강추위

The temperature yesterday morning was -11degC but it didn't feel like it. Perhaps I was wearing 5 layers of shirts, 3 layers of pants and 2 pairs of socks. With gloves and scarf also on, I was well clothed for extreme weather. Provinces in the South are all experiencing heavy snow in the last few days but in contrast, it was clear bright sky in Seoul. I am not too sure if I should count this a blessing. I do like to see snow but when it snows too heavily, daily life can be badly affected. Road accidents are quite common when it snows.

Anyway, during class today, we were talking about Jeonju Bibimbap. Jeonju is a city in the Jeolla Province and this province is well known for its food. The reason for that is the soil in this province is very fertile and so it can produce a lot of food and with food abundance, culinary skill of the people living there is also the best in Korea. There is a popular belief that women from Jeolla Province make better wives since they can cook well. In contrast, Chungcheong Province has less fertile soil and hence their food is much less delicious.

Talking about delicious food, our teacher told us that there is a restaurant just outside our school which is famous for its 계란찜 (Steamed Egg). That made our choice for lunch much easier today.

Famous steamed egg just outside of campus.

After lunch, out of curiosity, I went Hangang to see if it is frozen. Perhaps I made a wrong choice going because it was freezing cold there. The wind was blowing very strongly and the coldness was so strong that it penetrated my thick clothing. Anyway, to my disappointment, except for some ice sheets formed on the river side, Hangang wasn't really frozen. It would have been interesting to see a frozen Hangang.

Ice sheets seen at Hangang but the river is far from frozen.

Sunset at Hangang. An end to another cold day in Seoul.