Tag: New Year

Korea boasts a number of festive holidays. Leading the list is Seollal, or New Year, when people enjoy a bowl of tteokguk (rice cake soup) or play traditional games with their families. On Chuseok, the entire family gathers to enjoy the bounties of the autumn harvest. On Dano, people wear colorful hanboks, ride on swings, and wash their hair in iris-essence water. And there is Sambok, when people eat especially nutritious meals and cool off in a mountain brook during the hottest period of summer.

If you have ever been to Korea or have an interest in the country, you may have heard a little about the holidays of Seollal, Chuseok, and Dano. How about Sambok? The word Sambok may sound unfamiliar to you, but if you want to beat the heat of summer in Korea, then you might want to learn more about it. Here is what Korean people enjoy doing during Sambok.

What is Sambok?

In the past when most Koreans depended on farming for their livelihood, all family members worked in the fields from spring to fall. But when the scalding heat of summer made field work nearly impossible, everyone would take a short respite from the sizzling sun. Part of this summertime ritual was eating a carefully prepared, nutritious meal meant to build stamina and cool the body: a wise and easy way to recover from fatigue and gear up for the fall harvest.

Sambok refers to the three hottest days of summer, which mark the peak of the growing season. After these days have passed, farmers look forward to the ripening of the rice. According to the lunar calendar, the sambok period extends over a month and is marked by the three days of chobok (beginning), jungbok (middle), and malbok (last). There is a 10-day interval between chobok and jungbok, and a 20-day interval between jungbok and malbok. This year, chobok is July 20, jungbok is July 30, and malbok is August 9 after the monsoon season (June 10, 20, and July 10 respectively by the lunar calendar). And since Sambok is counted according to the lunar calendar, the days are different every year.

What Do People Do on Sambok Days?

In the past, Sambok was a holiday for farmers worn out by farming chores. During the dynastic period, the royal court distributed ice from the palace icehouse to its high-ranking officials. In those days, however, ice was a rarity for the common people. So, when the heat of summer made it impossible to work the land, people did chores instead, or took a few days off to go to a cooler place.

Usually, people took refuge in a nearby mountain valley or at the seacoast. Such trips were mostly common among housewives. They would flee from labor and spend a leisurely cool summer vacation, enjoying a footbath in a cold mountain brook or a sand bath on the beach. This was also a time for them to visit their parents and family members.

Nowadays, there are no special sambok traditions, but people still continue the custom of eating nutritious and rejuvenating foods, which is why you’ll find a long line of customers waiting to be seated at samgyetang or other sambok-special restaurants.

Korean’s Favorite Sambok Meals!

Koreans are most interested in foods that help restore stamina weakened by the scorching heat, and the most popular are samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup) andjangeogui (grilled eel). According to Eastern medicine, blood concentrates near the skin in hot weather in order to cool the body, and this may lead to bad blood circulation in the stomach and muscles. For this reason, it is not uncommon to lose one’s appetite or feel exhausted in summer.

On those days, people will want to eat foods that warm the body. For example, chicken, the main ingredient in samgyetang, warms the body, and ginseng too promotes heat in the body. One might ask: why eat hot foods when the weather is already so hot? From ancient times, the custom was based on the Oriental medicinal theory that even though there is heat in the body, the internal organs are relatively cold. It was believed that by warming up the inner body, not only would one overcome summer heat, it would also prevent illness and fatigue. And because poor nutrition reduced energy, which could ultimately lead to a bad harvest, people usually prepared nutritious and energizing meals on sambok days. It addition to samgyetang, people also eat jangeogui (broiled eel), patjuk (red bean porridge), or summer fruits like melon.

Samgyetang – The Most Popular Sambok Dish

Samgyetang, the most popular Korean dish for sambok days, is prepared with a tender young chicken (one small chicken each for individual servings), ginseng, garlic, jujube dates, and glutinous rice.
In addition to samgyetang, you can also try the chogyetang (cold noodles with chicken) or yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), which are made from chicken. It is said that a hot meal that induces perspiration has more health benefits than a cold meal in summer.

Patjuk Drives Away Spirits, So Why Not Heat?

Patjuk, red bean gruel, is eaten not only on sambok days, but also on Dongji (winter solstice). Ancient records show that because the color red was avoided by evil spirits, people threw red beans at the front gate of their home or ate red bean porridge to drive away evil spirits. For this reason, it is customary for Koreans to make patjuk in hopes of bringing peace and health to the family. In some regions especially, people have long believed that eating patjuk on sambok days helps drive away heat and illness, so it has become customary to make patjuk. A sweet tasting legume, red beans are rich in protein, fat, fiber, and vitamin B1, and help relieve swelling.

Chueotang and Jangeogui Make for Younger-Looking Skin

Rich in vitamin A and E, jangeo, or eel, stimulates blood circulation and helps prevent ageing and wrinkles. Freshwater eel or mudfish has 200 times the vitamin A in beef. Eel is known to be effective for people suffering from rheumatism, pneumonia, or osteoporosis. In Korea, grilled eel is especially popular among men, as it is believed to be an aphrodisiac thanks to the eel’s rich content in zinc. Other natural foods rich in zinc are oysters and abalone, and it is said that the legendary libertine Casanova never forgot to eat 50 oysters a day. Moreover, because of its high retinol content that helps prevent wrinkles and ageing, eel is also widely enjoyed by women.

If your budget is large or unlimited you will find that Maui will afford you all the luxury and world class activities that you would expect. It is important to know that you can enjoy an outstanding vacation on Maui with a limited budget.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when planning to travel to Maui on a limited budget. The most important is to make early decisions about what kind of travel and living accommodations you will need, what types of activities you and your family would enjoy and exactly the limits of your budget. Depending on the dates of your travel, you might need to make reservations as much as a year in advance for some elements of your trip.

In general there are two travel seasons on the island; the “high” season and the “low” season. Read this as the “expensive” season and the “regular” cost season.

The high season is from December 15th through April 15th. The rest of the year is the regular season. The high season covers the holidays such as Christmas and New Year and the cold weather in North America. It’s a great time to be in Hawaii. As such, you can expect that prices for such things as living accommodations will be much more expensive than in the regular season, as mush as double the cost in some instances. You will also find that air travel costs, restaurant costs and activities in general will be more expensive than in the rest of the year. Also, the island will be more crowded so services such as restaurants and shops will be slower. Motor traffic will also be much more congested during the high season.

The implication being that if timing is not a factor in your vacation and funds are limited you would be wise to avoid the high season.

However, there are some things that happen around Maui that take place only in the winter, namely the arrival of Humpback whales in early December. They provide a spectacular sight in the channels surrounding Maui and this is very important to some people. The prospect of dependable warm weather during this time also brings many people to the island during the high season.

On Maui you will find a wide variety of accomodations. Depending on the size of your group, from singles, through couples to families and other gatherings, there is “just the right place” to stay. You can find world class resorts where your every need and want is catered to in royal (alii) style, through all types of hotels, through fully furnished condominiums, through renting homes and apartments. The accomodations can be ocean front on the beach, In town through “up country” on the flanks of one of the two (dormant) volcanoes on the island.

Of course the cost of accommodations varies with the type, size and location of the property. You can expect to pay much more for space in a luxury resort than in an upcountry bed and breakfast. It will serve you well to contact one of the many travel companies in Maui to explore your options and to make your reservations.

Maui is a major vacation destination. The local people will do everything to make your stay comfortable, easy and really fun. The total experience of visiting Maui will give you memories for a life time.

The test of a really great vacation is that you hate to leave. You will find that to be the case when you visit Maui.

It is the New Year now. In the New Year holiday, many people plan to have a travel outside to relax themselves. The weather in this holiday is so cold, so I will introduce some tips people should pay attention to in travelling.

Drink black tea one week in advance. Study found that drinking 500 ml of black tea every day one week before travel will stimulate the body to secrete 2-4 times of interferon more than usual, which can enhance the immune system and allow you not vulnerable virus caused by the common cold and hepatitis.

Prepare ample anti-hypoxia drugs. Irish researchers found that more than half of the passengers will have hypoxia symptom when they take planes. Hypoxia combined with dehydration, sedentariness and drying and other factors can induce a variety of diseases. So, it is suggested that travelers eat acetazolamide to increase the body’s oxygen metabolism two days before taking planes.

Eat protein before departure. According to the American Academy of Neurology’s theory, when people take vehicles, ear vestibule balance receptors in human body will stimulated and make people feel dizzy, nausea, vomiting and have other symptoms. Pennsylvania State University study shows that eating protein such as eggs and beef before takeoff could reduce nausea and other symptoms by 26%.

Drink bottled water outside. To travel in remote areas or underdeveloped countries, it is better not to the local water. Experts recommend you drink bottled water when traveling to avoid viruses and bacterial infection. Brushing teeth and cleaning contact lenses are better to use boiled water.

Remember to wash hands frequently. Experts think that washing hands frequently during travel is the best way to prevent various infections. If it is not convenient to wash hand, you can take a bottle of alcohol (content of 60% or more). In addition, do not touch poultry and wild birds, for they are highly susceptible to infectious diseases.