This year, I made green onion pancakes (pajeon) for Chuseok. I never grew up celebrating Chuseok, but since my move to Mongolia, my mom and I have grown closer to my Uncle Sang Jong and his family and I saw their Chuseok preparations on Facebook. His wife, Eun Young, posts very sporadically, but it’s always lovely to get a peek into their life. Their daughter, Tay, is just a couple of months older than Terra, and while they need some translation help when they get together, they’re growing up as cousins—something that makes me very happy. Eun Young and Sang Jong prepared japchae (glass noodles with meat and veggies), bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), and more for Chuseok, which some people call “Korean Thanksgiving”. It’s a harvest festival, but it has evolved into something like American Thanksgiving in the way it’s celebrated in today’s Korea, where most Koreans are pretty far removed from the actual harvest experience. Families come together, eat a comforting feast, and reconnect. After my aunt shared pictures of her feast-in-the-making, my mom shared pictures of the japchae she was making to share with her friends at church the next day. In Mongolia, I spent some time under the harvest moon and thought about my spring onions growing robustly after Terra and I harvested enough of them to prep and freeze four bags for winter, and decided I’d make pa jeon of my own to be part of the Chuseok action. Chuseok dishes made in Seoul, Memphis, and Darkhan. Mine was the messiest execution of all three, but it was delicious!
I borrowed some ideas from Maangchi’s recipe – the addition of soybean paste (I used some leftover miso packets) is a game changer! I also added chopped kimchi, because everything is better with kimchi! I’d like to celebrate Chuseok with family someday. Terra loves family holiday traditions and so do I.
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Michelle BorokI'm a writer and editor living in Darkhan, Mongolia, by way of Los Angeles. It's a long story... I write about it sometimes. Archives
May 2023
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