Happy Chuseok!

While 'Pilgrims and Indians,' the Iron Bowl, and the Macy's Parade are not a part of this celebration, Chuseok [추석] is a Korean holiday much like Thanksgiving in the United States. Like Thanksgiving, it is a harvest festival filled with family fun! Koreans pay respect to their ancestors, eat traditional food and fresh fruit, and rather than football, watch ssireum. Also, there is no school [whoop whoop!].

 Our weekend was full of Chuseok festivities!  

Friday we participated in the international student celebration, complete with talent show and buffet.  Highlights: one student played "My Heart Will Go On" on the flute, a group of students from China did a dance to K-pop song "Nobody," and I ate octopus for the first time!

We celebrated on Sunday with Uncle Simon and Haejung 이모 where our meal was less Korean and more [American] Italian. Yum…spaghetti and bread with olive oil and balsamic!


Then on Monday, Reverend Jo's family invited us to their home for lunch. The fellowship was great! The food was too…so great that we asked Haejung to teach us how to make japchae, a noodle dish that Mrs. Jo made. Like any food, each chef has their own slightly different version, but we combined sweet potato noodles with onions, carrots, green peppers, eggs, and mushrooms and sautéed everything in sesame oil with soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, salt, and pepper.   

Rev. Jo, me, Anna, Mrs. Jo, Sharon, Thomas, Haejung

Mrs. Jo "eating" Alabama chocolate

 cooking lesson: japchae and tofu