Update: On the 'Art' of Brewing British Tea
A few weeks ago I posted an article on the fantastic coffee available in a small shop near E-Marte, in Song-so. The article was Seduced by a Gutamalian Beauty. Though I’m no expert in the field of either beverage, I mentioned how the art of making a perfect cup of tea, seemed somewhat random compared to coffee which, if you follow the correct procedures, produces a decent cup on demand. I refrain from describing such coffee as perfect as I don’t really know what I’m looking for; currently I’m a white belt level at ‘coffee cupping.’ However, the University of Northumbria have recently published their research on pursuing that perfect ‘cuppa’ and pinning down the process which produces it.
There have always been brewing methods but there was always disagreement about the exact sequence of the various stages. Thanks to the students at Northumbria, we now have the ultimate method which I will trial when I’m next in the UK. I’m a snob and making British tea demands British ingredients and British milk.
I do have one gripe, however! Tea bags! British tea made with a tea bag! Where is the method for making traditional British tea with loose leaf tea?
Daily Telegraph. Sunday 26 June 2011. How to make the perfect cup of tea- be patient
And if you are interested in the art of tea, you can read George Orwell’s, A Nice Cup of Tea, published in the Evening Standard, January 12th 1946.
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Teacher’s Day
The importance and status of teachers in Korea is reflected in existence of a Teachers’ Day, May 15th (스승의 날). Traditionally, teachers receive carnations from students though gifts of soap, rice cake, fruit or simply small tokens such as candy, are common. If the celebration falls on a weekday, teachers may go on outings and schools often close early or don’t open at all.
Kitty presents me with some carnations
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Collected Bathhouse Designs
(Originally published in September 2010) A collection of bathhouse designs that can be used for contrasting design and facility. Some plans are being added to and they are not to scale – they are very rudimentary but will give those with no knowledge of bathhouses an idea of their layout, approximate dimensions and the amenities available. Click plans for establishment reviews.
DAEGU
Daegu subway map (click for legible resolution)
LINE 1
WOLBAE 월배 SUBWAY, LINE 1,
BANWOLDANG (반월당) LINE 1 AND 2. WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF SUBWAY
Greenvill Sauna in the Greenvill Apartments, Banwoldang
Greenvill Sauna bathhouse design. Male
DONG DAEGU STATION (동대구) LINE 1. WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF MAIN RAILWAY STATION
GOONG JEONG LAVENDER
Goong Jeong Lavender bathhouse design (male)
LINE 2
DASA (다사) LINE 2. WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF DAESHIL OR DASA SUBWAYS
Hyu Lim Won JJimjilbang. Dasa (Closest subway Daeshil)
Hyu Lim Won, Dasa. Bathhouse design (male)
SONG SEO (성서) LINE 2. WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF SEONGSEO INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX SUBWAY
Migwang, Song So, Close to E Mart
Migwang Spolex. Bathhouse Design (male)
Hwang So. Next to Mega Town and Lotte Cinema Complex
Hwang So, Song So, Bathhouse Design (Male)
Han Song Bathhouse, Song-So. Near MacDonalds
Han Song, Song So. Bathhouse Design (male)
YONGSANDONG (용산동) LINE 2. WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF YONGSAN SUBWAY
Dream Sauna, next to Home Plus
Dream Sauna. Bathhouse design (male)
Sam Jeong Oasis Sauna. Behind Lotte Castle
Sam Jeong Oasis. Yong San Dong.Bathhouse design. May 2011
Jade Sauna in Yongsandong
Jade Sauna bathhouse design. Male
WOLBAE (월배) LINE 1. WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF WOLBAE SUBWAY.
Wonderful Spa Land. Wolbae - awesome!
Wonderful Spa Land. Bathhouse design (male)
© Nick Elwood 2010 Creative Commons Licence.
A Peek Into a Seoul Bathhouse (Korea Times April 28th 2011)
Nam Sang-so
By Nam Sang-so
Dear Pablo, after you were free from diapers, I used to take you to a public bathhouse in Seoul. I do not think you would remember that.
Public bathhouses are abundant here. I enjoy visiting them. For a mere 4,000 won (less than $4), people can enjoy unlimited time in hot spas, saunas and hot or cold showers with free soap and “Italy towels.” Someone gave them the snappy honorific. They are made of sieve-like knitted nylon, woven pink or blue for the purpose of…read more – for touching account of a grandfather’s bathhouse experience.
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
The ‘Ballads’ via Podcast
Podcasts and Video Podcast (cartoon courtesy of zencast.com)
I have now re-recorded podcasts 2-15 and 70-75 using a Snowball, Blue microphone which means the quality is slightly better than with the previous microphone. The Podcasts are taken from the lengthier, Bathhouse Ballad series. I have another 55 in this series to produce which will take some time.
access current Podcasts here
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Paper Flowers
A few weeks ago, one of my younger students presented me with some flowers he’d made. The leaves were scented so it acts as an air freshener.
cute
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Punishing Naughty Students with Ai-Sh-Yo! (아이셔)
Specially for Children’s Day! In every box of Ai-sh-yo, is an intensely sour gum. You can’t distinguish the gross one from the others in the box. If you want to punish your students or get some pleasure after they’ve pestered you all week for Children’s Day candy, you can do so in this random manner.
In Seoul you can’t smack them, but you can feed them an Aishyo
Yea, I know my Korean is shitty! And here are some photos capturing the moment.
aiiiii….
shhhhhhh…
yo…..
Further References
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
‘Dirty Gays’ or Simply Skinship?
sadly, usually the majority; pumpkin people
I stumbled across this Youtube video this evening. The clip is over two years old but it highlights that even with internet resources at ones fingertips, some waygukin clearly miss the big picture and are only able to reach an understanding of another culture through their own cultural and personal prejudices. What the fuck is the point in coming thousands of miles from home to earn a crap wage when you don’t even have the luxury of removing your blinkers? The subtitle states: ‘there (sic) gays are so dirty.’ The idiot might just have well stayed at home!
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Translator Technology – The Dixau DX3
The Dixau DX3, by Unichal
I’ve had an electronic dictionary but got so annoyed with it I hurled on the floor and smashed it. The problem is electronic dictionaries bought in Korea aren’t as useful for the English learner of Korean as they are for the Korean learner of English. I bought it primarily to study hanja and if I were Korean this would be fantastic but naturally, the keyed in hanja produced a definition in Korean.
I was really excited a few weeks ago when a student appeared in a class with a dictionary that sat on your text and was able to instantly scan a selected word and produce not just an LED definition, but spoken rendition. My interest rapidly sank when I discovered the rendition was only in English. However, as a piece of technology, it was amazing and translates not just English, but German, Spanish and French. As per usual, it is equipped with audio and video playback.
the cute DX2
In 2007, I bought a Nurian translator and at over 200.000 Won (£100), I wasn’t that impressed. It certainly wasn’t top of the range and I’ve seen much sleeker, user friendly models since. I guess mine was an old model. The DX3 is around 2 years old and the price in Korea, under 200.000 Won. I recently saw one advertised in the USA for $199.
Other similar devices include Wizcom’s pen-scanner, the Quicktionary, which looks like a cross between a tube of toothpaste and vibrator. The basic costs is between $150-200 and different language packages can be bought at around $20 a time. The list of languages available is extensive but as usual, there are no Korean to English versions.
the Quicktionary - clumsy looking
Links to:
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
Related Articles
I don’t know why I’ve bothered to set up a separate Facebook account for Bathhouse Ballads; perhaps because it seems the thing to do and I want to eventually remove such entries from my personal Facebook site. I do note however, a significant number of hits are from this source.
Bathhouse Ballads at Facebook
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence.
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