It is Chusok time again and the first seasonal thing I notice is the red pepper that people put out everywhere so as to dry in the sun. This is the downtown “shijang” in Kangjin, down south, close to Haenam. The Chosun Ilbo also has a short description of how to set a Chusok table for one’s ancestors.
Have a happy Chusok.
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One nice thing about Chusok is how quiet and free of traffic Seoul becomes.
Yes, I lived in Gangjin/Kangjin last year (close to Haenam, not Hanam), and it was quite a contrast to Bundang, where I lived the year before last. The population boomed for those two or three days, and the restaurants, bars, and hofs were all packed in the evenings. Moreover, everything was open, from the convenience stores to the mom-and-pop shops, to said hofs and restaurants. In Bundang in 2005, I was resigned to eating dinner at KFC, as the kimbap joints and convenience stores were all closed. The markets down here are all nightmarish before the big holidays, and watching old women meander across busy roads (in front of buses, cars, and other pedestrians) is almost enough to make me vow never to go outside during a holiday again.
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