Things Are Getting Hairier

Look how much I've changed since arriving in Korea in September. Am I finally becoming a man or just getting hairier? Most likely the latter...

Green Update

Sure enough, the Kumquat seeds have made their way into the soil. I decided to plant them with haste because I read that citrus seeds, unlike most other seeds, have to be planted immediately into damp, pressed soil so they do not dry out. The key to growing these guys is keeping them moist at all times. Kumquats are generally not grown from seeds but are more commonly grafted onto orange trees in places like China and Japan. The kumquat can be eaten whole, candied, or made into a marmalade. Let's see how they do.

Here are a few dried avocado skins. They have shriveled and hardened to form some nice organic shapes. I haven't come up with a use for them yet but I think they could be made into some nice handmade jewelry or painted ornaments.

Green Update

One of the persimmon seeds that I began germinating more than a month ago has finally lifted its head and emerged from the soil. The seedling has grown about three inches in just two days. There are two more seeds on the way but they are still keeping warm beneath the soil.


In other good news, my succulent has been budding for the past week and it should bloom any day now. This guy has shown plenty of new growth within the month of December and I expect it will grow well through the winter.



Aaaaalso, I went grocery shopping today at Lotte Mart and they had Kumquats in the produce section. Sweet. I had my first-ever taste of Kumquat this summer back in Philly and I am happy to add these juicy little nubbins back into my fruit repertoire. You can count on seeing Kumquat seeds in the next green update.

Sustainable Greg only wishes he had such a knack for fruiting plants.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all! Its weird not being home for the holidays..its during these times that I wish I could spend some time with family and friends. I miss you all and hope you are having a happy and healthy Christmas. Much love.

Graphic Tees

Koreans love to wear tshirts saying things in english that they cannot understand. These graphic tees make some bold statements that are essentially jibberish. Despite their lack of proper grammar, spelling, or meaningful content some of them actually turn out to be mistakenly creative. Although the majority of them are just downright hilarious...

SEE FOR MAN
False of a Contented Man

Don't say it's over I'm waiting for my man ... here's a doodle in my sketchbook from when my pen exploded the other day, it got all over me, but this is what is happening so far
___

Walking to school this morning, I saw a girl wearing a long sleeve tshirt that read:

Girls Just Wuna Hawaii Num

That is all...for now.

Transportation

Here is another sweet mini motorcycle...

Seoul

Pictures from the weekend in Seoul are riiiiiight here.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Outside...

[A collection of Jessie Berry's mouths]

Here is a link to celebrity "mouth eye" photographs.

Korean Happy

A quick video of an impromptu sidewalk parade in Seoul...

No...Thank You, Cilantro

Caitlin and I took a trip to Seoul this past weekend to meander the art galleries and to see Miso, traditional Korean stage. While in the largest city in South Korea, we took full advantage of the foreign food presence. It was a gift to the taste buds to eat something that did not taste like fish, sesame, or cabbage. On Sunday night before coming home, we ate at the Taj Restaurant. We ordered the Tandoori Chicken, Dal Makhani (black lentil curry), and Tandoori Khumb Aloo (vegetable and yoghurt stuffed mushrooms and potatoes).

Before getting on the bus home, we stopped in the foreign grocery mart to pick up, to us, what are a few pantry rarities - black beans, pita bread, hummus, wholegrain cereal, cumin, cloves, chick peas, lentils...but I have to add that my favorite pickup was a freshly-picked batch of cilantro. This is my favorite herb and I have been pining for that robust scent it gives off when you slice into the leaf. I brought my own seeds to grow the herb but I have to wait until the spring to cultivate them because they would otherwise fail indoors.

So, the first thing I did when I got home was pick up four avocados and get to the guacamole-making...



Mmm..fresh dirt still on the leaf.





There is nothing like a break from Korean food than a big ol' bowl of Guac to get you through the week. I know that the avocados are not in season and they probably lost a little bit of their luster on the shipping journey from New Zealand, but I could not resist a familiar taste. I know its a sustainbility sin not to buy local, but I can guarantee that I get my spinach from the patchwork just down the street.

A petition for creating a national sustainable food and agriculture policy can be found here.