Restaurant Tour #9: POCHANGMACHA

On most streets in South Korea you’ll find roadside eateries with plastic roll-down walls affording protection from the elements. They are basically used by people who want an inexpensive meal and a drink of Soju (an alcoholic drink). This type of eating place is called a "POCHANGMACHA" - meaning a “Covered Cart” which can be pulled or pushed by hand. It is quite apt because they are able to change locations easily.

My meal this month was at a restaurant with the same name. This venue has been open for six years.

POCHANGMACHA
56 St Giles High Street
London
WC2 8LH

Telephone No: 020 7379 7381

Opening Times: Monday to Saturday 1200 hours to 1500 hours
1800 hours to 0100 hours
Sunday 1800 hours to 2400 hours

A limited selection of alcoholic beverages is available
Tottenham Court Road tube station ( Northern and Central lines) is literally a minute’s walk away. Numerous bus routes offer easy access.

The owner is Ms Cheong Shin Briggs
The chef is Kyeon Chon Pyo
There are a five staff working in the kitchen and serving customers.
Good English is spoken by the owner, chef and staff.

This restaurant has the capacity to seat twenty eight patrons in the main ground floor dining area. The kitchen is also on this level enabling the meals to be seen whilst being prepared.
The lower dining area can seat twenty further patrons and is currently being redecorated to become a Japanese Sushi restaurant with a different name.

The décor is simple with dark painted walls, complimentary lighting, wooden tables and wooden chairs with padded seats.
The menu describes the dishes in Korean and in English. Set lunch menus are also available. Portable barbeques are provided when necessary.

POCHANGMACHA has a certain ambience echoing similar restaurants in South Korea with Korean food being served at competitive prices for the area.

Approximately half the clientele are Korean (students for the most part) and other nationalities make up the remainder including office workers and tourists. The busiest times are from Thursday evenings to Sunday nights.

Three main dishes were served.

Ham and Noodle Big Pot Stew
Ham, Kimchi, vegetables, Korean noodles and Tofu with spicy sauce- a favourite with diners

Stone Bibimbab
Rice topped with vegetables and a fried egg in a stone bowl-a dish I enjoy

Steamed spicy Cod
Steamed Cod and vegetables with a spicy sauce-compliments the Bibimbab

Side dishes
Namul------thin strips of marinated white radish (Mooli)
Seaweed
Kimchi-----Pickled Chinese Leaf Lettuce-an agreeable taste

Boiled rice
I didn’t know what to expect upon entering POCHANGMACHA albeit there were diners were of different nationalities present. Our meal only consisted of three main dishes but was quite sufficient for the two of us. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and taste. A return visit in the future cannot be ruled out.

share your music in style First ever WALKMAN® Video MP3 player with built-in stereo speakers by Sony

Don’t keep your favourite tunes to yourself. Share them in rich, stereo sound
with the slim, stylish new WALKMAN® S540 series from Sony that comes in a
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The perfect choice for anyone who loves sharing their music, it’s the first everWALKMAN® video MP3 player that includes two high-quality integrated stereospeakers. Just 10.2mm thin, the compact new WALKMAN® still manages to find room fortwo high-quality stereo speakers guarded by a tough, stylish aluminium speakergrille. Whatever your listening preference, the slimline Digital Linear PhaseSpeaker System delivers satisfying, sound with solid bass and crystal clear highs. Listening on speakers is enhanced by Digital Linear Phase Speaker Systemtechnologies unique to Sony. Linear Phase Correction assures smooth, naturalfrequency responses. Virtual Bass enhances harmonic signals to reinforce thesensation of deep low-end frequencies. If you want to keep your music private, listening on supplied headphones isenhanced with unique Clear Audio technologies from Sony for a dynamic, detailpackedsoundstage. Clear Stereo reduces leakage between left and rightchannels, while Clear Bass delivers powerful, controlled low-end frequencieswithout distortion. There’s a 5-band equaliser to fine-tune your listening enjoyment. In addition, aDynamic Normalizer balances volume levels between songs ensures a smooth,comfortable listening experience.The player’s front panel is dominated by a big, bright 2.4” LCD screen. Offeringhigh resolution plus superb contrast for detail-packed images, the screen is greatfor enjoying podcasts, downloads from online movie stores and video clips fromsharing sites, where compatible. The screen’s quick response time allowssmooth, clear video playback at up to 30 frames per second.Flip the player on its side and enjoy videos in landscape format, complete with arich soundtrack from the in-built speakers. There’s even a handy stand accessorysupplied for comfortable ‘hands-free’ table-top viewing.

Discover Japan #8: Nara Prefecture (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Japan National Tourist Organization London Office)

Nara Prefecture is a prefecture in the Kinki region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.
The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture.

Historically, Nara Prefecture was also known as Yamato-no-kuni or Yamato Province.

It is certain that a political force established at the foot of Mount Miwa in the east of Nara Basin, seeking unification of most parts in Japan from the third century until the fourth century, though the process was not well documented.

At the dawn of history, Yamato was clearly the political centre of Japan.

Ancient capitals of Japan were built on the land of Nara, namely Asuka-kyō, Fujiwara-kyō (694–710) and Heijō-kyō (most of 710–784).

The capital cities of Fujiwara and Heijō are believed to have been modeled after Chinese capitals at the time, incorporating grid layout patterns.

The royal court also established relations with Sui and then Tang Dynasty China and sent students to the Middle Kingdom to learn high civilization.

By 7th century, Nara accepted the many immigrants including refugees of Baekje who had escaped from war disturbances of the southern part of the Korean peninsula. The first high civilization with royal patronage of Buddhism flourished in today’s Nara city (710–784 AD).

Kōfuku-jiIn 784, Emperor Kammu decided to relocate the capital to Nagaoka-kyō in Yamashiro Province, followed by another move in 794 to Heian-kyō, marking the start of the Heian period.

The temples in Nara remained powerful beyond the move of political capital, thus giving Nara a synonym of Nanto as opposed to Heian-kyō, situated in the north.

Close at the end of Heian period, Taira no Shigehira, a son of Taira no Kiyomori, was ordered by his father to depress the power of mainly Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji, who were backing up an opposition group headed by Prince Mochihito.

The movement has led into a collision between the Taira and the Nara temples in 1180, when eventually Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji were set on fire, resulting in the vast loss of its architectures.

At the rise of the Minamoto to its ruling seat and the opening of Kamakura Shogunate, Nara enjoyed the support of Minamoto no Yoritomo toward restoration.

Kōfuku-ji, being the “home temple” to the Fujiwara since its foundation, not only regained the power it had before but became a de facto regional chief of Yamato Province.

With the recovery of Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji, there was a town growing near the two temples.

The Nanboku-chō period, starting in 1336, brought more instability to Nara. As Emperor Go-Daigo chose Yoshino as his base, a power struggle arose in Kōfuku-ji with a group supporting the South and another siding the North court.

Kōfuku-ji recovers its control over the province for a short time at the surrender of the South Court in 1392, while the internal power game of the temple itself opened a way for the local samurai clans to spring up and fight with each other, gradually acquire their own territories, thus diminishing the influence of Kōfuku-ji overall.

The restored turret of Kōriyama CastleLater the whole province of Yamato got drawn into the confusion of the Sengoku period.

Tōdai-ji was once again set on fire in 1567, when Matsunaga Hisahide, who was later appointed by Oda Nobunaga to the lord of Yamato Province, fought for supremacy against his former master Miyoshi family.

Followed by short appointments of Tsutsui Junkei and Toyotomi Hidenaga by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to the lord, the Tokugawa Shogunate ultimately ruled the city of Nara directly, and most parts of Yamato province with a few feudal lords allocated at Kōriyama, Takatori and other places.

With industry and commerce developing in the 18th century, the economy of the province was incorporated into prosperous Osaka, the commercial capital of Japan at the time.

The economic dependency to Osaka characterizes even today’s Nara Prefecture, for many inhabitants commute to Osaka to work or study there.

New 2010 Acura ZDX Four-Door Sports Coupe Delivers Style, Performance, Luxury and Refinement

The all-new 2010 Acura ZDX four-door sports coupe will arrive this winter at Acura dealerships with dramatic styling, outstanding performance and the latest in advanced technology. The segment bending ZDX features stunning coupe-like styling with the added benefit of a commanding presence and flexible utility. Staying true to the prototype model that debuted at the 2009 New York International Auto Show in April, the production ZDX will feature the key design highlights of a panoramic glass roof, hidden rear door handles and bold fender flares.

"The ZDX is like nothing you have ever seen before from Acura," said Jeff Conrad, Vice President of Acura sales. "It combines the best attributes of a coupe, a sedan and a sport utility – all wrapped in a beautifully sculpted package – that will attract an entirely new luxury customer to the Acura brand." Designed, developed and manufactured entirely in North America, the ZDX breaks new ground for Acura in many ways. The ZDX is the first vehicle to be styled from start to finish in the new, dedicated Acura Design Studio in Torrance, CA, allowing exterior and interior designers to work closely together throughout the entire design process. Staying true to the original sketch from Acura's first female designer, Michelle Christensen, the ZDX features sensuous curves, deeply sculpted shoulders and strong character lines.

Inside, the ZDX exhibits the highest levels of refinement and sophistication ever offered from Acura. Every ZDX interior will feature Acura's first hand-stitched leather dashboard, door panels and sculpted center console. The rich leather appointments give the ZDX a warm and inviting feeling while creating an intimate cockpit for the driver and front passenger. The cabin is well lit thanks to extensive use of LED lighting along with the light from the unique moonroof that is an integral design aspect of the longest glass roof in the industry. The panoramic glass roof has dual automatic sunshades that open and closes at the touch of a button.

Asiana to provide free airline tickets to golfer Yang, Yong Eun

Asiana Airlines (CEO: Young-Doo Yoon) will be sponsoring airline tickets on all of Asiana’s international routes to Yang, Yong Eun, the first Asian male golfer to win the PGA Championship in the United States, for the next three years. The ‘PGA Championship’ is considered one of the four major PGA events and the last one to be held this year. Yang upset number 1 ranking Tiger Woods by three shots in the final rounds to win the PGA Championship.

Yang and his wife will receive first class tickets, while their three children will receive business class seats to all destinations operated by Asiana.
Asiana and Yang share a special bond which is family. Yang, Yong Eun is the fourth of eight siblings and his younger sister Yang, Jin-Hyun (28 Assistant Manger at Jeju Airport Service Office) has been in the Asiana family for 7 years. Yang, Jin-Hyun commented, “I think my brother’s love and passion for sports starting from a young age and active personality gave him the strength to win such an enormous event.”
Asiana provides air tickets free of charge for a number of Korean athletes including golfer Choi, Kyung-Joo and Park, Ji-Sung of Manchester United in Britain’s Premier Soccer League.
In addition, the golf ball that Yang used during the final rounds of the ‘PGA Championship’ that led to his championship win was the Taylor Made TP Red. The core of the golf ball which is made out of synthetic rubber (Neodymium-butadiene rubber: NDBR) was produced and supplied by Kumho Petrochemical. This synthetic rubber material gives the golf ball more elasticity, less wear, and is excellent in exothermic reaction. The golf ball is well known for its elasticity, and provides more spin.

Discover Japanese Food #6: Atsuko's "Kinoko okowa" (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

Okowa, means a type of rice dish made with mochigome, or sweet rice. It has an extra sticky texture, much more than normal rice. It is also used for making mochi (rice cake). You can use only mochigome for this recipe but I suggest using half mochigome, and mix with half normal Japanese rice. This will give a milder texture than using the 100% mochigome.
Also it is a great idea to add mochigome to other types of rice to make a rich texture.

There are many types of okowa in Japan such as red beans (sekihan) and chestnut okowa, mountain vegetables (sansai) okowa, but you can also make okowa with a variety of ingredients.
You can cook mochigome using the same method as normal rice, either with a rice cooker or heavy sauce pan.

This recipe is a seasonal okowa with a variety of wild mushrooms and gingko nuts:

* Ingredients: Serves 4
150 ml Japanese rice
150 ml Mochigome (sweet rice)
1 cup Variety of mushroom
5 cm Renkon (lotus root)
8 Ginnan (gingko nuts)

* Seasonings:
1½ tbsp Mirin
1½ tbsp Shoyu (dark soy sauce)
⅓ tsp Salt
1 tbsp Sesame oil
For garnishing:
A litle of Aonori

* Preparation:
1. Combine the Japanese rice and mochigome rice, and wash in a strainer under running water.
2. Leave to drain for 30 mins, until the rice separates again.
3. Meanwhile trim the mushroom then tear into pieces.
4. Cut the renkon into small pieces.

* Method:
1. Add the rice, mushroom, renkon, ginnan, sake, salt, shoyu, sesame oil, and 300ml of water in a pan, mix well.
2. Bring it to the boil with high heat.
3. As soon as it starts boiling, reduce to a very low heat and simmer for 11 mins.
4. Remove from the heat and leave it for 10 mins to calm down.
5. Mix gently from bottom to top.
* It is good for making rice balls, as mochigome is really sticky.
6. When you serve it, sprinkle a little aonori on top of the rice.

Korean Air Donates Mega-sized Collage Artwork to Russia’s State Hermitage Museum

Korean Air today announced that it has donated a mega-sized collage work created by a group of college students in South Korea to commemorate the airline’s sponsorship of the recently unveiled Korean multimedia guide service at Russia’s State Hermitage Museum.

The 15.6m x 9.6m mega-sized collage features the exterior of the museum as well as a number of world renowned artworks such as “Woman Holding a Fruit” by Paul Gauguin. It was created through hard work by 67 South Korean students from Dankuk University for 10 days and nights starting on June 4. A total of 3240 magazines have been utilized for the collage. The UCC (User Created Contents) video that captured the process of collage creation has become an online sensation marking over 1.2 million hits by Korean online users, and over 2,250 international hits on the Korean Air YouTube channel:

(www.youtube.com/user/KoreanAirChannel#play/uploads/3/n7LTK7uys34).

Korean Air and the State Hermitage Museum hosted a ceremony at 12:30 pm (local time), Wednesday, August 12, at the Art Restoration and Storage Center of the State Hermitage Museum to celebrate the airline’s donation of the collage. Mr. Sung Moo Kim, General Manager of Korean Air’s airport service office in St. Petersburg, Dr. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, Dr. Vladimir Matveev, Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Development of the State Hermitage Museum and 10 students of Dankuk University who participated in the collage creation attended the ceremony.

This donation started at the suggestion of Korean Air in line with its sponsorship of the Korean multimedia guide service launched in June and the State Hermitage Museum has gladly accepted it. The collage artwork is being exhibited at the museum for all visitors to appreciate.

“It is our pleasure to receive the remarkable mega-sized collage that made such a big hit in Korea. We sincerely appreciate Korean Air and the Korean college students for their enormous efforts to showcase the State Hermitage Museum through the collage,” said Dr. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum.

In order to express gratitude for the hard work done by the college students, Korean Air has provided 10 selected students and their professor with return tickets between Incheon and St. Petersburg as well as the chance to tour the State Hermitage Museum and historic sights in St. Petersburg. In addition, Kal Tour, a subsidiary tour agency of Korean Air, has supported the group’s accommodation expenses.

The group of students toured the State Hermitage Museum by experiencing the Korean language multimedia guide service and appreciated world renowned art pieces in greater depth with the lively explanations in the Korean language.

Gyu-Ho Lee, a representative of the student group who attended the donation ceremony, said, “I feel honored to see the collage which we worked on for ten nights and days to be exhibited at the world renowned State Hermitage Museum today. We hope that our efforts will enhance the level of cultural exchange between Korea and Russia.”

As a leading global carrier, Korean Air has made continuous efforts to spread Korean cultures around the world. Korean Air officially launched the new Korean multimedia guide service at the State Hermitage Museum in June and signed a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) for further sponsorship over a five year period to produce the museum’s promotional materials, such as visitor guide maps and exhibition posters. The airline has also been sponsoring the Korean multimedia guide service of the Louvre Museum in Paris since February 2008.

Korean Air will expand its partnership with the world’s prestigious museums and develop various activities to contribute to global cultural understanding.

Sony set to take Design in Europe to the Next Level

Marking the beginning of a new era in Sony Design, Sony announced the appointment of Takuya ‘Tak’ Kawagoi as the new director of Sony Design Centre Europe (DCE). Taking up the position from the Sony Creative Centre in Tokyo, Tak brings a wealth of design expertise to DCE where he will take the reins and undertake a pivotal role in directing the hotbed of young and highly creative talent in the DCE team and infuse his vision for a new approach to Sony Design in Europe.

An instrumental figure in Sony Design since joining in 1991, Tak’s design excellence is displayed by the global adoption of his iconic Sony Ericsson logo. He will continue to impart his design prowess through leading DCE, based in London, into a new stage of Sony’s design story, working on exciting projects that will take Sony Design in Europe to the next level.

Speaking of his new position, Tak commented, “It is an honour to lead the European Design Centre into what is set to be a new era for Sony Design. We have a rich design heritage at Sony including strong branding and product designs. At DCE we will strive to build on this heritage and deliver strong and creative results for our customers to enjoy the beauty of both our technology and our aesthetic design.”

Discover Korean Food #12: Dr. Sook-Ja Yoon's "Mul-naengmyeon" (THE EAST Campaign in Association with The Institute of Traditional Korean Food)

Mul-naengmyeon is a dish of buckwheat noodles in chilled broth that is garnished with radish Kimchi, pickled cucumber, Korean pear and slices of pressed beef. Originally it was had thin ice over it and was served in the winter, but nowadays people enjoy this dish all year round.

*Ingredients
* 400 g buckwheat noodles (dried), 3 kg (15 cups) water
* 300 g beef (brisket·shank), 1.6 ㎏ (8 cups) water,
fragrant seasoning : 20 g green onion, 20 g garlic
* seasoning sauce : 9 g (½ tbsp) clear soy sauce, 24 g (2 tbsp) sugar, 45 g (3 tbsp) vinegar, 24 g (2 tbsp) salt, 5.4 g (½ tbsp) fermented mustard
* 50 g cucumber, 2 g (½ tsp) salt, 15 g (1 tbsp) water
* 170 g radish, 4 g (1 tsp) salt, 12 g (1 tbsp) sugar, 15 g (1 tbsp) vinegar
* 2.2 g (1 tsp) fine ground red pepper
* 100 g (1/5 ea) pear, 100 g (½ cup) water, 4 g (1 tsp) sugar
* 120 g (2 ea) egg, 1 kg water, 4 g (1 tsp) salt
* 10 g (1 tbsp) pine nuts, 0.5 g shred red pepper

*Preparation
1. Clean blood of beef with cotton cloths. Wash the fragrant seasoning cleanly.
2. Put the beef and water in the pot, heat it up for 10 min. on high heat. When it boils, lower the heat to medium, simmer for 1 hour, add green onion and garlic, simmer for another 30 min. (1 kg).
3. Take the beef (300 g) out from the broth, slice it into 4 cm-wide, 2 cm-long and 0.2 cm-thick. After the broth cooled down, skim fats, season with seasoning sauce.
4. Wash the cucumber and halve lengthwise, slice at intervals of 0.2 cm-thick diagonally, soak it in salt water for 20 min, then wipe water with cotton cloths (43 g).
5. Shred the radish into 5 cm-long, 2 cm-wide and 0.2 cm-thick, marinate with salt, sugar, vinegar and fine ground red pepper for 20 min. (100 g). Peel the pear, cut it into half-moon shape, dip in sugar water (70 g).
6. Remove tops of the pine nuts, wipe the nuts with dry cotton cloths. Cut the shred red pepper into 2~3 cm of length.

* Recipe
1. Put the eggs, water and salt in the pot, heat it up for 5 min. on high heat. When it boils, lower the heat to medium, boil for another12min. Take out the eggs, put in cold water, then peel eggshell, cut them into two pieces.
2. Pour water in the pot, heat it up for 12 min. on high heat. When it boils, add noodles, boil for 2 min. Take the noodles out from the pot, wash in cold water by rubbing, make coils with noodles and drain water on a strainer (830 g).
3. Place the noodles in a bowl, garnish with beef, cucumber, radish, egg, pear, pine nuts and shred red pepper, then pour the cold broth.

*Tips
* Cold radish pickled Kimchi juice in the beef broth, or only Kimchi juice may be another choice for the broth.
* In summer season, young summer radish Kimchi may be a tasteful broth.
* More fermented mustard and/or more vinegar in the dish is an option.

12 Dadungyi Family Experience Flight Attendant Class

Asiana Airlines (CEO: Young-Doo Yoon) invited families that have over 3 children (Dadungyi Family) to the headquarters of Asiana Airlines located in Gangseo-Gu, Osae-Dong, Seoul Korea on the 10th of August (Mon). These families composed of 63 people, experienced a one day flight attendant experience class

This event was held to set an example and show how critical the low birth rate problems are currently affecting our society today. The “Dadungyi” families were invited to the headquarters of Asiana Airlines, where they experienced cabin magic shows, emergency evacuation, and cabin services. The family members experienced a variety of programs where the purpose of the event was to feel the warmth of family hood and make special memories.

Especially during this event, the most recently aired nation wide television show”The 12th child is born” Mr. Sang Don, Nam’s family along with “the 7 brothers and sisters of Shinwol-Dong,” Ms. Yun-Jung, Kim’s family, attended the event. The children of (Dadungyi) families, enjoyed today’s event and spent some meaningful time together.

Bora, Nam (20 year old sophomore student of Dongduk Women’s University), the oldest daughter of the recently aired nation wide television show "The 12th child is born," commented “I really enjoyed my visit here to learn magic tricks, learned how to evacuate in emergencies and provide cabin services with my 11 brothers and sisters to my parents.” “If you have many siblings among the family, you have a tendency to argue and fight quite often, but with events like today, it gives us union and 12 times the pleasure to provide service to our parents.” “I hope that in the future, there will be many Dadungyi families.”

European Manufactured Civic Type R to be Sold in Japan

The British-built Civic Type R will be exported to Japan from next year. The acclaimed 3-door hot hatch, manufactured at Honda's factory in Swindon, England, is to be shipped to Japan where it will go on sale during 2010.

The model will be called the Type R EURO, to distinguish it from the Japanese-market 4-door Civic Type R saloon, and will be sold in limited numbers. Japan is the third country outside Europe to import this high-revving hot hatch with the red ‘H' badge, following Australia and South Africa. The demand for the European-produced car in Honda's domestic market is testament to the dedication and skill of Associates at Honda's largest European factory - the only production facility in the world that builds the Civic Type R 3-door.Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) also builds the 5-door Civic, Civic Type S and CR-V for Europe and will start production of the Jazz, this Autumn. Japan also imported the previous Swindon-built Civic Type-R (EP3 model) in 2001.

Discover Korea #6: Andong (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Korea Tourism Organization)

Andong is a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, South Korea.

It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of almost 185,000.

Andong is a market centre for the surrounding agricultural areas. Since the 1970s Andong has developed rapidly, although the population has fallen by nearly seventy thousand as people have moved away to Seoul and other urban centres. In the late 1990s and early 2000s it became a tourism and cultural centre. Andong is known as a centre of culture and folk traditions. The surrounding area maintains many ancient traditions, so in mid October the Andong Folk Festival is held every year. One of the most famous aspects of these cultural festivities are the Andong masks. Andong National University, specialising in education and Korean folklore has grown rapidly since the 1970s. Other tertiary institutions include Andong Institute of Information Technology, Andong Science College, and Catholic Sangji College. The Hahoe Folk Village is listed by the South Korean government with UNESCO as a tentative World Heritage site. The village is a valuable part of Korean culture because it preserves Joseon-style architecture, folk traditions, valuable books, and old tradition of clan-based villages.The village is located on the Hwachon Stream which is a tributary of the Nakdong River. To the north of the village is Buyongdae Cliff while Mt. Namsan lies to the south. The village is organized around the geomantic guidelines of pungsu and so the village has the shape of a lotus flower or two interlocking comma shapes.
Andong has famous local foods that originated in the city such as heotjesabap, Andong jjimdak, Andog soju (a rice wine), Andong sikhye (a punch), Geonjin guksu (a noodle dish). Heotjesabap is a variety of bibimbap, served with soy sauce (ganjang) instead of the gochujang (hot pepper paste) that is more commonly used. Heotjesa bab consists of mainly several types of namul (young sprouted vegetables) over white rice. It is also served with grilled fish and some jeon (Korean pancake). The dish originated in Andong. The term, Heotjesa bap literally means “dishes for fake jesa” that are ceremonies for death anniversary and ancestor veneration held in Korea.

Andong jjimdak is a variety of jjim (a Korean steamed or boiled dish), made with chicken, various vegetables marinated in a ganjang (Korean soy sauce) based sauce. The name literally means “steamed chicken of Andong.” There are many speculations on the origin of the dish. One is that the it is a specialty food of the inner rich village of Andong during the Joseon period, prepared and eaten for special occasions. Another assumptions is that during the 1980s in the Dak golmok of the “Andong Old Market,” restaurant owners there made a dish including ingredients that regulars demanded, which became the current Andong jjimdak.

PEOPLE #15: Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations

Ban Ki-moon is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations.Before becoming Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he graduated from college, accepting his first post in New Delhi. In the foreign ministry he established a reputation for modesty and competence.
Ban was the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea from January 2004 to November 2006. In February 2006 he began to campaign for the office of Secretary-General. Ban was initially considered to be a long shot for the office. As foreign minister of Korea, however, he was able to travel to all of the countries that were members of the United Nations Security Council, a manoeuvre that turned him into the campaign’s front runner.
On 13 October 2006, he was elected to be the eighth Secretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly. On 1 January 2007, he succeeded Kofi Annan, and passed several major reforms regarding peacekeeping and UN employment practices. Diplomatically, Ban has taken particularly strong views on global warming, pressing the issue repeatedly with former U.S. President George W. Bush, and Darfur, where he helped persuade Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to allow peacekeeping troops to enter Sudan.

Ban was born in Eumseong in a small farming village in North Chungcheong, in 1944, at the end of Japanese rule of Korea. When he was three, his family moved to the nearby town of Chungju, where he was raised.During Ban’s childhood, his father had a warehouse business, but the warehouse went bankrupt and the family lost its middle-class standard of living.

When Ban was six, his family fled to a remote mountainside for the duration of the Korean War. After the war, his family returned to Chungju. Ban has mentioned meeting U.S. military troops at this time.In secondary school Ban became a star pupil, particularly in his studies of English. According to local stories, Ban would regularly walk 6 miles (9.7 km) to a fertilizer plant to practice English with the factory’s American advisors.In 1952, he was selected by his class to address a message to then UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, but it is unknown if the message was ever sent. In 1962, Ban won an essay contest sponsored by the Red Cross and earned a trip to the United States where he lived in San Francisco with a host family for several months. As part of the trip, Ban met U.S. President John F. Kennedy. When asked by a journalist at the meeting what Ban wanted to be when he grew up, he said “I want to become a diplomat.”
Ban received a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Seoul National University in 1970, and earned a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1985. At Harvard, he studied under Joseph Nye who remarked that Ban had “a rare combination of analytic clarity, humility and perseverance.” Ban was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) by the University of Malta on 22 April 2009. After his election as Secretary-General, Ban became an icon in his hometown, where his extended family still resides. Over 50,000 gathered in a soccer stadium in Chungju for celebration of the result. In the months after his appointment, thousands of practitioners of feng shui went to his village to determine how it produced such an important person.

Ban himself is not a member of any church or religious group and has declined to expound his beliefs: “Now, as Secretary-General, it will not be appropriate at this time to talk about my own belief in any particular religion or God. So maybe we will have some other time to talk about personal matters.” His mother is reportedly Buddhist. In the Korean Foreign Ministry his nickname was Ban-jusa, meaning “the Bureaucrat” or “the administrative clerk.” The name was used as both positive and negative: complimenting Ban’s attention to detail and administrative skill while deriding what was seen as a lack of charisma and subservience to his superiors.
The Korean press corps calls him “the slippery eel” for his ability to dodge questions. His demeanor has also been described as a “Confucian approach.”Ban’s work ethic is well documented. His schedule is reportedly broken into five-minute blocks; Ban claims to sleep for only five hours a night and never to have been late for work. During the nearly three years he was foreign minister for South Korea the only vacation he took was for his daughter’s wedding.

Discover Japan #7: Aomori Prefecture (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Japan National Tourist Organization London Office)

The forestry, aquaculture, and agriculture industries of Aomori are especially well developed compared to many other prefectures in Japan.
The Tsugaru region is famous for its production of rice and apples, while the regions along the Pacific coast are major areas of vegetable and livestock production.
Aomori is one of the foremost agriculturally successful prefectures nationwide.
In particular, the prefecture boasts the highest production of apples, yam, garlic and burdock root in Japan.
Aomori Prefecture has 640,000 hectares of forest, accounting for 66 percent of the total area of the prefecture.
The Tsugaru and Shimokita Peninsulas are home to the Hiba tree (Thujopsis dolabrata var. hondai).
Beech trees can be found in the Hakkoda and Shirakami Mountains, and the Pacific Coast region has Japanese red pine.
Japanese cedar is found throughout the prefecture and totals about 200,000 hectares in area.
The Hiba of Aomori Prefecture, make up one of the the “Three Great Beautiful Forests in Japan,” and is known for its beautiful wood, germ resistance and pleasant aroma.
The ancient beech forest in the Shirakami Mountains is also a designated World Heritage Site.
Aomori Prefecture is surrounded on three sides by water, including the Mutsu Bay, which all contribute to the flourishing fishing industry of the prefecture.
In order to protect the rich fishing grounds and ensure the sustainability of the industries in the future, the prefecture has promoted the development of scallops, salmon, flounder and abalone aquaculture while implementing healthy fishery management practices, and monitoring the numbers of important fish such as flounder and the flatfish.
The tertiary sector, including the service industry, and in particular the retail and wholesale industries, is a vital part of the prefecture’s economy.
As large-scale stores open in the suburbs, the prefecture is working on vitalizing shopping districts in the downtown areas.
The prefecture is also promoting four key sectors of the service industry: information technology, industry support systems, tourism and culture, as well as health and welfare.
Aomori Prefecture is also working to utilize local resources to nurture the development of strong regional manufacturing industries.
The prefecture is particularly committed to developing high-tech industries (flat-panel displays, nano-technology, etc.), as well as strengthening the agricultural and manufacturing industries, the medical health and welfare industry, and pioneering projects in environmental energy fields.