- Dr. Koh Day!!! I got to school and was wondering how I would know when she arrives – and when I went to say hello to the vice principal and the head teacher, her and her husband (Dr. Shin) were sitting with the head teacher! I ran over and hugged her. It was really comforting to have someone from home there in my school, who had worked to take care of me and make sure I was in a good situation, and knows the culture and language of the crazy foreign place I live in – it was practically like seeing my own parents. After listening to Dr. Koh, Dr. Shin, my head teacher and, eventually, Winter talk in Korean for a while (it’s so pretty to hear native Koreans speak, especially when I don’t need to be understanding what they are saying), we went to lunch. I told Dr. Koh that my school’s lunch was really good, so she made sure to make time I her schedule to eat with me. And she liked it! She even said that she used to eat one of the dishes all the time as a child, and hadn’t since then. Cute! We (they) talked with some other teachers/staff and then just between us for a while – until we were the last ones in the cafeteria. Oops. After lunch, we had tea/coffee with the principal, met with my mentor teacher (Dr. Koh even thought she was talkative and little strange...ah well), and then went up to class. My grade 1/2 students were surprisingly good today! (When I told Dr. Koh that they were good today, she was like, “Really? Oh...”) Granted, I only had them for 20 minutes because of an earthquake drill, but still. The principal and head teacher came in to watch, along with Dr. Koh and Dr. Shin, and no one threw anything at me (students) or told me to stop teaching and leave (adults) so it must have gone okay :) Dr. Koh and Dr. Shin had to leave quickly after class, to make it to Ashley’s school, but I didn’t have to say goodbye, thankfully. After hanging out at school for a while (no 6th graders means sitting and doing nothing for an hour before I can go home) and several changed plans, I ended up at an Angel-In-Us coffee shop in Idong, to wait for Dr. Koh, Dr. Shin, Ashley and Abby (I had to ride the bus there, Ash and Abby got to ride with the doctors...jelly). I got a lemon tea (DELISH) and sat down to wait for them...and then they showed up haha. We walked around the building, looking for the entrance to Partys Seafood Buffet, and then found it and entered HEAVEN. It was a beautiful restaurant with TONS of dishes that all looked fantastic. Dr. Koh noted that they had a lot of carb and fruit options, along with free beer, to fill you up before you could eat too much actual [expensive] seafood – how tricky – and checked our plates whenever we brought one back to the table. But everything was fantastic. And Abby, Ashley and I ended up impressing her, with both the number of plates we returned with and the types of things we tried. I had pizza (with CHEESE) and a variation of tomato and mozzarella salad (CHEESE), but also SUSHI! Never had it before but I popped my sushi cherry with whelk, squid, eel, crab and scallop (or some kind of shellfish) sushi. They were yummy. Ash, Abby and I have already made plans to go back at least once before leaving Pohang. During dinner, we were able to talk to Dr. Koh and Dr. Shin about lots of things – TaLK, our schools, plans for after July, etc. – and I even talked with them about dating (Korean boys and otherwise) and how they met (used to study at his university’s library, because hers was too far away, and one day he came up to her and talked to her...”I’m so lucky” he told me...SO CUTE!). We stayed at the restaurant for almost 3 hours. After that though, we had to say goodbye :( She has 3 meetings, all over southern Korea tomorrow, starting at 8:30 am! She’s so Korean (works 8 days a week). I gave her a hug and made Ashley promise to give her another one before they parted. I can’t wait to see her when we get back.
- I wish all of Dr. Koh’s students had the opportunity to understand her in a Korean context. I have known a lot of people who’ve taken her for an intro special ed class at Eastern and have really disliked her. If they knew how hard she works, how much she cares, how professional, protective, forceful, no-nonsense but also flexible she is – and how all of those qualities are related to her life events (she mentioned tonight that she remembered eating those silkworm bugs as a child, because they had no other way to get protein) – they would not dislike her ever. I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to dissolve my first impression of her and replace it with actually knowing/understanding her.
Friday, April 27, 2012
The Visit (She Was Here)
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Rice, Rice Baby
I compiled the following recipes for my submission to our province's semi-annual newsletter. I've only tried a few but so far, so good!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rice-Cooker?
More like, Cake-Baker!
Who simply cooks RICE in their rice cooker? Using an appliance for
its original purpose? How boring. And the most important thing I’ve learned in
my time in South Korea? You have to be flexible. And you usually have to
improvise. And Korean kitchens don’t have ovens. Okay, that’s 3 things. But
they all mean the same thing...YOU are going to use one of these recipes to make
a delicious dessert in your rice cooker! How exciting!
(P.S. Don’t turn the page if you have allergies – there are
dairy-, egg- and nut-free recipes here!)
Recipes gathered from across the internet. Edited by Emily Palmer.
Notes:
- Use the regular rice-cooking settings on your cooker to bake any of these recipes.
- Cooking time for all recipes is dependent on the machine. Just stick a chopstick in the cake once it starts to look done (approximately 2-4 cycles) and if no batter comes out, then it’s done.
- I have substituted difficult ingredients with those I was definitely able to find at HomePlus. You can visit the websites from which I found these recipes for the original versions (provided after each recipe).
- Baking soda is referred to as “Cooking Soda” at HomePlus.
- You can basically use all oils (canola, sunflower, vegetable, olive, grapeseed) interchangeably; I have chosen to use canola oil in all of these recipes.
- Vanilla Powder = ½ the amount of Vanilla Extract needed
Measurement
Abbreviations
Cup
= c
Gram
= g
Milliliter
= ml
Ounce
= oz
Pound
= lb
Tablespoon
= tbsp
Teaspoon
= tsp
The
measurements for grams in all of these recipes are approximate. Try to find a
measuring cup with both grams and cups/ounces, just to make the sure the
amounts are right. My apartment had one when I moved in, so they sell them
somewhere in Korea.
Enjoy!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Banana
Bread
(nut-free recipe)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c (360 g) enriched white flour
3/4 c (180 g) white sugar
2 tsp (10 g) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2.5 g) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2.5 g) salt
3-4 mashed overripe bananas
1/3 c (80 g) butter, softened
1/4 c (60 ml) milk
1 egg
*For extra sweetness, substitute a portion (or
all) of the white sugar for an equal amount of packed brown sugar OR add 1/2
tsp. (2.5 ml) of vanilla extract.
*You can also add extra ingredients, like nuts,
chocolate chips or fruit, to your taste.
Directions:
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
- Add bananas, butter, milk, and egg. Mix well. Soften butter and pre-mash bananas to make this step easier.
- Grease rice cooker pot.
- Pour the batter into the rice cooker pot.
- Cook in rice cooker for 2-4 cooking cycles. Check after each cooking cycle to avoid overcooking.
- Once cooked, let it cool, and remove the cake by turning the pot upside-down (to leave the cake bottom-up) onto a plate. Dust with powdered sugar, top with glaze (store-bought or homemade) or enjoy plain.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Carrot Cake
(dairy-free
recipe)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c (355 g) flour
1 tsp (5 g) cinnamon
1 1/2 c (355 g) flour
1 tsp (5 g) cinnamon
2 tsp (10 g)
baking powder
1/2 c (120 g) brown sugar
1/2 c (120 g) brown sugar
1/4 c (60 ml) Golden
Syrup
*Golden Syrup is a British product and
therefore may be available here, at HomePlus. If not, substitute corn syrup
(1:1).
3 eggs
1/2 c (120 ml)
canola oil
1 1/2 - 2 grated
carrots
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
extract
1/4 c (30 g)
walnuts
powdered sugar
(for dusting)
Directions:
- Mix flour, cinnamon and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar, syrup, eggs and oil. Mix well.
- Add mixtures together. Mix well.
- Add grated carrot and walnuts. Mix well.
- Grease rice cooker pot.
- Pour cake batter into rice cooker pot.
- Cook in rice cooker for about 90 minutes. Check after each cooking cycle to avoid overcooking.
- Once cooked, let it cool, and remove the cake by turning the pot upside-down (to leave the cake bottom-up) onto a plate. Dust with powdered sugar or top with cream icing (store-bought or homemade).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chocolate Cake
(egg-free, nut-free recipe)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c (180
g) flour
3 tbsp (45
g) cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp (7.5
g) baking soda
3/4 to 1 c
(180 to 240 g) sugar
1/2 c (120
g) chocolate chips
1/4 tsp (1.25
g) salt
1/2 tsp
(2.5 g) vanilla powder
1/4 c (60
ml) canola oil
1 tbsp (15
ml) vinegar
1 c (120
ml) water
Ingredients
for Frosting (optional):
50g
butter, melted
10 tbsp
icing sugar, sifted
4 tbsp
cocoa, sifted
Directions
(for cake):
- Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar lightly together.
- Add oil, vanilla and vinegar. Mix well.
- Add water, bit by bit, until a smooth batter emerges and then gently mix in the chocolate chips. Be careful not to over mix.
- Grease rice cooker pot.
- Pour the batter into the rice cooker pot.
- Cook in rice cooker for 2-4 cooking cycles. Check after each cooking cycle to avoid overcooking.
- Once cooked, let it cool, and remove the cake by turning the pot upside-down (to leave the cake bottom-up) onto a plate. Enjoy plain, or frost it (either as is, or by cutting it in half horizontally and making a “cake sandwich”).
Directions
(for frosting):
Mix all
ingredients together.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coconut-Pecan
Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients:
1/2 c (120 g) butter, softened
1/2 c (120 g) dark brown sugar
1/2 c (120 g) shredded
coconut
2/3 c (160 g) chopped pecans
1/2 c (120 g) semisweet
chocolate
2 tbsp (30 ml) milk
This
recipe calls for a Jiffy Yellow Cake mix...which we don’t have in Korea (unless
you can venture to the Costco and happen to find it there). Use the following
ingredients to make your own and see directions below to mix:
2 c + 1
tbsp (240 g total) flour
1 tsp (5
g) baking powder
3/4 tsp (4
g) baking soda
1/2 tsp
(2.5 g) salt
1/2 c (1/2
lb or 113 g) butter, softened
1 c (200
g) white sugar
1/2 tsp
(2.5 g) vanilla powder
1 egg
1 c (240 ml) milk + 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice OR 1 c (240 ml) milk + 1
tbsp (15 ml) white vinegar
Directions:
- Grease rice cooker pot well with oil.
- Mix together the brown sugar, coconut, pecans and semi-sweet chocolates with a little milk. Spread mixture over the bottom of the pot.
- Follow these directions to mix up your yellow cake batter:
- Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Beat butter and sugar with a mixer at medium speed (or a fork…at human speed) until pale and fluffy, then add vanilla powder.
- Add egg, beating well.
- Add milk/lemon juice OR milk/vinegar mixture until just combined (will look curdled).
- Add flour mixture in 2 batches. Mix well.
- Pour cake batter into rice cooker pot.
- Cook in rice cooker for 2-4 cooking cycles. Check after each cooking cycle to avoid overcooking.
- Once cooked, let it cool, and remove the cake by turning the pot upside-down (to leave the cake bottom-up) onto a plate. Dust with powdered sugar or top with glaze (store-bought or homemade).
Original
yellow cake recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/best-birthday-cake/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lemon
Cake
(dairy-free,
nut-free recipe)
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/2 c (120 g) white sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
3/4 c (180 g) flour
1/5 c (50 ml) canola oil
Directions:
- Beat eggs and sugar together with a fork until fluffy.
- Zest your lemon: Scrub the fruit with a sponge and warm, soapy water. Rinse it well and dry it with a paper towel. Use a small, sharp knife to carefully peel off a strip of the lemon skin, working top to bottom. Peel only the topmost layers of the skin. If there is any white showing on the underside of your pieces, you've peeled too deep.
- Add lemon zest and lemon juice to sugar mixture. Fold in flour with a plastic spatula.
- Pour in canola oil and mix well.
- Transfer batter into rice cooker pot.
- Cook in rice cooker for 2-4 cooking cycles. Check after each cooking cycle to avoid overcooking.
- Once cooked, let it cool, and remove the cake by turning the pot upside-down (to leave the cake bottom-up) onto a plate.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pineapple Cake
(egg-free,
nut-free recipe)
Ingredients:
7 oz. (200 g) canned pineapples, chopped
3 tbsp (45 ml) milk
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice
2 tbsp (30 ml) canola oil
2/3 c (160 g) flour
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 g) baking powder
1/3 tsp (1.5 g) baking soda
4 tbsp (60 g) sugar
2 pinches salt
Oil to grease the pot
Directions:
- Mix pineapple, milk, lemon juice and oil.
- Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, add sugar and salt.
- Add flour and pineapple mixtures and gently stir, until combined (creates a thick batter).
- Grease rice cooker pot.
- Pour the batter into the rice cooker pot.
- Cook in rice cooker for 2-4 cooking cycles. Check after each cooking cycle to avoid overcooking.
- Once cooked, let it cool, and remove the cake by turning the pot upside-down (to leave the cake bottom-up) onto a plate. Dust with powdered sugar or top with glaze (store-bought or homemade).
Original
recipe: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2011/9/12/lifeliving/9460329&sec=lifeliving
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