Influential People

                    One may think there is nothing influential about an old ordinary Korean woman who is only a five foot tall. What if I told you she is the most loving woman I have known in my life? What if, what if I told you that when she breathes out cigarette, the smell is rather sophisticated and sweet? This is my second aunt from my father’s side. My dad is the last child out of ten so my aunt is twenty years older than my father.          
                      When my mother left the house for work, my aunt came and lived with us. She raised me since I was a baby till grade five; she is my second mother. She cooked the best food and always made sure I had breakfast. When I came back from school, she waited for me. We always watched dramas together and did laundry together. These are ordinary things but she is the most influential person in my life. 
                   She is the most influential person because she is a parent of nine people herself. She went through so much. My father talks about how he lived for so long, but she lived in this world now for seventy years. Yet, she is so generous and loving. She does not live with us anymore but still sends us Kimchi every year. She taught me how to be generous and also be a good sister to my younger brother. Her sisters, brothers, children and grandchildren may not realize, but I think her love influences so many of us. One day, I really wish to be like her.
                       This man, His Holiness the 145th, Dalai Lama is the leader of Tibet. Studying in India, I made some Tibetan friends. They either lived in Nepal or India where their grandparents escaped to from Tibet. My friends told me that the stories of their grandparents escaping and they were all very shocking and heart wrenching. They had to walk barefooted for months in the snow mountain; many of them die on their way. Even through the adversity, there is a reason why they tried so hard to run away. It is to keep the Tibetan culture alive. In Tibet today, the Chinese people are trying to get rid of the Tibetan culture and are bringing more and more Chinese culture into it. They are imprisoning the Tibetan leaders and banning the spread of the culture. 
                  Tibet is a distinct country with distinct culture and language. The only way to preserve their culture now is to leave the country and spreading and reproducing the culture outside. The religious leader that helps Tibetans outside to serve their purpose is His Holiness. A lot of young Tibetans have never been to Tibet or speak the language fluently and in my opinion, it is a big problem. In my school too, my friends who were Tibetans were born speaking in English, Hindi, or Nepali. They did speak in Tibetan at home, but living in a boarding school with such little Tibetan population, a lot of them have forgotten their roots. One day, His Holiness came to visit our school. It was a big deal. His Holiness travels around the world and is a global leader. The fact that he was coming to our school was a wish come true for many of my friends. However, they were also ashamed and afraid because they knew themselves that they have been losing touch with their root.
                   When the Dalai Lama came, he did not influence the Tibetans in the school but also the non-Tibetans. He gave us some incredible words of wisdom. The one most touching saying of his is that his “religion is Kindness.” I think this is so beautiful. If I were in his position, I would be so angry about everything. However, he was firm yet gentle. He works to spread the spirit and culture of the Tibetans. A lot of people still do not know about this nation called Tibet. However, I want to say that they are hurting. There are self-immolations and oppressions- the pain one cannot imagine. Please look up the Dalai Lama and beautiful nation of Tibet. Free Tibet!        
            
                       The last influential person that I want to mention is Kenneth Bruscia. He is one of the first generation of music therapists. I came to hear his name in my music therapy class when we were assigned to read the “Bruscia Fundamentals.” Imagine how influential and knowledgeable one must be to have written a fundamental for a career! “Bruscia Fundamentals” is something that all music therapists should study and live by. Unsurprisingly, we had to have it printed and put it in our binder for future reference.
                    Kenneth Bruscia was a professor at the temple university. I applied there and was accepted. I almost went there until I realized it was in Philadelphia and was not sure about the location. It drives me crazy to think I might have met him if I did go there but I got to know he retired from his teaching job last year. According to biography on Temple university website, has received Lindback Award for Teaching, The Temple University Great Teacher Award, the Temple University Research Award, and the AMTA Research and Publication Awards which I think is a huge achievement. Right now, music therapy is still a new concept and major to the world. However, in the future, I believe he is going to be more well-known and perhaps be called the father of music therapy just as Wundt is called the “father of psychology.”

pictures from: Google.com

Kenneth Bruscia's biography from: https://www.temple.edu/boyer/about/people/kennethbruscia.asp

My Top 10 Korean Food

1) Kimchi Soup

Kimchi is a fermented cabbage pickled with chili powder, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce. It is Korea’s national food because it was the food of our ancestor. When winter came, our ancestors did not have access to vegetable, so they were looking for a way to keep the harvested vegetable from summer and keep them fresh. This was the birth of Kimchi. They fermented the cabbage and buried them underground which had cooler temperature, and when the winter came, they could eat the delicious fermented kimchi. My number 1 favorite Korean food is kimchi soup, which is a soup made out of Kimchi. I like putting ham, sausage, tuna, or pork to give the soup flavor. On a cold winter day, there is nothing better than a bowl of kimchi soup and rice

2) Don Katsu 

My second favorite food is Korean style pork cutlet. To make this dish, the back leg of pork is used. It is finely hammered, so the meat would feel soft. Then, it is covered in breadcrumbs and fried. There is a special sauce that goes with this cutlet which tastes a little like BBQ sauce. We usually eat this fried pork with rice and cabbage salad. The reason why I love this food so much is because it reminds me of the time when I used to hang out in my mom’s shop. In front of the shop, there was a don katsu restaurant that my mom always took me to. Eating don katsu instantly takes me back to my happy childhood days!  

3) Kong guk su

This is my favorite food for summer. To make this noodle, we boil the yellow beans until they are cooked then put them in a mixer. The juice of the bean is the soup for this noodle. After refrigerating the soup until it is cold, we pour it on yellow soft noodles. In the beginning I found the taste really dull and strange. However, as I grew older I discovered the deep taste of it. It is a taste that I cannot describe in English. For foreigners that come to Korea for a visit, this is a must try although they might not find it so good!

4) Sundae (Stuffed Pig Intestine) 

One might be thrown off by the title “pig intestine.” However, this is the food that I grew up eating and I love it! Sun dae is pig intestine stuffed with rice noodles, pig liver, pig lung, and some vegetables. We usually eat it with pepper salt or fermented shrimp sauce. There are a lot of Koreans who cannot eat this dish because of the smell. However, I believe if they are true Koreans, they should be able to eat this very unique Korean food!

5) Duenjang Gook 

Some people say it tastes like feet and looks like poop. However, that’s the best part of it! Duenjang is a paste made out of fermented beans. Every year before winter, makers of duenjang harvest a lot of beans and boil them. After that, they crush them and make them into a brick shape. These blocks are called meju. After that, they hang them up to dry them for a month. When they are firmly dried, they put them in a huge ceramic pot with water, hardwood charcoal, and chili, burying them underground for a long time. After few months, it would have become a paste which is made to use duen jang soup. Duenjang soup can be cooked with so many things, such as seashells, spinach, cabbage, tofu, etc. However, my favorite is when it is cooked with Artemisia. It is a plant leaf with a strong smell. We only get this kind of soup in spring so it is very special and also delicious!

6) HobakJook

Pumpkin Porridge is known as the king’s food in Korea although now it is publicized. It is basically a porridge made of yellow pumpkin. It is sweet and flavorful! Firstly, to make this dish, we have to cook the pumpkin by steaming it. When it is cooked, we can take the inside out and start cooking it with water, red beans, and rice flour. Sometimes, people also put rice dumplings in it. The South Eastern culture believes that dumplings bring luck, so we eat them for New Year or for other festivals. Pumpkin porridge is a dish that literally people of all age can enjoy!

7) Dakdori Tang

Dakdoritang is a very spicy chicken soup. I think this dish is the perfect paragon of Korean dish because it is sweet, salty, and most importantly, SPICY. Since I came to the United States, I have been having a craving for spicy food. Dakdoritang is made spicy with the Korean chili powder and chili paste. First, we boil the water and put chopped up chicken, spring onions, chunks of potatoes and green onions. When they are fairly cooked, we add chili paste, chili powder, sugar, and soy sauce. We then cook them until the soup has a thick consistency. This is not my very favorite food but it is the food that I have been craving the most since I am really in need of some powerful and spicy food.

8) Jja jang myeon

Jja jang myeon is probably the cheapest food you can get in Korea. However, long time back when my parents were my age, jja jang myeon was a really precious food only eaten on special days like graduation. The black color of it might seem a little bit strange. However, the taste is magical. The best part of it is the pork and potato chunks in them. The noodle too is not produced by machines but a chef actually makes it himself. I feel like this is the dish that Americans would enjoy the most.

9) Rice Cake

Rice cake is probably my favorite dessert ever. It is squishy and sweet. The one kind I want to talk about today is called songpyeon. Songpyeon is made specially for Korea’s thanksgiving day. I think it is because the shape looks like the moon. The dough is made out of glutinous rice powder and the fillings can be different. Some people like to put red beans mixed with honey, and some people just like to put bean powder. Then it is steamed on a layer of pine needles which sips right through the rice cake to give it a fragrance. I have not spent chuseok in korea for now 8 years, and that’s what makes them so special to me. One day I hope that I will be able to eat them in Korea. 

10) Odeng (fish stick)

Last but not the least is Odeng. On a cold winter day, there is nothing better than a bowl of fish stick soup. Fish stick is one of the most well known Korean street food of all time. They are cheap, healthy and tasty. I remember when I was younger, I would have 500won (about 50cents) coin in my hand and went to eat fish stick. There are two different shapes: one just looks like a sausage and another one looks twisted. I personally like the twisted one better because fish stick is hot and the twisted shaped makes it cool down faster. This is a must try! 

Pictures from Google.com