This Time in Seoul

Please, have something to drink and eat:

I want to reach out to you so that I may, hopefully, go forth fearlessly on several new projects. Really, I’d just like to ask you this question: Do you ever get tired of traveling and/or not really knowing what you’re going to do next while everyone else “seems” to be doing what they were born to do?
I know that looks can be deceiving and that probably everyone is trying to figure their lives out even though they may look cool as a cucumber and quite safe and secure in their careers, personal lives, etc.

As you know, I am a photographer and I also teach English as a means to put rather cushy sums of money in la banque de Felicia for future projects (books, better cameras, etc.) I do “seem happier when I’m abroad” as a friend just called and said to me, but I would also like to have a base somewhere stateside or at least in a country where I wouldn’t have to give my first born child as a downpayment on a nice little cottage by a lake. I could live in so many places, Italy (will go there this summer to learn beginner’s Italian as well as take cooking courses), Thailand, hell, even my native Virginia, although I wouldn’t know what to do in Virginia for a creative living.

If you’re a traveler, a free-spirit like myself, how do you make peace with the life you’ve chosen, when it seems so much easier, cozier to live close to friends and family you’ve known most of your life?

Very very soon, I will step out on faith and become a full time photographer. If I must teach English as a means to keep the money rolling in, I want to only do so part-time.

Your thoughts, opinions, advice will be very welcomed and respected.

Thank you for your time.

P.S. Here’s your menu:
Mugwort steamed rice cake (it’s delicious, really)
Omija tea (great for your liver and is perfection on the palate)
Pumpkin seeds, apricot
Pumpkin tea, mixed with crushed ice (Heaven)

Don’t worry, it’s on me.

Thank God for Sundays. Seriously.

I get so excited when Sundays come: What exhibit am I going to see, what new dish of anything will I try today, and more importantly, WHERE am I going to eat?! Today’s answer was milk tea at Cafe 62-16 and a croque monsieur at MMMG, both in Samcheong-dong.

This milk tea was created by owner Lee Seung-Ae of “62-16″, it’s delicious and the croque was THE BOMB. I really don’t eat cheese that often but today it reminded me of home and dammit’, I was hungry.

I really do think that I could open up a successful cafe, lounge either here in Korea or in the States. The U.S. really doesn’t have a cafe culture and that’s a shame. I mean, can you really be nice and cosy in say, Starbucks? I don’t think so either.

MMMG has a colorful little website that informs you of their history, locations and products. 

Enjoy the process!

MMMG, located left of exit 1 at Anguk Station, Orange line 3.

They don’t have this in the States.

I was introduced to Paht bing-soo by a friend of mine who wanted to give me a taste of Korea before I moved to Seoul. Initially I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the dessert, then later confused with the mix of ingredients: shaved ice, lots of fruit, syrup, and red bean paste. I ate a couple of spoonfuls before it melted into a sloppy soup of sugar.

Well today, after photographing a new addition to “the strip” in Samcheon-dong, Cafe 62-16 (a new favorite!), I gave bing-soo another try. This is Green Tea Bing-soo and and I love it. It’s real green tea, shaved ice, red bean paste with almonds, cashews and hazelnuts! Simply delicious, and dare I say, nutritious? Ha!

Order one, it’s big enough for two to share on a bright and sunny day like today.

Enjoy!

Women rule the world, we all know this and it was no different in The Floating Market, women cook, women provide, women negotiate, they TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS, the business of life itself. I can only imagine the myriad of things that these women know, all that they’ve experienced in this life so far. I look at these photos and think of the women in my family. Some of these and other Thai women I met either resembled the splendid women in my family, physically or by the way they looked at me. It was strange, but comforting. It also reminded me that I’d better learn how to cook with a quickness.

I’m ready to provide.

and for dessert…Kannom Krok. This is a breakfast dish made of ground rice, coconut milk, sugar, a pinch of salt, then garnished with your choice of pumpkin, spring onion leaves or sweet corn.

I just want to say that I love women, um, women who cook! Do not get it twisted! Ha!
Of course I had to visit The Damnoen Saduk Floating Market.

I had no idea that I’d see this angel cooking, gracefully floating in her paddle boat, sharing her expert cooking skills with all who could not resist the aromas floating from her direction. I’m hungrier now for her food, all Thai food. I can’t believe the difference between Thailand and Korea. I woke up this morning to another cold and gray day here in Seoul, stomach growling, knowing that I couldn’t go down to the corner and pick and choose any dish for less than 5 dollars and make each and every one of my senses happy. 

That’s it, I’m moving to Thailand. 

Seriously, there should be an izakaya on my street. I’m that obsessed. I first discovered these lovely Japanese pubs the night I was taken under the wing of my incredibly flexible and beautiful yoga classmate, June. We tried to get into one but the waiting list was too long. I did love how incredibly small and narrow the sliding doors were, the luminous paper lantern shaking in the breeze. Dammit! I wanted to go inside! Alas, months later I got the chance to enter and taste my new dish of pure love:Okonomiyaki! Okonnomiyaki is shaped like a crepe. It’s made up of shredded cabbage, shrimp, squid, pork, beef, eggs and vegetables. It’s just good for you and is a perfect mate to several cups of sake. It’s the first dish that I’ve ever eaten that when placed in front of me, looks as if its moving. Huh? There’s paper thin, as thin as tissue paper, dried fish sprinkled on top of the oko’ (my name for it). You should see the way it moves! It moves like seaweed underwater. Oddly beautiful.

Here are just some photos taken while a friend and I were hanging out. Sorry, I’ll get you a picture of Okonomiyaki later, I inhaled it along with my sake as soon as it arrived. I live to eat well.

Walking around Dongdaemun, I saw this vision, so determined, so quiet, she made everyone’s head turn, even her own as she wafted through the crowd with a takeout order sitting on her head. Clearly the dish had already been eaten, but to witness how swiftly and effortlessly she moved on a corner of hundreds of people (it’s that crowded!) made me stop and stare. When I came to, I snapped away then smiled as she walked away, oblivious to us all.

I do not know how and why I was led to a really wonderful blog focusing on food photography this bright Sunday morning but it sparked something in me. A month or two ago a client suggested that I look into food photographyas a possible next step, a career. I thought about it for a minute and did not give it any more thought as I love interior design, etc.Today, however I’m giving it a lot of thought. It all started this morning when my fingers led me to this sweet little blog, it’s called Butter Sugar Flower It’s so refreshing. As I read some of her posts I became nostalgic over the times my mother would back cakes on Sundays or any day that she felt like it and she’d always and still does, let me lick the bowl. Thanks Mom!

Another blog that I discovered today is MattBites  This is a warm-hearted blog. You can feel the love that this wild and crazy guy has for his profession as a Food Photographer. Actually he’s worked in other creative fields, but here he focuses on food, the business of food photography and his life. Very nice indeed.

Now there are other great blogs under the Food category on my blog but this one in particular is quite informative. Here you will learn about lighting, licensing, bokeh (just learned about this seconds ago) gear, composition, etc. I mean, it’s really great advice and insight into the world of food photography and food styling. Great photos as well.
Oh! It’s name is Still Life With Check it out!

If you know of any more websites, blogs that you find interesting that delve into the world of food photography and styling, please let me know, let everybody know. Share the love!
I will take cooking classes in Thailand and I really hope that I’ll take pictures of dishes that will make your mouth water, if I don’t eat them first that is.

Be happy, everyone!

Sisters are doing it for themselves!

Three sisters that I love to visit happen to have a great thing going at their own restaurant: Shim’s Tapas. The Sister’s Shim make delicious tapas, a good sangria and scrumptious pasta. Here’s one of my favorites, it’s oh so creamy. Over great pasta and books about vacationing in Thailand, a great Sunday was spent.  

It’s blistering cold today.I just finished shooting for three hours at Hongik University. I’m home now with a nice bowl of bibimbap and my hands are still cold. Anyhoo, while walking home I came across this gentleman or rather I smelled something good and familiar and boom! the source! See, this is what I like, someone who wants to make some extra money, makes an wood burning oven like this and starts roasting sweet potatoes right there in the street. Sweet potatoes are a staple of the Korean diet as well as a very yummy snack on any kind of day. I’ve seen people eat them in the summer time, in the metro,  you get the picture and here’s some pictures.