End of Year Celebration

#1. Dutch Baby, baby!

Every year, I try to cook at least one thing that I have never cooked before. This year, it was (among many things) Dutch baby. I found the recipe from NYT Cooking, and I thought I’d try it—months ago.

I’m the only one in the family who is not so enthusiastic to have something sweet for a meal. Pancakes or waffles or crepe for breakfast will be as far as I go, if there are other savory items on the menu. On the contrary, S loves pancakes and waffles, and Hubby does too. I thought Dutch baby would be a hit if I could only find the time to preheat the oven and bake it for breakfast, which, as you might have guessed is not easy. (I tend to be a night owl, and have slipped back to my habit during the holidays.)

Yesterday, we didn’t have any plans. I had leftover pasta, which I decided to serve for lunch, but it wasn’t enough for the three of us. That’s when I thought of Dutch baby. About 40 minutes later… tada!

Dutch baby with blackberries. Do you see the glittering gold stars sprinkled on top, along with powdered sugar?

#2. Fried Chicken

Almost every Korean I know loves chicken. But don’t be fooled: “chicken” in Korea almost always means fried chicken (with or without glaze/sauce). Beer is usually accompanied with chicken, as in the word “chimek 치맥,” a shortened term for chicken (치킨) and beer (맥주).

My husband and I are no exceptions. Actually, I didn’t used to like (fried) chicken so much when I lived in Korea. But nowadays, I will devour chicken any day! So today, we went to the nearby Korean chicken place that opened recently. Tada!

Garlic chicken and original. Scrumptious!

And after the chicken, came the cake. I don’t know if it’s a Korean thing, but Koreans usually celebrate Christmas with cake. Last year, we even baked one for ourselves. This year we didn’t, so we got one for the end of the year instead. With our stomach full, the three of us are more than ready to meet the new year!

For a number of reasons, I had been secretly wishing this year would end soon. Nevertheless, I do realize that I must admit the following: First, 2021 wasn’t so bad, after all. I’ve had good times as well as the bad. Second, and more importantly, I should not let the arbitrary grouping of days affect my life so much, and try to make every day count. Tomorrow is only a day away, and Jan 1, 2022 will be no different.

Still, if you can’t help feeling a little sad and sentimental, here is a song to fight that pervasive melancholy: Lizzo’s Juice. Let’s party! On a side note, I don’t think Lizzo is the only one that is “like chardonnay, get better over time.” We all can—and do—get better over time, I hope.

마음을 모아 보내요

릴보이, 원슈타인 Friends 뮤비 대박

“꽃길이었으면 해, 우리들 새로운 시작이

널 엄습하는 불안감도 이해가 돼서 난

가만히 앉아 있을 수가 없네 걍

응원이라도 해볼까 해 “

맨 앞의 가사가 콕 박혀 몇 번을 돌려 듣는다.

친구들에게, 가족에게, 나에게도 보내고픈 연말 노래.

당신의 앞길에 꽃길만이 펼쳐지기를. 그러나 절대 그럴 리 없는 인생. 넘어지고 비틀거려도 지금의 이 자리를 꽃자리라 생각하며 계속 그렇게 걸어나가기를. 부디.

마음을 모아 빕니다.

Tea for Two

A package from Amazon came yesterday. Of course, a box or two (or three or four) a day from Amazon is not an uncommon thing, but this one I had no idea what it was. It was a box of tea, and even though I enjoy tea, I had no recollection whatsoever of ordering tea this season.

Did I, in a shopping frenzy, order it and forget all about it?

It turned out to be a present from Doyeon, the founder of Simple Steps, the non-profit organization that I joined this year as a volunteer editor. I was so touched.

What an apt name!

Joining Simple Steps is one of the best things I did this year. With the Covid-19 pandemic and its seemingly endless variants, 2020 and 2021 have been universally tough. Last year, I sustained myself on sourdough bread. (Yes, I joined the sourdough craze in April and am proud to say that I still have my starter up and running.) This year, I found great solace in Simple Steps instead. The things I learned through Simple Steps, and the joy I felt by joining a community of like-minded immigrant women! That has truly been the “warming joy.”

I took out my cherished tea pot and mug, a wedding present from a friend of mine. The tea pyramid was fragrant enough to fill the room with its aroma. S had hot chocolate while Hubby and I enjoyed the tea.

It wasn’t exactly “Tea for Two,” as it wasn’t “just tea for two and two for tea,” but the tea time did create a “lovely oasis where life’s weary taste is unknown.” And I’m grateful for that.

Here’s Tea for Two from the Warner Archive. Hope you enjoy it.

크리스마스 카드

산타가 힘겹게 쓴 카드

어릴 때는 매해 크리스마스 카드에 공들였다. 산타클로스를 만들기도 하고 반짝이 펜으로 장식도 하고. 너무 옛날이네… 요새는 카드도 겨우 산다. 올해도 카드를 몇 개 못 썼다. 심지어 딸에게조차 쓰지 않았네? (물론 산타 할아버지 대필은 내가 했다. 왼손으로 저 정도 썼으면 잘하지 않았나요?)

미국에 오니 매해 가족 사진으로 연하장을 대신하는 문화를 접하게 되었다. 지인들에게 받고서 고마운 마음을 느끼는데도 한 번도 제대로 답을 하지 못 한 그 연하장이 올해도 몇 장 쌓였다. 마음을 표현하고 싶은데 왜 그런지 생각만큼 쉽지가 않다.

올해는 좀 써 볼까 싶어서 사놓고 쓰지 못한 빈 크리스마스 카드들을 바라보다 생각난 노래를 붙인다.

“그대여 메리 크리스마스, 잘 지내나요?”

토이의 크리스마스 카드

와… 저 스카이 폰. 정겹다 ㅎㅎㅎ

오랜만에

머리를 잘랐다. 딱 2년 전 크리스마스 시즌에 엘에이에서 머리를 자르고 한국에 가는 지인 편에 보내 머리를 기부했는데, 올해도 며칠 후 한국에 가는 지인 편에 머리를 보내기로 했다.

어머나 운동본부 기부 기준은 염색이나 파마를 하지 않은 머리로 25센티미터를 넘으면 된다. 지난 번에는 좀 길게 남겨놨었는지 이번엔 자른 머리가 거의 40센티미터에 가까웠다.

세 번째 기부다. 모발 기부라는 걸 알게 되고 마침 임신을 했던 터라 첫 기부는 매우 수월했다. 이후에도 머리를 자르거나 염색/파마하고 싶은 마음이 좀 들긴 했으나 미용실 값이 넘 비싼 미국에만 있다 보니 상대적으로 괜찮았다. (오늘 여성 커트 가격이 팁 포함 65불…) 이제 흰머리가 제법 나기 시작하고 머리가 길면 아무래도 많이 빠지는 것 같아서 다음에 또 할지는 잘 모르겠다. 그래도 돈 드는 것도 아니고 큰 수고도 없이, 그저 2년 동안 그냥 머리만 기르면 되는 일이니 못 할 건 또 없다.

치렁치렁하던 머리가 산뜻하게 사라진 건 좋은데 목덜미가 너무 시리다. 당분간 목도리를 좀 해야겠다.

올해의 선물

올해 산타께 쿠키도 남겨놓고 쪽지도 쓰고 잔 덕인지(?) 시아는 그렇게나 원하던 변신로봇을 산타 할아버지께 받았다. 그러나 시아의 관심을 한 몸에 받은 선물은 바로! 엄마 아빠의 선물이다. (크기로나 가격으로나 ㅋㅋ)

그 선물은 (두구두구두구두구두구!!)

인형의 집이다. 벌써 몇 달 전, 친구에게 받았던 인형 2층 침대를 실수로 부수고 너무 속상해 하길래 인형의 집 할인하니 사줘볼까 가볍게 생각한 게 화근(?)이었다. 배달된 박스부터가 전혀 가볍지 않아서 따로 치우지도 못 하고 마루 책장에 기대어 놓은 채 거의 두 달을 방치해 뒀었다. 어제 겨우 커다란 선물 자루에 넣어서 트리 아래에 놔뒀다.

자, 백문이 불여일견!

시아(와 집을 조립한 아빠의) 넋을 쏙 빼놓은 인형의 집을 공개합니다!

디테일이 엄청나다…!

덧. 엄마에게 전화해서 보여줬더니 인형네가 우리집보다 좋다고… 수긍할 수밖에 없었다. 수동식이지만 엘리베이터도 있고 그랜드피아노도 있으니까… 나도 저런 집 살고 싶구나. 여튼 시아는 대만족인데… 저걸 대체 어디다 둔다…. 휴…

Merry Christmas!

Greetings!

White Christmas

May your days be merry and bright! Many happy wishes for the coming new year!

아직 아가랍니다

요새 다시 나오는 우리 따님의 기본 자세와 사랑 고백.

“엄마 좋아! 엄마 가지 마!”

무서운 일을 앞두거나 큰 변화가 있을 때 엄마 품에 파고드는 건 본능일까. 지금 생각해 보니 이렇게 다시 심하게 엥긴 이유는 치과 가서 이를 뽑아야 한다는 말을 듣고 나서부터인 듯하다.

내가 저 나이 때 어땠더라…?

…생각해 보면 S, 아직 아가다. 엉덩이 몽고반점도 아직 선명하다. 오늘도 다른 아기를 안고 있고 자기는 안 안아줬다고 입이 댓 발 나왔다.

아이고, 구여운 우리 아가. 꼭 안아줄게?!

The Tooth Fairy’s First Visit

My baby lost her first tooth today. Wow.

It was a few days ago before our trip when my husband noticed that S’s permanent tooth started to grow. Still, her baby tooth wasn’t loose. Not even a little. I tried jiggling it a little, but it wouldn’t budge.

I asked the family dentist, and she scheduled S in for today. And tada!

I had to wait for a delivery so I didn’t go to the dentist with her. My husband told me that she was very brave and didn’t cry at all. She was quite proud to tell me so herself.

Cheese

As for the tooth fairy, I’m still puzzled. I did search for the going rate for the tooth fairy nowadays, and I still haven’t decided on the amount. I’m not sure whether the tooth fairy only visits the very same day that a child loses her tooth. Actually, tooth fairy is a very new concept for me and my husband. My husband and I are also debating whether we, I mean the tooth fairy, should give her cash or some reward stars that we’ve been handing out to S with her reward chart.

This feels like a huge milestone—almost as important when her first tooth came out. I don’t know whether I’m glad or sad. I guess bittersweet might be the word I’m looking for.

RAIN

A few months ago, I had the chance to practice Tara Brach’s Radical Compassion meditation: RAIN. This acronym stands for Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Nurture.

“Recognize what is going on;

Allow the experience to be there, just as it is;

Investigate with interest and care;

Nurture with self compassion.”

Understanding and love is key to compassionate meditation. The key is to be compassionate to yourself as much as to others. You might be tempted to ignore and bury some negative emotions that arise within you, but the key is to let them be and investigate the core with gentle attention. Only then you will reach the state of After the Rain, which is the final stage where you “simply notice your own presence and rest in that wakeful, tender space of awareness.” Then you become once again whole.

(Quoted from the website: https://www.tarabrach.com/rain-practice-radical-compassion/)

For those of you who are interested in practicing this meditation, here is the Tara Brach’s website link where the YouTube video is linked:

https://www.tarabrach.com/meditation-practice-rain/