Moran Outdoor Market

This is the quintessential Korean outdoor market. There are 1200 stalls under tents and down alley ways. What is really surprising is that here is absolutely no odor emitted from all the meat and fish that is displayed. As usual I have not seen another American at the market! Here we go:

Handmade noodles, regular or buckwheat. I make chicken soup every week. 

Fish, fish and more fish. 

Whole deep fried chicken. $10

You can find handbags and clothing and baskets and hardware too. 

We don't see cut flowers often here because they are so expensive, but plants are reasonable. 

You can buy a bird or a chicken or a puppy at this market.

Lots of candy in wrappers.

I buy the freshly made mandu-pork or shrimp dumplings with veg.

Puffed rice with nuts and seeds and honey--great snack.

Lots of rice, mostly short grain, peanuts in front.

Plenty of ginger, garlic and onions, their trinity.

Barrels of red peppers are used to make the national dish, kimchi.

And more fish!

Clams, mussels and snails are abundant.

The eels and fish in the tubs splash and squirm not knowing their fate!

Kimchi close-up. There are many varieties.

They love their pork here as you can see in the foreground.

On the grill  is a mung bean pancake with veggies. And octopus is plentiful.

Fresh figs and Asian pears.

Heaps of garlic, I buy it shelled in baggies.

Wish I knew what all these bean things were! 

Here's your pork vendor. They don't trim the fat because they eat it.

S

Cucumbers, sweet potatoes, mushrooms and squash.

$25 for a box of strawberries that are hand-turned every day to face the sun. I hear they are incredible.

Lots of stalls make their own beer.

Persimmons are in season!

A heart made of leaves.

More Templestay Pics

Traditional tea service.

Monks have four bowls and robes/shoes and that is all that belongs to them.
Talk about nonattachment!

Meditation and a Q and A session with the monk.

A big hike with the monks. Ten thousand people did the same hike that day up uneven stones for two hours to the top of the mountain. Hiking is a very popular weekend activity. You don't exactly get that harmony with nature feeling when you're surrounded by other hikers!

Breakfast is apples, rice, soup, squash and more veggies. Natalie is from Russia but has been working as a banker in London, After ten years she quit her job and is traveling the world. She is now in Thailand for a month of meditation and yoga. We went to a Korean spa and out for a Korean BBQ dinner after the templestay. 

Nummy noodle soup with mushrooms and other veggies.

A few cats live here too.

Making lotus lanterns with my new friend from Sweden.

My First Temple Stay

The first thing they give you is a pair of shoes and pants/vest. 

A Temple Stay is a cultural-experience program designed to help people understand Korean Buddhism better. Temple stays offer various kinds of practicing methods such as ceremonial service involving chanting, Zen sitting/walking meditation, tea ceremony, lotus lantern craft, 108 prostrations, communal Buddhist meal service and communal work.  Participants like me can find their 'true self' amongst the harmony of nature while staying at a temple. This is a very popular weekend experience among both local Koreans and tourists. There are sixteen temples throughout the country that have English speaking monks/nuns and/or translators. Korean Buddhism has been practiced here for more than fifteen hundred year years. I chose a temple at the base of a mountain just 20 minutes outside of downtown Seoul. They usually take about 25 participants for a 24 hour period on weekends. There was just one male in our group (from Jordan) and about 22 women (half Korean/half European/Asian), I was the only American. It was a wonderful experience and I have already planned my next temple stay in Busan.  I will take the bullet train to the second largest city on the coast and go to Beomeosa Temple which is located at the edge of Mt. Geumjeongsan, a famous mountain in Busan. It was constructed About 1,300 years ago. That is my plan for Thanksgiving.

Trip to Costco

Every couple of weeks the school offers a bus trip to Costco. It takes about fifteen minutes to get there and we get exactly one hour to shop. It's a race against time with two floors and lots of carts. Next time you go to Costcoland you can appreciate the prices after taking a glance at these! It is often cheaper to go out to eat than to purchase seasonings and fresh products.

One of the teachers has her own cart ready to fill.

One floor for food and one for clothes/dry goods.

Same layout as in the States.

A four pack of butter is $26!

Almost $22 for a box of small yogurts.

Half-gallon of milk is $4.50.

$29 for a container of mixed nuts, ouch!

The macadamias will set you back almost $30 for 25 oz. 

$17 for pecan or pumpkin pie.

Almost $17 for 2 Skippys.

Twelve bucks for a container of pretzels.

Good thing I don't like marshmallows, over $8 a bag!

Bag of mini Snickers $20

Just like at home there are lots of samples! Behind her are the three packs of Alaskan salmon which is the only seafood from the NW I can find. There's tons of squid, octopus and anchovies here, but I miss the salmon, halibut and Dungeness. 

Noodles of course!

Cheese is really expensive, $40 for a wedge of parm.

Good ole' roasted chicken. I get a couple of these each time, only $7.

If you gotta have your Cheetos, it'll be $9 for the bag!

Look familiar? Hot dogs $2, pizza $2.50, calzone $4. All about the same price as home. After not eating bread and cheese here for a couple of months a slice of the pizza sat in my stomach like a rock!

Checkout goes quick as there is no short supply of staff at any store, anytime. There are greeters at most shops.

I had to do it.

Fruit is so costly it is wrapped and given as gifts. Over $100 for some apples and pears in this fancy box. We generally pay at least a dollar for every small apple, orange or pear from street vendors.

Yup, that's fifty big ones for a couple of cantaloupes! Watermelons are the same.
My juicer is only used for very special occasions!

It hurts to pay $25 for oatmeal!!