Russian Food

Most of Russia's food consists of beef, pork, potatoes, sour cream, cheese, and more potatoes. There are very few vegetables that the Russians have at a convenient and reasonable price. Since the climate is so harsh in the north it is difficult to grow many lush vegetables. They are also practically land-locked with no main shipping lanes, which makes import a hassle and very costly. The only vegetables they eat somewhat regularly are cabbage and cauliflower.

With these key facts in mind I chose to create a dish with pork, potatoes and mushrooms, a cauliflower casserole and strawberry custard (desserts are really the only dishes that fruit is found in).

First the custard was created since it had to set up in the refrigerator. I began by boiling about two cups of strawberries in four cups of water. After it started to boil, I simmered them for about fifteen minutes until the berries were thoroughly mushy. The aroma by this point was heavenly, yes it was just strawberries, but it smelt amazing.

Then I used a strainer to separate the flesh of the berries and the juice. After a bit of confusion of what to do with the meat, I placed it back into the juice. This seems silly, but in doing so I was able to make the meat of the berries into miniscule pieces while keeping the flavor.  It took a long time to thicken the custard, with many consultations with my mom and many "Is it almost done yet?" Finally with the extra cornstarch added and the heat on medium high for thirty minutes, it started to get slightly thicker. I took it off the heat and began my second dish.

The cauliflower was very simple in comparison to the rest of the meal. Simply cook the vegetable for five minutes in boiling water, make a cream sauce with soymilk, flour, margarine  and diary-free sour cream (one could use the "real" dairy if their diet permits). After the sauce was done and the cauliflower some-what cooked, I placed the vegetable in a baking dish and poured the sauce over the top, sprinkling with dairy-free shredded cheese. It was placed in the oven at four hundred degrees for about thirty minutes.

As the cauliflower went into the oven, the strawberry custard went into the fridge, and the pork chop dish was started. A light spraying of oil in a skillet and barely browning the potatoes was the beginning of the recipe. Then I set the potatoes aside and browned the pork chops for two minutes on each side. After the pork chops were browned about three table spoons of water was added and they cooked for ten minutes. After the time was up, the potatoes and mushrooms went in and the dish was cooked for ten more minutes. Finally, the sour cream (dairy-free) was added and the dish was supposedly done. But, the potatoes were still quite hard so I let it cook until it was soft.

The result was a delicious cauliflower casserole that was filling and creamy. The custard, to my surprise, set up beautifully and was an unusual delicious creamy dessert and mostly healthy (except for the extra sugar we added)! The pork chops tasted okay. I prefer shake-'n-bake and don't think it was worth the trouble. However, the potatoes were tasty. I served with a pitcher of peach tea, because tea is the most common drink in Russia. After two and a half hours in the kitchen, the result was overall impressive. However, the hardest dish was the least exciting. I would make everything again, except the pork chops. 

Lifestyles of Argentinians

Most of Argentineans are descendents from European immigrants. They brought with them the architectures, clothing, and traditions with them from Europe. In the large cities these immigrants merge the traditions of their ancestors with the customs of the local Indians, which over the years, have developed into a unique lifestyle.

Argentineans' occupations normally require them to arrive by nine A.M., sometimes later. They will work throughout the day until the lunch hour, where they will normally return home for lunch and rest, occasionally they will visit a local cafe. After they return to work, they may take breaks in the local cafe for a European custom of tea in the afternoon, or coffee. In the cafe, they will talk about various topics, art, music, sports - the favorite being soccer, or football - politics, and life as an Argentinean. Returning to work, they stay until seven pm or longer, sometimes they do not leave until ten P.M. Argentineans will eat an extremely late supper when they return from work. It is common to eat at a restaurant for dinner past twelve A.M. In fact, some restaurants do not even open until midnight.

The nightlife is when Argentina comes alive. It is very safe to travel in a large city like, Buenos Aries (the capital), until the wee hours of the morning. Most Argentineans do. They shop, eat, socialize, dance, listen to music, and sing in local cafes with friends and many other small activities out on the town. It is surprising to foreigners how Argentineans can run on such little sleep, but the slow breaks throughout the day help, and the mattè does not hurt.

Mattè is a caffeinated tea drunk from a gourd with a metal straw. The straw sifts the loose tealeaves so that the partaker does not get a mouthful of bitter leaves. This straw emits a loud slurping sound. Most of the time people drink the tea without sugar, however sometimes people will add a bit to cut down on the bitter flavor.

Mattè is something both the city people and the Indians have in common. There are few Indians left, only about twenty percent, but those live mostly in the rural parts of Argentina. Here they farm, ranch (as gauchos or cowboys), and try to retain some part of their distant history.

There has always been a tension between the European immigrants and the Indians.  There used to be riots and violent clashes that caused much heartbreak in Argentina. Now both groups of people recognize that they are different and that they need each other. They still try to keep their distance from one another and find the other's lifestyle odd, but violence has become less frequent.

Both the Indians and the immigrants’ lifestyles are fascinating with some allure. To live in the beautiful rural Argentina and tend the cows, feed alligators (like ducks), listen to the hawks, and live life sounds amazing. While the fast paced, and yet slow, life of the city dwelling Argentinean sounds interesting in its own right. The philosophical discussions over a cup of tea, the long nights out on the town listening to music and discussing what it means to live in Argentina sounds stimulating.

If I lived in Argentina I would not quite know what to choose, but I have a similar decision to make in America. As I am getting ready to go to college, do I want to pursue a life that entails the stimulating inspiring city, or the peaceful country? Nowhere is perfect, and maybe in our vast country there is a place where the two merge. If they do not yet, with a little changing of our personal customs maybe we could incorporate both. Slow down our hustle and bustle of everyday life; put away the cell phones for a minute. Sit next to someone at a coffee shop and talk to him or her. Really, talk. The first step in getting a community of people is talking, sharing, and stepping out of the comfort zone, even in a large city. That is what Argentina has most, community.

Folk, Rock and Tango!

Music in Argentinean has a verity of European influences. Due to the fact, most of Argentina's population is immigrants from Europe. It is common to hear an accordion in their folk music, a steel guitar in their rock, and a verity of instruments in their tangos.

Argentina's folk music is quite popular. Instead of the songs being about their loves in the past, most of them have to do with problems facing Argentina. One song comments on the large amount of homeless children, another on how life caries on after disastrous times, these songs make the listener think about their world. It also drives them to consider if the impact they are making is positive or negative.

As one can imagine, the rock music is quite different from the folk. Argentinean rock music was first developed and successful in the mid 1960s. It was the first Spanish speaking rock music to be a hit outside of its nation. The words are less poetic than the folk music, and the focus is given mostly to the instruments. Most of the bands are hard rock, steel guitars, heavy drums, and very loud. There are a few, however, that tend to lean toward soft rock. Fito Paez, is one of the most successful rock musicians. His music is a blend of soft rock and techno.

Opposed to rock music, which had a relatively new appearance on the scene, the tango has been around for much longer. The tango dwells on the heartache of the people, mainly love gone wrong. The dance is a key part of the tango, although people listen to tango without dancing. The dance is in a way a story, like a hula dance. The graceful, strong, yet sorrowful movements propel the heart into sadness. This art form is taught to generation after generation. The tango is a key part of Argentinean life.

The music of Argentina falls into those three main categorize. The success of the latter two have leaked out into the rest of the world and influenced the music that they listen to. The folk music leaks into the heart of listeners making them discern what needs to be done in their nation.

Asado

Argentinean food is the center of many gatherings. Their cuisine is what bonds them together. They will often have family members and friends over for an asado. Although, I have never participated in an asado I find the custom extremely interesting.

The group will gather in the afternoon and begin the asado by roasting sausages and small meats. The guests who offer to help will be politely, but firmly, denied.  The host is territorial over the grill - which is more like a large burning of coals with metal grates covering them up, sometimes stretching for several yards. The host will do all the roasting, which ends up being many in quantity and variety.

After the sausages are consumed, the next stage is other types of meat such as roasting beef (steak, tongue, udder, large hunks etc) and then they move onto pork. The roasting will go on for several hours, long into the night. The cooking times provide time for the stomach to rest and gear up for the next course.

A lovely sauce, that they put on the meat called "chimichurri", is made with parsley, garlic, olive oil and shallots.  It is very flavorful and fresh. And adds a perfect compliment to the meats or the salad and rice that is prepared by the women in an asado.

The asado is not just a time for people to come and eat together. It provides several hours of slowing down, not rushing to consume everything at ones. They talk about life and events while sitting over the fire roasting meats. They pick the bones of a rib while they sing a tango. They look at the stars as night falls, breathing in the aroma of steak and enjoy the time spent with their friends.

Although I have never participated in an asado, it inspires me to find ways to slow down life, enjoy the moment, and have a slab of steak. Perhaps, by sitting by the grill with my family and playing darts, talking about politics, or maybe just sitting. I encourage you to enjoy your family in new and peaceful ways. Perhaps, around the grill!

Music of Burundi

There is not a lot of information about Burundian music, however most of their music is very traditional and goes far back into their history.

The traditional music of a Burundian stems from the villages. After a hard day of labor, the family unit would gather and someone would play a traditional instrument. Sometimes they would pull out a flute or recorder made from wood or bones, other times drums made of stretched leather.

As the music would play a simple rhythmic tune, a whisper-like voice would come in and sing. Perhaps, they would sing familiar tunes or make up new ones. Sometimes the voice would not say any words, but contort their voice into new sounds.  The voice would rarely make it about a whisper adding a mysterious quality.

The music of Burundi sometimes discusses their violent pasts. The bloodshed, pain and horror that the musicians felt, reaches into anyone of the listeners hearts. They will also sing about their love for Burundi itself: the mountains, plains, animals and people. This too will give a connection between the composer and the listener.

Burundian villagers use music as one of their few forms of entertainment and relaxation. Even the most untalented at performing the music is able to enjoy and connect with it on a deeper level. It becomes a bridge between strangers, a bond that sometimes is deeper than one could imagine.

A Burundian's Meal

When studying Burundian food, a few things stood out to me. One was that they rarely eat meat. Because meat is so expensive and scarce, they may only eat it once or twice a month. If they are well off, they may be able to afford it once a week. Burundian’s derive most of their protein from beans, specifically kidney beans. This they eat daily, mostly paired with rice and maybe another kind of vegetable. I decided that I would try my hand at a vegetarian African meal that included kidney beans.

I made Makande soup, which is comprised of corn, kidney beans, coconut milk, and onion, seasoned with salt and pepper. Although, this seems overly simple and not extremely tasty I decided it was a great way to get a  glimpse of a Burundian's life. Since I used canned veggies and milk, I simply dumped all the ingredients in the pot and simmered for about thirty minutes. When it was finished cooking, I tasted it tentatively. Instead of the bland flavor I was expecting, it was tasty. A delicate flavor, but flavor nonetheless. The coconut milk added a slight creaminess, yet it was liquid. The different textures of the veggies made it interesting to eat and very colorful!

I paired the soup with a loaf of homemade French bread. I chose French, because Burundians cook lots of French food for the tourists. In addition, the natives have come to love French bread. In the city, if they can afford it, they pair it with every meal.

I also made some cooked carrots with brown sugar and butter, an African dish.

My family enjoyed the soup, and it was so very easy! My brother commented that he did not find it flavorful enough. He is one who enjoys spicy food immensely. Therefore, if your family eats mostly spicy dishes they may find the soup bland. However, eating foods from different cultures is not just about eating. It is about stepping into a new country’s culture and living as if they would for a brief second. No, I didn't cook over a campfire, yes I had a heater going, but when I sat down to the meal I could imagine how a Burundian family may be sitting down to the very same meal. It made me think about what it would be like to have kidney beans and rice everyday. The cultural experience I created in our bowls was more flavorful than any soup could be.

New York and Burundi

The author of Strength in What Remains explores the experience of a young Burundian man, fresh out of the violence of Burundi and thrust into the city life of New York. The young man recounts what life was like before the violence broke out in Burundi. He also tells the story of a New Yorker who is amidst the luxuries of America without a place to rest his head. 


Deo lived in a small village in the mountains of Burundi. When he was a young child he and his slightly older brother would make the long, over two mile, trek to a stream, where they would gather the water for the household’s use. They were careful to reach the water supply in the daylight hours to be able to avoid nests of tadpoles in the stream. Then, they would make the over two-mile trudge home carrying their heavy burdens. 


During the day, before Deo was of school age, he would help tend the cows that his family was blessed enough to have. The cows were what their lives depended on, without them they would starve. As a young child, he would tend the calves in the field, guiding them back into grazing pasture when they wandered. 


When Deo reached school age, his chores did not stop; however, with sacrifices from his parents he was able to attend school as well. In school, Deo was taught with vigorous discipline; severe punishment was the result of questions. If Deo was late because of the several mile walk up the mountains, he was beaten with a switch several times. Nonetheless, Deo enjoyed learning.

When Deo was school age, he noticed that classmates would stop attending school. Their seats would remain empty and he could hear through the pane-less window the sounds of a funeral by the graveyard. Deo had witnessed several of his classmates pass away, because of sickness (like malaria) or malnutrition.

Although there were many hardships that Deo faced, there were also comforts.  Family was an important part to a Burundian, the family unit was often tight and Deo had a loving family. His father was stern and his mother sometimes overly emotional, but he knew they both loved him and his siblings more than anything. His grandfather was someone who Deo looked up to all his life, even long after his grandfather had died.

After the chores were completed and darkness covered the Burundian village, Deo’s grandfather would pull out his flute and play traditional songs. Sometimes a neighbor would join in with the whisper-like singing and the night would be filled with peaceful music. Deo loved it most when his grandfather would tell them folktales. Often based off the events of the day, but the Grandfather’s imagination would stretch the story into something new and creative. 


In New York, Deo found himself on the lower end of the world. Even lower than when he was in Burundi growing up. Having only two hundred dollars when he escaped the massacres, Deo was homeless. He stayed in an abandoned building with other squatters. There he saw and heard unsavory sights. Prostitutes were, freely giving out what was precious in Burundi, sacred even, in public. Deo found it disgusting. Soon he could no longer take the thieves and prostitutes and decided to live in the newly discovered Central Park.

He moved about the park until he found a sleeping place that was not covered with urine, and the police would let him sleep. There he set claim as his and slept their night after night. 


Deo was confused by the world that surrounded him. In one world, it was posh, expensive, glitzy, and respectable and in another - the one he occupied - it was disgusting, poor, and the treatment was horrible. Doe worked as a grocery deliverer and was paid bellow minimum wage, barely enough to buy enough food to survive, let alone get shelter. 


When Deo was on his rounds, he would wait by the service entrance for several minutes before someone would come to collect the groceries to deliver to the costumer. The curriers treated Deo as if he were less than human, a creature without brain or heart. Deo was a non-person in New York. There was no respect given to him. 


He would ponder where he would rather live, New York or Burundi in peacetime. Every time he would come to the same conclusion that Burundi was the better option. In Burundi, they respected you as a person, you may have had an extremely hard life, abuse even, but at the end of the day you could gather, sing, and tell tales. You were a human. Even the cruel school teachers thought what they were doing was best for you. They thought by being beaten you would learn crucial skills. The Burundian people valued each other during peacetime. 


In New York, you were only valued if you had the right kind of clothes, spoke English well, had shelter over your head, and could afford decent food. This was not how Deo wanted to live. 


Deo looked at the graffiti on the subway walls, the sexually explicit words and pictures. He saw these as a cry from Harlem to the posh side of the city. Harlem wanted to be valued, they wanted help, they were living in two different worlds.  Deo preferred the third world.

Rasputin

Rasputin was born of good peasant stock, though his parents were not gentlemen they were proud of their successful horse ranch. Rasputin, however, did not take pride in his parents' occupation. He rather took pride in immoral activities. Getting drunk, having inappropriate relations with women, and petty theft were his pastimes. The fellow peasants thought he was a good-for-nothing young man, who would have very little effect on the world.  They were gravely mistaken.

As the villagers grew tired of their daughters becoming corrupt and their village vandalized, they decided to banish Rasputin. For penance he chose to spend his banishment at a monastery. Here he came up with the ideology, to validate his sin, that in order to be close to God one had to perform sin. Deciding that this message was something the world should know, Rasputin started traveling around Europe. During his travels he gained insight into how people thought, acted, and worked. This aided him considerably when he went to St. Petersburg Russia.

News had traveled to St. Petersburg about Rasputin, even before he had arrived. The high society ladies were intensely curious about a man who claimed to be holy, but glorified sinning. The ladies of the upper-class invited Rasputin to their social events to discover who this strange monk really was.

After about a month of Rasputin wining and dinning with the noble people, the tsar and tsarina began to become curious in what this holy man could do. They invited him to the palace and the result of this growing friendship was disastrous, for their family, and the country.

Young Alexander had a blood clotting disease that only a select few people knew about. While Rasputin was visiting, the young boy had an attack and was seriously ill. The strange monk visited the boy's bedside and somehow stopped the bleeding. This made the Tsar's family indebted to Rasputin. Rasputin's bond with the family grew as on multiple occasions he appeared to save the boy's life.

However, with this new association to the royal family it did not curve Rasputin's immoral lifestyle outside of the palace. He went to bars and bragged about the relationships with the tsar's family. He even went as far as insinuate that he and the tsarina were having an affair. The Russian people began to wonder if there was truth in what Rasputin was saying. As a letter was circulated written by the tsarina that declared her affection for Rasputin, the rumors began to be wildly accepted as fact. Although it is doubtful that such a relationship actually occurred, we will never know for sure.

The Russian people began to think of Rasputin not as a man of God, but a devil. They thought that he had growing power over the tsar's decisions - which he did. The tsar's reputation was being tainted and the people were quickly loosing faith in them.

As Rasputin began to become even more vial in public, the people grew hateful and spiteful. Some of the noblemen - one related to the tsar - realized that Rasputin’s reputation was discrediting the royal family. They feared that if Rasputin was allowed to live soon there would be an over throw of the government. The noblemen plotted and succeeded in murdering the mad monk, thinking this would be the remedy to the problem.

However, the damage was already done. A coup was in process - partly due to the tsar's politics and partially because of the new distaste for the royal family. The tsar was forced to resign his position and the family was sent to Siberia.

Soon thereafter, the family was sent down into the basement of their small Siberian house and lined up against the wall. Guns were aimed at them and they were all shot repeatedly.

Rasputin brought shame, distaste, and haltered into the royal family's lives. He turned the people against them through his reputation and his prideful bragging. Although in effort to save the family's regime, Rasputin was murdered, the hatred was already in place. The family who was beloved by the Russian people were turned into the hated enemy. Rasputin's entry into the royal family's lives - who sought his help for life - ended in their death.

Kim Il Sung

Kim Il Sung has been viewed as an insane dictator, who had very little hope of becoming a Christian - or even moral! There was a time in Kim's life where things were different. However, it is true that Kim Il Sung was very power hungry, fearful and selfish.

While North Korea was starving Kim Il Sung would have expensive food flown in from all over the world. Everything he ate was to aid in his longevity. Kim Il Sung and his officers were so frightened of his death that everything Kim did was recorded for posterity sake. Kim also had an huge amount of doctors, also flown in from around the world. Every body part was assigned to a set of doctors, the East Germans received the task of working on his neck and head. Kim Il Sung even had a special toilet that traveled with him. The device would automatically examine his excrete to make sure that he was healthy and digesting well!

Kim Il Sung, also, had a terrible fear of being forgotten. To prevent being forgotten he had someone follow him around writing down his every observation, his every word! This was considered "holy writ" and was respected by every North Korean as one would respect the Bible. Kim also had over three hundred thousands monuments erected in his honor. This figure does not count all the benches that he sat on in public. Those, instead, got a glass box covering them with a small plaque and are not considered monuments.

If a North Korean were to disrespect Kim Il Sung in anyway, by being disrespectful to a monument, sitting on a picture of Kim Il Sung, speaking against him, or any other form, intentionally or not, they would be severely punished. They would be sent to a horrible prison. People who escaped North Korea report that the prisons are filthy, the prisoners are practically starved, and they are used as slave labor. Most of the prisoners are political.

That is just one horrific way that Kim Il Sung abuses his power. Most of the extremely strange laws have to do with Kim's pride. Another example of this, is that Kim Il Sung never had conversations with anyone. When he spoke to someone, whether it was a guest or a solider, they had to stand at attention and await orders. What a lonely life that must have been! However, it is what Kim Il Sung chose, he choose power over friendship. And that is what he lived with.

Kim Il Sung was able to get away with such abuse because he didn't just run a communist country, he ran a cult. All of his decisions - or excuses for his decisions - were based on the word Jushe. Which is an ancient philosophy that there is one leader, the god head, who is like the brain. Then there is the nervous system, the officers,  that is a liaison between the god head and the people. And then there are the people who simply carry out the tasks assigned to them.

People who have escaped North Korea have reported that those who didn't hate North Korea, loved it. Some Koreans are unable to keep the bombardment of brainwashing out and critical thinking in, they begin to love their abuser and would do anything for him. Others, are able to get enough outside information to know that something isn't right, and risk their lives to flee or protest the dictatorship.

People never start out with the intent to become a power-hungry fearful man. There are life situations that push them toward that. Yes, it is still their choice, but there is always a back story. And there certainly is in regards to Kim Il Sung! Kim was born to Christian parents, his grandfather was a pastor, his father went to missionary school and was an elder, and his mother was a devote Christian and strived to be a good mother. Kim would have learned about Jesus Christ as savior from a very early age. It is unknown if Kim Il Sung accepted Jesus Christ when he was a child, due to revisionist history it is sometimes hard to tell what is true and what is fabrication.

However, we do know that when Kim Il Sung was a teenager he began getting into some trouble. In school he would challenge the teachers and pick fights with the students. He was a classic problem child and couldn't wait to get out of school and his parents lives. What changed is, again, unclear. But, something did, it is unlikely that someone would rebel for no reason.

As a young adult Kim Il Sung joined the gorilla warfare in China on the soviet side. He stayed in the soviet camp for a few decades. The soldiers knew him well, and had been able to thoroughly turn him over to communism. When it was time for Russia to pick a leader for Korea they chose Kim, because he was Korean and the people would be less likely to rebel if one of their own was in power, and because he was very communist. That was when the power and fear began to grow, and matured it to who we knew, the Dictator Kim Il Sung. 

When one looks at Kim Il Sung's actions and life it is hard to tell that there would be any hope of him becoming a Christian. Yes, God is big enough to do anything, but it seems unlikely that Kim would ever be open enough to seeing God. However, if one were to dig a little deeper the amazing revelation is that Kim already had the seeds planted, and was perhaps, already struggling with the knowledge of God. Everyone has a back-story, the most hopeless person could be the one closest to becoming aware of God. Unfortunately, it is too late to pray for Kim Il Sung for he passed away just a few years ago. Let this be a lesson to us all; not only is God powerful enough to help anyone, but someone may be closer to being helped than you think.

My Experience Cooking Korean

Although I haven't had an occasion to eat any South Korean dishes, I have always enjoyed smelling the foreign aromas of Asian food. I was curious to see what kinds of flavors would accompany the everyday ingredients that comprise a Korean dish. I decided to try my hand at South Korean meals, making roast chicken and stir fried noodles.

The chicken was extremely easy to make. All that I had to do was place chicken breasts into a casserole dish; blend; soy sauce, olive oil,  ginger and garlic; and pour it over the chicken. Then I baked the chicken for forty-five minutes on one side and fifteen on the other.

Despite the ease of the recipe, the taste wasn't as alluring. The chicken came out slightly dry and extremely salty.  The flavor was adequate, once the overpowering saltiness died away. However, by the time you finished chewing you weren't thinking about the flavor as much as the desire water.


The stir fried noodles, on the other hand, were delicious. Not only did they taste wonderful, but it was a relaxing and enjoyable process. It was a manner of sautéing vegetables one at a time, mixing them in with four packets of Raman noodles and sauce left over from the chicken. The carrots were fairly easy to sauté, but it was a little difficult to find that "sweet spot" between too hard and too mushy. However, since they were watched carefully it wasn't impossible to reach. Also in the noodles were mushrooms, onions, green onions, and garlic. Perhaps the strangest part of this recipe was that in between sautéing each vegetable, I had to pull them out and place them with the pre-cooked noodles. This ended up making sense in the end; I was glad I didn't ignore the recipe.

It gave the noodles and vegetables a different flavor with each bite. If all of the vegetables were cooked at the same time some flavors would overpower others: onions erasing carrots, garlic overwhelming mushrooms, etc. However, with this method each bite had a slightly different flavor, depending on which vegetable was eaten.

In short, the noodles were a huge success. Since the recipe was fairly easy to follow and very relaxing to make, it is a recipe well worth the effort required. The chicken, on the other hand, was not as satisfying and left an overpowering salty taste.

I thoroughly enjoyed trying to create South Korean cuisine. Although I didn't get the desired result for one, I got a shockingly delicious result for the other. This inspires me to experiment with more South Korean dishes.

A New K-Pop Era

South Korea's most well known music genre is K-pop. This music is a huge hit not only in South Korea, but around the world. K-pop's sound waves wind through Asia, Europe and recently throughout North America. Gangnam Style is, perhaps, the most well known K-pop song at the moment. The music video, with Psy as the singer, recently went viral. Now people all over the world are doing the Gangnam Style dance, singing the song, and mentioning it in everyday conversations. Even elders, people of a generation that would normally not become interested in a viral video, are able to recognize the tune. How could they not when everyone is talking about it? Psy has been able to follow the strict formula of K-pop, while making it his own, so much so, that he is now a huge sensation.

This formula is the same that allows girl bands in Korea to be more popular in Japan, than in their home country. One of the most key pieces to the recipe is the education of the musicians. In many countries anyone can become a famous singer by making it onto one of the many competition shows. However, in South Korea the aspiring singer must first take professional singing, and dancing, lessons before they can even make it onto the radar. This helps to insure that the musician actually has some form of talent.

As I mentioned before, dancing lessons are essential. The language barrier, perhaps, creates the most need for a superb dance. If there can be a simple - yet catchy - dance that people can imitate, who needs to know what the songs about? This is one of the reasons why Gangnam Style became the most viewed video on Youtube. With the simple lasso swing above the head and the strange appearance of riding a horse, the dance became a joke. And it was meant to be! It was meant to be something so unique and bazaar that people would want to watch the video over and over again. Moreover, they then would show their friends, and by the end of the day they would know the dance and the song by heart, or at least parts of it, the English parts.

Most K-pop songs will have a word or phrase in English that is repeated often. The reason for this is because English is the most spoken language in the world. By having a tiny bit of the song in a form that most people could sing to widens the audience immensely. One popular Korean song is titled "Twinkle." Everything in the song is in Korean, except the frequent use of the word "Twinkle." This may seem awkward at first, however with the blending of the music and the lyrics it seems quite natural when you are listening to it. Sometimes, when listening to k-pop you have to rewind the song because it seems as if something is in English, but you aren't really sure. Gangnam Style also used this wonderful tool of English. Throughout the song the phrase "Hey, sexy lady" is sung. Psy, also, used a different approach by blending the title with Korean and English. Gangnam is Korean (although simple enough for English speaking people to catch onto) and Style is English. This allows many people of various backgrounds to sing to two frequent phrases in the song.

One of the most important factors of k-pop being so wide spread is the music videos. They use extremely bazaar graphics. The colors are either extremely bright, or they just seem off, maybe dull with splashes of red, or everything so mute that the slightest color variation seems bright. Also, the uniqueness that makes up these videos is the strange objects and settings that appear. Even when one knows what the song means, the objects sometimes don't seem to fit. It's often like someone were to step into an abstract painting and get lost. While Psy did use some of these techniques, the bright colors and the strange settings it wasn't too over the top to disturb people. It was just enough for someone to yell to his friend "Hey, look at this crazy video!!" But, not enough for people to be ashamed they were watching something so extremely strange.

Psy's Gangnam Style is an amazing example of the use of the K-pop formula. However, the reason why Psy made k-pop so much more widely listened to, isn't because he followed all the rules exactly. He learned the rules and then bent them into his own style. Perhaps, this is the dawn of a new k-pop era: the development from musicians being creative, as long as they followed the rules. To musicians being creative in any way that they wish, while still remembering how to make their music have the most impact.

Aboriginal Art

The oldest art in Australia is the aboriginal’s art; it started out with cave paintings. The natives would mix soft rocks with water or blood to make a sticky paint. This they would either apply to the cave's surface with a fine stick or they would use a bone to blow it onto the wall, using arms and hands as stencils.

What may appear to be squiggles and dots in an aboriginal painting, actually, holds a deeper meaning.  Originally, the art work was made as maps or religious manuscripts. The artwork is riddled with symbolism.  Although, contemporary aboriginal art does not have to have the religious nor the geographical significance, it is still more than just abstract art.

For example, an upside down "U" shaped line is, actually, a person.
If one were to draw a line on the left side of the "U" it would turn into a woman and two lines would make it a man. If someone were to draw several circles within circles it would symbolize a waterhole.

Waterholes are some of the most common symbols in aboriginal art. Water was very scarce in the outback, and extremely necessary. So, a waterhole would be the center of a village and, thus, the center of the artwork. There are many more aboriginal symbols that are very fascinating to know when looking at the ancient artwork. A quick web search for "aboriginal art symbols and their meanings" will bring up numerous results that will aid in the understanding of the artwork.

However, do not feel bad if you still do not understand all of the artwork you will encounter. The artists sometimes would purposely add extra dots and lines to confuse people! A map may have been clearly drawn to the nearest waterhole and then made unreadable by layering colors and textures on top of it.

The colors that were traditionally used were earth tones, red, brown, yellow, black etc. This is because all of the pigments were derived from minerals - the earth - it would make sense that the product would be earth tones. However, contemporary aboriginal art uses a lot of vibrant bright colors as well, such as blue, green, pink, purple and many others. So, if you see a painting that has a lot of bright colors one can guess that it is a contemporary painting, rather than a traditional.

After learning about aboriginal art, I became inspired to try it out for myself! I decided that since I didn't have soft rocks available, nor did I want to kill a kangaroo...that I would use markers. I used the traditional colors as well as the contemporary, and of course filled it with symbolism. 

I encourage you to pull out your art supplies and try your hand at it, get your family involved too! It's a great activity for younger children as well. You could either make it very traditional and apply paint using a small stick or you could make it by using any art medium, markers, crayons, pencils, rocks, it's up to you! Have fun while getting a hands on peak into history and art at the same time!

 

Australian Cuisine

Australia's cuisine is mainly seafood. Australians will occasionally have smoked kangaroo, beef cheeks, chooks (aka chickens) or other land animals to go with their meals. However, most Australians diet will consist of oysters, fish of various kinds, shrimp, or really any other seafood.

The reason for this is because of the geography. Most of the population of Australia lives on the coast, or near the coast. Inland, is the brush and outback, which makes a hard life. Very few people live in the outback, most of those people are ranchers. Since so many people live on the coast, of course they are going to eat more fish. Just like people in Florida tend to eat more fish than people in Kansas!

I decided to try my hand at making a true Australian dish! I went to a website where people can submit recipes and I typed in "Australia." This gave me recipes for Australian food, a lot of times submitted by Australians!

I found a recipe that was submitted by several individuals for breaded tilapia. If you have never made breaded tilapia the Aussie way, you are missing out. Not only was it delicate and flavorful, it was very relaxing to make! Basically, one thaws the frozen fish in cool water, then dips it into a milk, mustard and vinegar mixture, then lays it into cornmeal, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, thyme and some more seasonings. Then places them onto a well oiled pan and broils them for about four minutes on each side. I found it extremely therapeutic to handle the cold, wet fish. It's not like shake and bake pork with the nasty smell and liquids. It's refreshing and comforting. I came away thinking about becoming a sushi chef.

I also made a pea salad that is often eaten on an Australian picnic! I made the healthy version because it looked easier. I placed thawed peas, a bell pepper, and water chestnuts into a bowel. And dressed it with dairy free sour cream (you could use regular sour cream or yogurt), Dijon mustard and dill. That was it! The dish is very simple, but quite flavorful. Three out of four of my family loved it. However, be warned, because it is an unusual combination of flavors some people won't enjoy it. Try making it in a small amount first, that way if it is a bust for you or your family there won't be much waste.

My last side I made, was a tomato and onion salad. This was extremely easy, all one has to do is slice tomatoes and onions and place them in a bowel with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The result is a tangy sweet side that deserves seconds (or thirds!) The only thing I would change next time, is to put less onions. When the salad was marinating for an hour it did add a great flavor. However, when one goes to eat the onion itself it is quite strong. So instead of putting a full onion, with the five tomatoes, I would put in half an onion (or less if your family isn't a fan of onions.)

I also made an Australian mocktail. I blended rice milk (regular milk or coconut milk would be yummy too), ice, a banana, a kiwi, and some crushed pineapple and garnished the smoothie with a kiwi. This wasn't my favorite drink in the world. The kiwi tickles the throat and tongue, it wasn't sweet enough for my taste (one could add agave nectar or sugar to make it sweeter), and the flavors weren't my favorite. My family didn't seem to hate it, but it wasn't something that we were in awe of. However, if you are one to like a tropical drink and don't mind a tickled tongue go for it!

Overall, my Australian meal was very delicious! I will most definitely be making breaded fish and pea salad again! Perhaps, if you are stuck for some dinner ideas look up another countries favorite foods. You might have a relaxing time cooking, and of course, eating!

The Struggle

Norway has two main stream beliefs that are in combat with one another. Both of these beliefs are quite prevalent when people are making every day decisions as well as in the thought processes of the government itself!

The first, is humanism to a blatant extreme. Human-Etisk Forbund - or the world wide association for humanism and it's practices - is prevalent in and around Oslo, the capital of Norway. Human-Etisk has about 78,000 members, considering that the whole country of Norway only consists of five million people, this is quite a lot. The Humanist Association isn't quietly gaining members one by one. They aren't sitting around on their hands hoping people come. They are actively targeting the youth of Norway with attractive buzz words and influential people.

On Human-Etisk Forbund's website they declare that most of their members are politicians, school and university teachers, counselors and other influential people, as well as having some farmers and businessmen sprinkled in there. Basically, Norway's youth is being bombarded at school, in the media, and sometimes even at home with the humanistic ideas that the Association promotes. 

Some of the activities that Human-Etisk Forbund promotes are: religion free weddings, funerals, baby dedications - they welcome the child into the world with a humanistic certificate - confirmations (in which a fourteen year-old goes through a course that outlines the humanistic values and freedom from religion, that the teen is dedicating their life to follow), and Youth meetings (like one would have at church, except instead of disusing the Bible, they are disusing humanistic ideas.)

Although, Human-Etisk Forbund is actively trying to gain new members, the Christians aren't just standing by letting this happen. They are one of the top most sending countries...in the world! And they aren't ignoring their own people either!

Over the last several years the Christian Church has been exploding into a ministry that sends out missionaries into all parts of the world. In this small country there are over 14,000 missionary centers. Not only is Norway's churches expanding into the rest of the world, but in 2000 they had a goal to plant 500 new churches in Norway.

The Christians are striving to reach the lost of the drug invested Oslo, the home of the Human-Etisk Forbund. Sending missionaries and help into their own capital to combat the corruption of individual's lives in the only long term way...helping them find the help they need in Christ!

In the Norwegian Government, Christians and Non-Christians alike are trying to pass a movement and partner with other countries in the world to help religious minorities be free from persecution. Even though Christianity is one of the most widespread religions, their focus is going to be helping Christians. Norway recognizes how horrible and widespread the persecution is and they want to help.

I pray that other countries will partner with Norway and learn from it's example to give awareness and aid to Christians in the world that need their support.

These two strong contrasting beliefs are battling for Norway's people. The darkness is spreading, but just as fast - if not faster - God is using this little country to send out His light around the world!

I encourage you to pray for Norway - and the rest of the world - during this time of spiritual battle, for battle it is. Perhaps, become more aware of how you can help your country see God's light and love!

Norwegian Interior Design

Norway's artistic endeavors are very fascinating. However, what interested me most was their interior design. There seem to be a couple of different styles they tend to use mostly, shabby-sheik country, or new/space age. Both have their certain appeal. However, with both of these contrasting styles they have the minimalist theme weaved throughout their few belongings.

Part of the reason for the minimalist custom is because when Norway was being settled - and in some circles even today - they couldn't afford to fill their homes with many imported goods. They needed to live with what they had with one or two imported French pieces. What resulted was a fascinating blend of stark country and gaudy France. The floors of the country houses would be unfinished wood planks, the walls would either be simple dull pastels or the Norwegians would use paint to decorate what little they could. Toward the center of the room, or in a prominent place, would be one or two pieces of expensive imported furniture: a bench, table or chair. This would be the room, simple, bare even. However, it would be home.

This tradition of keeping things to a minimum has stuck with the Norwegian people, even when they could afford more expensive furniture and more of it!

The new age style is all about minimalism, the bare necessities with a few keep sakes sprinkled here and there. The furniture is sleek, and although may not be made out of plastic, it at least looks like it is made out of a similar material.

Solid colors run rampant in the minimalist style. Unlike the country style, where patterns are one of the few things that give the room an appearance like it is full. Space age style isn't trying to combat the bare look, but embrace it.

If you are feeling like your home is filled with clutter and in need of a make-over. Get a book from the Library about Norwegian design. You may find that the bare necessities are actually more stylish than the clutter that adorns a normal American home.

Norway's Culinary Culture

Norway's culinary delights are varied.  Some of their meals I would eat in a heart beat, others - although I do not consider myself a picky eater - I dare not try. And then there are a few where I tilt my head and wonder, then I try my hand at creating the foods.

The stews, filled with beef, pork, lamb or elk; potatoes; carrots; and onions I would gladly fill my stomach with. Also, depending on the season, Norwegians eat a lot of roasted vegetables, including: beets, potatoes, carrots, onions and celery. Even though I'm not a huge vegetable fan, this sounds hearty and pleasant on a cold night.

There are two categories which I don't want to try, fish and heads. I do enjoy some kinds of fish. However, after reading recipe after recipe for salmon, trout, carp, and other kinds of fish, one gets tired of the sea creatures before even making the dish (at least I did).

The other category I avoid completely contains: broiled pig's head (snout and ears included), as well as broiled mutton head (horns included). Those did not strike me as appetizing.

However, there are some meals, as I said before, that strike me as odd, but strangely tasty. One of these was Kjøtt I Kål (meat in cabbage). Basically, one carves out a head of cabbage so it makes a bowl (this kind of head I can handle). Then they fill it with a meat loaf mixture, place the top of the cabbage head back onto it and simmer it in water for two hours. The result is cooked cabbage filled with meat loaf! Shocked? I was shocked that it actually tasted different than cabbage and meat loaf when they are cooked separately.

The meat gave a flavorful, but not strong taste to the cabbage. And the cabbage seemed to make the meat loaf taste a bit softer.

I had left over meat filling, so I tried my hand at Norwegian meatballs while I was at it. I didn't add the gravy that would normally be traditional to a Norwegian meal, but I did add spices that I was rather nervous about, ginger and nutmeg. Both of these are the spices that are used most often when making one of Norway's most traditional meals, meatballs. The recipe I was reading from didn't define how much ginger to use, it simply stated to "use your Norwegian instincts." Since I am not Norwegian (as far as I know) this was a bit difficult. So I did what any good cook would do, I guessed.

The result was much better than I had expected! I prefer the spices in the meatballs opposed to the simple version I am used to. Without the spices the meatballs taste like...hamburger. With the spices the meatballs taste like nothing I can compare it to. It doesn't make it superb - they are still meatballs - but it gives it such an unusual flavor that I cannot really tell you what they taste like.

I suppose you will have to make some for yourself! A simple web search for "Norwegian meatball recipe" will give you several recipes full of tips and Norwegian folk history. Try finding some where individuals write in or titles like "Grandma's meatballs" this helps you find real life Norwegians sharing their traditions with the new generation!

Oslo Norway

Norway's capital, Oslo, is a destination that both includes nature and outdoor recreation, as well as clubs and bars. It's very paradoxical in many ways. While every few blocks you will find a small park, you will also find a club on every corner. Oslo promotes both of these lifestyle.

Oslo, Norway, also promotes a different kind of lifestyle. They admittedly are encouraging homosexuals to continue, and be proud of, their decision to lead that kind of life. On the Oslo visitor's website their promotional video was clearly encouraging homosexual couples to come to a country, and city, that not only will accept them - but cater to them.

The visitor's website not only had lists of local fjords, ski resorts, beaches, restaurants (both traditional Scandinavian and Norwegian), the royal palace, shops and parks. They also had a Gay Calendar, a list of local gay bars and clubs with their appropriate slogan (such as "a club for girls who likes girls"), and also a list of their annual promotional homosexual holidays and festivals.

I admit, I was taken aback and disturbed by how much they were promoting - or pushing - the homosexual lifestyle. There is a difference between tolerating and encouraging. Tolerating means not to hate the person, hate the ideas. That way you can disagree whole heartily, but it doesn't become a hateful bombardment upon an individual. However, they weren't just making sure that the world knew they would tolerate, or even accept, that lifestyle...they would encourage  it.

Curious to see where we, as America, is on the tolerance versus encouragement spectrum, I visited San Francisco's official visitor's website. I wanted to see if we had made it to the point where we were pushing this lifestyle, like Norway, on sites that should be relatively free from tendentious material. I was shocked to find that we were even worse. On the home page the slogan "The city that practically invented gay." read proudly and boldly. After doing a quick search for the word "gay" on the website, I received 81 results that included: specialty shops, restaurants, clubs, bars, landmarks that would appeal to gays, local events, hotels,  holidays and festivals, etc.

Have we become a country that isn't happy with just tolerating differences? Must we, like Norway, begin to put pressure on others to agree  with the differences?

I thought Norway was headed for trouble...then I looked at us.

Some general information about Norway just because it's fun:

Site Seeing: fjords, mountains, beaches, skiing, capitol, wilderness and safari tours, arctic

Climate: ranges from 30* Celsius and -40* Celsius

Bodies of Water:  Gulf of Bothnia, Baltic Sea, North Sea, Skagerrak, Norweigen Sea, Vestfjodre, Barents Sea. Rivers: Angermanaleven, Skellefetealven, Lulleafven, Tornealven. Lakes: Inar, Oulujarvi, Pielinen, Vanern

Fauna: elk, moose, foxes, deer, badgers, owls, hawks, mice, wolverines, lynxes, etc

Flora: twenty-seven percent of Norway is forests

Changes in Population: Norway started out only having just over 400,000 people. By 2012 the population rose to five million.

Soil: They are worried about contamination, due to lack of proper disposal from factories, as well as, landfills and mining.