Sunday, March 23, 2008

we make it work

Awhile back I made cookies in my apartment. This was a little difficult as Korea isn’t big on baking. I did find mini chocolate chips in the grocery store, but I didn’t locate vanilla extract or oatmeal. Instead of egg beaters, I mixed the batter with a whisk and a rice paddle. I was the first person to use the oven in our apartment, ever. It is a gas oven and has three black, completely unmarked knobs on the left-hand side. I turned on the gas and through process of elimination (one turned on a light, one made a clicking noise—maybe a timer?) figured out which one was the temperature. I turned the dial half-way, crossed my fingers it was indeed a temperature dial, and on baking sheets built for a small convention oven I scooped out the dough and baked four cookies at a time. I cooled them on a rack we usually use for barbecuing prawns and squid.

In the same “make-do” manner, we held an Easter party at a church last weekend. No white eggs in Korea? No dye? No problem—markers on brown eggs make kids just as happy.

On St. Patrick's Day, I asked my host sister Kumju if she knew that today was a holiday. "Yes!" she said excitedly. "Today Jesus died on the cross."

At least she got the month right.


3 comments:

Lydia said...

haha, my first attempt at making cupcakes went just as swimmingly... =P

reid said...

Ah, adventures in baking. Last week i caught the wooden handle of my roommate's wok on fire when i was pre-heating the oven for pie. Apparently she thought this was a good way to dry pots and pans...? How did the cookies actually turn out sans oatmeal and vanilla?

Elizabeth said...

was the wok okay?

the cookies were alright-- a little flat-- but that probably had more to do with the temperature than the missing ingredients. :)