Street Vendors
One of the most common sights in Korea are the street vendors who peddle everything from snacks and vegetables, to meat, fish and bicycle repairs. There are many different kids of street vendors from the ones who travel around an area with a street market to people who pull up on the side of the road in small trucks from which goods are sold to the little old ladies who sit around towns with a selection of vegetables strewn on a sheet on the ground.
I’m a total sucker for the old ladies and will often stop to buy something though I’m told they’re not poor. Last week, I saw a woman from whom I regularly buy spinach, unload her groundsheet from the back of a new range rover-type vehicle, probably owned by her son, and then start laying out her cabbages and lettuces.
the crossroad by my school where the Monday Morning market meets E-Mart
the grandmas are always laughing and a bottle of makalli (rice wine) is usually in the background
in the hear of Monday Morning market
This side streets specializes in vegetables, curd, and beansprouts
Late summer
The market directly outside my school
garlic in the Sunday market, the surrounding air was tainted with it’s smell
The street market outside Lavender Sauna, near Dong-Daegu KTX Station
in the rural town of Gor-Yang
cabbages in a more abundant season – winter 2008
© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
Bone Dry -The Problems of Ondol
prevention is better than cure
Acclimatising is a long process and often foreigners who come to live on the peninsula are plagued with a series of illness as viruses and bacteria take advantage of human immune systems not optimized to operate in Korea. And in the process, especially if it is winter, your skin is ruined. In my first year in Korea I seemed to lurch from one illness to another and certainly for the first few months felt run-down. Of course, people suffer to differing degrees and a few escape it all together.
one of many brands of callous remover
Winter wreaks havoc with the skin. Ondol heating is great but it causes many problems one of the most prolific is drying the skin on the feet which means those with lots of hard skin need to be particularly careful. Pharmacists stock a number of foot creams specifically aimed at dry skin and there is also a small mains operated callous remover that can be purchased in places like Home Plus. Preempting a cracked heel is essential and a good soaking, for example in a bathhouse on a regular basis, followed by chastising the skin with a pumice stone (available in E-Mart) is prudent. I avoid using the large stones in bathhouses for this purpose as the force you exert with your leg can actually force open a weak spot. on your heel or sole. It’s amazing how quickly rough skin will ruin a sock. I also use very sandpaper and a small wooden block simply because you can use this more vigorously than one of those small plastic handled things you buy and which break the moment you apply any force.
humidifiers (사습기), I find them quite therapeutic
The dry air also irritates the nose and lips so lip balm is a necessity as is Vaseline. I even put a little Vaseline in my nose when I feel the air the uncomfortably dry. Everyone’s body is different and affected by a range of factors such as age and even ethnicity. For example, the dry cold wind always makes my forehead dry so I keep a bottle of skin lotion on hand for whenever required. Investing in a humidifier (가습기) for your accommodation is a benefit and in a store like E-Mart or Home Plus, the range is extensive with prices from 40.000 Won (£20) to those in excess of 140000 Won (£70). Placing a container of water on the floor, if you use the ondol extensively, can also help put moisture into the air. Another useful accessory are the small canisters of skin spray, probably predominantly water based, which you can buy in a pharmacist. I haven’t used these as yet and only borrowed a squirt from colleagues at work.
the designs are extensive
Personally, I try to minimise the use of the ondol as I often find it uncomfortable and so putting it on when I am either in bed, or setting it to turn on and then off in the period I am out, reduces the amount of contact between that warm floor and my feet. It may sound as if I have psychological condition in respect to this effective means of heating, I have learnt it is much better to avoid such minor problems than wait for them to occur.
and the prices vary
© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
Monday Market – Apples (사과)
early autumn apples
When I first visited Daegu in 2010, the city’s link with apples, a local product, seemed very strong. Ten years later, and on the odd occasion I have mentioned Daegu in relation to apples, and some people look at me blankly. Regardless, apples in Daegu, and perhaps further afield, are delicious. I rarely buy apples back home partly as the varieties are never constant and the taste and texture never guaranteed. Like many fruit and vegetables in Britain, they are rarely home produced. There is a lot to be said for seasonal fair as the quality is far superior and at the moment, cabbages (배추), apples, Asian pears (배), persimmon (감) and oranges (귤) from Jeju-do) are all in season. I have become quite used to watching the passing season through what’s available in the street markets and am currently waiting to see an abundance of of ginkgo nuts (은행).
Crispy, sweet and delicious
Korean apples are big, crispy, sweet and juicy. I’ve never had an apple that is soft or sour and would imagine sweetness is guaranteed because of the hot summers. Most apples are best about Christmas time and there are five popular varieties all grown in Korea:
‘National Glory’ (국광) – deep red with green stripes
‘Golden Delicious,’ (골덴 딜리셔스) – clear yellow
‘Huji’ or ‘Pusa’ (후지 / 부사) – light red
‘Indian’ (인도) – green
‘Red Jade’ (홍옥) – bright red which is best slightly earlier than Christmas.
Monday market
However, as I write, I read that in the UK, this years season of apples, though outstripped by imports, are especially delicious as they generally tend to be approximately once every seven years.
© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
Related Articles
- Consuming Issues: Why English apples are the pick of the crop (independent.co.uk)
An Autumn morning in the Rose Garden (장미공원)
blaze of autumn
In Autumn, you can often kick or push a small tree and the leaves fall like snow. Last weekend I noticed several people , mostly couples, kicking trees and then getting all excited as they stood in the brief leaf storm. In England, the air to usually too damp for the leaves to turn crispy and English leaves, sodden, soggy and sloppy, are notorious for sabotaging our rail network. Indeed, in just a few days the trees in one road, golden yellow, have been blown barren by a bitter wind that bites your face. In my UK garden, the defoliation of summer’s leaves is a long and slow process and even late December some leaves will have avoided being blown off.
These photographs were taken on or around 18th of November, which is actually winter rather than autumn, when most of the trees still had leaves and they were at their most dramatic. Most were taken around 7.30 in the morning with a frost over the ground and light mist in the air.
autumn colours
Autumn across the rose garden
contrasts
while I took these photos, suneung was just about to begin
the chong-cha (정자) at the rose garden's center
it's easy to see why the hanja character for autumn, is a combination of tree and fire
another blaze
rose, high rise and mountain
in the background is the boys' high school where the suneung was about to start
rose and high rise
and then home
© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
Comparing the Intensity of the Memi (매미) Song Across Summer
This is just a boring snippet for those interested in insects and in particular, the memi (cicada – 매미). Suprisingly, my posts on the memi have attracted considerable hits so I have put the three video-clips together. Before watching, I’d advise you turn down your volume, especially if you are wearing headphones. The memi song can damage your hearing!
All vodcasts were recorded in the same location at approximately the same time of day.
© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
Monday Market -Oriental Quince (모과) Chaenomeles sinensis
oriental quince bonsai
Another portent that winter is approaching is the appearance of the oriental quince, mo-ghwa (모과). Unlike the quince found in parts of Europe and North Africa where its uses, depending on climate and hence proportions, span from making jams and jelly to a substitute potato, the oriental quince is mostly used in oriental medicine and as tea. However, the mo-ghwa’s predominant use is as an ornamental air freshener. Don’t expect wonders! It won’t clear the smell of fried mackerel or unpleasant toilet odours and neither is one potent enough to scent an entire room but for scenting corners or enclosed spaces, a car being ideal, they are successful. I have one sitting on my desk and it subtly scents that corner of my room.
moghwa (모과)
by the bowl
Moghwa have a very waxy skin in which the scent is contained and they sort of look quite attractive. The scent is similar to that of a fruity apple. The cost varys from about a 1000 won upwards and ideally you should buy one unblemished as these will last well into spring. Supermarkets often sell them in a small basket.
oriental quince tree and fruit
At this time of year one can see many trees bearing fruits, dae-ch’u, unhaeng (ginkgo), persimmon and Asian pears, for example. However, it is illegal to pick fruits from any tree on sidewalks or parks as the trees are not public property.
When buying one, especially from street vendors where they are much cheaper, avoid ones with blemishes or other forms of damage. A good moghwa will last the entire winter and into spring but a badly chosen one can be brown and rotted within a few weeks!
© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
Camel Cricket – 곱등이- Rhaphidophoridae
The rather ugly camel-cricket (곱등이)
Okay! Here’s a really ugly insect you might see seeking sanctuary as the weather gets colder. The camel cricket (곱등이) is a rather prehistoric looking insect related to the New Zealand weta. They are often found in caves and dark damp places and in some cases never see daylight but also reside in forests and buildings, especially basements. They are nocturnal and unlike other crickets (뀌뚜라미), do not chirp. They are characterised by long legs and antennae. Cave dwelling species, living in continual darkness have been known to eat their own limbs if food is scarce. Apart from their ugliness, they are harmless though their defence mechanism is to jump towards a threat rather than away from it.
Probably one of the last insects you will see before winter
The Korean camel-cricket has a somewhat bad reputation as it is associated with the parasitic worm Koreans call the yeon-ka-shi (연가시).
© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
The Rose of Sharon – 무궁화 – National Flower of Korea
Despite the ‘Rose of Sharon’s,‘ grand, popular names, ‘the immortal flower’ and ‘everlasting flower,’ I always have a slight loathing when I see one, which is everyday as one grows right outside my one-room. My loathing is totally unfounded.
Korea’s national flower, ‘the Rose of Sharon‘ (Hibiscus syriacus), comes from a deciduous shrub the flower of which bears a striking resemblance to that of the tree mallow ( Lavatera arborea or Malva dendromorpha) which is native to much of Europe.
flower of the tree mallow
National flower of Korea (무궁화) 'Rose of Sharon.' This was actually the first flower of the year on this plant (July 5th 2010).
Both plants are shrubs and have soft pink flowers of the same size set in a five petal arrangement. The five petals are significant in terms of the ‘Rose of Sharon’ as they symbolise Korea and appear in numerous official and unofficial emblems.
the five petals of the Rose of Sharon
an important symbol
The Korean name for the flower, mu-gung-hwa (무궁화), combines two words, ‘mu-gung’ (무궁) meaning ‘immortal’ or ‘everlasting,’ and ‘hwa’ (화) meaning ‘flower.’ It really is the case that the flower is long lasting and the same flowers will bloom all summer and into autumn, closing every evening and bursting back into flower as the sun rises. The ‘Rose of Sharon,’ associates the plant with Syria, where it supposedly originated but personally, I prefer the Korean name as it reminds one of the tenacity which is reflected in so many aspects of Korean culture and landcape. ‘Tenacity,’ is both one of the tenets of ITF (International Taekwon-do Federation) and WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) taekwondo, and a theme in my post on the wood carvings I photographed in Pal-gong-san National Park, Daegu. Historically, The flower was first cited in Korean text around 1400 years ago and hence has a long standing historical tradition making it ideal for its reference in the Korean National Anthem.
flower variations
I watched the mu-gung-hwa outside my one-room all year, from the appearance of the first buds until mid-August, when some blight shriveled the leaves and killed the flowers. Given its association with ‘immortality,’ this was a disappointment serving to remind me of the realities of life.
My one-room mugunghwa in May
June 15th
July 5th and the first blooms
in full bloom
And why do I have an irrational loathing for the mu-gung-hwa? Because it so closely resembles the tree mallow which is a prolific shrub especially in coastal regions of Southern England. Several years ago, a friend gave me a small cutting which I planted in my front garden and within three years it had grown into a large shrub, blocking the light in my front window and necessitating constant pruning. No matter how vigorously you prune it to the ground, it springs back in mockery and within weeks needs to be re-attacked.
Footnote
The mugunghwa-ho (무궁화호), is the cheapest type of Korean train service and is often the only service on some lines.
© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
Monday Market – Peaches 복숭아
Like the persimmon, which is just starting to appear, peaches have different names for different types: some are hard, some medium and the most prized, very soft, is white.
Peaches towards the end of the season
© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
Cricket Song (귀뚜라미)
I captured the sound of a lonesome cricket (귀뚜라미) on a recent trip up the mountain.
© 林東哲 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
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