Yoo’s Family

Our lecture series ended today, with sessions on modern Korea, the Korean education system, and Hallyu, which is Korean pop culture. You should check out K-pop. It's sweeping the world. But I was disturbed at how the K -pop factory creates a homogenized, superficial product by forcing these young people into training facilities where they have exercise and diet regimens and often undergo plastic surgery. Later in the afternoon we went to Yoo’s family and participated in a traditional Korean tea ceremony and dressed up on traditional Korean outfits called Hanbok.

Yoo’s family is a traditional Korean village where people can learn about what life was like in Korea years ago. In a separate section of the complex we learned how to make Korean art calligraphy and how to make kimchi pancakes. Kimchi pancakes are made from fermented lunching, buckwheat flour, onions, chives, and a few other seasonings. They're very savory. I volunteered first. And I must say my pancakes were terrific. I don't know if I'd eat them daily, though.