Tea Fields

Close-up shot of some the tea!

The weather is getting warmer and things starting to look a lot greener around here. This morning, as I was making my tea, I was struck with the realization that I won't be able to make the annual trip to the Boseong Tea Fields.

Boseong was a great, albeit difficult, place to visit in the spring. It is classified as a county, and in Korea that kinda means that its half way between rural and suburban. The main bus hub is small which means that buses don't run to and from there terribly often depending on where you are coming from- or you might need to plan for a connector. If you're coming from anywhere outside Jeollanamdo (the province in which Boseong is located), a overnight in Suncheon or even Gwangju would be worth a thought. Getting from the bus terminal to the tea fields is pretty easy. The bus is labeled and there are likely to be other people headed there, too. 

The fields are great for wandering. There are pathways all around, so you could definitely make a day out if it. I wish I had my FitBit while I was over there- definitely put a massive dent in my daily steps whenever I visited! There is a moderately-sized hill that you can climb up and get a great view of all the tea and the surrounding landscape. There are some food options, but it might be wise to pack a snack or lunch.... unless you plan to survive on green tea ice cream for the day. No one would judge you for that.

The souvenir shop is cool, too. I always stocked up on tea bags. They have loose tea and I think they have instant (powdered) tea as well. The green tea cookies and candies are pretty nummy, too. There are loads of trinkety things, as well. If you need to grab a souvenir for someone, this is an awesome place to do it!

Getting back from the terminal can be a little tricky. I noticed that the chart that says what time the buses are supposed to run, isn't always accurate... and the later in the day you leave, the more likely you are to run into transportation hitches. Taxis are available, but make sure you note the name of the bus terminal you want to go to- because there are two. Made that mistake once, and it was a very mistake to make. Apparently the other terminal is way far away, and we had to pay the driver to bring us out there... and then another driver to bring us back to where we originally wanted to go. Whoops!

What is your favorite kinds of tea?

NNM Day 14 :: Dessert at every meal

As I mentioned previously, I'm traveling in Nicaragua! Updating from my phone isn't really allowing me to spell-check and format they way I usually do. Forgive me! I'll be replacing some NNM posts with travel updates and "what I ate today" type content.

One great habit I picked up is having "dessert" with every meal.
                                                             
"Whaaat?! Katie... how are you not 468292 pounds?!"

Great question!

Dessert doesn't have to mean copious amouts of pie or cake or candy. In Korea, each (school) meal typically ended with some kind of seasonal fruit. I've always suffered from the "post-meal sweet craving," but in Korea I ended up accidentally training myself into being satisfied by the small bit of fruit at the end of lunches. Eventually, I added a fruity thing to the end of dinners I would make at home and if I went out, would sometimes grab a small ice cream. I did, however, find that on nights when we were drinking with dinner (big part of Korean dining-out is communal alcohol), I didn't really feel the need for anything after the meal. I suspect it has something to do with the meals typically being low in carbs, and my body recognizing if/when I needed to consume something carby- alcohol, our terrible friend, has the carby thaang covered!

A sample of how I add dessert to my meals now that I'm back in the US. Chili and Ezekiel toast with avocado and peppers, finished off with 1/2 an apple.

NNM Day 5 :: Raisin Water

GOOD

This one is going to be a little obscure and very propaganda-y.

I love raisin water (aka heotgaecha)(aka Japanese raisin tea)(aka wtf are you drinking?!)

I was introduced to this product during my third year in Korea.... and I wish I had found it sooner. It comes in a few different forms. I was most familiar with the bottled form that was easy to grab in the local mini-marts. My friend Meg handed me one once and told me to drink it before I started drinking alcohol. Apparently, whatever was in this magical drink helped to stave off hangovers. Considering that after I turned 26 my hangovers got way worse, I figured anything was worth a try! Well... it worked! I woke up relatively hangover free. I couldn't believe it and from then on, I never consumed alcohol without first having some raisin water (that was the affectionate nickname given to the brew... mainly because the only English on the bottle says "oriental raisin water").

A little about raisin water:

It is a tea steeped from a plant called Hovenia dulcis, also known as oriental raisin tree, and it is found mainly in Korea and eastern China. When the fruit of the tree is dried, it tastes kinda like raisins- hence, the name. The bark and leaves are brewed to make tea, and that tea is what I used as my hangover cure. The tea is know as having a healing effect on the liver, and was actually approved by the Korean version of the FDA as a treatment for alcoholism.

For me, this stuff had something like an 80% success rate with keeping the hangover away (or at least significantly minimizing it). I drank it in proportion to the amount (and type) of alcohol I consumed during the evening. I always started the evening with a 500ml bottle, and would make judgement calls throughout the evening based on my consumption. I usually started and ended the night with a 500ml bottle. I think part of the reason it worked so well is that it kept me hydrated. After using it for so long, I became a little skeptical; wondering if it really worked as well as I thought it did.

...so I did 2 little experiments:

(1) One night out, I realized that I hadn't started out the night with my raisin water, so I figured I would just drink water in the same proportion that I usually drink the raisin water and see how I felt the next day. Terrible. I felt awful. Not as bad as I would have been if I hadn't been on top of my water consumption; but still... pretty sittay.

(2) I rarely eat fast food, and had noticed that I would get this weird hangover feeling whenever I did indulge in McD's or other fast food in Korea. I made a McD's date with a friend, but had a raisin water beforehand and ordered the same thing I usually ordered. Interestingly, I didn't get the weird....erm.... gurgley stomach thing that I had before AND the next day I didn't feel like a blob!

Results = success! It must do something in the liver area. I definitely believed it when Meg told me all about it, but was pretty excited that it held up to my experimentation. From then on, I drank it regularly even when alcohol wasn't involved-- just a general addition to my nutrition/health weekly routine.

When I got home, I was super bummed that I wouldn't have easy access to my wondertea. Luckily, I mailed home a few small boxes of the tea bags, so I was still able to enjoy it-- but I didn't want to run out too quickly, so I used it super conservatively. When I went to Canada over the summer, my friend Lisa took me to this amazing Asian superstore and they had it!! I was so excited that I bought 2 boxes! Now I have enough to last me for a long time! :)

I definitely recommend trying this product (especially if you're prone to hangovers or really affected by your occasional fast food indulgence).

I miss hiking

Full disclosure: I love the idea of hiking and I crave the sense of accomplishment that comes once you reach the top. That being said, I hate the climb. I have breathing troubles and bursitis, and the way up is never easy; but it IS worth it.

I miss having mountains in the middle of my city, Specifically, I miss Gubong Mountain. There were 2 trails that started near my apartment and from the top, you had a 360 degree view of the city that included lots of coast, islands, and other mountains.

I miss having that option readily available. I guess I just generally miss living in a place that offered so many active options. I could walk to work. I could walk to the grocery store (which helped keep my purchases in check because I would only bring my backpack for the 3 mile round-trip walk). I miss the (crappy) beaches. I miss being able to buy my produce from grumpy farming grandmothers. I miss not having to worry (as much) about chemical additives.