Sunday (etc.) Coffee: April 2011

This month, the Mrs. has forgotten most of the names of the cafes as well as what she ordered, however, general location and highlights of the cafe can be offered ^^

If you take a bus to the Yuseong-gu Homeplus, cross the river, go straight at the light and take your first left you just may spot the sign to this second floor cafe. Major highlight - American-sized-and-flavored Cookies, none of those puny, cutesy Korean sized cookies with their own wonderful flavors, but full on, American-Bakery-Type-Cookies. Oh, and did we mention, free of charge? Cookies, free of charge with coffee or choco order. Why wouldn't you search for this Gung-dong gem?



Hot Choco
The Chocolate

By far the coffe shop highlight of April and potentially of 8 months in Korea, The Chocolate is the #1 place for anything chocolate and a sure-bet for next winter's cold and frigid weekend afternoon's. It's darling inside with books, pillows and cutesy decor, but you don't go to The Chocolate for atmosphere (although they have it), you go for Chocolate. And, may we recommend the Hot Choco? You can't go wrong here! You'll receive a great gift of a mug. filled with milk. alongside a 'gravy' boat. filled with chocolate. and a whisk. Sip and enjoy this with a good friend and life enriching conversation. Once in Gung-dong, make your way 'to the back' away from the main street as far back as you can get, it kind of stands out, so you should be able to find it - best of luck!



Cinnamon Mocha
"unkown" Book Cafe

Yet another sweet coffee shop, which may potentially greet you en route to The Chocolate is this cafe of whose name we cannot currently recall. Near the center of Gung-dong (i.e. Rodeo Street) this cafe has an adorable interior, fabulous hot choco and amazingly sweet teapots on display...in addition to a number books and magazines (in Korean of course).

Something's a Brewing in Wookyeong-bil

A Jack-of-all-Trades, Mike Harrington has taken on the challenge and great joys of brewing his own beers at '519' Wookyeong-bil. A few pints of Cass and Hite into his stay in Korea quickly revealed that a good beer was going to be hard to find, no Easy Street Wheat in these parts of the world. So it was, with great motivation and high expectations that the man of the house set out to brew his own beers. A couple months in and Mike Harrington has successfully completed 4 brews from concentrates which he purchased from http://www.beerschool.co.kr/

A bookshelf of beer bottles later and this is only the beginning. The Harrington Times will keep readers up to date on the latest brews and hopefully get the insight and input from the brew master himself. Until then, know and trust that the Harrington's have the joy and pleasure of drinking quality brews regardless of what's on tap at the local beer house.

One Week From Today...

...the Harrington's will have enjoyed the following in addition to other sights, sounds and treats of Seoul, South Korea.

Hamburger 주새요: House Grill

There is one Burger Joint in Daejeon that far exceeds them all. Ms. Jin's is fabulous for price and flavor as is Playburger. However, if you were to ask the Harrington's where they go for a burger that most reflects the burgers that meet their 'Wyoming-beef-country' standards - House Grill would be the answer, hands down.

First tipped off to this burger joint by a good friends blog post, the Harrington's knew they were in need of a short subway ride to discover what all the hype was about. A few weeks later the couple was biting into a magnificently spiced burger with a toasted bun and egg on top. Accompanied by Wine, Beer or Dr. Pepper and a plate full of chili fries none of the eaters felt any dissatisfaction.

Bonus: House Grill has a Facebook account so you can keep track of any specials or activities. The owner and cook has fabulous English as he lived abroad for a while so there's no need to fear placing your order. Additional Bonus: The owner is an artist, reflective of Tim Burton, his work is displayed in the burger joint and available for purchase.

Getting There: Yongmun Station, Exit 4 (?) Walk a couple of blocks, it's on the left. The best directions/map can be found on our friends original blog post regarding House Grill - so check it out!

Coffee and Produce: A Bi-Weekly Ritual

Market Goods

Melissa has a couple of deep loves:

a) Cheap Food
b) Food in General
c) Cooking and Baking
d) Deep Conversations in Intimate Settings

One of the primary factors that motivated the Harringtons to move to Daejeon, South Korea specifically was the promise of being close to fellow Wyoming-ites and dear friends Matt and Jen.
Put all of this in a bowl, mix it together and what you wind up with is a Bi-Weekly Ritual of meeting at Daejeon Station to chow down on street food, purchase the cities cheapest produce from the cities hardest working women all whilst having the most meaningful, haphazard, entertaining and enlightening of conversations.

Jen and Melissa have split dozens of carrots for about US$2, same with onions and each scored a pumpkin for the price of about US$2. The two have enjoyed fried 'anything-you-want' as well as fresh juice and American style sandwhiches.

Most weeks, the outing includes a trip to Daejeon's international World Foods Store for ingredients such as cilantro, curry paste, rice noodles, tamarind and spices. Next it's into the market weaving between fish bodies, pig parts, fresh strawberries, oranges, plants, and cookies among other things. Once all the purchases have been made, the girls make a decision regarding eats and either hit up the street vendors or duck into a cafe. The area near Daejeon Station and Old-Downtown is not lacking in things to do, places to eat or pick up random accessories, so it is a much welcomed bi-weekly ritual.



BLT and Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich at The Mill.



If you've never been to an Asian Market, we at THT highly recommend the experience. In Daejeon, just make your way to Daejeon Station and take exit 1 into the traditional market area. Prices are amazingly low and you'll have plenty of opportunities to try this and that free of charge or obligation to purchase (for example the cookie man who happily lets the girls sample everything, everytime!)

Capturing Cherry Blossoms: the Arrival of Spring

April 16, 2011. Sintanjin, South Korea.




Cherry Blossoms: A new Vision of Spring for Wyoming Natives.

 



Everybody wants a little Cherry Blossom action on a Spring Day

 


Aaron in Cherry Blossom's




Spring with Friends



More Spring time Joy can be viewed here.

After School Classes with Gogo

As part of academic school year 2011, Melissa Harrington has the great pleasure of teaching 4 (soon to be 6) after school classes. The most successful of these is for 3rd and 4th graders at Bongam Elementary School. Within the first couple of classes, Melissa Teacher discovered her students deep love and appreciation for Gogo - a dinosaur who is conquering the English language. The videos are presented in an order reflective of the Korean curriculum (which is to be expected considering Korea's EBS broadcasting company developed Gogo) so it is easy to find supplemental materials on websites such as www.waygook.org. The best source for Gogo's Videos is from this blog post which lists and links them in order.

In Melissa Teacher's after school classes, students had the opportunity to make and decorate their own dinosaur mask. They have since been laminated and are used in conjunction with the 5 minute Gogo clips as part of each class. Students listen and watch the cartoon which is conveniently paused by Melissa Teacher after Gogo speaks - students then raise their dinosaur faces to cover their own and repeat the 'target language' as stated by Gogo. The videos are then easily supplemented by various songs, activities and worksheets gleamed from the internet or Melissa Teacher's own creative energies.

Should you find yourself teaching in an after school class and have enough freedom to design your own curriculum, don't hesitate to check out Gogo's Adventures With English!

Students making a hand family following Gogo's and the Hand Family Song

A recent outcome of the students learning classroom objects with the help of a Karaoke Classroom objects song and cut-out pictures of various items such as an eraser, pen, chair, table, etc.

Enter Year Twenty Six (or is it 27) for the Man of the House

On April 6, 2011 the Man of the House, Mr. Harrington said adios to his 25th year and hello to his 26th year of living an honorable, adventurous life with the one he loves.

Never wanting to create a huge fuss, the day itself was rather non-eventful, in part because it was a work day. However, at the close of the work day, Mike Harrington made his way to Gung-dong to enjoy one of Ms. Jin's Hamburgers before he and the missus made their way to the World Cup Stadium to witness Daejeon Citizen's Football Club struggle to manage the ball against the Pohang. Regardless, a night at the stadium allows each of the Harrington's to enjoy fresh air, a good game and memories of their not-so-recent World Cup attendance in South Africa.



The game and the evening soon came to an end and it was off to slumber and waiting a few days before the continuation of Mike's birthday celebrations.

When Friday rolled around, good friends made their way to the Harrington's '519' home to enjoy a feast of sweets, the giving of a few gifts, and the playing of numerous games (from Chess to Catan to 'Who am I?'). Highlights of the evening included the receiving of gifts including socks, lottery tickets and a chess board and above all else, chowing down on the infamous Harrington specialty: Pi Phi.

Early in the morning, this leg of celebrating Mike came to an end. However, the celebration was not laid to final rest until the Mr. and Mrs. embarked on a date night at House Grill for delicious burgers and fries and a final gift for Mike...a gift yet to be fully decided upon, but a final gift nonetheless. Stay tuned for a future post which may or may not showcase this mysterious 'final gift.'

Sporting a New Look (and missing some parts): Lady Annyeong

Lady hair was everywhere. It was time for a change.

Mike Harrington took Lady Annyeong for a short walk to the Dunsan-dong E-Mart, up an escalator or two and into Royal Vet clinic for a grooming. Booked until 5:00 that evening, the groomers opted to keep Lady Annyeong for the whole day and the Harrington's were to pick her up at the end of the day. Assuming Lady would receive a nice scrub down and trim, Mike left her at the clinic for the day, returning at 7:00 to find a nearly naked 3.5 legged dog who was anxious to return home.

Unfortunately for Lady Annyeong, the clinic visits didn't stop there. This past week has been a week of Rabies shots, spaying and micro-chipping for Lady Annyeong. The vet at Royal Vet Clinic has faithfully served Lady Annyeong and the Harrington's and ensured as pleasant as a process as possible. Now, five days following the major surgery and needle prodding, Lady Annyeong is on the up swing of recovering.

Since being spayed, Lady now shows particular affection toward her dirty green tennis ball - Mike Harrington hypothesizes that Lady realizes she can no longer give birth, but wishes to express her motherly instincts by caring for the green tennis ball. The Harrington's may never understand this new found appreciation for the tennis ball but do expect Lady to continue living a happy, fulfilling life especially with the arrival of Spring and hopefully more outings.

Looking Back: Dancing in the Streets

Following the world travels of the summer 2010, the Harrington's found themselves in San Francisco enjoying Mexican food, wine, cool air, family and friends while acquiring their visa for their year contract to teach English in South Korea. A few days in San Francisco is always enjoyable, particularly when enjoyed with good people and when stumbling upon annual festivals. Annual festivals in San Francisco are particularly enjoyable when live music enduces live dancing as seen in the following footage.



On that day, the Harrington's weren't fully unaware that approximately 8 months later, they'd find themselves walking the streets of another festival hosting city and stumble upon yet another instance of live music producing live dancing.



Turns out, festivals all around the globe bring out the best in people's dancing skills and for that, the Harrington's are grateful.

Thrifting (near) Deajeon: The Beautiful Store, Nonsan

Following the festivities of Nonsan's Strawberry Festival a few of the Harrington's friends made their way onto a bus to go enjoy strawberry picking and eating. Stuffed to the brim with bibimbap and anticipating that they can participate in strawberry picking and eating next year, the Harrington's opted to wander around the town of Nonsan and see what there was.

The couple was not disappointed! A stroll through a traditional market resulted in the purchase of sesame leave seeds, a purchase which is extraordinarily exciting for Mike Harrington as he has a deep love for the bitter flavor of the sesame leaf. In addition, the Harrington's caught sight of a once-in-a-life-time performance which will later be showcased on this very blog. And, as if things couldn't get better, the couple miraculously stumbled upon another Beautiful Store which had a huge surplus of jeans. (For info regarding the 'first' Beautiful Store, go here.)

So it was, on April 9th the Harrington's took about 30 minutes to scour the racks of 2nd hand jeans and clothing and walked away from Nonsan's Beautiful Store 20,000 Won poorer but 6 pairs of jeans, one jean skirt, and three shirts better clothed (as is evidenced in the following photo).

Getting There: Daejeon to Nonsan via Seodaejeon Train station takes approximately 30 minutes and cost about 3,000 Won one-way. Once in Nonsan, grab a map and head toward the city center, the rest is pure luck ^.^ Or send the Harrington's a message and perhaps Melissa will accompany you.

Nonsan Strawberry Festival

On Saturday, April 9th the Harrington's and a crew of friends made a short trek to Nonsan, South Korea to enjoy a sweet little red fruit commonly known as the Strawberry. Known for producing some of Korea's finest and sweetest strawberries, Nonsan sits a short 30 minutes train ride from Daejeon which was particularly fortunate for the Mullen's, Wagoner's and Harrington's as they found themselves with 'standing room' only train tickets. For the fair and affordable price of 2,500 Won however, the couples couldn't complain and were soon be greeted by the hustle and bustle of a Korean festival at it's finest.

Hot Choco, Uno and Students: a Tuesday Night Ritual

In an attempt to offer his students a more 'natural' and 'relaxed' setting for speaking the English language as well as a mutual desire between the Harrington's to frequent the OEC, Mike Harrington has initiated a type of Social Hour which takes place nearly every Tuesday at the OEC. Each week two or three students show up at the coffee shop and have the chance to practice their English in a comfy, relaxed setting. Most often, the language practice is conducted over a game of Rummy or Uno and a glass mug of Hot Choco (one of OEC's specialties).

These weekly meet ups have not only provided an opportunity for both Mike and Melissa Harrington to get to know a few Nameson students (and teachers) but have also assisted the Harrington's in getting to know the young lady who works at the OEC. OEC Coffee is a coffee house that has captured the attention of the Harrington's since their arrival as it is located within a few minutes walk of their home and has an extremely cozy and quaint atmosphere - not to mention fabulous hot choco and caramel lattes!

Getting there: Exit 2 at Galma sub station - walk forward past the Blue 24 and the OEC will be on your right (unless you're on the main street, then it'll be on your left ^.^).

Fine Dining (and drinking) in Daejeon: Weizenhaus

On Monday, April 4th the Harrington's met up with a few friends to check out a rumored brewery. Since their arrival, the Harrington's had heard mixed reviews regarding the Weizenhaus and had come to believe it was no longer in operation as a micro-brewery. Fortunately, on April 4th, the Harrington's were proven wrong and they stepped into the basement establishment where they were amazed by the size of the restaurant and were eager to sit down, order a brew and enjoy some grub and drink.

For brews, the Weizenhaus offers what appears to be a stout (amazingly chocolatey and rich), a lighter ale or heff (refreshing and crisp) and a pale-golden brew(vinegary and the #3 pick of the Harrington's and crew). In addition, drinkers can choose to dine on french fries, wings or a delectable steak dinner.

Brews were fairly priced at 3,000 - 5,000 Won for 300cc-500cc respectively. Each of the diners chose the small steak dinner for just under 10,000W but could have managed a larger chunk of meat for 15,000W. Overall, the Weizenhaus is a win for a night out or a change up from the good ole Cass, Hite and Max which are the norm for the Korean drinking experience.

Getting There: (hopefully) Closest to Galma Station and Government Complex Station. From Government Complex Station go out exit three, walk strait and cross the street. After crossing turn right, walk 2 blocks (cross two streets) and turn left at the CGV. Walk strait for two blocks (cross one street) and look for the Weizenhaus sign on the South (left) side of the street.

From Galma Station go out exit 4, walk strait and cross the street. Turn left, and walk two blocks (cross one street) and turn right. Walk one block and cross the street. The Weizzenhaus sign is on the South (right) side of the street just after crossing. Enjoy.

A Class Full of Camels

From 5 Little Monkey's to a Camel with 5 Humps, the students at Bongam Elementary school are mastering their numbers and their dance skills as is evidenced in the latest video from Melissa Harrington's 2nd grade class.



If you're looking to teach some youngsters in your ELL classrooms feel free to check out this PPT. These students also enjoyed a camel dot-to-dot followed by a "Camel Hump Quiz" where students were given a worksheet showing three 'elongated' horses then listened to Melissa Teacher make statements such as: "Alice the camel has 2 humps. Camel A - 2 humps" and drew accordingly.

To Do List: April 2011

Some things the Harrington's have in mind for the month of April:

Some important sources so that the Harrington's and any others traveling through Daejeon/South Korea can have the most memorable and successful April 2011.

Tickets for Cirque du Soleil

Tickets for Nanta

Schedule for Daejeon Citizen's Football club

Schedule for the Hanwha Eagles

Special Foreigner Discount Coupon for Lotte World

To-Do List: Pungmul Market

Occassionally when browsing the internet whether it be on Facebook or expat discussion forums the Harrington's come across a few odds and ends that catch their attention (most often Melissa). In an attempt to remember these wonderful finds and perhaps share the goods with other human folk living in South Korea, some of those finds just might make their way into this bloggy space. To kick off the 'To-Do List', The Harrington Times brings you:

The Monthly Weekend Pungmul Market

Described as a folk flea market the event is held on the final Saturday of each month. Anyone in Seoul is invited to come check out the goods or contact Seoul Global Center in order to sell their own goods (second-hand or hand-made).

Knowing Melissa's particular fondness for second hand goods and thrifting it's surely only a matter of months before the Harrington's find themselves wondering the stalls of this folk flea market.

If you're living in Korea, have you been to the Pungmul Market? Impressions?
If you've never been - are you interested in joining up with The Harrington's?

In the Kitchen: March 2011

Another month, another post featuring the delicious eats from a cozy Korean kitchen.



Freezable Cilantro Pesto: Endorsed by Lady Annyeong

 The month of March, Melissa Harrington took on the task of preparing non-Basil-type Pestos to ensure the Cilantro and Spinach would not go to waste. For those living in Korea/Daejeon, fresh Cilantro is a golden ingredient which can be found near Daejeon Station at the World Food store. However, an entire bunch of Cilantro can be difficult to use in a week if you enjoy an occassional night out for dinner - in that case, Freezable Cilantro Pesto is where it's at. Continue the pesto making with this Spinach Pesto and you'll have yourself a fine pasta meal in waiting. 

Binch Smore's: Also endorsed by Lady Annyeong

Long dreamed of, ever since first biting into a Binch cookie - the Binch S'more was a wonderful and delicious experiment from the Wookyeonbil Kitchen in the month of March - an experiment which will be revisited often. Also, in huge thanks to the toster oven was a delectable loaf of Carrot Cranberry Bread. With bi-weekly trips to the traditional market, Melissa Harrington and her dear friend Jen have plentiful opportunities to pick up some fine fruits and veggies for cheap! 

Carrot Cranberry Bread



French Toasted Bagel with Gravy

 March also provided an opportunity to continue the French Toast Bagel Sandwich experiments with the added bonus of Homemade Gravy - resulting in these French Toasted Bagels with Gravy. Another moment of experimenting had much sweeter results as Melissa busted out a trio of No-Bake Cookie Varieties ranging from: Matcha Green Tea No-Bakes; Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Almond No-Bakes and the number one variety - Cookies and Cream No-Bakes. Finally, to top off the month with a few additional eats, the Harrington's enjoyed their first Hasselback Potato expeirence as well as a few rolled Baklava Crepes.

Cookies and Cream No Bakes

Falling Slowly into Howl at the Moon

If you've been with The Harrington Times for long or more specifically during the last few months of their time in South Korea, you are surely familiar with references to Gung-dong, a neighborhood near Chungnam National University that is full of cheap eats, numerous coffee shops and plenty of amazing finds.

Many foreigners in Daejeon are familiar with Santa Claus and in small part thanks to THT, Taco-K in the Gung-dong neighbor hood but perhaps, in your desire to attend such well-established joints you've missed out on another night-life gem: Howl at the Moon.

Howl at the Moon is a bar which speaks deeply to those with musical talents, such as dear friends of the Harrington's Aaron and Brian. The bar features 'pick' shaped tables as well as a larger 'guitar' shaped table. Another musically inclined feature are the instruments available for strumming or shaking (particularly if you are the only customers). One highlight of the bar that the Harrington's and friends have yet to participate in, yet anticipate is Wednesday night Open Mic nights. While Mike and Melissa are by no means musical artists, they do enjoy hearing others express their musical talents and hope to attend on a Wednesday night and enjoy the full musical experience this bar has to offer.

Update: Readers may have been asking themselves: Why is the title of the post 'Falling Slowly into Howl at the Moon?' Well, wonder no longer, the reason for such a title is evidenced in the following video, an impromptu performance of the song "Fally Slowly" from the movie Once. Enjoy.

Getting There: Gung dong is accessable by the following buses: 105, 104, 113, 106, 108, 706 and others. The most common stop name will be Chungnam Dae Hak-gyo. Howl at the Moon is down the street, toward the University, from both Santa Claus and Taco K.

Sunday (and other days of the week) Coffee: March 2011

The month of March provided great opportunities for Melissa Harrington to meet up with friends at some new and some tried and true coffee shops to enjoy conversation and cups of joe.

Early on in the month, English teachers in Korea had the privelege of a National Holiday and enjoyed March 1st by avoiding the cold English classrooms and textbooks and engaging in their choice of fine activities. For Melissa Harrington and some lady friends that looked like sleeping in and meeting up for an early afternoon cup of coffee in Eunhang-dong. Having cought the crews eye on numerous occassions, the girls made their way up the stairs into the 2nd floor coffee shop: Crazy Coffee Cats. Don't let the name decieve you, this is not a Korean cat cafe, but rather a cafe decorated in the style of a 'crazy cat woman' with a touch more class, colorful mugs and sprinkles on top.

Crazy Coffee Cats
Raspberry Mocha

Getting There: Eunhang-dong is the old downtown and has great access by bus and subway. By subway get off at Jung-angro. A few buses which make the route include: Once in Eunhang-dong make your way toward any of the following and you're sure to find Crazy Coffe Cat's -- Sum Sin Dang Bakery (?), S-Dot stationary store, The Flying Pan, the rows of Street Food Vendors.



Noriter
Marshmallow Hot Choco

 In Gung-dong this month, the Harrington's and friends all enjoyed an evening at Noriter which you may remember from February's post. This time, a great mug of Hot Choco was enjoyed with fluffy, colorful marshmallows on top. Noriter is a sure bet for a coffee shop any day of the week.
Also discovered in Gung-dong this past month was Kairos Coffee. A newly built and established shop which skirts a little park area in the Gung-dong neighborhood and shares the vicinity of multiple coffee shops. The interior is more modern, clean and chic than some of the other coffee shops featured and, of course, the coffee was enjoyable and each cup comes with a little chocolate treat, making for an enjoyable and sweet experience.



Cafe Latte
Kairos Coffee

Getting There: Gung-dong is accessable by buses: 113, 105, 102, 104, 106, 108 and 706 - just to name a few. Once in the neighborhood, enjoy wandering the streets until you find the coffee shop you are looking for!


Chai Latte
CofFine: Gurunaru

 The month's coffee excursions were topped of by this great find in Dunsan-dong. Recently built/established CofFine is a great little coffee shop with a wide variety of coffee beverages, tea drinks, iced drinks and even wine. In addition, as part of their grand opening celebration, Melissa and her two lovely friends Holly and Jenelle scored a CofFine cell phone charm which will earn the customer a free 'upgrade' - small to regular - That's AWESOME!

Getting There: Arrive in Dunsan-dong by bus or subway and meander the streets in between E-mart and Time World, hopefully then, you'll stumble upon this corner coffee shop with many wonderful drink options!