Baek Kimchi (White Cabbage Kimchi)

Paek kimchi originaly came from North Korea where less salt and red pepper are used in cooking. (Cabbages are soaked in brine until they have softened and are seasoned using ginger, garlic strips, and red pepper threads instead of red pepper powder. The materials used for stuffing vary according to personal taste. It can combine radishes, mushrooms, Korean pears, chestnuts, and dates with watercress greens and mustard leaves, and even little bit of pepper powder.)

source and photos: lifeinkorea

Baechu Kimchi : (Whole Cabbage Kimchi)

This is the most common, classic kimchi you will find at a Korean meal. Whole heads of cabbage are trimmed to remove discolored outer leaves and then split longways into two or four sections. These sections are soaked in brine for three or four hours until they have softened (during the summer and winter for about 12 hours.)

While this is going on, the other ingredients are assembled and mixed together. (Ground pepper powder, chopped garlic and ginger, pickled baby shrimp -or other sea food pickled such as anchovies and other fishes as a form of row fish cut in bitable size, sponge seaweed- and oysters can be added depending taste and family recipes.)

When they are mixed and the cabbage is ready. For common baech'u kimchi the softened cabbages are cut in to bitable size and mix with other ingredients. For Tongbaechu kimchi, handfuls of the stuffing are then pushed and spread between the leaves of the cabbage until it is all used. The outer leaves of the cabbage are wrapped round whole to form a solid bundle, which is then stored in a crock covered with salted leaves and pressed down firmly.


Source: LifeinKorea
Photo:  skimskim

Kimchi: Iconic

This side dish of fermented vegetables continues to be an essential part of any Korean meal. Early kimchi dishes were relatively mild, spiced with fermented anchovies, ginger, garlic, and green onions. Koreans still use these ingredients today, but the spice most closely associated with modern kimchi is red pepper powder. 


Korea boasts more than two hundred types of kimchi, all rich in vitamins, minerals, and proteins created by the lactic acid fermentation of cabbage, radish, and other vegetables and seafood.

The kimchi served at a meal will vary according to region, season, and may differ according to the other dishes on the menu. A seaside region's kimchi will be saltier than that of a landlocked area, and summer cooks produce cooling water kimchis to contrast with the heartier cabbage kimchis of the autumn and winter. And a delicate cucumber kimchi sits better beside a bland noodle dish than beside a robust beef stew. 

To understand kimchi at its simplest, think of it is as divided into two kinds: seasonal kimchi (for short-term storage, made from vegetables that are fresh in the markets at any given time) and Kimjang kimchi (for long-term storage, made in quantity in late autumn). 

world-famous fashion magazines express admirations over hanbok

Song Hye-Kyo for VOGUE

The Korean hanbok is being introduced at world-famous fashion stages and influential international magazines. People can see the effects of designer-made hanbok around the world through ‘Vogue’ or ‘Bazaar’ without difficulty.

The June 2007 issue of Vogue carried the photo of Korean film star Song Hye-gyo in hanbok on its cover. She became the first Korean to appear on the cover of the world-famous fashion magazine. And the fact that she was wearing hanbok also attracted the eyes of readers. 
The hanbok she wore was designed by Korean designer Jung Ku-ho and the photo was taken by world-renowned Italian photographer Paolo Roversi in Paris. While the photos were taken, the French staff of the magazine continuously expressed their admiration over the elegance of the hanbok. Former editor of ‘Vogue’ France and stylist Isabelle Peyrut said, “First of all, the color is beautiful. And I feel that the layers of diversified clothes worn together give it a modern look.” 
Lee Young-hee is the most well-known Korean designer who has worked hard to publicize the beauty of traditional Korean clothes worldwide. She is spoken highly of for her hanbok featuring exquisite colors and bold shapes in addition to the Oriental attractiveness. When she took part in the Paris Pret-a-Porte Collection event, Vogue and Bazaar praised her, portraying her as an ‘Asian designer with her own colors.’ In July 1996, she held an exhibition under the title Hanbok - The Clothes of the Wind at Luxembourg Castle’s Orangerie Exhibition Hall in Paris. At that time, the French mass media described hanbok as ‘fantastic clothes with mysterious colors’, taking particular interest in the beautiful lines of the chima (skirt) and jeogori (jacket) as well as their unique colors. 





source: Netkoa magazine
phhotos: octotini

Characteristics of the basic elements of hanbok worn by men and women

Imagine a man in a jade-colored dopo (robe) walking with an imposing manner in a forest early in the morning, accompanied by a womin in a sweet pink chima (skirt) that gently touches the top of grass whenever she walks. Hanbok looks particularly more beautiful in such a combination between man and woman.

Male hanbok

Basic elements of male hanbok are: baji (trousers), jeogori (jacket), joggi (vest), durumagi (topcoat) and dopo (outer garment worn by upper class people). The lower end of the baji (trouser) tied with a denim (cloth band) well expresses masculine beauty. When going out, upper class men wore dopo and gat (hat). If upper class men went out without being properly clothed, people would speak ill of him behind his back saying that he was an ill-mannered person.
Outer garments (falling under what we would call jackets or coats of suits nowadays), such as durumagi and dopo, were called po collectively. In the past, there were about 12 different kinds of po, but today many of these po have disappeared and men now wear only durumagi and dopo. Men’s trousers and po are made as loosely-fitting garments. Thus, they do not restrain the body and are comfortable to wear. Basically, male hanbok was blue. According to the oriental philosophy, men belong to the east and the color of the east is blue. And so, male hanbok was mostly in light-jade (light-blue washed-out like color), duck-egg blue or sosaek. Sosaek means basic color and is the color of a cocoon yarn. It is not white, but more of an elegant beige color.

Female hanbok

The beauty of female hanbok is in the harmony between the delicate curves formed by the chima (skirt) and the raised front end of beoseon (socks), and the sharp lines of dongjeong (neck-band). Women wore many layers of sokgot (sokbaji (under-trousers) or sokchima (underskirts)) for the voluminous of the chima (skirt) to provide an elegant feminine beauty. Upper class women wore five or seven layers of sokgot (undergarments). They regarded sokgot (undergarments) to be very important and some of them used more luxurious cloth for sokgot (undergarments) than for geotchima (outer skirt). When going out, they put on a jangot over their head in addition to their hanbok of sokgot (undergarment), chima (skirt), sokjeoksam (undershirt) and jeogori (jacket).
Basically, female hanbok was red. According to the Oriental philosophy, women belong to south and the color of east is red. Light pink, purple or dark blue colors were mostly used. The basic color of red was sometimes not used depending on person’s social status or age. But, generally women wore either a red upper or lower garment. At a wedding ceremony, the mothers of the groom and the bride wear jade-colored and red-colored hanbok, respectively. The mother of the groom, though a female, is regarded as part of the male side on this particular occasion and wears a jade-colored hanbok. Sosaek (the color of the cocoon yarn) was used for both genders. The color of hanbok differs according to the age of the wearer. Hanbok for maids was chiefly in bright colors, such as yellow jeogori (jackets) and red chima (skirts). Middle-aged women mostly chose light-yellow jeogori (jackets) and brown chima (skirts). It shows that aged women preferred darker colors for their hanbok. 

Hanbok : Worn in each season

Koreans made their clothes out of the seasonal cloth they weaved. The cloth and needlework used differ form season to season. No other people around the world appear to have paid such particular attention to the need of gaments suitable for each season.

Spring and fall
In February and March, the air is filled with expectations for the new season, but the cold winter still lingers. Thus, clothes were made using lighter cloth than that of winter, but in consideration of the need to fend off the lingering cold. Clothes for women were mostly made of silk such as jameuisa or jinjusa. (Refer to photos.)
With the onset of fall, garments were made out of cloth such as silk that is light but keeps the body warm. The cloth was starched and then beaten to make it feel smooth before it was used to make clothes. Very fine cotton fabrics were mixed with silk to make the cloth very soft and luxurious. In fall, men wore a durumagi (topcoat) called changeui, a long robe with both sides open, separating the front and back. Thus, it was a suitable garment for horse riders.
In fall, women dyed the cloth with obaeja (a knot hardened by bugs living on the leaves of a lacquer tree). The color of the hanbok thus dyed looks something similar to grey but displays a more refined taste and quality. They also made garments by sewing cut-out pieces of cloth together. 



Summer
During the hot summer days, hemp is the best cloth, as it is light and good for air circulation. Hemp was often used for summer clothes for its pure white color, satin-like luster, durability and for the fact that it does not getting wet easily.
Upper class men of the past regarded durumagi (an overcoat) made of Hansan mosi (hemp), dyed in very light indigo color, starched and smoothed by beating, to be the best quality. Hansan of Chungcheongnam-do, is well-known for its hemp. 

Winter
In winter, people looked for simplistic chic in clothes. They chose plain cloth without patterns. In contrast, they used diversified sewing techniques. They also put cotton inside their clothes to keep the heat in. Upper class women preferred to wear gorgeous colored cloths with patterns of bats, tigers, clouds, grapes or chipmunks.
Though difficult to see nowadays, upper class men of the past wore cheolik, a long robe with the jeogori (jacket) and chima (skirt) sewn together, pleats at the waist, and with a half-sleeved durumagi (overcoat) over it. Both men and women liked to wear teolbaeja (fur vests). Teolbaeja is a vest with fur sewn on the inside.




source: Netkoa magazine

Hanbok: The wedding Attire one

culture,fashion

Hanbok wedding dresses more looks fancy with the colors based on natural colors that match with the theory of yin and yang. The white color as base color is usually used; white color symbolizes the simplicity and purity of soul. While the red color that symbolizes good fortune and grandeur, commonly used in Korean female clothing. And the Black color is symbolizes the consistency used in the skirt and jacket lawyer, yellow color that symbolizes the center of the universe

During the Joseon Period, commoners were allowed to wear royal family attire only once in their lifetime - on their wedding. In other words, hanbok worn at weddings originate from the royal family. The wedding hanbok in the photo was the one worn by the upper class people. 
The wedding hanbok worn by the groom was modeled after the official attire worn by the three chief ministers - yeongeuijeong, jwaeuijeong and ueuijeong. It was comprised of jajeok danryeong (purple-colored durumagi), gwanmo (hat) and waist belt. The waist belt is made of ivory and called seodae. The shoes worn with this hanbok are called mokhwa, which has a wood board attached to the sole and a red line put on it. 
The bride wore a red durumagi called hwalot, with rainbow-colored sleeves (saekdong), and they did their hair with a dragon head-shaped binyeo called yongjam. Peony (symbolizing wealth), swallowtail butterfly (many children), mandarin ducks (conjugal harmony), sea and mountain (life without hardship) are embroidered on the sleeves. Though it cannot be seen in this photo, it was customary to insert two phrases in dark blue - “iseongjihap” (wishing for harmony between the married couple) on the front and “baekbokgiwon” (endless blessings) on the back. The hwalot is not all that the bride wears. Under the hwalot, the bride wears a yellow jacket and a red skirt, plus many layers of undergarments.