Rice. I personally like rice - whether it is steamed, fried, white, boiled, sticky, brown, pilaf......And I have commented on occasions in the past that I could eat rice every day. So why don't I eat rice every day in Korea?
Maybe it is because I don't know how to properly cook the Korean rice. (Not that I was an expert in cooking rice in the U.S. I am afraid I often resorted to the boiling bags!) It looks different from the rice I used to buy in the U.S. - the grains are smaller. I once came across a blog that had a 3 part video on how to cook Korean rice, but it seemed like alot of trouble. Especially when it talked about soaking the rice - 30 minutes in the summer and 1 to 2 hours in the winter! So I just buy these individual containers of cooked rice.
I really don't know if I am microwaving it correctly, but I just peel up one corner of the container and microwave it until it is hot. I am sure that most Korean homes have a rice cooker. They are plentiful in the shops here.
Maybe it is because I don't have a rice cooker.
One thing I know for sure is that the Koreans eat alot of rice. When we lived in France, the yogurt, cheese and wine aisles of the grocery store were the largest. Thinking about that, what aisle in an American grocery store has a large amount of one thing? Cereal? Cookies? Funny how the grocery store aisles can show alot about a country. I would say rice, noodles and red chili paste would be indicative of the Korean grocery stores. When you go to the grocery store, the rice is sold in large increments....I mean large, up to 20 and 40 kg. (44 and 88 lbs.)bags.
Maybe it is because I can't lift an 88 lb. bag of rice into my grocery cart.
Maybe it is because I don't have that much room in my pantry.
This past spring, it was interesting to see the progression of the rice fields in Korea.
First they hand plant the seedlings into the fields. 
As I understand, the fields are flooded with water to keep weeds and pests under control at that time.
By the time I left in July, the plantings were filling out nicely and were a lush green.
When I returned in September, the rice fields were a golden color 
and resembled stalks of wheat.
Then the harvesting begins.
The rice is left to dry in the sun in the fields,
and along the roadside. 
I don't think I will lose any sleep over this question, after all it is only a rhetorical question about rice. My thoughts right now are more concentrated on
"What should I make for supper tonight?"
Now that is the never ending question!
Late Friday afternoon, Ken, Brenda, Norman and I headed to Jinju. Ken and I have been to Jinju several times before, whether it was to tour the castle Chokseongnu, or just to go to McDonald's and then look through the antique shops. This time, we were there for the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival. The Namgang River runs through the city of Jinju, which is a little over an hour away from us. The festival got its origin from a Japanese invasion in 1592 - 1593. The Koreans, with only 3800 troops, were able to kill 20,000 Japanese during this invasion. The Korean general floated lanterns and torches on the river to send military signals to troops and support systems outside of the castle. It was also used as a means for soldiers in the castle to let their families know they were safe.We got there around 5:30 and headed to McDonald's for a quick hamburger before walking to the castle side of the river. The image of the lanterns floating on the river was magnificent. There lanterns of all sorts and sizes floating down the river. We walked across the river on a floating makeshift bridge. It was a bit wobbly at times, but you were still able to see and take pictures
of some of the lanterns more closely.
The lanterns depicted a wide variety of objects, shapes and colors.
This apparently was of a rooster, for the year of the rooster. 
More traditional Korean figures...
Some were geared for the younger set - not all of the lanterns were floating, some were on the grounds around the river. This lantern periodically shot fire out of his gun. 
This dragon was huge and also had some smoke and fire effects. 
You know, I just can't decide which pictures to add.....so I think I will just give you a little peek of some of my favorites.
The bridge ended on the opposite side with a building sized replica of a temple. 
There were booths lining the river with food, souvenirs and lantern making activities. Although I would have loved to make a lantern, I knew that it would take away from my time to see everything. So we all elected to purchase a floating wish lantern. For 3,000 won, you wrote down a wish that was then attached to a ready made lantern. You took it to a certain area, where the candle inside it was lit and lowered into the river. 
There also were scores of lanterns lined up along the waterway. These were hanging wish lanterns - people had their wish and name written on these lanterns. These were used to hope for happiness in the home, longevity for parents, students' success in schooling, etc. I have no clue how many there were, but it was definitely alot!
Other lanterns that were made at the festival by individuals were hung overhead in several areas. 
It was obvious that some were made by children, while others showed a bit more skill. 
They were all beautiful though.Although we didn't see any of the extra events that night, there were dance, plays and other cultural performances during the festival - which was October 1st through 12th. We did get to see a fireworks display 
at the end of our evening before heading back to the island. 
This was a "waterfall" of fireworks coming off one the bridges that crosses the river.
