From the journal.
Recipes, culture, hanbok, and the meaning behind Korean traditions. Written by Eric and Mrs. Lee Youngsook, posted as we cook and source.
Pajeon on a Rainy Afternoon
What pajeon is Rain on the window is the cue. Youngsook pulls scallions from the fridge, whisks flour and cold water, gets the…
Korean CultureA Paebaek in San Mateo
What paebaek is The main ceremony ends. The white dress and tuxedo come off. In a smaller room down the hall, a folding screen…
Hanbok GuidesChuseok, and What to Wear For It
The 추석 palette is the palette of the field in late September. Persimmon orange. Sage green. Dusty mustard. Ivory that catches the…
Korean CultureHow a Korean Wedding Really Goes
The shape of a modern Korean wedding A modern Korean wedding has two shapes stacked on top of each other. A Western ceremony with…
Hanbok GuidesWhat the Colors Are Telling You
At a paebaek last fall, the bride wore green over red. Her mother-in-law wore navy over ivory. Both palettes were correct, and…
RecipesThe Rice Every Korean Mother Knows
Why Korean rice is different The water clouds white the first time. Youngsook drags her palm through the grains in slow circles…
Korean CultureThe First Birthday, and What the Baby Picks
Where dol came from A dol is not a birthday party with a Korean theme. It is the ceremony a Korean family holds when a child…
Hanbok GuidesThe Four Measurements Eric Needs
Eric usually asks for the measurements over text, before the first video call. Bust or chest. Waist. Total height. Sleeve length…
Hanbok GuidesWhat Finishes the Hanbok
Accessories make the outfit, but restraint makes it good Mrs. Lee lays a full set out on the guest bed the night before a…
RecipesHow Many Banchan Is Enough?
What banchan is By the time the rice is dished, six small plates already sit around the table. 김치, seasoned spinach, braised…
Hanbok GuidesTwo Garments, Two Different Purposes
Two hangers on the atelier rail, side by side. On the left, a full ceremonial 치마-저고리 in jade silk with hand-embroidered peony at…
Hanbok GuidesHanbok That Outlasts the Occasion
Know your fabric first A client in Menlo Park opened the tissue-wrapped box her grandmother had left her and found the 치마 still…
Hanbok GuidesHer First Birthday, Her First Hanbok
The first hanbok is small enough to hold in one hand. Silk chima, a shorter jeogori, a set of dol ddi tied at the waist, a…
Hanbok GuidesThe First Time She Felt Korean
The mixed identity experience A woman in her early thirties stands in a Seoul boutique with her mother, who has flown in for the…
Korean CultureSeollal and the Sebae Bow
What Seollal is Tteokguk simmers on the stove on the first morning of the lunar year. In the next room, a grandchild in a coral…
Hanbok GuidesDressing for Both Rooms of a Korean Wedding
The invitation arrives and the reception is at five, with a small paebaek to follow. The first is a Western ceremony you already…
Hanbok GuidesModern or Traditional. Which Day Is It?
They are different garments, not different price tiers A bride sends two photos. One is her grandmother in a pale-green 치마 and a…
RecipesSamgyeopsal at the Kitchen Table
What samgyeopsal is The lettuce goes on the table first. Perilla leaves stacked beside it, a bowl of ssamjang, sliced garlic…
Korean-American LifeWhere Korean Culture Actually Begins
The Captivating Culture of Korea Korean culture is often discussed in two halves. The traditional half (Confucian family…
Korean-American LifeWhere to Go in Korea First
Seoul at night from Namsan Tower looks like a circuit board someone lit on fire. Jeju in the spring smells like citrus rind and…
Hanbok GuidesPlanning the First Birthday
What dol is The dol table is set the night before. A small hanbok laid across the chair, the 돌잡이 objects arranged in a shallow…
Korean-American LifeHow Korea Became the Wave
February 9, 2020. Bong Joon-ho lifted the Best Picture Oscar for Parasite and thanked Martin Scorsese in Korean. The Dolby…
Hanbok GuidesWedding Hanbok, Start to Finish
Two ceremonies, two looks A wedding hanbok photograph outlives the cake, the seating chart, and eventually the venue itself. The…
RecipesTteokbokki and the Long Walk Home
What tteokbokki is A wide shallow pan sits on the burner, 고추장 and 고추가루 melting into anchovy stock until the sauce turns the color…
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