Angie Does

My first experience in Cheonan was an adventure. The plan was to get lunch and then see the Cheonan City Chungnam National Orchestra performance at the Cheonan Museum. I stopped to eat at Eomeoni Bapsang. This is where the adventure began. Despite the language barrier, I ordered our lunch and enjoyed the baseball game that was on the TV. Once the meal arrived, the restauranteur realised that neither my husband nor I had any idea how to cook and eat the soup. He was very patient with us and showed us how to adjust the temperature, how to remove the bones from the fish, and gestured for us to wait to eat. Once we got the all clear, we dug into the most delicious fish soup I have ever eaten. I was not sure of all the ingredients and was hesitant to finish the meal. Before I got cold feet, the chef came out from the kitchen and offered an encouraging smile as I shovelled spoonful after spoonful into my mouth. I was unsure about an ingredient in the soup that resembled brain...

One of the things I love most about Pyeongtaek it the mix of urban and rural landscapes. I was fascinated by the rice fields that surround Pyeongtaek. I’ve always been interested in how things grow and develop. I’ve never had a green thumb but I love plants. I wish I could have a lush vegetable garden to sustain my family but nothing I plant ever grows. I love that I can see them from my apartment, alongside the highrises and cityscape. We moved to Pyeongtaek right at the start of the growing season so I have been fortunate to have been able to witness the entire growth process of the rice fields, something I had never known anything about before.  While I did not see the planting of the rice, it appears as though the rice is meticulously planted in neat rows of single plants. At the beginning of the lifecycle, it resembles tall grass.  As the rice matures, it begins to bud, much like wheat. The other day, while out for a morning jog, I was fort...