| The folk village really emphasized the cultural and historic importance
of pickling and preserving vegetables. In the background, there are stacks
of traditional ceramic vessels used before there was refrigeration. This place is also like a living museum, with employees in costume who perform tasks of daily village life, as well as dance, music, and acrobatics. |
 |
Nick's mother and brother helped to prepare fresh kimchi, which we were
able to enjoy immediately. |
 |
| These are drying blocks of fermented soybean mash. It is used to make extremely pungent stews and hot pots, which to foreigners seem pretty unpleasant. On our first night in Seoul, Jenny and I had to escape from a restaurant when the staff started cooking this for themselves. |  |
| During this ceremonial dance, the young men wore hats with white streamers and continuously bobbed their head to keep the ribbon swirling in huge circles. I've never seen anything like this before. |  |
| I believe this gazebo is simply a wealthy family's meeting place for tea, but it was very ornate and colorfully decorated. |  |
| Back in Seoul, we spent a lot of time walking around markets. These "singing" dried fish were one of my favorite finds. |  |
| Ginseng is a really big product here- literally, these large jars contain roots that are about 2 feet long. Koreans believe that the more it looks like a human-- with torso, arms, legs, hair, etc- the better it is for your health. |  |
| We also really liked the local delivery services- these ladies run around the market bringing lunch to vendors, carrying everything with trays on their heads |  |