Kimbap, Traditional Music, Dance & Food and Jijitsu

Friday, January 18^th, 2013 – Friday, January 25^th, 2013

One of Aimee’s co-workers had a potluck on Friday night.  It was a lot of fun and everyone brought really yummy food.  Aimee made a Korean food called Kimbap and I watched her make it/rolled one myself.  It has carrot, egg, ham and radish in it. 

On Saturday, Casey, Aimee and I went to watch traditional Korean dancing and music.  It was done at a theater and every Saturday they have a slightly different venue with different types of traditional dancing and music.  They did a total of seven performances, each demonstrating a different dance or music performance.  The performers wore traditional clothing and they used different types of instruments.  The one we all liked the most involved around 5 women, in traditional clothing, playing drums in-sync and spinning their body around so they were playing the drums from the back at times and arching their back to reach the drum.  It was really interesting to watch every performance.

On Sunday, Aimee and I signed up for a self-defense class.  It started at 12:15pm and we were in the class until 4:30!  We had two instructors; one was actually from Toronto and went to Carleton.  That instructor taught us how to punch.  The other instructor taught us jujitsu moves.  We learned how to get out of a choke and how to strangle someone.  We also learned how to get out from under someone, how to elbow someone and other practical information to avoid getting into any of those situations in general. After the class, we went out for Indian food with the jujitsu instructor and another student in the class. 

Since we enjoyed the self-defense class, when we were told they were starting a women’s jujitsu class on Tuesdays and Thursdays we decided to give it a try.   So far we have learned how to break a fall, how to get from a vulnerable position to a more dominant position and other practical knowledge.  It has been a lot of fun and good exercise.  My body is adjusting to the class still and after the first 4 -hour class on Sunday, I was pretty sore.  I am getting a little more used of it.  Right now, it is two days a week but it might be increased to three days a week next month. 

Friday night, I was invited last minute to eat at my director’s apartment with my co-workers after work.   It was so fascinating to see what a typical homemade Korean meal consists of.   With every meal they eat Kim chi, which is normally a type of cabbage marinated in a spicy sauce and she had four different types.  She also gave me a small bag to bring home and now my apartment is starting to smell a bit haha.  She also had a bowl of de-clammed oysters, a small bowl of miny scrimp.   A plate with fresh seaweed and more cabbage, a grilled fish with the eyeball still one it, yellow bean soup, fish rice cake, rice, tofu, a plate with raw garlic, jalapeños, and onion and finally stem cooked pork with a couple of dipping sauces for all of the above.  She also made an alcoholic drink using Soju and pomegranate seeds.  It seemed like a lot of food for one meal, but it is apparently pretty standard.   Traditional Korean food is extremely healthy, except they leave a lot of the fat on the pork.  For dessert we had fruit: permissions, Korean pear (giant round fruit that has the texture of an apple but the taste of a pear) and apple.   After dinner, they showed me the director’s bed, which is flat marble that is heated.  Some people, like my director, sleep on hard marble with no mattress and this is also very traditional.  My first thought about sleeping every night on a rock hard surface is "ouch" but I guess you get used of it.

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