Happy Year of the Rabbit!!!

The first day of the Year of the Rabbit we spent at Halmoni's house. Eunhye komo had prepared mandu fixings so that we could all make mandu together for the main dish--ddok mandu guk.  Ddok guk is rice cake soup and eating it is a must--much like black-eyed peas are a must for a Southern New Year's feast. The kids loved making the mandu (dumplings), and especially Oliver proved himself quite the little chef. He announced to those present that he wants to be a chef when he grows up.

 A little bit of east meets west, above--halmoni's japche noodles and my pumpkin pie.  Both were awesome.

Above, the main dish (ddok mandu guk) with the mandu we made earlier and, below, other dishes including the japche and lots and lots of side dishes.

Above, Dahin hangs out with her favorite komo, Eunhye, and below, the kids get ready to do their saebae (New Year bow) for some New Year's money--saebae don (woo-hoo); undoubtedly the highlight of the day. The kids bowed to halmoni, two of their komos, one komo bu (uncle), and us.  [An aside: I tell you, it pays to go out in public with a cute little kid this time of year.  I took Oliver to a concert with me yesterday afternoon, and there I saw a traditional music critic I know as an acquaintance.  I greeted him, and he immediately pulled out his wallet and asked Oliver to say "Sae hae bok mani badeuseyo" (May you have lots of luck in the New Year) and then gave Oliver 30,000 won (about $30).  That was quite a bit of mullah there, but I suppose he wanted to do it so I didn't protest much beyond saying "You don't need to give him money," and he said, "No, no , no, I want to."  What can you say to that?  Cha-ching! Oliver has now won the race for who has the most money amongst the kids.]

Above, the kids listen to halmoni (since at least pretending you're listening to words of wisdom from your elders is part of the ritual) and, below, pose with their cousin Haenni before bowing for Eunhye komo and for us.  Jack and I had our turn as well at the end of the first series of bows (the second came later when Eunyoung komo and family arrived around dinner time--see below).

Once all the saebae were done, the kids took off their hanbok and we ate some dessert.  Bomi, as usual, was the center of attention.  She's a mini maltese, but she's more like a not-so-nervous guinea pig than a dog. But that's a whole lotta eyes in that picture above--very cute.  Then, komo, Haenni, Dahin, Oliver, and I headed to the local norae bang for some karaoke action.  Below, Oliver and Dahin sing "Son satang" (cotton candy) together.

Eunyoung komo and her family dropped by around 6 pm and so it was time for some more eating and chit-chatting and, of course, bowing.  They brought their evil dog, Haru.  Haru has issues, but at least she's small enough not to pose a threat to anyone she doesn't like (which is most everyone).  I'm thinking some of her issues might be from a sense of abandonment, since her original owners gave her to Eunyoung komo when they moved to America.  Or, maybe Haru has always had a bit of a 'special' personality.  She seems very happy with Eunyoung komo and family, despite her urge to growl and bark at the rest of the world.

 Above, Dahin relaxes with komo bu and, below, Halmoni continues her endless fruit peeling and slicing.

With family gathered in Halmoni's crowded abode, the day was so much fun.  The kids, of course, loved getting money (a percentage of which they get to keep for spending money and the rest going into their savings account).  They also liked hanging out with their cousins and aunts for the day, playing games, eating, and catching up.  Happy Lunar New Year!