Our Sunday. In Pictures.

So let's just say that last night was a lot of "monk-y business" (more on that in a later post) and we were all feeling a little lotta bit hungover this morning.  We finally awoke around 11 and decided to rent a car and explore as much as we could on Mama Staudinger's last day.  You get to see it all through pictures since I'm still not quite my normal self.  Enjoy.

Who knew that this is quite literally in our backyard?

This picture is the essence of my Seattle-self.

A Korean dad playing with his children?! Warms my heart...

Samgyupsal

Ahhh samgyupsal... the literal translation actually means "three layers of fat" which is precisely what you get.  Think of a very thick bacon.  This delicious Korean treat has been one of the culinary highlights of Mama Staudinger's stay.  I have to admit that I really wasn't a fan of samgyupsal until we went to a restaurant called Bul-Jip.  They have a magical sauce that is to die for.  If it was possible to milk a unicorn and fuse it with angel tears it just might compare to whatever liquid crack they put in their sauce.  For shiz.

"So Tawny" you ask," How do you make the perfect bite of samgyupsal?"
Ah-hah.  I will show you. Step by step. 

Step 1.
Cook your meat to perfection.  Samgyupsal is something that you cook on your own.  I prefer my meat well done (as it should be since it's pork) and a little crispy.   Throw some pieces of garlic on the grill as well.  They'll be nice and ready by the time you're all set up.  You'll start with pieces of pork that look like this...

Step 2.
Prepare your sauce.  They wonderful staff at Bul Jip will give you a bowl full of the aforementioned sauce.  It's your job to put what you want in it.  Your choices are onions, green onions, and/or sprouts.  I like to go heavy on the onion and sprouts.

You'll also want to keep the kimchi nearby as you'll need if for the perfect bite.

Step 3.
Grab a lettuce leaf (the boy prefers sesame leaves) and put a little bit of red bean paste on it. 

Step 4.
Put on your blend of onions and sprouts that have been soaking in the sauce. 

Step 5.
Add your perfectly cooked piece of samgyupsal and a piece of garlic.  Throw some kimchi on top for good measure. 

Step 6.
Wrap everything up in the leaf and shove the whole thing in your mouth.  Attempt to look attractive while doing it.  I obviously fail.

I'm not the only one that loves this stuff.  We've taken all of our guests here and they've all loved it.  Add a little soju to the mix and you're in for quite the party. 

Your Daily Gem.

Got this gem from fellow Pohang Hagwon teacher, Kristina S...

"I was teaching the verb "go". When asking the students to form a sentence with he, she, it, etc....Sergio (the quietest, sweetest, tiniest boy in the class) calmly, and with a straight face says, "He goes to hell," and glances at the naughtiest, meanest, most annoying boy in class. I couldn't stop laughing. The delivery was impeccable."

Bucket List

At the summit of Mt.Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

I've had one of these for years.  A lot of my goals and aspirations have changed over the years but it's quite the euphoric feeling when you can physically check something off of your bucket list.  For a while I was scared to put anything on my list that I didn't think was achievable.  I was so afraid of failure.  Then I slapped myself and told myself to put on my big girl panties and to not be afraid to aspire for anything.  Passion is what moves me and a bucket list is something tangible that reminds me of what I want to accomplish in life.  Some of my goals are personal and will stay that way, but I do want to share at least a few of my aspirations in life.

Current List of Goals:

• Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain
• Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
• Get my dad his Model-T
• Compete in a marathon
• Picnic under the Eiffel Tower
• Visit all 50 states
• See the Pope in person
• Walk the Great Wall of China
• Volunteer at an orphanage
• Attend a World Cup match
• Search for "Nessie" at Loch Ness
• Ride in a hot air balloon
• Learn Arabic
• Israel
• Fly a plane
• Be knighted (I'm gunna need some help on this one!)
• Visit the Taj Mahal
• See the Northern Lights
• Go dog sledding
• Send my parents on an all-expense paid vacation
• Climb to Everest basecamp
• Walk on all 7continents

...just to name a few.  And for shiz and giggles...

Goals Completed Thus Far:

• Mardis Gras in New Orleans
• Bungee Jump
• Skydive
• Visit Machu Picchu 
• Swim with sharks
• Swim with dolphins (and pink ones in the Amazon)
• Summit Mt.Kilimanjaro
• Ride a motorcycle
• Shoot a gun
• Play with tigers
• Ride a unicycle
• Get a sak yant (traditional Thai Buddhist tattoo)
• Earn a black belt in a martial art
• Smoke a cuban cigar
• Learn a 2nd language
• Go on an African safari
• See the Dalai Lama in person
• Sleep in the desert (in the Middle East)
• See Harry Potter naked.

Okay, so the last one wasn't ever really on my list, but I just like to boast that I did indeed see Harry Potter naked.  And by "Harry Potter" I obviously mean Daniel Radcliff.  Bam.

Exploring Machu Picchu, Peru

Skydiving, Hawaii.

Mardis Gras, New Orleans

Playing with tigers, Thailand

I hope this has inspired you to bring out the Bucket List and start crossing some of those suckers off.  You have your whole life.  Make it yours.

OH- and please, I would LOVE to hear everything that's on your bucket list and all that you've accomplished!

I LOVE THANKSGIVING!!!

ZOMG (what does that even mean?) I am enamored with Thanksgiving.  Like, I am in deep, passionate love with everything Thanksgiving.  Why do I love Thanksgiving so much?  Let me count the ways...

• I love Turkey (so much that it's capitalized).  I'm not talking about the country (though I heard it's pretty amazeballs as well), I'm talking about the big, tender, juicy bird that belongs to the genus Meleagris. (thank you Wikipedia) I find it incredibly delicious and it just tickles my taste buds.
• I love mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn bread, salad, gravy and all other Thanksgiving related side dishes.  
• I love that a traditional Thanksgiving with my family involves us eating relatively early, playing games for hours, and then eating again.  and again and again and again.  
• I love that turkey makes people have crazy dreams.
• I love that Thanksgiving is the gateway to Christmas and I love Christmas only .0000000012 less than Thanksgiving.  
• I love Thanksgiving more than cupcakes, sneezing, Anderson Cooper, naps, Sailor Jerry rum, and unicycles.

So yeah, it's safe to say that Thanksgiving and I have a little thing going on.  I won't say for sure, but I may or may not tear up every time I think about being abroad for another Thanksgiving.  My love for this holiday is a badly kept secret (go figure) and Mama Staudinger just so happened to pack a suitcase full of spices and deliciousness that we'd need to prepare our very own Korean Thanksgiving meal.

My lovely mother even sent me a little hand sewn table place setting for my birthday.

Beautiful, non?

I know that we still have a week until it's technically Thanksgiving but I just couldn't wait that long and Chris's mom leaves on Monday SOOOO we decided to go all out and last night we experienced one pretty damn delicious Thanksgiving meal. 

Mama Staudinger even brought over these napkins for us!

The man of the house carving our delicious birdies.

Mama Staudinger.  The guest of honor and the person that made all of this possible.

Before.

After.

Um, yeah.  It was awesome.  Magical even.  And although we didn't have turkey (it's harder to find than Bin Laden in this country), the chicken was just as delicious.  So there you have it, the BEST Thanksgiving that Korea has ever seen.