My Birthday!

So I am sitting here at work, tipsy from the giant, amazing, all-you-can-drink-and-eat-lunch we just had, and am looking for ways to pass the time that don't actually involve me working.

Today is my birthday, but it is also the last day of school in Korea, on March 1st the kids will come back and start a new year (change grade levels). It is a bit strange for us westerners, because the kids have a LOOONG break from Dec-February, then they come back for just 1 week, exactly 5 days, and then it is vacation time again. I guess its just a way for them to tie up loose ends or something.

There was a big graduation ceremony this morning, where the parents all sat in the kids classrooms and watched the ceremony on TV, that is when the TV's were working. After that we had our big lunch, and now everyone is just sleepily sitting in front of their computers waiting for 4:40 to arrive.

I am feeling particularity fat since Ayax made me an amazing birthday-breakfast (after blasting "los mananitas" at 7AM to wake me up :). He made a traditional Mexican breakfast- ham & eggs, refried beans, bread, and oatmeal with fruit. Yum! He also gave me really cute matching t-shirts, Koreans couple like to wear matching clothes. I bet you can't wait for pictures!

Lunch was this giant bowl of community soup that is cooked right there on your table (Plus unlimited beer & soju!). The Japanese version is called Shabu Shabu, but apparently this is "Chon Gul." Lots of mushrooms, and you pick the meat out and make like lettuce tacos. I also ate raw crab soaked in a chili sauce; weird, but not terrible. As a result of this meal, I learned how to say "Pebulo Chuketa" which means, basically, I am so full I am dying.

I think Ayax has some sort of surprise in store for me, so we shall see. Tomorrow is the 6th Annual Bikini Martini Parti; I am excited!

Yogurt Making!

So, the only un-sweeted yogurt I have been able to find is at Costco. Its really good, BUT it comes with way too many for us to eat before the expiration date (well, I take that back. Ayax would eat them all in one day if I let him), but since we don't go to Costco very often, I was looking for an alternative.

Homemade yogurt it is!! I tried it over the weekend, and ba-bam! It worked great!
Here is what I did:

- Boil the container, spoon, and lid to sterilize it. I am not sure this is necessary.
- Heat however much milk you want (that's how much yogurt you will have) until it's almost boiling, but don't let it boil. It will get "frothy"
- Cool the jar and milk; the milk should be cooled to "baby bottle temperature" (drop it on your wrist)
- Put the milk in the jar, and add two tablespoons of un-sweetend yogurt (to 1 liter milk).
- Stir it, put the lid on.
- THEN, you have to keep it snuggily warm (baby-bottle temperature) for 8 hours. I did this by filling a chepie-styrofoam cooler (like the ones they give you when you buy fish here or get an ice cream cake) and filled it with luke-warm water (90-110 degrees is ideal, too hot will kill it).
- Put the lid on and leave it alone for 4 hours. Try not to move it around.
- After 4 hours, check the water- it should still be snuggily warm, try the yogurt. It should be nice and thick at this point. If its yummy to you, you're done!
- If you want it more sour, put new warm water in the cooler, put the container back in it, put the lid on and leave it for another 4 hours.
- It should be done by then! The longer you leave it, the more sour it will get.

-Stir, put in the fridge, and ENJOY! Use as a subsitute for sour cream, cream in cooking, etc. YUMMMY!

Here is a slide show of my yogurt making experience!