October has come and gone and I’ve finally round up my favorites here. If you noticed any disruption with my site it’s because I recently changed my hosting. The last time I was renewing with my previous host I discovered that the price had taken quite a hike because it seems that the price they have on their front page is an “introductory” price, but most hosting companies will not mention what the price will be after the initial introductory price. Because I am still a student and only working part-time, I needed a more affordable option so I decided to switch hosts. Moving on to favorites, you might see that the bottom half is full of nature! I took a trip with my family during some unexpected time off, so a lot of my favorites for October are from that trip.
#1. Tera Rosa – I have a thing for coffee shops with a warm vibe, and Tera Rosa was definitely unique. They had turned a large warehouse into a coffee shop full of antique chairs and decor. I must say that I was more impressed by their tiramisu pudding cake than their coffee, but their coffee was pretty nice as well. I did bring home a coffee plant that they were also selling, but I haven’t repotted it yet because I’m not certain how big of a pot it needs to be moved to. I thought it was going to be a small cute plant, but apparently they were serious when they said it was a coffee tree plant.
#2. Egg-in-hell – Those who know me well know that I love tomato sauce, so I was all welcoming when I found out that there was another meal involving tomato sauce! This dish originates from Arab cuisine called Shakshouka, and it’s basically eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. The place I went to served it over rice and it made for a great combination!
#3. Yuja Tea – Yuja tea is a fall/winter staple in Korea because it’s chock full of vitamin C and has a softer taste given that it’s a citric fruit. As much as I love coffee, sometimes it’s just nice to just have a warm cup of tea instead. I wish cafes would have a larger tea selection but it seems that most places are centered around coffee. I always like to take note of cafes that have tea and store that information in the back of my head. This particular day I ran into a friend later in the afternoon and I had already had coffee and didn’t want more caffeine running through my veins. So I suggested we have tea and some lovely banana bread instead. I think there’s something quite different about having tea with someone than having coffee with someone. I’m not quite sure what it is, but it feels warmer and more relaxed in a way. I don’t know, what do you think?
#4. East Sea – It has been 20 years at least since I’d last been to the East Sea. The world seems misinformed and calls this sea the Sea of Japan, but world maps prior to the Japanese invasion of Korea certainly did not call that body of water the Sea of Japan. Seeing as Japan does not own the sea, it seems rather unfair that publications such as The New York Times still refers to it as such. Rant aside, it was nice seeing the waves again and I wish I lived much closer to the beach. There was a time when I could hop in my car and drive 20 minutes to get to the beach and I wish now that I had gone more often. It makes me wonder why I’m living in a concrete jungle.
#5. Autumn Leaves – When I was younger, I didn’t really care that the leaves had changed color; I cared that they had fallen off and made a deliciously crunchy sound as I walked over them. I loved jumping into piles of crunchy leaves, and I lamented the fact that adults were sweeping them off the sidewalk. I still enjoy walking on crunchy leaves, but now I quite enjoy the color too. I love the vibrant reds and yellows and wonder why we humans wear more subdued tones in the autumn when the trees are going for the bright and bold. I don’t have a single red sweater or even a red shirt in my wardrobe. I used to have a big red hoodie-ish sweater when I was in high school, but I don’t have one anymore and now I’m sitting here wondering why I don’t wear red.
#6. Seo-rak Mountains – Last spring during a calligraphy workshop, the teacher from Tasmania, Australia told me that when she had seen the paintings of mountains at an Asian art exhibit, she hadn’t understood why they had been drawn to be so rocky and jagged. She had never seen mountains like that before. Then upon her visit to Korea, she realized that the mountain formations were quite different here, but quite majestic in their own right. For me, it never seemed so unlikely, but perhaps that is because I’ve been exposed to both Western and Asian culture from a very young age. I feel very fortunate that I have inherited both cultures; one by ethnic birth, and the other by birth location.
I feel as though I’m not doing the mountains any justice by posting a small photo measuring only 300 pixels on each side, so I’ll try to make sure I make a post on the scenery in the next week or two. I do want to continue the series Curate Your Life where I show you my decluttering process, and that’s something that’s been on the forefront of my mind these past few months.
Your Turn ♥ Let’s catch up! What have you been excited about lately? What is your favorite thing about the autumn season?
