Name: Yunyoung Kim
Date: Sat, July 10th
Paella: More than a Dish
One day, a friend of mine called me and asked if I wanted to join them, a short trip to Barcelona. I made a sudden decision but I realized that I had little knowledge about this city. However, after this trip, Barcelona became one of my dream places to live. First, Barcelona is a city with a Mediterranean climate. As soon as we arrived there, we spent time lying on the beach and taking a nap under the dazzling sunshine. Also, the weather couldn't have been better whenever we went sightseeing to the world-famous Antoni Gaudi's structures, which harmonized well with the city. Second, the food was great and one of them was paella. The guide book said it was a kind of sticky fried rice, so Koreans might like it. We tried three paellas with chicken, seafood, and squid ink. At first, I was reluctant to taste the squid ink one because it was completely black. However, it was so savory, contrary to my expectations. Now, it is one of my favorites and whenever I think of Barcelona, the first thing that comes to mind is squid ink paella. When we almost finished our meal, the waiter who served us came back and we started chatting. It seemed like he had forgotten that he was working as a waiter and became a student like us while we were talking. We shared our thoughts about the trip, our interests, our goals, and so many other things. After that, we went out for drinks at a bar and became friends. Barcelona was a perfect spot for me with the mild climate, sunny weather, and charming people who know how to enjoy tasty food from their fresh ingredients.
Celebrating Chuseok in a Different Way
Last October, three Korean girls put out their heads together to make a plan for coming Chuseok. Yunyoung, Jinyoung, and Jooyoung would normally spend time with their family to celebrate it, but those three girls were staying in London at that time. Finally, they decided to have a special party with their foreign friends. Jooyoung's place in Notting Hill was selected as the party venue and they started to get ready for the party by making some phone calls to invite their close friends. After inviting five friends, they went to Korean supermarket. They bought some chicken, rice cake, drinks, fruits, vegetables, and their favorite Häagen-Dazs strawberry cheesecake ice cream. Back in the kitchen, they cooked two main menus: Spicy Chicken Stew and Tteokbokki. Yunyoung printed the recipes out and they started cooking with the fresh ingredients. Even though they were not good cooks, they all did their best. When the food was sizzling in the pan, their friends arrived one after another. Their eyes were full of curiosity. "The food is ready," said Jinyoung. As soon as she finished her word, five hungry guests gathered around the table. One of them knew how to say Bon appétit in Korean, jal meokkesseumnida, so all of them spoke it in chorus and started eating. Fortunately, they really like the food and three novice cooks felt relieved and proud. After the dinner, they had some fruits and ice cream for dessert and stayed up all night talking and giggling. It was a bit far from the traditional celebration, but a perfect party ever in terms of having a meal with people who they care about so much.
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