Full Moon Photo by Moyan Brenn Wow…March has a lot of foodie holidays. March 3rd was the unofficial holiday of Pork Belly because pork belly has 3 layers of fat and March is the 3rd month of the year. On the 14th, you have white day coming up..so guys should be ready to take their ladies out for a celebration. This year it is also the first full moon of the new year or what we call Jeongwol Deborum So…Happy Jeongwol Deborum Everyone! Yay! It’s the first full moon of the lunar calendar on March 5th and it is definitely worth celebrating. So how do you celebrate? I’m going to get to that but first, let me tell you a little about why this holiday is so important.  Korea in the past was mainly an agricultural society and it depended on a good harvest to survive. If there was a drought or pestilence like bugs, many people might not live to survive the new year. Plus, in the past, the average person did not have access to pharmacies and health care so good health w...

March 14th is White Day in Asia So I have gotten several e-mails asking about what White Day is, so Newbies, here is your cultural lesson for the day. February 14th (typically, what we consider to be Valentine's Day) in Asia is the day that women give chocolates to boyfriends (or guys they might be interested in). It is a downpayment for White Day (March 14th) where boys are supposed to return the favor with gifts. The tradition in Japan is to give 3 times the amount of chocolate that the girl gave in exchange. In Korea (in the past) guys would give gifts of sparkly wrapped hard candy, but that tradition is changing. These days many guys will give chocolate, cakes, take the girls out to romantic dinners, and...lingerie. You can find out more information on White Day and other holidays on the 14th here: The 14th of the Month in Korea: Beware the Ides of February, March, April, May... Here is a list of restaurants, I recommend see this list:  http://www.seouleats.com/2011/01/v...

Happy Children's Day! Today is Children's Day. This is the Christmas of Korea when kids get the day off school. Parents take their kids to parks (such as Lotte World and Everland- if you don't have to go there today, don't), buy them presents, and just dedicate the entire day to them. Today I'm going with a bunch of Seoul Eats Readers to a halfway house down in the South of Seoul. We're going to make lunch, clean their house, and give them presents. Most of the kids today will probably feel very depressed because they would like to spend the day with their parents- we hope our gesture will lift their spirits. Also, as a reminder, it's Spicy Wednesday at 6pm at Phillies in Haebangchon. My friend Susanna is cooking curry for charity. Go here for more information: Facebook

Break out the couple T-shirts. The season of romance is about to begin. If you make a cake, it means you might get lucky. (Decorating skills will get you extra points as well.) VIA Cake Wrecks Desperate? VIA CakeWrecks So I got this message from a reader: Could someone please tell me why the heck Koreans think the 14th is so special? Thanks, Lou Dear Lou, I think what happened is that since, the 14th of February is Valentine's Day, Asian countries wanted to balance that day with a holiday for the guys. On February 14th  in Korea and Japan, it is customary for WOMEN to give GUYS Chocolate. March 14th is White Day and Men are supposed to give hard candy, dolls, and gifts to women. In Japan, girls are supposed to give handmade chocolate to the boys they like ( honmei-choko )  and, the following month, the boys are supposed to return 3 times ( sanbai gaeshi ) the value in presents for the chocolate. (Via Wikipedia) The reason why the other months of the year have speci...

Chuseok Chuseok is the Korean version of Thanksgiving. During this holiday, the family gives thanks to their ancestors by welcoming the spirits into their houses to taste the ethereal flavors of the year's harvest. This may sound superstitious, but the real intention is to commemorate the departed. Because without our ancestors, literally, we wouldn’t exist. This is a family holiday and to be invited to a family's Chuseok celebration is a very special honor. Basically, the family is accepting the guest into their family to not only meet the living relatives that attend, but also the spirits that have passed. During my first year in Korea I was bestowed this special honor by the Kim family in Gyeong Ju. Jikyeong was a student of mine and we became fast friends and she knew that I was new to Korea and I didn't have anyone to celebrate this holiday with. I accepted her invitation, but with one request: I wanted to participate in the preparation of the various dishes. This ...