vibes also placed high on Billboard’s World Albums Chart, and Breathless got to 11th on Billboard’s World Singles Chart.
Astro has appeared on variety shows such as Weekly Idol and After School Club as a group, and as individuals on many more. They are scheduled to appear at Kcon later this month, and will be holding solo concerts on Aug.27th and 28th in Seoul, S.Korea. It looks to me that they are starting off well as rookies and I hope they will do well in the future.
KNK is a 5 member group under YNB Entertainment. All of the members had been under different agencies before they joined KNK, and although all are in their early twenties they had spent an average of 5 years as trainees with those other agencies before their debut under YNB.
The first thing that most people comment on is that all of the members of the group are tall with the average height being over 6′, which is quite tall for Korean men. They are also attractive and clean cut, but don’t think that that is all there is to them, because they are also talented. They have great vocal skills and are on point during performances, with sharp dance moves and good footwork, and I like how they have dance moves that fit the tempo of the songs. Sometimes groups work too hard to have amazing choreography to the point it can distract from the song itself.
KNK held their debut showcase in February 2016 at the Ilchi Art Hall and released their debut single, Knock a few days later in March. They went on to perform Knock at the 20th China Music Awards in April, which was their first official appearance outside of S.Korea. A digital single I Remember was released in May and then their first mini album Awake and the MV for Back Again were released in June. Awake peaked at No. 14 on Billboard’s World Album Chart.
As with most groups they have had appearances on Weekly Idol and After School Club. KNK are also known for doing pretty amazing covers of TVXQ’s songs and for actually having character and personalities of their own. Each member is unique and has their own quirks and foibles, including one member who apparently needs to learn to take a towel with him when he showers.
Their first 3 songs have done quite well for a rookie group, and they have a lot of things going for them, so I hope they continue to do well in the future. I look forward to watching them grow as a group, and I’m sure with their height and good looks at least a couple of them will try out acting in the future.
You can see both Astro and KNK on the same episode of Weekly Idol and see not only the charms of each group, but how they act and interact with each other. Even with all the groups I like I always have a soft spot for the rookies who have to try so hard to be noticed among the numerous amazing idol groups out there, so if you have time please spend a few minutes finding a rookie group that you like so they can receive some love and support.
You may also enjoy Kpop Musings, Return of the 1990’s Kpop Groups?, Like Dance? Watch Kpop, and BIGBANG10 The Exhibition.
Have a great day everyone.
Photo credits to original owners. Please do not copy or use without permission or accreditation.
Korean-Tex-Mex Fusion Food?
Fusion food has become increasingly popular in recent years and for good reason. Sometimes the mix of food from two, or more, cultures can create a dish that is well worth eating. A couple of my favorite Korean ‘plus’ recipes are those that use a Korean main ingredient mixed with my local food. The other reason is that these two recipes in particular utilize leftovers, and my bumper crop of homegrown tomatoes in the salsa.
The first recipe is a wrap because I serve it cold, but it can easily be adapted to being served hot if you place the guacamole, sour cream and salsa on the side instead of inside the tortilla. I use leftover Marinated Spicy Pork as my main ingredient. I do also make the pork specifically for this recipe if I’m expecting guests, and I allow them to create their own wraps.
Cut various colored peppers into slices, place in a pan, on medium high heat, that has been lightly coated with oil. Fry, turning to make sure they don’t burn, until slightly softened. Let cool.
Cut up 1 onion into strips and cook in a lightly oiled pan. I used some leftover red onion, but since it loses it’s color when cooked it isn’t necessary. Let cool.
Gather ingredients. Grated cheese, guacamole, cold Marinated Spicy Pork, pepper mix, onions, sour cream and salsa.(I use homemade salsa, but bottled salsa will do fine.)
Add ingredients in the proportions you prefer, being careful not to overload it, which I tend to do.
I don’t ‘wrap’ mine with the folded over ends that stop it all falling out, because I dislike the multiple layers of tortilla it creates for those last few bites. I usually just use a paper towel to hold everything in until I can get down to that last bite.
The other recipe is very similar, being Quesadillas. It uses the same ingredients just put together in a slightly different way. I make these as a snack for when I’m watching Kdramas on TV.
Cut the Marinated Spicy Pork up into small pieces. Place on a tortilla along with salsa.
Add peppers and onions.
Sprinkle with a decent amount of grated cheese. You want enough cheese to melt and hold everything together. Place second tortilla on top and lightly press together.
Carefully place into a pan that has been lightly oiled and heated. Cook on both sides until lightly brown and the cheese has melted. Cook slightly longer for a crisper crust.
Cut into sections, being careful because the cheese will be very hot. Serve with guacamole and sour cream.
Have a great day everyone.
Korean Salt.
Salt, a necessity for all living things, has been receiving somewhat of a bad reputation the past few years with admonishments for us all to eat less of it. And perhaps we do eat too much, particularly if we are consumers of processed food, but life on earth wouldn’t last long without it.
All animals and plants need at least trace amounts of salt, and humans are no exception. Not only is it important to life, but also to the betterment of that life. Once humans realized that salt could be used to preserve food it allowed them to store food for times of hardship or famine. Early humans would have collected the saline crust on the rocks along the sea shore, or that left behind in dried up tidal pools. Soon however, they found that some places had deposits of salt in caves and they began to mine for salt. Salt was so important that even in the Bronze Age there were long distance trade routes to carry salt to places where people had little access to it. By Roman times salt was used to pay the soldiers and the word salary comes from the latin phrase “salarium argentum”. In Ancient China a tax on the salt trade brought in almost as much revenue as the tax on land. Governments rose and fell dependant on how well they controlled the production and trade in salt. There is a great book on the history of salt by Mark Kurlansky which is well worth reading.
Salt can be harvested in two main ways, from the sea or from the land. Sea water is either boiled to evaporate the water leaving the salt behind, or it is collected in salterns where mother nature evaporates the water naturally. Dried up sea beds and rock salt deposits buried beneath the earth can be mined for their salt. Himalayan sea salt comes from high up in the mountains where it is dug out from what was once an ancient sea. It is not processed and therefore contains more traces of beneficial minerals than common table salt.
Korea being a peninsular is almost entirely surrounded by the sea, and Korean salt was traditionally made by boiling shallow pans of sea water until the water evaporated off and only the salt crystals were left behind. This was the most ancient and perhaps easiest method of collecting salt. However, at some point around the beginning of the 20th century another method appeared that allowed for salt collecting on a larger scale.
Korea has some of the best and largest mudflats in the world, so much so that they have become biosphere reserves and have been recognised as ecological treasures by the Korean Government. Sinan-gun and Yeonggwang-gun in Jeollanam-do are among the best and oldest areas of ‘solar’ salt production in Korea, and salt harvesters ‘farm’ the mudflats in an eco-friendly way, allowing conservation of the natural resources while providing an income for the local economy. However, since salt harvesting is extremely hard there have been accusations that disabled people have been forced into semi slavery in order to keep costs down.
(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Sea water is allowed to flow into large reservoirs, where it is held until it is allowed to flow into evaporating ponds, where the sun and the wind begin the process of creating salt. After a while the sea water is sent to another evaporating pond. It remains there for a while before it heads to the crystallizing pond. At each stage as water evaporates the salinity increases and it comes closer to being salt. It takes 2 to 3 days for salt to crystallize and a further 3 weeks or so to turn into salt. It however takes almost 3 years before it can be sold as the salt is stored for a long time to remove the bittern, a bitter tasting solution of sulfites, bromides and other natural chemicals.
Korean solar salt contains trace amounts of minerals said to be good for one’s health and is considered a high quality salt on a par with Maldon Sea Salt from England, or the French Sel de Guerande. It is a somewhat coarse, large grained salt, with semi transparent crystals. It can come in grey or white and has a very slight sweetness to it. It is ideal for making kimchi, fish sauce, and other fermented foods as the large grains dissolve gradually enhancing the process. Korean solar salt can also be used as a finishing salt, which means the kind of salt, like table salt, that you would add to your food after it has all been prepared. To see if you can actually taste the difference between different salts you can experiment by using slices of cucumber and sprinkling a little of each salt on different slices. I’m not an expert, but I can taste a slight difference with some salts.
If you are substituting one kind of salt for another in a recipe you have to be somewhat cautious as not only are some salts more, or less, salty than others, but the size of the grain can also make a difference so you would probably want to substitute salts with similar sized grains. Korean sea salt is remarkably cheap in Korean grocery stores so it is well worth buying some and trying it in your kitchen.
Pythagoras once wrote, “salt is born of the purest of parents, the sun and the sea.” Salt is necessary for life and is also an integral part of us, it is in our sweat, our tears and in our blood. It is part of our daily bread, and makes all our other food taste good too, so maybe it is time to throw away that chemically processed, iodine enriched, table salt that contains anti caking agents and other added chemicals and go back to natural sea salt made the way nature first intended, with the sea and the sun.
Have a great day everyone.
Please do not copy or use without permission and accreditation.
Photo credits to original owners. Horse image found at http://www.hikmen.com/salt-horse-lick/ Small image of salterns found at http://english.cha.go.kr/english/world_heritage_new/provisional_list_13.jsp?mc=EN_04_01 Top image found at https://www.pinterest.com/pin/77898268525086872/ Map image found at http://500sandwiches.com/post/96530686901/korean-sea-salt
Korean Chicken And Potato Stew.
Even though it is hot here in Texas at this time of year, that is no excuse to not to eat hot and spicy food. Think of all the hot climate countries that specialize in heat and spice such as India, Thailand, Mexico, Korea, to name a few. Some Asian countries even recommend eating spicy food, the hotter the better, during the summer months as it is said to help rejuvenate, restore energy, and get rid of the lazy stupor that the summer heat can bring to many of us. This recipe can be as mild, or as spicy, as you need to overcome the summer blahs.
I made this recipe using chicken breasts, but using dark meat such as chicken thighs will give it a bit more flavor. Also this is the basic recipe so if you want to add some more vegetables, or increase the heat by adding more Korean hot pepper paste go for it.
Rinse 2 medium chicken breasts in cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Trim any fat, gristle etc from the breast and discard. Cut into decent sized pieces. You need to be able to put a piece in your mouth, but if is too small you lose some of the flavor.
Gather together ingredients. Finely chop 4 medium garlic cloves, or put through garlic press. Peel and chop 3 medium potatoes and 2 carrots. Place chopped potatoes and carrots in a bowl of cold water.
Roughly chop 1 medium onion, put to one side. Mix together 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup of sherry, or mirin, 2 tsp minced ginger, (I used it from a jar but if you have it, fresh is much better.) 1 tsp ground black pepper, 3-4 tbsp honey, 1 -2 tsp Korean red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp Korean red pepper paste. (Or more to personal taste.)
Coat bottom of pot with a high heat oil such as canola. Put burner on medium to high. When pot and oil are hot carefully add chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Basically you want to seal each side of the meat to keep the flavor inside so the chicken pieces should look white not pink. Add chopped onion, garlic, and ginger, stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent meat from sticking to bottom of pot. Add the liquid ingredients. Stir. Cook for 5 minutes.
Drain water from potatoes and carrots and place them in pot, gently stir together. Place lid on pot and cook on low to medium for 15 minutes. Check occasionally to stir and top up liquid with a little water if necessary.
Rinse 5-10 Shiitake mushrooms, cut into pieces and add to pot, stirring them in gently. Replace lid and cook everything together for a further 5 minutes.
Lift lid off pot, check taste and liquid level. Adjust if necessary.
Place in serving dish and garnish with pine nuts.
Serve with rice and banchan. Shown here with Marinated Spicy Pork.
Have a great day everyone.
A Quick Look Back At The Three Top Male Rookie Groups Of Kpop 2015.
Any retrospective review is somewhat tainted by what we know now, however, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any value in looking back.2015 was a year dominated by BigBang, it also was a good, if not great, year for Kpop in general, and for some rookie groups in particular. 2015 saw classic groups such as SHINee who have a huge fan following release new singles, along with newer fan favorites such as EXO, BTS, and Got7. In a year so full of quality Kpop it is hard to imagine any rookie groups actually standing out from the crowd. In my opinion 3 groups did in fact manage to do just that.
Seventeen, MonstaX and iKon all distanced themselves from the rest of the year’s rookie groups. They produced multiple songs, appeared on shows such as Weekly Idol and After School Club, and Seventeen and iKon even held sold out concerts. They gathered large groups of fan followers and won awards. All in all they managed to stand out in a year saturated with high quality music, lyrics, choreography, and charisma.
It is hard nowadays to define groups by their official debut dates because so many groups have soft debuts before their official debut date. Sometimes a long time before then. It has been said that four years of careful planning occurred before Seventeen’s official debut with them even having a web TV show beginning in 2013 so then are they really rookies? Monsta X was seen on the show No Mercy late 2014 and iKon appeared on 2 reality survival shows, Win:Who is Next and Mix & Match before their official debut. I’ve decided to loosely use their official debut dates along with when they actually hit the scene as it were, so they might not count as 2015 rookies to everyone if you consider their pre debut experiences.
Seventeen, a 13 member group under Pledis Entertainment burst onto the scene in May 2015 with their first album, 17-Carat, with the title track Adore U, followed by Manse. The album 17-Carat was the longest charting kpop album of 2015 on Billboard’s World Album chart. They were also the only rookie group to make it onto Billboard’s “Best 10 Kpop albums of 2015.” The group is made up of a fairly even mix of pop vocalists and rappers, with certain members being designated as a performance unit. With 13 members you would perhaps think that some members would get very little singing or on camera time but they seem to have managed to not slight any members too much. The members are all clean cut and attractive, and cute, and sweet, and all those attributes young female Kpop fans look for, but they also have talent. This is what has, and hopefully will continue to, set them apart from so many cookie cutter cute young idol groups. Woozi is credited with writing and producing Adore U, and Hoshi is said to have come up with the choreography for the MV. The group does amazingly well with said choreography, especially considering the number of members, and they make it look easy. Seventeen performed well on many levels last year and seem to be continuing to do so into 2016.
MONSTA X is a seven member group under Starship Entertainment. They were a product of a rather tough reality show called No Mercy. The fact that each member survived the show is a testament to their determination as well as their talent. Their first release was in May 2015 and was the song Trespass. If Seventeen is the type of group your mother would like you to watch then the rawness and high octane energy of Monsta X is probably not going to be her preference. They followed up with Rush which showed some more of their colors and allowed some of their cute side to show through. Later in the year the MV for Hero was released and then a dance practice MV for Amen debuted in very early 2016. Their gift to their fans of a Halloween themed dance practice video was a nice touch. While their songs didn’t necessarily chart very well their talent was recognised by them winning various awards including the Golden Disk Awards “Next Generation Artist” and Mnet Asian Music Awards “Next Generation Asian Artist.” I can only see Monsta X continuing to improve, but do foresee some highs and lows as they try out new approaches to how to succeed in the often cookie cutter world of Kpop, different is good, too different not so much.
iKon a group forged by fire. If Monsta X had a hard time with the reality survival show No Mercy, then the young men who finally ended up becoming iKon had a harder row to hoe, they had to survive not just one, but two reality survival shows, Win:Who is Next and Mix & Match. Yang Hyun Suk, the founder and head of YG Entertainment, the second largest entertainment agency in S. Korea is not known for being easy on his trainees. That harsh training, however has produced a high caliber group of young men who I think will see long term success. YG fosters talent in a way unlike many of the other agencies and he encourages his artists to write and compose right from the start. iKon debuted with My Type in September 2015. My Type did remarkably well capturing the Gaon Triple Crown for week 39 of 2015. It was a surprising lyrical song and it stayed with you for a while after hearing it. In October Rhythm Ta was released and won on Mnet’s M!Countdown. Other songs such as Apology and Anthem followed with reasonable success and finally right at the end of 2015 they released Dumb and Dumber which is a personal favorite. (One of the things I love about Kpop are the wtf MV’s.) iKon held a sold out concert to 13,000 fans on Oct.3rd 2015, which is a remarkable feat for a rookie group, they also held fan meetings in Japan to help foster their overseas presence. With their talent and determination and the backing of YG I can’t see anything but continuing success for iKon.
If you agree or disagree or think a different group deserves recognition please post in the comments below.
Have a great day everyone.
You might also enjoy Best Kpop Male Rookies for first half of 2016, and Return of the 1990s Kpop Groups.
Photo credits to original owners.
Please do not copy or use without permission and accreditation.
Recipe: Korean Spicy Marinated Pork.
This pork dish is wonderful just served with rice, or it can be used in Bibimbap and is also fantastic in fusion style fajitas, which is usually what I make if I ever have leftovers. As with many Korean recipes it is easy to adjust the spiciness by lowering the amount of red pepper paste and/or red pepper flakes, but as the name says this is meant to be spicy. As shown this recipe is right at my spiciness break point, and it is fabulous.
Being a marinated recipe you need to plan ahead. I usually marinated the meat about 8 hours, or overnight, but you can probably get away with 3-5 hours understanding that you won’t get quite the same depth of flavor. I use pork loin, because my local supermarket usually has a really good sale every couple of months, but you can use a cheaper cut of meat if you wish.
Gather ingredients. You’ll need 3 tablespoons of minced garlic, fresh is best but you can use it from a jar.That also goes for the 3 tablespoons of fresh ginger. I didn’t have enough fresh so used some nice minced ginger in a jar that I found at H.Mart and keep on hand for just such an occasion. Mince both the garlic and ginger or use a garlic press.
Add 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 tbs soy sauce, and 2 tbs sherry. (If you have a good mirin on hand you can use that instead of the sherry.)
Add 1/4 cup Korean red pepper paste, 2 tbs Korean red pepper flakes, 1/4 – 1/2 tsp black pepper, 3 tbs sugar or honey. Mix all these ingredients together. Roughly chop 1 medium onion and 3 green onions, add to bowl and mix well. Put to one side while you prepare the pork.
You want at least 2 lbs of pork, and you can use up to 3 lbs. I used 3lbs as I wanted leftovers. Remove any icky bits from pork and discard. Cut into large bite sized pieces and put in large bowl.
Mix marinade and pork together in bowl, put in large plastic storage bag. Seal bag and make sure everything is completely mixed together and the pork is coated with the marinade. I gently knead the bag to ensure a good a good coating. Open bag slightly and press on bag to remove any air in bag, reseal and put bag in refrigerator overnight, or 8 hours.
Get the bag of marinated meat of refrigerator and put in large bowl. Coat a large frying or saute pan with canola oil and put to medium high heat. Once the pan and oil are hot carefully add pieces of meat to pan and cook thoroughly. Don’t overfill pan as you need to make sure pork is cooked. Keep cooking the pork in batches, putting the cooked pieces in an ovenproof bowl that can be kept in a warm oven to keep the meat warm while you cook the rest.
Sometimes burnt or, icky bits will be in the pan, so remove them before you cook the next batch of pork.
Once you have cooked all the meat pieces pour all the rest of the marinade mixture into the pan and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Then mix the meat and the marinade together making sure the pork is coated evenly. If your pan is large enough you can mix everything back together in the pan, otherwise use a large bowl and be careful of the hot ingredients. Some recipes will have you cook the meat and the marinade together which is quicker and easier, and I would do it that way if the meat was beef, but I’m always cautious with pork and prefer to know that each piece has been properly cooked.
You can garnish it with sesame seeds, or chopped green onions etc.
The recipes for some of the other dishes shown in the photograph can also be found on my site.
Have a great day everyone.
KPOP Jacket Lady 