So this is a post where I just ramble on and on and on… aimlessly. I’m actually coming down with the flu and took Nyquil Nighttime Relief just two hours ago. That stuff is strong, and I expect to be knocked out pretty soon. But I haven’t been updating this blog as much as I’d like to recently, and I just wanted to give a quick shout out to let everyone know that I am indeed alive.
I’ve been working some pretty crazy hours at work lately, and thus I fell behind on, you know, the more important aspect of my so-called life, like holiday shopping, drama watching, blog updating, celebrity gossip hunting, etc. In fact, I just realized that Electric Ground’s official first anniversary has just passed and gone, and I forgot to dedicate anything to it. Bad blogger, bad! Umm, so Happy Birthday, Blog!
I am painfully aware that I am very behind on all the November posts (to the right), and as I have more time this week, I plan to try to get as many of them done as humanly possible. I want to apologize in advance for being so late again.
I have been frantically reading the The Moon That Embraces the Sun during my commute to and from work, and as of now, I think I will be on schedule to meet our first Book Club meeting on December 5. How is everyone else enjoying it so far? I’m finding that it is not such a easy read, and as I know that many people who requested a copy of the book are those who are currently learning Korean, I suspect it may be a tough challenge. Just wanted to encourage everyone not to give up!
What else? Oh yes, dramas. I’m so behind on drama watching too, but I recently marathoned through 6 episodes of the 2010 (or was it 2009?) drama Obstetrics and Gynecology Doctors. Pretty good! I’d definitely recommend it. I watched the first four episodes months ago, and got bored by the repetitive, over-sensationalized, overdramatized storyline, but it definitely improved in the latter episodes. Lesson learned on approaching dramas with a bias.
By the way, does anyone want to join a two-person subbing team consisting so far of myself and… myself? I watched an old Drama City episode called Anagram a few month agos, and it’s pretty effin’ awesome! So awesome that it’s giving me the itch to sub it. I couldn’t find any subs available (please correct me if I’m wrong!), and I think this is a show that needs to be watched. I will translate myself, but if you can lend me your talent by timing the show, well, you’d be effin’ awesome as well.
You wanna hear something pretty crazy? So remember how our family made our kimjang kimchi in early October? Well, just two weeks later, our local Asian grocery store (those living in the States may be familiar with H-Mart) had a nappa cabbage sale. We bought a box of nappa cabbages for around $25, but the price dropped to $10.99 in a matter of two weeks. My mom, being the crazy Korean ahjumma she is, could not pass up on this offer, especially since she had an extra $2.00 off coupon to go with it. So, our family made another box of kimchi that month in October.
A few weeks ago, the price dropped even further to $5.99, and frankly, this is one of the lowest price I’ve seen for nappa cabbages in recent years. Korean ahjummas everywhere went crazy, and my mom’s Korean ahjumma co-workers were literally calling each other just to update each other on how the latest batch of nappa cabbages were. They’d ask, “How are the colors, are the cabbages filled to the core?” Needless to say, at the end of that weekend, we had yet another fresh new box of kimchi stored in our kimchi fridge.
Anyway, Grandma Blue seasoned the kimchi herself, and while making it, she told me about how back in the old days, it used to taste amazing when she’d add fresh pollack in her kimchi. Coincidentally, 1 Night 2 Days recently featured a Kimchi Road special, and I was amused to find pollack kimchi to be one of the featured recipes from the Gangneung region. Granted my grandma is not from Gangneung, but when Lee Seung Gi said his grandma also puts pollack in their family kimchi, I knew we were fated to be.
Which made me wonder why Grandma Blue doesn’t use that recipe for us anymore. My mom testified that it was indeed amazing, but of course, I got the short end of the stick because I never got to try it. Her reason? “Ehh, you can’t find fresh pollack like that anywhere in the U.S.” I wanna taste pollack kimchi, wahhhh! Never mind I don’t even like pollack, or fish… unless they’re raw. Mmmm, sushi and sashimi.
If you are forced to eat just one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose? I think I’d choose sushi. Or sashimi. With rice.
12 comments
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estel
November 29, 2011 at 11:32 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Hahaha, unni, you are hilarious when drugged up on Nyquil! I totally wish I lived next door to you, because it is totally unrealistic to do kimjang for one person and besides I’ve never (ever) made kimchi before anyway, so I have to make due with the stuff from the store but of course it’s never as good as homemade. Plus I think I would really like your mom and grandma. ^_^
It warms my heart that you marathoned OB/GYN because of my tweet. Like, really, it does. Let me know what you think of the rest of it when you watch it. I loved the storyline with SJK’s resident and LYE’s nurse characters – SJK was so reeeeeee-diculously cute I just couldn’t stop giggling over him. And I just adored Seo Ji-seok as Dr. Wang. His relationship with Hae-young was too cute. I loved the way she snapped at him and he teased her. Pure bliss. I was so torn, I didn’t know who to root for.
blue
November 30, 2011 at 10:20 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Hey, I trust your drama opinion! I marathoned through episodes 5-7 this time. Enjoyed it quite a lot. I’m looking forward to SJK’s sex ed episode next. SJK and LYE were too adorable together! As for the main doctor trio, I was totally jealous of Dr. Seo. Seriously, what did she do to deserve such two great men?! You know, besides being super intelligent, beautiful, confident, etc etc. These qualities are overrated anyway!
estel
November 30, 2011 at 10:52 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Hahahahaha I LOVED the sex-ed episode, it was hilarious! But also sad because of the baby-momma story.
But SJK showing his fanclub members how to put on a condom more than makes up for it. (That’s how they got all those high school girls – they did some kind of contest in his fan club. Heck, for that chance I’d pretend to be 17 again.)
As far as the love triangle goes, as much as I really admire Lee Sang-shik’s open-heartedness, I think personally I’d be more a Wang Jae-seok fan. He’s more my style, looks-wise and also personality-wise. ^_^
endodo4ever
November 30, 2011 at 12:32 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
But random ramblings are often the best and the most entertaining!
Hahaha. I love H-Mart! I went there a few days ago and got some rice cakes that were on sale.
I think the nappa cabbages were on sale as well, but I wasn’t paying particular attention to ‘em.
Anyway, if I were to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life I would just eat rice with potatoes and corn. Or I would eat any kind of dessert for the rest of my life. Mmmmmm. Now wouldn’t that be wonderful?
supah
November 30, 2011 at 11:29 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Awww… so glad you like OB/GYN, it was a pretty decent drama. I get what you mean about the first few episodes, I remember not liking the first episode, but hanging on for Song Joongki, but then it became so winning, I just couldn’t get enough of it.
Wang Jaesuk was THE MAN, though. Suh Jisuk’s best role, really. He’s otherwise really lacklustre in everything else he’s done (*cough* Gloria).
I’m STILL waiting for Choi Hee-ra to write another drama!
And thanks to you I have a killer craving for Kimchi — preferably with pollack, sadly we don’t have access to Korean food around these parts, other Asian cuisine in abundance though. I’ll settle for some maki with salmon/avocado/sesame seeds (drooowning in soy sauce just as I like it) instead tonight.
I’m a massive fan of one-act dramas, special dramas etc, I watch a LOT of the Drama Specials on KBS, too. I didn’t know where to start with Drama City. I think I’ve only watched Booyong of Mount Kyeryong so far?
I’m downloading Anagram as I’m typing this…
Also, I spy a Sunny Review! Ooooh… Would love to hear your thoughts, I’ve already rewatched it twice! Haha! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WKEWku-Qww
Love Bingeul Bingeul — though it still reminds me of Seongmo trying to dance in Giant. Awww!
Anyway, get well soon… now that you’re in the company of three fine, fine doctors… hee!
estel
November 30, 2011 at 11:44 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Was Seo Ji-seok not good in Gloria? I was thinking about watching it for him…I usually don’t like longer dramas, but I was considering it because I’m craving more of him. I mean, he’s on High Kick 3 but his character is pretty silly, and not always in every episode.
supah
November 30, 2011 at 4:32 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Umm… Gloria itself was disappointing even for standard weekend family drama fare, there was some pretty aggravating writing, and If you can handle him as a cardboard cutout ‘cold chaebol’ to Bae Doona’s ‘Candy’ type, you might find it bearable.
Shame he was such a different person to his Dr Wang character, his acting was patchy as opposed to his more fluid, natural performance in OB/GYN. It was almost as though it wasn’t the same actor.
… But he was HOT in it! I mean, I did last about 27-28 episodes atleast…
kcomments
December 1, 2011 at 7:07 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Haha, love this post and hope you get well soon! Anyway, happy B’day to your blog. It’s never too late ^__^
birdscout
December 1, 2011 at 9:30 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Happy belated birthday to Electric Ground! This blog is filled with amazing posts! I especially appreciate your Korean language and culture series! Rock on! Rock on! (after the Nyquil wears off and you feel better again:) (Please excuse all the ! marks. I’m feeling really enthusiastic right now:)
P.S. If you want another great drama to add to your list, please give Alone in Love a try.
So, sooooo good and sweet and funny and realistic and slightly melancholic with great writing and acting.
thundie
December 1, 2011 at 9:11 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Hehe, I love your ramblings!
Happy first birthday, Electric Ground!
Softy
December 1, 2011 at 10:12 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Happy belated blog birthday Blue and Bella – kept checking back here and wondered where you guys went. Glad you are ok Blue despite your cold- hope you feel better soon. So grateful for an informative year of educational posts. Thanks to you I’m becoming a little more Korean with each post on the culture series. Hoping to visit your blog for many more years to come.
Joonni
December 1, 2011 at 11:46 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment
What a ramble. I love it.
Does your family have a kimchee refrigerator to keep all that kimchee in?
I saw that episode too and wanted to try the fresh pollack kimchee. I imagine it’s like the radish kimchee with oyster.
What do you think of the main female character in OB/GYN? I liked what I saw in a clip but didn’t watch the drama?