Ichon Rice Festival '07

[Domestic Goddess]

Like what I promised earlier (and to Peter), we hightailed it to Ichon City yesterday (Oct. 26) to experience the Ichon Rice Festival. My Russian friend Oksana and her little boy Minseogi went with me and Billy on our trip.

We took the Festival's shuttle bus to the event. Here are Oksana and her boy.

The event was held at Seolbong Park, the same venue of the Ichon Ceramic Festival.

The Festival was jumping with people from all walks of life. In the shuttle bus, we were outnumbered by dozens of senior citizens who cackled and gabbed all the way. I just had to take a picture of these cute preschoolers.

This huge mound of rice stalks were shaped like a hut with two huge rice scoopers.

There were also a booth were one can don rice capes, skirts and hats. Billy thought it was funny to pose with him.

Of course, I couldn't go to a local festival without getting a souvenir for my knickknack-crazy mother. I got her one of this tiny lucky rice scoopers to hang on the door. I got one with chili peppers attached to it.

Next: metal works & ricecake-making

[Domestic Goddess]

Just near the entrance of the festival was a metal-works booth. I was fascinated with this gentleman who was intently working on a ring of metal. That's a clay kiln where he would sometimes insert the metal to bring it up to red-hot state.

Knives and sickles to entrance Freddy Krueger.

Iron pots beside metal hoe attachments (on the left)

Aaah, more metal sharp thingies.

I fell in love with these metal teapots.

Next to the metalworks booth was the ricecake booth. And they had an authentic rice-pounding ceremony. One of the men from the crowd volunteered to weild the heavy wooden mallet.

The women who hold the cloth where the pounded rice is kept pull the corners together to mix the pounded rice up.

Eventually the pounded rice turns into this.

It is really nice, soft and sticky and coated liberally with this bland powder (somebody, help?). I dare anyone to whistle after eating a mouthful of these rice treats. And yes, that is a plastic plate that the server is using to cut the hug ricecake slab.

They were also selling these common rice cakes. Logs for deokbokki, ricecake with beans, soy beans & nuts and nut-paste filed ones.

Also on display were these gift sets costing about $60 per box.

I was so glad they had freebies...

The ladies giving the freebies wore these lovely hanboks (Korean Traditional garment).

[Domestic Goddess]

Sights and sounds around the Rice Festival

If you do get tired walking around the festival grounds, you can always hitch a ride on this ox-cart.

While Billy and I was walking we spied this huge rope made out of rice straws. Hmm, I wonder what it was for?

It was for a game of tug-of-war! There was an announcer who called on all adults to participate. Yeah, they also manage to get some foreigners to join in.

My son unfortunately was distracted by a frog that got caught on bundle of straw rope.

A friendly pair of hands help catch the slippery amphibian for Billy.

1-2-3 and away they go! Our side lost on the first round. After a brief rest, round two started and our side won!

The older generation thought it would be best to cheer on the sidelines, with a glass of fermented rice wine.

Acorn jelly with garlic/chili sauce plus kimchi made up for tasty accompaniment to the wine.

Whenever one approaches a table like this, you can be sure to be offered a glass.

By this time, Billy has wandered off and found another fun thing to do.

And for the historic fashionistas, there's even a booth where you can dress up as a princess or benevolent prince.

We decided to move to another part of exhibits and found more fun stuff to do. Like pounding rice.

Or milling the grains the old-fashioned way.

I had to take a picture of these giggling adjumas (aunts) who was having a heyday threshing rice.

There were several stages for performances in the festival.

Dancers with traditional drums...

In another stage, there were puppet shows for the kiddies.

For those who want a portrait of themselves, there were about a dozen artist ready to whip up a drawing in less than an hour.

Next: Displays and exhibits

Edited October 27, 2007 by Domestic Goddess (log)

[Domestic Goddess]

The next booth where we went to was the woven-rice products. These were manned by sullen geezers who refused to smile at any greeting. This is the weaving machine that they use.

Grinning totem poles leer at me.

And Billy leers at these woven animals' behind.

Traditional woven slippers with no size for me.

I think this a horse and a tiny cow and farmer vignette.

A woven man guards the entrance of the booth.

The cape on display catches my eye. I could imagine a 16th century farmer garbed with this woven garment, bent under the pouring rain.

A rice keeper? I have no idea.

Beside this booth was a model of a korean house. Oksana poses with Minseogi (you can see my little rascal peering behind them).

[Domestic Goddess]

More pics and report tomorrow. Hubby's complaining that I've been in here for hours.

[nakji]

What great pictures, Dodie! I've been to Ichon several times, once with my mother. We had an amazing baek ban meal there with Ichon ssal. My boss drove us, and we couldn't stop for lunch until she had stopped at least three other cars and canvassed locals on the best place to take foreigners to eat true Ichon ssal. I sneaked away during the meal and paid the bill before she could get it. What a great memory!

[milgwimper]

Doddie,

Thank you for the wonderful pictures! Man, I wish I could attend then I would be in shopping heaven. I have always wanted the stone grinder, but I don't think that will happen until DH retires, and we finally get a house to permenantly settle. It is a bit unweidly, but I have always secrely wanted one since I was a kid.

I hope DH is feeling better! Sending goood thoughts and prayers!

I am still working on what I can send you via German and Korean mail. Germany doesn't make it easy. *sigh* But hopefully everything will be good, so don't give up I will send you something sometime hopefully before Christmas!

[SheenaGreena]

the bland powder on the rice cake is kinako (don't know the korean name). It's just roasted soy bean powder and is very yummy.

I love that acorn jelly stuff, but its a pain in the butt to pick up with chopsticks bc it always falls apart. However if you are using wooden ones, it is much easier (:

does anyone know how to make acorn jelly?

Edited October 27, 2007 by SheenaGreena (log)

[Domestic Goddess]

Nakji - I do know about sneaking off and paying the bill. If I don't do it, my korean friends would do it all the time. LOL

Milgwimper - no worries, and thanks for the t's and p's for hubby.

Sheena - aaah so that is roasted soybean powder. I see bags of that sold in the grocery stores here.

[Domestic Goddess]

More Sights and Sounds

Remember I said that the Rice Festival is held at the same venue for the World Ceramic Festival? Well, there were ceramics on display.

See those teapots at the front? I love the functional handles on them.

The green celadon vases at the back have the flying crane motif. My mom absolutely adores it.

Now we go to the Kimchi booth. Yes, you heard me, Kimchi. Did you know that a lot of traditional mothers and grandmothers would use rice washing as an ingredient to make kimchi. That's the cloudy water that you get when you swirl the rice in in the pot.

These bags cost about $10 each.

Free kkaetogi kimchi for tasting. Kkaetogi is made out of radish cubes. My parents brought home a couple of kilos of these kimchi when they last visited me.

Of course, we got the common napa cabbage kimchi.

They also had a kimchi making tutorial with ingredients ready made. Like the red-hot chili paste. Ingredients usually include ground chili powder, minced garlic, anchovy fish sauce, etc.

Cabbages soaked and washed with rice washing water.

The soaked cabbages thoroughly drained and rubbed with the evil-hot chili paste.

They were also selling tangerines there for a couple of bucks per bag. I bought one for Billy and I to share on the bus ride home.

I spied Billy in front of several pumpkins, entranced by something.

He was mesmerized by this - a taffy pulling machine. It was a booth selling pumpkin taffy candy.

Here's the taffy candy rolled into logs and dusted with that roasted soybean powder.

So we went on further into the fairgrounds and came upon a booth showing how a rice paddy environment supports the ecosystem. They had frogs, eels and bugs in this little rice paddy showcase.

Here is Billy trying to get one of the eels.

Other kids joined in the splishy-splashy fun.

One of the kids caught an eel and shows it to Billy. All the fun stopped when an official came over and told the kids that they couldn't catch the eels. Oops.

Next: Antiques and so much more

[SheenaGreena]

I think that pumpkin candy is called "yut" or I might be thinking of another taffy like candy. I remember that when I went to the korean folk village some guy was making a molasses like taffy candy that almost tore my fillings out when I ate it.

that korean guy making the candy also looks mighty cute in his kitty apron (:

[seisei]

the bland powder on the rice cake is kinako (don't know the korean name).  It's just roasted soy bean powder and is very yummy.

I love that acorn jelly stuff, but its a pain in the butt to pick up with chopsticks bc it always falls apart.  However if you are using wooden ones, it is much easier (:

does anyone know how to make acorn jelly?

←

I think the Korean name for the powder on rice cakes (and sometimes on paat bing su) is call misu garu (misu powder),

For muk, they usually sell acorn/muk powder in stores, which you mix at home with water, heat, and pour out to set, like jello (pm me for a recipe that I have if you like).

Doddie, thanks for the great pictures, and ignore that hubby of yours and keep posting!

[Peter Green]

I think that pumpkin candy is called "yut" or I might be thinking of another taffy like candy.  I remember that when I went to the korean folk village some guy was making a molasses like taffy candy that almost tore my fillings out when I ate it.

that korean guy making the candy also looks mighty cute in his kitty apron (:

←

Yup, Yoonhi says it's yut (yeot if you follow the traffic sign transliteration). The pumpkin (or zucchini) yut is lighter and fluffier than the regular stuff.

Man, I wish we'd stayed another week for this!

[Peter Green]

the bland powder on the rice cake is kinako (don't know the korean name).  It's just roasted soy bean powder and is very yummy.

I love that acorn jelly stuff, but its a pain in the butt to pick up with chopsticks bc it always falls apart.  However if you are using wooden ones, it is much easier (:

does anyone know how to make acorn jelly?

←

I think the Korean name for the powder on rice cakes (and sometimes on paat bing su) is call misu garu (misu powder),

For muk, they usually sell acorn/muk powder in stores, which you mix at home with water, heat, and pour out to set, like jello (pm me for a recipe that I have if you like).

Doddie, thanks for the great pictures, and ignore that hubby of yours and keep posting!

←

Yoonhi thinks the name is kong garu - which translates out as soy bean powder. This usually has some sugar in it to sweeten it. You take the steamed glutinous rice powder, between/kneeded when hot, flattened, and then rolled in the soy bean flour - injeolmi.

Yoonhi remembers misu garu is a powder of about 12 different grains that you get powdered, and then mix it with water to drink.

(now she's going into a "my mom used to make all of this...." mode)

[milgwimper]

the bland powder on the rice cake is kinako (don't know the korean name).  It's just roasted soy bean powder and is very yummy.

I love that acorn jelly stuff, but its a pain in the butt to pick up with chopsticks bc it always falls apart.  However if you are using wooden ones, it is much easier (:

does anyone know how to make acorn jelly?

←

I think the Korean name for the powder on rice cakes (and sometimes on paat bing su) is call misu garu (misu powder),

For muk, they usually sell acorn/muk powder in stores, which you mix at home with water, heat, and pour out to set, like jello (pm me for a recipe that I have if you like).

Doddie, thanks for the great pictures, and ignore that hubby of yours and keep posting!

←

Yoonhi thinks the name is kong garu - which translates out as soy bean powder. This usually has some sugar in it to sweeten it. You take the steamed glutinous rice powder, between/kneeded when hot, flattened, and then rolled in the soy bean flour - injeolmi.

Yoonhi remembers misu garu is a powder of about 12 different grains that you get powdered, and then mix it with water to drink.

(now she's going into a "my mom used to make all of this...." mode)

←

I love Misu garu! I love mixing it with a little hot water to get it to somewhat "dissolve" with some sugar, then add really cold water and ice. SO refreshing on a hot day!

Doddie,

Wow catching eels and frogs sounds like a kids version of heaven! I love the ceramics, I like alot of the Korean ceramics, but yeah the celadon has a special place in my soul, but not in my pocketbook!

[Domestic Goddess]

Part Three of my Report

The Modern and the Old...

A rice polishing machine, I guess this is the small portable kind.

There was a huge exhibit of antiques. Here are farm implements and a still-working loom.

Jars, a pump handle, and more farm implements. I love the wooden carry-all.

Machetes, saws and mortar & pestle...

Brass (?) rice pot with small rice bowls with covers. I adore the look of worn, well-used wooden spoon. Like a dozen grandmas have used it to stir and scrape the pot.

Charcoal irons! I remember we had one of these when I was growing up and our maid would actually prefer it than the electric one. Of course, when the charcoal spits glowing embers, it leaves a soot-blackened hole on your shirt.

An old phone, old lamps and I have no idea what those tiny teapots on the stick at the back are for.

A chinese medicine cabinet.

A wooden parasol and a delightful dresser.

They even had a display of old korean currency.

[Domestic Goddess]

Sheena - I tasted one of the pumpkin yut and it stuck in my upper molar for a minute before vigorous tongue wrestling managed to unstuck it for me to just melt in my mouth.

Seisei - my hubby actually whined "are you gonna post ALL those pictures? Do you really HAVE TO? LOL

Peter - Billy kept asking me to call you to bring Serena to the rice festival. He was disappointed to find that you guys already left Korea.

Milgwimper - my mother loves celadon but could only afford a small vase. I could only afford a chopstick rest.

[Domestic Goddess]

Ichon Rice Products

Here's one of the most popular rice brands in Korea - the Ichon Rice. The logo actually has a korean king on it to signify that this kind of rice was used exclusively for the king and the royal family's consumption in the olden times.

Unhusked rice grains.

Husked and polished rice.

Displays of rice plants in different growth stages.

When you have rice, you make rice cakes. I've seen rice cakes all over (Philippines, China, etc.) but have never seen such prettier rice cakes than the ones in Korea.

Will you look at those tiny grape designs?

Ricecake with pumpkin rose garnish.

Masquerading as persimmons...

Some of these look like pretty pin cushions.

Another one that is literally a cake.

Whenever this is served in a birthday party, I usually hoard the black ones - my favorite!

Pretty folded ones.

Decorated with cherry blossoms.

And more pretty cakes...

Hmmm... I wonder how they cut these cakes up? Rice cakes are pretty sticky and hard to cut.

Edited October 29, 2007 by Domestic Goddess (log)

[Domestic Goddess]

Rice cake with tea sets plating and presentation

Cakes in this delightful iron duck.

Lined up in this graceful ceramic boat.

Nestled in this glass swan.

Isn't this so pretty?

Now we get to the jook (rice gruel/porridge) presentations.

These porridge has chestnuts in it.

And we have more rice cakes. Pardon the glare as all the exhibits had clear wrap around them.

Hmm these are preserved lotus root.

And I think this is peanut brittle.

Rice puffs!

Candied apple peel rosettes.

More rice puffs! I love the sesame coated ones.

An elegant tea presentation.

Candied ginseng

[Domestic Goddess]

More rice cakes and desserts...

Twisted Multi-colored Ddeok

Pepita Squares (Squash Seeds)

Flower sweets with Pine nuts

Sliced Ddeok with Walnut and Sesame Seeds

Rice cakes with pressed design

There were also various cooked rice with mixed ingredients. Like these rice balls with red bean.

Steamed rice with squash...

Steamed rice with peas...

Rice with minced mushrooms. Yum!

And steamed with chestnuts.

Different grains used to mix with rice. From the left, we have mixed grains (peas, barley, millet, etc), barley and black rice.

Here's a delightful way to present rice. Steamed in a squash.

I have no clue what this rice bowl contains.

Cooked in a stone pot with ginko nuts, dates and ginseng.

This one looks like it has chinese ingredients in it: carrots, leeks, mushrooms, etc.

Wrapped in lettuce leaves.

A bibimbap bowl.

Rice with sweet potato cubes.

Then there were more stuff on display for mixing with rice to make it more nutritious. Like millet grains.

Hmm, anyone got an idea on what these grains are?

Black rice or what we call "pirurutong" in the Philippines.

Plain rice grains.

Let's end this session with an elegant table display.

Edited October 29, 2007 by Domestic Goddess (log)

[Domestic Goddess]

Fondant Cakes

There was a cake booth with lots of colorful display cakes exhibited.

Fondant high heels, anyone?

A bed cake...

A baby cake for a little girl.

Petit fours?

A chocolate creation...

A pair of parrots with a rabbit.

An island girl?

Woodland animals...

I see a monkey, a dolphin and an elephant on this cake.

[Domestic Goddess]

Food, Glorious Food (as sung by the prehistoric vultures in Ice Age 2)

Steamed and then Grilled Corn

Crispy Pa-Jeon (Vegetable pankcakes) - I wanna fish out that tentacle and munch on it.

Fiery-hot Ddeokbukki

Japanese bean cakes.

Deep-fried pork strips

Roasted pig... (tummy rumbling with hunger now)

And we have the restaurant tents...

This kind gentleman giggled as I took his picture. He said he like being a "food model"

[Domestic Goddess]

We come to the end

I forgot to mention, there were a place to make your own carved totem poles.

A lot of the farms in Ichon had a display stand where they displayed their produce and goodies.

This stall had brined tiny shrimp and fermented clams/fish.

This stall I think has honey products. (Yoonhi, Peter, help?)

Preserved peach chunks...

We walked on further and found vegetable stands. This one boasted it got the best dried peppers.

Sacks of sweet potatoes

Green peppers for munching... These are not that hot.

Huge cabbages and daikon radishes for "kimjang" (kimchee making season).

Dried black soybeans

Apples in gift boxes and dried peanuts

An array of farm produce...

There was a tofu stand there too. Freshly made tofu blocks were served steaming hot to customers.

This genial gent invited me to taste his freshly made tofu. It was fantastic.

More dried chili pepper pods.

There was a place in the festival marked "Prayer Grounds".

I found out that it is a place where one can write down wishes and tie it to the rope in offering to the Rice Gods. Billy ties our prayers onto the rope.

There were more sights to see and things to do but we had to cut short our sighseeing. Billy got bit by a dog on his little finger on the right hand. The cocker spaniel was left alone by its owners and lunged at Billy when he ran near it. It was then a frantic trip to the First Aid Booth and then we set off to look for the owners.

We finally tracked the dog's owners and they insisted in bringing Billy to the nearby hospital. After another round of meds administration and bandaging, we were driven back to the bus terminal and we went home tired and exhausted. Billy's finger is now healing nicely.

I do hope y'all enjoyed my report. I can't wait for the next Rice Festival.

[milgwimper]

We come to the end

A lot of the farms in Ichon had a display stand where they displayed their produce and goodies.

This stall had brined tiny shrimp and fermented clams/fish.

This stall I think has honey products. (Yoonhi, Peter, help?)

We walked on further and found vegetable stands. This one boasted it got the best dried peppers.

Green peppers for munching... These are not that hot.

There was a tofu stand there too. Freshly made tofu blocks were served steaming hot to customers.

This genial gent invited me to taste his freshly made tofu. It was fantastic.

More dried chili pepper pods.

I found out that it is a place where one can write down wishes and tie it to the rope in offering to the Rice Gods. Billy ties our prayers onto the rope.

There were more sights to see and things to do but we had to cut short our sighseeing. Billy got bit by a dog on his little finger on the right hand. The cocker spaniel was left alone by its owners and lunged at Billy when he ran near it. It was then a frantic trip to the First Aid Booth and then we set off to look for the owners.

We finally tracked the dog's owners and they insisted in bringing Billy to the nearby hospital. After another round of meds administration and bandaging, we were driven back to the bus terminal and we went home tired and exhausted. Billy's finger is now healing nicely.

I do hope y'all enjoyed my report. I can't wait for the next Rice Festival.

←

I hope Billy is doing well, and I am so sorry your fun was cut so soon. I hope he heals up soon.

I love celadon ceramics but it is so expensive! The chopstick rest sounds really pretty. The last time we were in korea the only thing I could afford to do was look at them! Ahhh fermented fish products.**sigh** I miss the fermented raw squid, but I haven't seen it here in the one Korean grocery store I found, but I did find the shrimps!

The Lady at the booth is selling strawberry jam and plum something...I can't figure out what yuk (?) gi su means. She is also selling gochujang and dwenjang and another type of dwenjang product chung gukjang. If I remember correctly it is stronger than normal dwenjang.

The peppers dried and fresh look so beautiful! Not as tempting as the food. I would have to agree with you on wanting to snitch the tenticle from the pa jun! The deokbokki looks so good, and moist and chewy Fresh tofu is so great! I love the stuff. The roasted pork is so calling my name right now though. I am sure I will be having piggy dreams.

I loved the fact the adjusshi liked being a food model!

The sliced deok with walnuts in it reminds me of my wedding. I had a condensed version of the Korean wedding, and on the wedding table we had dried apricots stuffed with walnuts and sliced. Yeah. My father in law thought it was a match made in heaven. He ate most of our wedding display of them and the pine nuts with raisins. My mother in law and father in law never had pinenuts before and were amazed that someone took the time to skewer the raisin and pinenut on a toothpick.

The ddeok displays are beautiful, and it reminds me how much I miss deok! The rice looks beautiful too, and wish I could find new rice here. Unfortunately I have no idea what that mysterious grain is, but it is pretty.

I really like your photograph of the rice on the wooden disk plate. The lighting is so soft, and the rice looks so beautiful. Almost like pearls but translucent...Okay I am babbling but I love that photograph.

Corrected for spelling X2

Edited October 29, 2007 by milgwimper (log)

[Peter Green]

Thakns, Doddie!

At least this way I can get some vicarious pleasure.

I do hope Billy's doing okay. Serena sends her best for him.

Cheers,

Peter, Yoonhi, and Serena