🎃 Happy October + Korean Holidays + Fall Recipes with squid 🦑, fishes 🐟, potato 🥔 and more

Also Learn about Korean Hangul Day and National Foundation Day!  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Hello everyone!   It's already October and aside from Halloween, there are a couple Korean holidays taking place this month - Gaecheonjeol 개천절 (Oct. 3rd) and Hangul Day 한글의 날(Oct. 9th)!   Gaecheonjeol (National Foundation Day) is a public holiday that celebrates the formation of the first Korean state, Gojoseon, and the founding of the Korean people back in 2333 BC!    The legend is that Hwan-ung 환웅, a son of the god of heaven, descended upon earth and shortly after met a tiger and a bear who both wished to become human. Hwan-ung told them both to stay in a cave for one hundred days, consuming only garlic and mugwort, and then he would grant their wish. The tiger gave up, but the bear persisted and eventually turned into a beautiful woman named Ungnyeo 웅녀. Hwan-ung became human himself and married Ungnyeo, having a child together named Dangun Wanggeom 단군 왕검, who is believed to be the founder of Gojoseon.   Koreans celebrate Gaecheonjeol by hiking in the mountains and with firework displays - the most popular spot being Yeouido Han River Park in Seoul.   The next holiday coming up is Hangul Day (Korean Language Day) on Oct. 9th, which commemorates the invention of the Korean alphabet by King Sejong in 1443.    Before Hangul, Koreans wrote using classical Chinese. Due to it's complexity and the differences between Chinese and Korean languages, many common people were unable to communicate through reading or writing since they were not privileged to receive an education. King Sejong wanted to promote literacy and achieved this with Hangul, which consists of 24 characters and was designed to be simple enough for anyone to learn. He was famously quoted as saying "A wise man can acquaint himself with Hangul before the morning is over; a stupid man can learn it in the space of ten days." 😜   Many people celebrate Hangul Day by visiting the King Sejong Memorial Hall located in Seoul.   Last but not least, let's talk about food! Fall is the best time to enjoy seafood like abalone, squid and also some fall vegetables like radish and potatoes. I've included some delicious recipes below using seasonal produce! Enjoy and also have a Happy Halloween everyone! Take care, XOXO JinJoo Gamjajeon is deliciously crispy Korean Potato Pancake and the Traditional Gamjajeon is made with grated potatoes and onions, mixed with flour and pan-fried. There's just something so comforting about this dish!   Over the years, I've also come up with my own version of Gamjajeon which I like to call Easy Potato Fritters. These are sliced and dipped in flour batter before they're fried to a crispy golden brown! It's become one of my family's favorites! Take care and stay healthy! P.O. Box 2382 Saratoga, CA 95070, United States Don't want these emails anymore? You can Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences.