The Soul of Seoul

// The Dog Days of Summer in Korea//

Who’s ready to put away the ice-cream, patbingsu (shaved rice with sweetened red beans), and other chilly treats for some good ‘ole piping hot soup this summer? That’s what traditional Korean belief promotes through iyeol chiyeol, or control heat with heat. As this summer has already started out hotter than many past, sambok, the time period encompassing the hottest three days of the summer between the 6th and 7th months on the lunar calendar, is sure to be scorching.

Sambok, also known as boknal, or the dog days of summer, covers a month of time at the peak of the growing season and traditionally the three hottest days were a holiday for farmers. People would get away to a mountain valley or the coast to cool off and visit family before the rice harvest. These days, this particular tradition isn’t as prevalent, however the custom of eating rejuvenating and stamina restorative food still continues. According to Eastern medicine, blood concentrates near the skin in hot weather to cool the body which can lead to bad circulation in the stomach and muscles which is why it is common to lose one’s appetite or feel tired. To offset this Koreans believe we need to warm the body and there are three dishes that come up most often in discussions with Koreans on what to eat on these days: bosintang, jangeo and samgyetang.

Bosintang, or dog meat stew, has a long history in Korea and was quite popular in the past but seems to be eaten by mostly older generations these days. This peppery and slightly spicy stew with dog as the main ingredient may not top many foreigners’ lists of food to eat during sambok, or any other time for that matter though. Jangeo, or eel, is rich in vitamin A and E and stimulates blood circulation and prevents aging and wrinkles. It’s most popular with men in Korea as it is believed to be an aphrodisiac and good for stamina. The last dish of the three is probably the most popular these days and suitable for everyone at the table. Samgyetang, or ginseng chicken soup is served in a hot stone bowl with one small chicken boiled to tender perfection with ginseng, garlic, jujube dates and stuffed with rice.

If you want to go truly Korean style, then here are the dates to look out for this summer, the first is chobok (the beginning) on July 13th. Ten days later on July 23rd is junbok (the middle) and the final day, malbok (the last) is twenty days after that on August 12th. Find a restaurant near you and be sure to get there early as the good places will have lines out the door on these three hot hot days.

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// Jingwansa Temple Secrets//

To end the volunteer service with the Lotus Lantern Festival we had one final meeting which took us to Jingwansa Temple in Bukhansan National Park. It is the western most of the four major temples in the suburbs of Seoul, along with Bulamsa to the east, Sammaksa to the south and Seunggasa to the north. It sits just four kilometers from Yeonsinnae Station and with shuttle buses provided it is easily accessible.

Jingwansa was established in 1011 to repay the Buddhist priest Jingwan for saving the life of King Hyeon-jong, the 8th king of the Goryeo Dynasty, when he was young. When Hyeon-jong was twelve he was kicked out of the palace during a power struggle and monk Jingwan took him in, thereby saving his life. After Hyeon-jong once again took his place in the palace and became king he had this temple built for Jingwan and put it under the special protection of the Goryeo royal family.

During the Joseon Dynasty a library was added to the complex by King Sejong for Confucian scholars and the education hasn’t stopped there. This is the only temple in Seoul which serves Suryukje, a Buddhist ceremony to provide food and the Buddhist teachings to spirits and starved demons who wander the land and sea. The ceremony is performed every leap year for 49 days. The temple also has training facilities for biguni, or female monks, and offers a temple stay program to visitors.

Of course, the temple was burnt to ashes during the Korean War so what is there now is not the original framework, save three buildings, but since 1963 the temple complex has been lovingly restored and renewed. The temple now consists of Daeungjeon, The Hall of Sakyamuni, which is the main hall of the complex and holds the god Sakyamuni, the main statue of Buddha, along with Mireukbosa and Jehwagalhwabosal on each side. When I visited it was spring cleaning time as well, so some of the local women were sitting just under the statues polishing all of the candle sticks and other fine pieces. The monks’ living quarters are to the left of the main hall and Myeongbujeon, The Hall of Judgment, a place to pray for the dead spirits to easily pass into eternity sits on the right.

On the right side of the complex also of importance, are three small buildings that did not perish during the Korean War. They contain artifacts from the late 16th to the early 20th century and are cultural assets of Seoul. In 2009, during restoration to the buildings, a Korean flag and other materials from the Korean Independence Movement were found here and are considered to be historical records representing the movement against Japan by anti-Japanese monk Chowol Baek.

To Get there:

By Bus: Take bus # 7724 (green bus) from exit #3 of Gupabal Station, line 3 to Jingwansa Temple (final stop)

By Subway: Yeonsinnae Station, Exit 3. Make a u-turn from the exit and turn right at the corner. A block down is the stop for the shuttle bus.

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She finally left my lap so I baked some cookies.

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Sleepy kitten. She never leaves my lap!!!

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My cats get all snuggled up. Arm in arm. Hehe

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