Greetings to all you people!

Hi everyone! The 20-time project fair was today, and hopefully many of you have now found yourself here as a result of that. I welcome you all and hope to briefly clue you in on what all I've got going on here.

I'm learning Korean! Woo-hoo!!

Why, you ask? Well, there are a couple reasons:

• Learning a new language improves things like focus.
• I had some prior knowledge of Korean from Tae-Kwon-Do.
• I wanted to learn a language that was very different from English (a challenge).
• Its fun!

I've been learning Korean primarily though a program called Living Language. It's a combo of audio, reading, and writing. You can learn more about it here.

I've been exposing myself to the Korean culture more and more throughout this process. Learning a language takes a lot of time, so doing this keeps it fresh and interesting. Listening to K-pop, watching Korean dramas, and watching YouTube videos on Korean Culture are my methods of choice.

If you happened to be at the 20-time project fair, and if you happened to pass by my booth, there is a strong chance that you left with a piece of Korean candy. If you are so inclined, you can check out some more info on the different types of candy I handed out as well as some other Korean treats here.


Thank you for stopping by!
Lauren

Candy/ Snacks Haul!

Today I grabbed a friend and drove over to an Asian Market in a nearby city. My original goal was to try some different Korean candies. However, our grab-whatever-cool-things-we-see attitude caused up to end up with that and a little extra! Without further ado, here's a little haul and my two cents on what I bought:

For reference, I rated everything on a scale from 1 to 5 with one being "nah" and five being "I'd stuff my face with this any day."

Enjoy!

1. Nongshim Shrimp Crackers (Spicy)- $1.39

These shrimp crackers are VERY popular in Korea so I had to give them a try! These are crunchy, pretty air-y and remind me off a cheese puff. The shrimp taste definitely wasn't as overpowering as I thought it might be and while the bag claims them to be spicy, I beg to differ. These are a cool thing to try since there isn't really anything regularly sold in America like this..

Fun facts: Saewookkang means shrimp chips and they are known as the nation's snack. These are usually the first processed snack that babies eat (according to http://blog.korea.net/?p=2553)  and have been around since 1971.

Rating: 2.5/5


2. Choco Boy- $1.29

Choco Boy is pretty much your typical biscuit and chocolate candy. It gives me all the Keebler fudge striped cookie feels. That being said, they are absolutely wonderful; I ate the whole package. They look rather interesting (they are, in fact, mushroom shaped) but 10/10 would recommend.

Fun fact: Choco boy has DHA in it. The Choco Boy website says that DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that is a critical component of brain and nerve cell endings. DHA promotes increased stress resistance, improved school results, reduction of fatigue, and concentration. That's marketing for ya. Or you could just buy them because they are delicious as heck.

Rating: 5/5


3. Lotte Anytime Candy- $2.29

Anytime candy is a Korean candy described as a milk mint, and I would say that's pretty accurate. The mint taste is subtle (maybe its the milk part that cuts it) but the taste can come across as that of a cough drop. It's a smooth, pleasant candy; not mad at it.

Fun fact: It also comes in Lemon and Peach flavors (would have gotten one of those if they had been at the market).

Rating: 3.5/5


4. Mammos Ginseng Candy- $3.39

This is labeled as Korean Ginseng Candy. I'm not super familiar with Ginseng but it appears to be a sort of root. That's what this tastes like. A mild root with some honey. I feel like this is probably an acquired taste. Its also got an iffy texture; its not rough and its not smooth. Its a weird limbo between the two. Kinda strange, but not disgusting.

Fun fact: Ginseng has some sweet benefits. It helps to alleviate exhaustion and stress, strengthen the immune system and blood circulation! Definately worth a try if you don't mind the taste. Its a staple ingredient for things like tea and soup. Find out more here: http://blog.korea.net/?p=5564

Rating: 2/5


5. Peach Ramune soda

 This stuff is the bomb-dig. Its a Japanese drink that I had heard a lot about and just couldn't resist picking up! The concept behind it is that there is a marble at the top of the bottle and you use the cap to push the marble down into the bottle. The pop then becomes fizzy and you can drink it. In the above picture, you can see the marble pushed down into that top part of the bottle and all of the bubbles surrounding it. The taste of the drink is great too! It definitely tastes like peach and isn't too sweet or syrupy like many American pops are.

Fun fact: The name Ramune stems from the English word "lemonade," There is no "L" in the Japanese language, so an R is substituted!

Rating: 5/5


6. Piccafun Mango Supa Chew- $2.99

These aren't actually made in Korea, but they are popular in Korea. The flavor is definitely mango, and if you love mango (like I do), these are the candies for you! They are rather chewy- more-so than, say, laffy taffy. Not much else to say about these. Go Supa Chews, you win.

Fun fact: The company that makes these is based in Malaysia. Surprisingly enough, there isn't much other information on these candies or this brand out there on the interwebs.

Rating: 4.5/5


6. Mammos Korean Traditional Cookies- $6.59

Now, this bag has 6 different types of cookies in it, and I'll start by saying they are all good. They're sweet and are a crunchy puffed rice texture. The sweetness reminds me of Corn Pops or Honey Smacks (the cereals), or even like a popcorn ball. I could easily see myself buying these suckers again.

Fun fact: That brown one there is deceiving because it isn't chocolate, beware. However, the different types of cookies are listed on the back (though I still can't identify them); Rice cracker, viva cracker, barley cracker, sesame cracker, wild sesame cracker, and hulled millet cracker.

Rating: 5/5


7. Dakeyi Lychee candy- $2.99

The Lychee taste here is SPOT ON. If you are not familiar with Lychee juice or flavor, I'm sorry. First, because you're missing out. Second, because its not really a flavor I can properly describe. Go try some. As for the candy, I'm all about it. It sort of looks like a Dum-Dum. Nom nom.

Fun fact: This is a Lychee nut. It reminds me of something out of Dr.Seuss. As you probably noticed, the candy looks like a Lychee.

Rating: 5/5



And there you have it, folks! Trying new foods is probably one of the coolest parts of becoming familiar with a new culture; I'd advise you all to try the same. I had a great experience at the market; my friend actually bought some squid and the cashier explained how its popular to barbecue it in Korea and Japan! I will definitely be back, even if its just to chat with the workers. If any of you have recommendations for yummy un-american candy or snacks feel free to leave a comment below; I'd love to continue to try new things.

Song of the week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAzWT8mRoR0

I'll leave it a surprise;)

Thank you for checking out my blog!
Lauren

Exploration of the Korean Culture

Over the past few weeks I've done a lot of exploring the Korean culture. While it could be informative to tell you all what exactly I've learned, I think I'll point you in the direction I went and then you can just learn on your own:)

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/

^ This, ladies and gentlemen, is where it's at.

Eat Your Kimchi is both a blog and YouTube channel. The hosts, Simon and Martina, are a Canadian couple who have been living in South Korea since 2008. They make blog posts and videos about their lives and Korean culture (language too). They've provided hours of entertainment for me and I've learned a lot along the way. I've found that, for me, learning a language is just as much learning the language as it is learning the culture; they go hand in hand. So, finding this resource is awesome and I advise you all to check it out!

Below are a couple cartoons of Simon and Martina from their website:

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A lot of what I've been doing lately as it pertains to the Korean language has been vocab. I am on the introductions and people and family section of the Living Language program. I think a majority of what I will accomplish during my 20-time experience will be learning vocab.

I've found that I definitely took for granted just how much vocab I already knew when going into Spanish 1 freshman year. I mean, all of elementary school and part of middle school was spent building up and ingraining basic Spanish vocab into my brain. So in Spanish 1 grammar started to be introduced and we began to form our own sentences. That's sort of what I had expected going into 20-time.

Yeah, that's not the case.

Learning Korean, I'm starting from ground level; I have no prior years of knowledge to help. So as much as I want to get into grammar and start forming my own sentences, I don't think that will happen anytime soon.
Vocab first. Patience is key.

Now it's my favorite part of the post... Song of the Week!
This time around it is 'Exodus' by EXO. They released a new album over spring break so I thought it was appropriate to include a song from it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON3tZDMrR9I


Thank you for checking out my blog!
Lauren