Eye on East Asia’s Tasty Links : 28/3/2012

It’s time to dish up this week’s serving of Eye on East Asia’s Tasty Links!

• Aeri’s Kitchen - Aeri serves up some Sempio spicy octopus bokkeum (샘표낚지볶음).
• Alice Gordenker - Alice writes about one of Japan’s more unusual citrus fruits, the hyuganatsu (日向夏).
• Beyond Kimchee - Holly makes some green onion pancakes (파전).
• Eating & Living - Hyosun shares her recipe of glazed Korean meatballs (고기완자조림 ).
• Fukuoka Dreaming - The author claims to know where you can find the best takoyaki (たこ焼き) in Fukuoka.
• Humble Bean - Azusa cooks up some kofuki imo (粉吹芋), or potatoes in shoyu butter.
• Japanese Cuisine - Yukari shares a recipe for simmered hijiki and Satsuma-age (薩摩揚げ) fish cakes.
• Little Corner of Mine - The author serves up some Korean sweet sesame chicken.
• Lovely Lanvin - Shirley fries up some Japanese-style beef and potato croquettes.
• My Asian Kitchen - The author tries her hand at making some home-made cha xiao bao (叉燒包).
• Nanoomi - Tammy talks about five seemingly ancient yet modern Korean dishes.
• Out to Lunch - Carolyn shares her recipe for Taiwanese-style deep fried calamari.
• Taiwan Duck - J.J. Lym makes some tasty chicken with cashew nuts (腰果雞丁).
• Tofugu - Hashi compiles a list of fruit you won’t find outside of Japan.
• TsukuBlog - Avi writes about the tasty sweets eaten in Ibaraki during the plum blossom season.
• Webs of Significance - YTSL talks about razor clams and two of her favourite Hong Kong eateries.
• You’re Not From Around Here, Are You? - Steve talks about his three days of gluttony in Chengdu.
• Zonjineko - The author shares some gyuudon (牛丼) related vocabulary.

Takoyako たこ焼き (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

That’s all for this week. The next batch of Tasty Links will be posted on Wednesday 4th April 2012.

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East Asia Blog Round-Up : 25/3/2012

Here is this week’s Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up :

• Aussie on the Izu - Sarah celebrates her one year anniversary of her arrival in Japan.
• Bathhouse Ballads - Nick talks about the concept of filial piety in South Korea and beyond.
• Chengdu Living - Sascha writes about Hugo Boue’s kung fu dreams.
• Dale’s Korean Temple Adventures - Dale visits King Suro’s tomb (수로왕릉) in Gimhae (김해).
• Good & Bad Japan - Carl wonders if juku (塾), cram schools, are really necessary.
• Hey From Japan - Emily wanders amongst the snow monsters (樹氷) in Zao (蔵王).
• Hoops & Homonyms - Ian and Jenny send a postcard from Kuala Lumpur.
• Hunli-ing - Alexandra talks about the challenges of renovating property in China.
• Into the Middle Kingdom - The author explores the city of Shangri-La (formerly known as Zhongdian, 中甸).
• Japanese Odds & Ends - Editorial!Cat explains how you can use anime and manga as learning resources.
• Josephine McDermott - Josephine talks about her readjustment to life in the United Kingdom.
• Mandarin Segments - Greg explains how he uses the Heisig books in his language learning.
• My Kafkaesque Life - The author writes a guide on how to find a non-teaching job in Taiwan.
• Ogijima - David writes about Heijō-kyō (平城京), the capital of Japan during the Nara Period.
• Rory in Beijing - Rory puts his Mandarin skills to the test by taking the level 5 HSK exam.
• Rurosha - The author takes a stroll through one of Tokyo’s old geisha quarters, Yanagibashi (柳橋).
• Shards of China - Nicholas takes a virtual tour of Anqing (安庆) in Anhui Province.
• Space for Grace - Kathy talks about some of the day trips she’s done during her time in Taiwan.
• Surviving in Japan - Ashley shares some tips on how to survive hay fever season in Japan.
• Tales From Hebei - Kelly posts a comprehensive guide to horn honking in China.
• The China Beat - Alexandra writes about literacy and development within China’s minorities.
• The Kunming Report - Eddie shares his third installment of his Chinglish Sightings.
• The View From Over Here - The author takes a walk through the Seoul Folk Flea Market.
• TsukuBlog - Avi writes about the ju-san mairi (十三参り), a coming-of-age ceremony for thirteen-year-olds.
• Xinjiang : Far West China - Josh talks about yurts and how you can stay in one in Xinjiang.
• Zonjineko - The author reviews the illustrated travel book Tokyo on Foot.

That’s all for this week. The next Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up will be posted on Sunday 1st April 2012.

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New Additions to the Blogroll : 24/3/2012

China Blogs :

• Into the Middle Kingdom - Chinese language, culture, and intercultural communication

Japan Blogs :

• Hey From Japan - Tongue in cheek journal on moving a family to Japan

Korea Blogs :

• Adventures of the Seoul - Caroline’s blog on life as an ESL teacher in Seoul

Language Learners :

• KSaiydT’s Room - Just another guy learning languages
• Lan’dorien’s Mysterious Journey - A cookie crumb trail through the kanji

Learn Japanese :

• Japanese Level Up - Guiding you along your studies in Japanese, from zero to fluent to legendary

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East Asian Archaeology & Cultural Heritage News : 24/3/2012

China :

• The man who stole nine jewellery boxes from Beijing’s Palace Museum last May has been fined 13,000 yuan and sentenced to 13 years in jail.
• Archaeologists have begun their study of the sixty ancient tombs discovered in Bengbu (蚌埠), Anhui Province, earlier this year.
• Excavation work at a 40,000-year-old palaeohuman settlement in Zhengzhou (郑州) has uncovered thousands of stone artifacts, bone ware and animal remains.
• Police arrested a gang of tomb robbers who were attempting to break into an Eastern Zhou Dynasty tomb in Xiangyang (襄阳), Hubei Province.
• Shanghai Museum will be receiving financial aid for the restoration of an ancient jian (鉴) water vessel.
• Authorities in Xinjiang Province will be taking steps to protect the region’s intangible cultural heritage.
• A museum devoted to the intangible cultural heritage of Fujian and Taiwan will be established in Xinxu (新圩), Xiamen later this year.

Japan :

• Researchers in the Higashi Mikawa region are currently searching through archived text and paintings in order to study the history of tsunamis in the region.
• Renowned scholar Donald Keene expresses his concerns about Osaka’s plan to freeze subsidies to the Bunraku Kyokai, the organization responsible for promoting and protecting the art of bunraku puppetry.

Taiwan :

• The Hualien county government have come under fire for forcing primary students to memorize and recite classical Chinese texts.
• The nine-day procession of the goddess Matsu is underway in Taiwan and will continue until 1st April.
• Taiwan’s Palace Museum may loan some of its collection to Japan in the latter half of 2014.

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Eye on East Asia’s Tasty Links : 21/3/2012

Welcome to this week’s edition of Eye on East Asia’s Tasty Links! Here are some more mouth-watering blog posts for you to feast on.

• Aeri’s Kitchen - Aeri shares her recipe for seafood soybean pasta guk (해물 된장국)
• Appetite For China - Diana shares her recipe for stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.
• Easy Korean Food - Luna’s take on a classic Korean dish, chapsal bulgogi (찹쌀불고기).
• Fili’s World - Fili seeks out some Korean street food at Seoul’s Namdaemun Market (남대문 시장).
• Haikugirl’s Japan - Ali tries out Reiko Hashimoto’s recipe for broccoli with miso and sesame sauce.
• I’ll Make it Myself - The author talks about her obsession with sweet potatoes and shares a delicious and easy-to-follow recipe for oven-roasted vegetables.
• Japanese Cuisine - Yukari shares her recipe for simmered squid and daikon (いか大根の煮物).
• Life on Nanchang Lu - Fiona talks about Shanghai’s popular sesame breakfast pastries.
• Lily’s Wai Sek Hong - Lily tries her hand at making home-made udon noodles.
• Messy Witchen - Che-cheh prepares a delicious dish of fried tofu, minced pork and mushrooms.
• My Asian Kitchen - The author serves up some braised tofu with enoki mushrooms, shrimp and chicken.
• Out to Lunch - Carolyn shows readers how to prepare squid with minimal fuss.
• Shizuoka Gourmet - Dragonlife explains how to make your own soba noodles.
• Smoky Wok - Jenny makes a popular Chinese delicacy, stir-fried Chinese leeks with waxed duck.
• You’re Not From Around Here, Are You? - Steve talks about the unusual foods he’s eaten around the world.
• YoWangdu - Lobsang finds out how chef Tsering Tamding makes sepen, traditional Tibetan hot sauce.

Soba noodles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

That’s all for this week. More delicious recipes and food tips will be served on Wednesday 28th March 2012.

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East Asia Blog Round-Up : 18/3/2012

Here is this week’s edition of the Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up :

• Asia Pundits - Migukin lists some of the things you should consider before moving to South Korea to teach.
• Aussie on the Izu - Sarah talks about enkai (宴会) etiquette.
• Chinesense - Anton takes a walk through Seven Trees Village (七棵树).
• Contemporary Japanese Literature - Kathryn reviews Murakami Haruki’s best-selling novel 1Q84.
• Expat Hell - The Expat talks about his encounter with the “SoSoSo Man”.
• Fluent Flix - Jason interviews Sinoglot’s Kellen Parker.
• From Korea With Love - Alex makes a last-minute trip to Haein Temple (해인사) in Daegu.
• Hoops & Homonyms - Ian and Jenny explore Singapore.
• Japan & Korea : Life, Language & Religion - Doug talks about his new hobby, the Korean language.
• Japanese Odds & Ends - Editorial!Cat lists some dog-related Japanese proverbs.
• Khogjmiin Duureg - Lauren attends Mongolia’s annual Camel Festival, or Temenee Nadaam.
• Life on Nanchang Lu - Fiona discovers the five wonders of Wuxi (无锡).
• Musings on Life in Hong Kong - Stephen pays his respects to his ancestors amid the pre-Qing Ming chaos.
• My Beijing Survival Diary - The author talks about modern-day Chinese status symbols.
• My Kafkaesque Life - The author shares some photos taken on the Taipei metro network.
• My Several Worlds - Guest blogger Caroline talks about her volunteer work at Angel House in Seoul.
• Nanoomi - Tom reviews the 2011 Korean film Themselves (바다).
• Rurousha - The author talks about “thousand shrine tags” or senjafuda (千社札).
• Sinosplice - John interviews Rachel Guo, the creator of No Drama Real China.
• Tales From Hebei - Kelly talks about the difficulty of making friends in China.
• The China Beat - Maura reviews Paul French’s new book Midnight in Peking : How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China.
• The Korea Guide - The author lists the cheap accommodation options that are available to students and working professionals in South Korea.
• The Only Blonde in Osaka - The author talks about New Zealand-style omiyage (お土産).
• The View From Over Here - The author visits Silleuksa Temple (신륵사) in Yeoju.
• Tigers & Magpies - Eddie hikes through the Gajisan (가지산) Provincial Park.
• Tokidoki Tokyo - Tom tries to conquer the Philippines’  megacity, Manila.
• TravelWire Asia - Chris reminds expats of the importance of looking out for each other.
• TsukuBlog - Avi talks about the quirky Japanese tradition of White Day (ホワイトデー).
• Uratora no Hi - Lina’s family spends the day aboard the One Piece pirate ship.
• Xinjiang : Far West China - Josh has five money-saving tips for budget travel in Xinjiang.
• You’re Not From Around Here, Are You? - Steve finds himself the victim of a cost-saving kidnapping.

That’s all for this week. The next Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up will be posted on Sunday 25th March 2012.

NOTE : Don’t forget, recipes and food-related blog posts will be featured in the weekly Tasty Links digests, not in the weekly blog round-ups.

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New Additions to the Blogroll : 17/3/2012

Food & Drink :

• Finding Sachi - Sachi’s culinary bike tour of Japan
• Foodelica - A bilingual blog about food and eating from Kyoto, Japan and beyond
• Humble Bean - A site dedicated to Japanese food and a place for learning, discovery, and invention
• Japan Food Addict - Japanese home cooking for the rest of the world

Japan Blogs :

• Aussie on the Izu - Just an Aussie trying to get by in Japan
• Far Away Blog - Kevin in Kobe
• Gakuranman - Michael casts some light on Japan and Japanese culture
• Iromegane - Iromegane is the key to understanding real Japanese society, culture and people
• Marshmallow Sensei - Born in New Jersey, raised in Yorkshire, living in Japan
• The Only Blonde in Osaka - A blonde Kiwi and her adventures in Osaka
• Travel Japan - Exploring Japan
• With Aloha From Japan - Confessions, thoughts and adventures of a local girl (and her husband) living in Japan
• With Love From Japan - Blog by a Singaporean who is going to study in Japan for 5 years

Learn Japanese :

• Japanese Odds & Ends - Directed at a somewhat troubled audience and tries to fill the gap between those levels of Japanese
• Zonjineko - A little Japanese blog teaching Japanese

Mongolia Blogs :

• Khogjmiin Duureg - Life, music and urbanization in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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East Asian Archaeology & Cultural Heritage News : 17/3/2012

China :

• Ethnic Miao scholar Yang Zhengjiang and his efforts to document Miao oral history for posterity.
• Jinju master Hu Chang’e and her troupe of young actors help promote Shanxi traditional jinju opera (晋剧).
• China’s Ministry of Health will work alongside the Ministry of Education and the Confucius Institute to promote traditional Chinese medicine overseas and train foreign TCM practitioners.
• A Chinese political advisor has called for taijiquan (太极拳) to be included in UNESCO’s World Intangible Cultural Heritage List as he believes this age-old martial art is threatened by China’s rapid industrialization.
• The State Administration of Cultural Heritage has announced that a new state-level underwater cultural heritage research base will be built in Qingdao (青岛).

Japan :

• The Myoshin-ji Taizo-in Temple (妙心寺退蔵院) in Kyoto has hired a 25-year-old female painter to decorate 64 sliding screen doors in its Hojo Chamber in a bid to revive the ancient art of fusuma-e (襖絵) painting.
• Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs has reported that the restoration of the Takamatsuzuka Kofun (高松塚古墳) tomb murals is progressing well and will be completed in 2017.

South Korea :

• South Korea hopes to popularize traditional Korean medicine by dedicating time at next year’s World Traditional Medicine Expo to the study and discussion of one of Korea’s most influential medical texts, the Donguibogam (동의보감).

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Eye on East Asia’s Tasty Links : 14/3/2012

Welcome to the first edition of a new weekly series, Eye on East Asia’s Tasty Links!

Every Wednesday I will post links to recipes, food tips and other food-related blog posts. But I must warn you: do not attempt to read these on an empty stomach.

• Chinaful - Courtney shows you how to make a delicious tomato and egg stir fry in her first cooking video.
• Eating & Living – Hyosun celebrates the change of seasons with a simple but tasty Korean tofu salad.
• Kimchi Mom - Amy shares her video recipe for making kimchi jjigae (김치찌개).
• Little Corner of Mine - Jane cooks up a hearty Korean chicken vegetable stew (찜닭).
• Maangchi - Maangchi shares her tasty recipe for Korean squid soup (오징어국).
• Out to Lunch - Carolyn makes kiwi, wolfberry and snow ear compote (糖煮奇異果枸杞雪耳).
• Shizuoka Gourmet - The author shares his recipe for home-made yuzu koshio.
• Smoky Wok - Jenny serves up some vegetarian soy sauce udon noodles with pumpkin.
• Tess’s Japanese Kitchen - Tess shares her simple recipe for salmon miso soup.

That’s all for this week. More tasty links will be posted on Wednesday 21st March 2012.

Image via Wikipedia

Attention bloggers! If you have a food blog or frequently write about East Asian cuisine, you are welcome to leave me a message or send me an email with a link to your blog. A link back to Eye on East Asia isn’t necessary…but it would be very much appreciated.

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East Asia Blog Round-Up : 11/3/2012

It’s Sunday and therefore it’s time for another edition of the Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up.

• Aeri’s Kitchen - Aeri shares her recipe for fried fish cake and egg guk (어묵 계란국).
• An American in North Korea - Joseph shares some stunning photos of a mass gymnastics performance at the Arirang Mass Games (아리랑 축제).
• Appetite for China - Diana prepares some tasty kale and sesame soba noodles.
• Asia Pundits -  Migukin shows you how to properly enjoy the noraebang (노래방) experience.
• Beyond Kimchee - Holly shares her recipe for Korean-style braised tofu and radish.
• Big Sushi, Little Fishes - Aaron writes about his memories of the March 11th earthquake.
• Borrowed Culture - Fabrizio hikes along the Jinshanling (金山岭) section of the Great Wall.
• Contemporary Japanese Literature - Kathryn reviews the book March Was Made of Yarn : Reflections on the Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Meltdown.
• Dale’s Korean Temple Adventures - Dale explores Sinbulsa Temple (신불사) in Ulsan.
• Expat Hell - The Expat writes about the Korean Costco experience.
• Fifty Storms in Japan - Elizabeth talks about the impact the March 11th earthquake made on her life.
• From Our Ger - Susie has a fun-filled day out with some Kazakh eagle hunters.
• Haikugirl’s Japan - Ali shares her thoughts on this year’s Hyper Japan convention.
• Hoops & Homonyms - Ian and Jenny list the things they will and won’t miss about living in China.
• Japan Navigator - Ad writes a biography on the author Matsumoto Seicho (松本清張).
• Jay Dee in Japan - Jay shows off his family’s beautiful hina doll (雛人形) set.
• Just Another Day in Japan - Joe wonders whether it’s still worth learning how to write Japanese by hand.
• Korean Modern Literature in Translation - Charles talks about North Korean diasporic literature.
• Life Behind the Wall - Jo lists some of the customs surrounding pregnancy and childbirth in China.
• Life on Nanchang Lu - Fiona enjoys some farm-style home cooking with the Xu family.
• Nanoomi - Shin Kim writes about her day trip to Chuncheon (춘천).
• Ogijima - David explores Kurashiki’s (倉敷) Edo-era merchant neighbourhood, Bikan (美観).
• Out to Lunch - Carolyn shares her recipe for a cooling sweet and sour jicama salad (糖醋地瓜).
• Patrice in Matsusaka - Patrice learns how to become the ideal Japanese woman, or nadeshiko (大和撫子).
• PRC & Me - Matthew explains why Mandarin is not as tough to learn as many people think.
• Rurosha - The author pays his respects at the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall (東京都慰霊堂).
• Seoul Sub-urban - Charlie and Liz explore Seoul’s tiny Chinatown in Myeongdong (명동).
• Shinpai Deshou - Katie visits the Japan Cat Network’s shelter in Inawashiro (猪苗代).
• Shizuoka Gourmet - The author shares his recipe for chawanmushi (茶碗蒸し).
• Surviving in Japan - Ashley looks back on that fateful day of the March 11th earthquake.
• Sydney to Seoul - The author compiles a list of useful resources for learning Korean.
• Taiwan Duck - JJ Lymm shares her recipe for the popular Taiwanese dish braised pork on rice (滷肉飯).
• The China Beat – Jeffrey interviews Michelle Dammon Loyalka, author of the book Eating Bitterness : Stories From the Frontlines of China’s Great Urban Migration.
• The Lobster Dance - Leah takes a stroll through the scenic Rikugien Park (六義園).
• Tokidoki Tokyo - Tom tries to find his feet in Manila.
• TsukuBlog - Avi learns how to make homemade miso (味噌) paste.
• Unbrave Girl - Sally speaks about her love of glutinous rice balls (汤圆).
• Webs of Significance - YTSL continues her trek along the Wilson Trail (衛奕信徑).
• Writer. Traveller. Tea Drinker - Becky talks about the positive aspects of travelling solo in China.
• YoWangdu - Lobsang writes a short visitor’s guide for the Potala Palace (པོ་ཏ་ལ) in Lhasa.

That’s all for this week. The next blog round-up will be posted on Sunday 18th March 2012.

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