Asian Thanksgiving

For the next 3 months, I am tutoring one of the 40 executives here on the Thunderbird campus from a company in Korea.They are the largest corporation in Korea, and they send their top leaders here to be immersed in the English language, American culture, and Thunderbird learning program. It is an ambitious program for an English speaker, let alone an ESL student! I am SO excited to be a part of this.

My new friend is a gentleman. A top leader in his company. A fast learner. An adventurous eater. A lover of learning. A comedian (really, he loves to make American jokes, and they're actually hilarious!). An outdoors-man.

Part of our routine and practice regimen, is having him email me daily. He can email me anything about him, his wife, his 2 daughters, his job, Korean culture, Korean food etc... I've asked him tell me about his world. 

In turn, I read his email, correcting his grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, etc. The best part, is we're both learning! I'm learning all about Korea, and he's learning English. I love it when it's win-win. :)

The other day, I was explaining the concept of Thanksgiving to him. He was so excited, as he told me how in Korea right now, it is the season for Chuseok, comparable to our American Thanksgiving. 

Suddenly, our worlds didn't seem so far away. 

Families gathering together to celebrate a traditional national harvest, gratitude, delicious food... We are all one big family on this planet. I realized I need to take more time to get to know my fellow brothers and sisters better. 

I don't think we're as different as you might imagine....

Korean Songpyeon

According to the lunar calendar, the moon will shine brightest on October 3 this year. In countries from China to Vietnam, Korea, and Japan, people will gather with family and friends to enjoy the view, give thanks for this year's harvest, and feast on delicious cakes and dumplings.

Originally associated with the harvest cycle and dating back over 3,000 years in China, the mid-autumn or moon festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Among our favorite traditions associated with the holiday are, of course, the foods: rich mooncakes filled with lotus seed paste and egg yolks, rice dumplings steamed over aromatic pine needles, and sweet little cakes shaped like rabbits.

In Korea, it is known as Chuseok.This three-day celebration is also known as Hangawi or Korean Thanksgiving. It has traditionally been celebrated with offerings of food and thanks to the ancestors, and sharing feasts and games with family and neighbors. The most important food served is songpyeon, a kind of tteok (rice cake). These half-moon shaped cakes are filled with sweet bean paste, chestnut paste, or sesame seeds and steamed over pine needles. Families may also serve newly harvested foods like persimmons, chestnuts, and jujubes. 

Here is a video tutorial and recipe for Rice Cake (Songpyeon). The first photo in this blog post is of Sonpyeon as well.  I found it fascinating that the Korean Times newspaper directs its readers:

"....just before you pop a songpyeon in your month, take a moment to make a wish, and to appreciate the hundreds of years' tradition and the hard work that goes into each piece."

Sound a bit like the American Apple Pie, Turkey, Cornbread, Mashed Potatoes mantra we give thanks for here???