Happy friday! XD So glad that it's week-end tomorrow. I need to SLEEEEP~ Besides, Shining Inheritance/Brilliant Legacy will air then :)

Currently checking out what dramas to follow during the summer (after all, the tv show Supernatural is taking a break over the summer like everything else in TV world) and I totally know what to watch on the jdrama front: Orthros no Inu!

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Orthros_no_Inu

I just love that theme! I hope that it'll be suspenseful enough and not have some exaggerated asian humour incorporated into (like in all jdramas nowadays). Something dark and angsty is what I need! XD

On the kdrama front, there are several to watch: Friend Our Legend, Triple, Swallow the Sun (I can't help myself, it's Ji Sung!) and maybe The Man Who Can't Get Married, maybe Partner and maybe Style... totally not sure about the last three, but will most likely give them a try. I hope at least a couple of them will be worthwhile to follow!

Am I first by any chance?
:]
happy friday everybody~

Hi to all who reside in the states,

How do you get your korean fix? i mean like, as simple as food, music, culture... I'll be heading north from Asia in a few months time... and I do wonder about how i'll get my korean fix without having friends sending me packages from home ever so often.. :)

Lynx, I'm not 100% sure what you mean, but whether in Asia or America, there are plenty of stores that offer international flavors. In some places in America we also have Korean stores like H Mart where you can usually find everything from appliances and grovery to cute Sanrio pencils and stuffed toys =]

For food - get a rice cooker for sticky rice, and then get some tofu, dwenjang paste, hot pepper paste, white potatoes, cubed carrots, broken up onions, shredded leftover beef, finely minced garlic, a few cups of vegetable / beef broth, and finally, some sliced red peppers and sliced green onions at the end to top.... and poof, you have Samsooki Style Dwenjang Jigae (SSDJ).

I can give you my recipe for SSDJ if you want. It's not a "classic" restaurant style or homestyle recipe (lacking in a few key ingredients), but it tastes pretty good and doesn't quite have the deep, deep funky smell that can turn off American styled palate / palette.

When we have ppl over, they say, "wow, this is pretty good... but it is lacking something...." And I agree, but that's the price you pay if you don't want your house or apartment smelling like boiled kimchi.

Oh, I also have a recipe for SSDBK - Samsooki Styled Dduk Bok Ki, which is waaay different from the kind you see in restaurants (which looks like a huge soup of mish-mashed ingredients) or the kind you see in street vendors (basically, dduk in red liquid). My wife calls it gourmet style dduk bok ki, since it basically can be a meal rather than just a snack food, the way I prepare it.

@ Lynx - Are you just visiting or moving here for a period of time?
It will depend on where you will be in the states. If you're going to be in Los Angeles, you will have no trouble with the plethora of Korean restaurants, stores, etc. As for the rest of the country, there are Koreans in just about every major city. It's just a question of where to find them. As for music and cuture, as long as you've got the internet, you'll be fine.

@ Samsooki
LOL!
What's wrong with the smell of boiled kimchi?! My husband loves it. He's the one that gets the craving for Korean food more often than me. :D

@HyeIn

Are you the same HyeIn who manages Slingshot/Story of a Man on Viikii? If so, thank you!!!

@ Lynx

In any major city you won't have a problem.

I'm back! *sigh* And so tired. What's everyone been talking about lately?

I've been watching Brilliant Legacy and Just finished Episode 6 and I'm loving it. I almost watched Episode 7 RAW and I've never done that before.

@5 hjkomo -

"LOL! What’s wrong with the smell of boiled kimchi? My husband loves it."

This is a huge topic that can go for weeks and weeks. Let me just say a few things.

1. I never used to eat korean food at home when I was growing up. My whole family had korean food but since I didn't like it, my mom just put out white bread and cheese and cold cuts for me, and I would make a sandwich for dinner rather than eating real korean food. So, my taste for korean food is actually an acquired taste, I was not born with korean taste buds. I didn't like korean food until I got to college.

2. Because of the way I grew up, I have a difficult time smelling things like kimchi jigae or kimchi bokeum because sometimes, the fermentation smell is pretty strong and I kind of feel like I am dying. THAT said, I still like kimchi jigae and kimchi bokeum, but only when I make it with fresh kimchi and NOT with old kimchi that everybody else uses. Big disagreement with the wife on this issue, but if I cook, then I cook how I cook, no cooking from the dining room, thank you.

3. When we first got married, we lived in a tiny apartment, I would always be afraid of making the whole apartment complex smell like boiled fermenting kimchi, and so we acted like responsible neighbors. Now that we have our own home, we can cook however we want, but as long as I am cooking, I won't use old kimchi for anything.

4. And so, that's why my dwenjang jigae has no kimchi and very little odor. It also lacks a bit of taste, but you have to sacrifice.

@yoonjong - I'm just wondering how pervasive is Korean culture in America and how accessible are Korean products (like food / or even fashion??:) I shall keep a look out for H Mart! (Not much a fan of sanrio products... they're japanese in orign arent they??)

@Samsooki - actually, do you go to a website for korean recipes?? Or it's your own modification? I've gotten myself a nice box of bean paste.. and I'm like other than eating it with meat / veg, what else could I do with it. Any recipes would be welcome! I do like kimchi in soups.. :)

@hjkomo - I'll be in Wisc for about 18 months.. going to relish being a student all over again... and I'm hoping that it's going to be an easy enough transition from Asia :) And yes... I shall make it an objective to look for the necc stores for supplies... and internet...shall take care of the rest I hope.. I do with there's KBS world / airang channels or similar... :P

Re: the kimchi talk

I've never had kimchi before. Is it spicy?

@mishane
I'm watching Accidental Couple (and me and my mum thinks the main lead guy is just so sweet. She agrees, character over looks any time).

Also The Slingshot. First two epidoes a bit slow i think.. but I like the cast and storyline so far... :)

Has anyone ever seen a drama where they fell in love with the soundtrack?

I recently saw the k-drama 'Soulmates' and went right away and downloaded EVERY SONG. It's now on the Top 20 played on my iPod. I mean, wow, they did a great job choosing the music in that show (even if the show itself was that amazing, to me at least).

The only other time I can remember falling in love with a soundtrack was for the Veronica Mars TV show.

Hello everyone............ have a nice day to all

@11

I still love the OST for 'Spring Waltz', both versions. It is haunting, lovely, and whimsical. I especially liked the song Clemintine. Considering how often we would sing it during elementary music class, I really hate that song - especially since most classmates made it their mission to completely mangle it with their fake twang. But when I heard the piano version and where they sing it in the children's episode - wow. I loved it!!! Still listening to it. And of course the main Loveholic song is one of my favorites.

I really liked the OST for 'I'm Sorry. I Love You." when I was watching the drama, but when I downloaded it, I didn't like it as much which is really odd since I totally love the drama.

Also, while the drama wasn't fantastic, I love the OST for 'One Fine Day'.

There are some songs from various other OST's that I like, but the above three are the ones that I can say I like the entire OST.

hi everyone!
i've just recently watched a jdrama entitled 1litre of tears and oh boy,
i cried like i've never cried before!
its about a girl with an incurable disease not unlike a lot of kdramas but it touched me in a way dramas like autumn tale, tree of heaven, winter sonata, tree of heaven, etc. never did... i mean i cried but i never feel depressed, it left with a feel of inspiration and hope to the goodness and strength of humanity despite facing problems and troubles like incurable disease...
hey korea, this is how dramas like these should be..
it should not make you feel depressed and miserable!
it should make you think that shedding those tears and crying along with the characters while watching that drama left you no regrets and the whole watching experience has been so memorable that will make you wish every drama left you feeling like this..
i love it so much and i think that if you're an Asian drama fan and haven't watched this you're missing something so good..

One more OST that I absolutely loved was the one for A Love To Kill. It was just so beautifully haunting and the lyrics and tone so perfectly fit every scene. Gah.

Question if I may, seen the kimchi making in dramas - the red one, but not the white kimchi. How is this made.....Recipe, Please.

P.S. No local Korean stores, but one Thai/Chinese store for ingredients.

@mishane

Not only did I fall in love with Soulmate's soundtrack, I fell in love with Shin Dong Wook too. But anyway, I also like Coffee Prince's soundtrack. I have both Soulmate and CP songs in one playlist on my iPod and I put them on shuffle.

mishane or anyone else,
I love the 'Soulmates' sound track too (and the show). I am not having much luck in trying to find a good place to download or buy them though. Can anyone recommend any good sites?

Thanks!

I am currently watching 'Single Dad in Love'. I am just on Ep. 2, still not too sure about it yet.

@mishane,
it's Que Sera Sera for me, I loved the music a lot (I went on to loving W and Whale from that soundtrack). Oh, and Capital Scandal soundtrack, 30s feel, great soundtrack, different. And curiously, the soundtrack for Evasive Inquiry Agency has been on my player for more than a year, I think and I do still listen to it frequently. That soundtrack is so much fun that my mood is always lifted whenever I listen to it.

Anyways, anyone's watching Queen Seondeok? How's the first week episodes?

Btw, Happy Friday everyone! Happy Friday to JB! Thank you for a wonderful blog, a wonderful place to visit, and thank you for everything that you do!!

**

A few threads ago, JB put up a song called "Universe" (track 5) which comes out of Jisun's solo effort (Mermaid Comes Back Home). What a great recommendation. The whole CD is pretty good, and I highly recommend picking it up. Jisun had a Seoul Pops! interview where she named Loeb as one of her early influences and one of her favorite artists that she listens to, and you can definitely pick up the Lisa Loeb influence.

Listening to Universe, and thinking back to all the Loveholic songs that I like, I am beginning to feel like this is all part of the same thing for me - k-movies, k-dramas, k-pop music... it's all part of the same dream, the dream where you are almost awake but not quite, and the bed is warm and comfortable and you are awake enough (or maybe you are dreaming that you are awake enough) to have clear-ish thoughts about stuff, and you just vibe on the flow.

***

Oh, btw, we finished Episode 10 of Hong Gil Dong. It's official, my wife and I both love the drama, and we are actively researching whether it is possibel to adopt Kang Ji Hwan. Then we'll get to hang out with him whenever he visits us, and then he can maybe comment on a few of the open threads. What a great story in Hong Gil Dong, and I love the pace and the directing/editing. In fact, I like everything about the drama so far (directing, acting, casting, editing), even though I'm not a huge fan of fusion sageuks.

Hey it's Japan Day in Central Park, NYC on Sunday.

So cool. I think I'll go for the free food.

samsooki,

jisun's mermaid album is my new obsession, haha, it's sooooo nice to listen to, i love pretty much the entire album.

Hi everyone!
While we're on the topic of Korean food, can anyone give me a few suggestions for good restaurants in LA? I live in the Southbay but I'm willing to venture into Ktown. I've tried cooking some myself but not sure how things are meant to taste. There are a couple of Korean supermarkets here in the Southbay and I've wandered around with my cart fascinated by all the different foods. Are there any Korean Cooking Schools out there?

I just started to watch "City Hall" as I felt in the mood for something lighthearted and funny. Have to say I'm enjoying it so far. There's something bewitching in Cha Seung Wons eyes! [Sorry no apology for shallow comment].

Have a great weekend everyone!

@mishane, you've never had kimchi??! Wow! How is that possible? :D It can be very spicy but then again, it can be mild ... depending on how you make it (or buy it).

I'm also enjoying Shining Inheritance. Not sure about Lee Seung-gi's acting so far, or his chemistry with Han Hyo-joo. Having said that, I find myself fast forwarding to the bits where there is interaction between Hwan and Eun-sung. Maybe cos I find the step mother a bit hard to swallow, or Moon Chae-young's acting/character not as fulfilling as that in Painter of the Wind.

But I think Ban Soo-bin is a cutie ... he reminds me of a younger Ji Jin-hee (back in the days of Dae Jang Geum). I don't know where the resemblance is ... maybe it's the smile?

The weather is beautiful in London. Fingers crossed we get a Summer this year!

@ 26 crzycpl

No, I've never had kimchi before. I have a sensitive mouth and anything spicy has me downing a gallon of water. I don't mind trying it once or twice, but I don't really know any good places for it. I usually just go for the Korean barbeque which I love.

Samsooki.

ROFL.
Thats naughty, just a couple of days ago Kang Ji Hwan, had you waxing poetical over just a wink. Adoption and visits, that is just playing with fire. Might have to battle a few of our commentator friends ( two have laid claims ) first.

@ jtinma
I have the soundtrack and I will be glad to send it to you - message me on youtube under nonamenoluck :o)

@28 B.B. -

"Might have to battle a few of our commentator friends ( two have laid claims ) first."

It is like you guys haven't watched any of the popular k-dramas. It DOES NOT matter who was FIRST! All that matters is what is happening NOW, and that's why previous claims of Kang Ji Hwan (mine!) are really falling on deaf ears.

1. In the classic, classic tale of the unrequited love of an old flame, watch DGCH - Hong Chae Rin (ably played by Park Shi Eun) had her shot with Mong Ryong. But Mong Ryong moved on. Mong Ryong moved onto Choon Hyang.

2. Or check out MNIKSS, with the memorable scene between Kim Sam Soon and Yoo Hee-Jin, as they both lay claim to Binnie. Hee-Jin says, "well, I was first and Sam Soon says that killer line, "memories have no strength" which totally stuns Jung Ryo Won and all she can do is attempt to pick up the check to save a shred of her dignity.

3. And we can look at that wonderful drama called My Girl, where the character of Kim Seo Hyun (rather annoyingly played by Park Si Yeon) desperately tried to win back Gong Chan, but she failed miserably too, but she had a great closing line, where she says, "I thought I lost to Samsooki, but I really lost to love."

4. In Soulmate, Shin Dong Wook REALLY tried to make it work with Hong Yu Jin, but even he could not deny that he had moved onto Lee Soo Kyung.

In the end, it is all about fate and destiny. I did not see it coming, after all, either. We are all slaves to fate and k-dramas.

:)

@ 13 mishane

I LOVE SOULMATE! I've been searching for as much of the soundtrack as I can find. I haven't found all of the songs - where did you get them all?

@11 mishane

I'm like you, haven't had Kimchee before. I hate all things pickled so I fear kimchee but I do want to try it.

I'm trying to find a good korean place here in San Diego to try kimchee and other foods - the only one I seem to be able to find is one that is so authentic, that I don't think they speak english and since my korean is limited to Ahnyo and ahjuhma - I don't think that's going to work.

Saturday! :)

@mishane:

i can't take spicy food as well! but i find kimchi quite okay. depending on which kind. the ones i eat are usually a little spicy with a little sour and a little like wasabi, imo, where the after taste hits you. either that, or i've been eating the wrong thing. hehehe. but i don't take a big chunk of it though.

and one thing that work for me in a drama is definitely the soundtrack, so i download OSTs like anything. Like que sera sera. I haven't even watch that show but i have the album (cause I LOVE W & Whale and Alex!) The first has to be Autumn In My Heart, which then sparked the love for Kpop! In Malaysia, 'Reason' is the most overrated and overused in restaurants.

i'm also a sucker for the scores (instrumentals) cause they are the ones that make me love the drama more. My favorite OSTs include (not in order):
1. Star's Lover
2. BOF (2nd OST, not the first one)
3. Successful Story of Bright Girl
4. Que Sera Sera
5. Beethoven Virus
6. Thank You
7. Goong
8. Hello God
9. Lovers In Paris
10. My Precious You (the weekend drama)
etc.

@deeta:

glad to find someone loving W & Whale as well - the underrated but super talented group. Love Whale's deep round-ish voice.

Hello! it's a rainy friday here in Boston..... ggooooddd time to go under the fluffy covers and do a kdrama marathon!!!

@SAMSOOKI
On MUSIC/SOUNDTRACK
hey, thanks for mentioning Jisun and loveholics.... love most of the songs... been browsing the internet for the cds. The last cd I bought was the BLACKSKIRTs... good music too.

Love the coffee prince, and soulmate soundtracks!!! Not to mention the ever cute hot GY and SDW !!!

and oh yeah, spring waltz soundtrack is good, if you like classical kind of music....

ON KIMCHI...

am yet to taste kimchi.... ^-^

Oh, I wanted to bring this up before I forgot. Been saving it for a Friday open thread.

Open Question:

Why do you guys like k-dramas? Why are you guys so interested in it, the people and the stories? What makes it different from the other stuff you guys watch?

I got asked this question over the Memorial Day weekend, and I didn't really have much of an answer. I think I said, "korean dramas show the life that I wish I could have." Does anyone else feel that way?

Just curious.

speaking of soundtracks, "la dolce vita" (a bittersweet life) had one of the most beautiful, haunting soundtracks ever. but my fave to date is still soulmate. i loved (and hated) the way the anticipation would build between dong-wook and soo-kyung, yet time after time they'd just pass each other by. and the twist that dong-wook can "hear" soo-kyung, that was just wonderful! i even ended up loving his headband (sorta).

it's dark and gloomy here in s. cali, and i'm praying for it to rain and thunder (as long as i'm indoors when it happens). it's friday and i'm swamped at work but am at JB's blog spewing babble. ^^;;;

most anticipated dramas: Orthros no Inu (has the kind of plot i wish i had thought of first and published) & Triple (LOVE the cast - and by cast, i mean the guys)

@35 Samsooki
it's an escapist thing. living vicariously through these people and their loves, hoping that in the end everything will turn out all right and good will prevail. i think our actual lives are all pretty uneventful and kdramas are chock full of craziness to the extreme. i mean, sometimes you'd wish it could happen to you (but secretly not really because who wants leukemia/illegitimate brother/meet a rude filthy rich guy haha)

rofl i see lee da hae picture in the banner... so yeah great website you got here, & ignore the haters comment, they're just bitter for no reason ^^

hey guys! i see there's a whole discussion concerning korean food and stuff.
i want some advice from you experts, im going to korea next month with my whole family, for 10 days, and even though i know the basic food, dukk boki, jajangmyun, kimchi, etc, im not really familiar with what they are eaten with and their ingredients. In my religion we're not allowed to eat pork, and drink any form of wine, thats why i would appreciate it if you guys could help me about what foods i should look out for and what food i should avoid, and if the food i avoid could be modified? like if i specifically ask in a restaurant not to include pork or not to use wine in the mixture, would that work? im basically blank about this issue, and having someone answer my questions directly is so much better than searching online.

thanks in advance

@ samooski ...heyyy :D

well i like korean movies/dramas because i'm just in love with them. i mean you don't have to have a reason to love something! they just appeal to me! they're cure my boredom. the korean guys...oh man they're eye candies ...LOL i love the story lines! the chemistry between actors...but you know they're just so different! because i'm not korean so watching korean dramas/movies has become a hobby of mine...

@ mcjayjay! heyyyy :D

you know in my religion we're not allow to eat pork or drink any form of wine :] i guess we're in the same boat! i've been meaning to go to SK! so great question...lol i'm waiting for an answer as well :D

Why we love k dramas? Because its full of characters who we wish we could be like, living lives and meeting people we can never hope to have and meet.

As for OST, Que Sear Sera, CP (the one by tearliner) which is one of the best soundtracks ever made and goong, say what you want about the drama itself but the instrumentals are mesmerizingly beautiful.

@35 SAMSOOKI

I was religiously watching Jdrama when i found the Kdrama. After watching my first kdrama, i got hooked!

I like watching Kdrama because:

* I love and understand their sense of humor....

*although I am not into heavy, burdensome crying scenes and overly dramatic plots, most of the kdramas have a good flow of funny, sad and exasperating moments that are worth watching....

* Kdramas, amidst modern concepts, languages, still show their tradition, culture, and respect to each other and to the older people and showing these with easy flow.

*In lighter aspect.... kdramas do have cute guys!!!!! If not the cutest guys around.....*mm..yeah, my best friend's ego now is big,while reading this...he thinks korean guys like him are the cutest*

*and, I guess, like you Samsooki, I could have had live a similar life in korea....
am not saying I dont like my life right now, but am appreciating more the life, culture, traditions of korea and the asia in general(asian countries do have similar cultures and traditions....very interesting)....

@bina
are you muslim? lool, yea i hope someone answers =D

@ mojadora #16

1 Litre of Tears is SOOO SAD that I'm afraid to watch it :) All my friends have seen it and I see them have puffy, red eyes for days.

Happy Friday everybody!

I was scrolling through the comments and noticed a lot of people looking for soundtracks. I get all my soundtracks either thru the d-addicts site or thru asianosts.cjb.net. I believe you may have to create a log-in but they have soundtracks for the majority of k/j/tw movies and dramas. Sometimes they're licensed so they'll remove it, but for the most part I've never had much trouble finding what I'm looking for there.

Hope this helps!

I know there is a lot of heartache and stuff in k-dramas, and that could be a downer, but I think that what is attractive to me about the characters in the k-dramas is how they respond to the challenges in their lives.

Wouldn't it be neat if we could all live our lives like that.

Wouldn't it be neat to have friends like the kinds of friends that they have.

Or work colleagues! We watched Dal Ja Spring, and Dal Ja's whole office was soooooo funny. My office, my colleagues and co-workers... nobody sings or dances like that, or puts up posters, or takes us out to dinner and drinking.... Same thing with Super Rookie, and seeing the top executives always taking out the younger ppl to dinner and drinking and singing....

Maybe we should create a new banner for JB, proclaming:

"Javabeans: the way that life should be, minus the leukemia..."

:)

@41 KOK -

"Why we love k dramas? Because its full of characters who we wish we could be like, living lives and meeting people we can never hope to have and meet."

Why do you say that though?

Do you think k-dramas puts an unreasonable expectation on what people think that guys (especially kor. guys) should be like?

@Samsookie

I would love to have the recipes you mentioned as well, can you put them up here?

If anybody else has a "secret" recipe for some yummy korean food, I would love to read about it.

Due to Whitsunday & -monday we have a long weekend here and I will enjoy every single minute of it. Hope you do too...

@ Samsooki

Ouch.....*waves white flag*
Ceasefire there for a moment - methinks Samsooki had a game plan all prepared prematch.

Note to self - keep copious notes on all Love Triangles in every drama I watch from now, with names and quotes.

To quote Samsooki's words '' I can name like a half-dozen dramas where the mitchin girls did not let go even though their “man” had a connection with someone else. It’s not love! '' tack in your wonderful memory of dramas in comment above. I do not think all these had adoption in mind.
So play nice, can't keep moving the goalposts. Do you want to Mother Hwannie or not. lol

I do feel that K dramas have disillusioned alot of young kids, especially young girls. Not only that but they do put unrealistic expectations, the main girl will always go from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan, the men are always knights, and none of the charcters have any/or are allowed any flaws. Aesthetically pleasing, perfect people.

We can always scream at the irrational evil step mother but to me she would be a more relatable and honest character compared to the whiter than white, overcoming every obstacle main girl/guy.