Inner Journey

  Maechwisun is the one of my favorite alcoholic beverages made with plume or Japanese apricot. My understanding is that the word ‘plum’ is frequently referred to ‘jadu’ rather than ‘Maesil’ in Korea. However, Maesil is the fruit of the Chinese apricot or Japanese apricot. The origin of the plant is far east Asia and bears fruit with a green color from late May to mid-June. If you leave fruits without harvesting them in a green state, they ripen further and become yellow, which is called Hwangmaesil. Hwangmaesil is less sour and sweeter than ordinary Cheongmaesil. Despite the less sour taste, it is said that the citric acid content is twice as high as that of green fruits. The main production areas of these fruits in Korea include Suncheon, Gwangyang, and Hadong. Since the natural habitat of these plants is Asia and were not found in other English-speaking countries, there is no official word or legitimate translation of them in English. Understandably, both ‘plum’ or ‘Japanes...

  Gangwon-do was named after the first letters of two major cities of the province during the Joseon Dynasty: 'Gangneung' and 'Wonju'. Gangneung and Wonju are major cities in Gangwon-do, with Gangneung ranked third and Wonju first in terms of populations. What reminds you of Gangwon-do? Perhaps, you may associate the area with mountains, rugged terrains, and valleys with pristine water. Indeed, there are many attractions and parks, making it very popular summer destination. Consequently, you may say that there are plenty of places to visit in Gangwon-do, but when it comes to culinary travel, what do you expect? Well…not much except Korean beef from Deakwanryeong ranch, Makguksu, and potatoes. And we went to some restaurants to eat beef. However, you can easily find out many places in Seoul Metropolitan areas serving Korean beef and Makguksu thus having these foods may not be unique experiences at all. Then we found out something that was not available in the Seoul...

  On the third day of our stay in Pyeongchang county, we visited the Woljeongsa, which was founded by highly venerated Buddhist monk of Silla. The place was shrouded in the bitter-sweet memory for me. It is the last place that I and my deceased brother visited together when he was alive. The memory of catching fish together in the nearby stream, Odaechen is still quite vivid. We walked the meandering avenue leading up to the main gate of the temple housing four heavenly kings, guardians of the temple. In ~27 years ago, we amazed at the four statues in the beautifully decorated pantheon and their overbearing and charismatic facial expression with demon stamping feet. Now, the temple seemed to be more crowded and bustling, many foreign tourists wearing uniforms for temple stay programs. For me, it is very different and even alienating scene, but the fragrant memory is not gone. The statue of bodhisattva knelt in front of octagonal stone pagoda is the my most favorite ancient Korean a...

  Yes! Owls are not what they seem. You may be familiar with this quote if you are a fan of American drama ‘Twin Peaks’ produced by a director David Lynch. The photo shows the owl bread, sold in the commercial compartment in the Balwangsan cable car station. Like Bungeoppang, a fish shaped bread that is a popular street food, these breads are stuffed with red bean paste, making it sweet and we enjoyed after tour around the summit of the mountain. The area is a natural habitat of big eagle owl which is a symbol of this mountain. People here believe that the eagle owls are symbol of well being and longevity and this notion is a bit different than the other aspect of these nocturnal birds. Because they are active at night, traditionally people in many areas with different cultural backgrounds consider them mysterious. In some case, even they are thought to be bad omen or manifestation of paranormal forces. Many monarchs of Chosun feared mere hooting of owls in the palace and they he...