Meet Andy

G'day all im Andy! g'day is a phrase that has been stuck in my head for 4 and a half years now, ever since my volunteer work with CVA (Conservation Volunteers Australia). Despite having interests in farming and the environment as a kid my visit to Australia really got me interested in conservation and how we are impacting the environment. Subsequently I went on to study environmental science with a keen interest in pollution, water and biodiversity conservation.

Australia 2007: Working on invasive species removal

So what does that have to do with food and the food tour? Anina bear told me about the food tour, specifically that Greg bear had set out a plan to 'go organic' this interested me because I really had no idea organic existed in Korea, I just thought Korea was intensively striving to feed a large population in a small country where 70 % or so of land is mountainous. My perception of Korea has changed a little since the food tour. For me the organic factor brings with it hope of reducing the adverse impacts of many modern farming methods. Organic farming addresses water and biodiversity issues which are two very big concerns for me. I believe we should be working with nature not against it!

A praying mantis visits my arm

Aside from the environment, during the last 9 months I have discovered the gem that is Korean cuisine. Not only is it healthy its delicious, the childhood nightmares of eating particular vegetables are long gone, vegetables are not treated as separate entities here they are incorporated into the dishes e.g. in succulent soups and stews making eating a joy! I also never imagined I would eat fermented foods however living in Korea really opened my mind up to the diversity of cuisine across the globe!

Enjoy reading about team Happy Bear's food experience in Jollabukdo, S. Korea!

Meet Anina

My parents have always raved over what a 'versatile eater' I was as a kid, eating any and everything they would feed me. To this day I am still fascinated, enthusiastic, and curious about sampling it all. As great as buffets are, they're almost too much for me to handle. Same with new grocery stores, especially in foreign countries! It's best I go to a grocery store alone so my friends don't have to wait for me as I lust over everything. I am particularly interested in food as medicine, as is much of Korean culture. This includes all of the marvels at Korean street markets: roots, leaves, powders, grains, stems, wild 'mountain herbs', nuts, you name it. If it comes from the ground it can be used as medicine. One of my favorite things about living in Korea and experiencing their cuisine is that every time I eat something with a native Korean, they always tell me something like "Oh, this is very good for your skin" or "this is good for your throat" and what have you. When I learned about this opportunity with Hansik, I was very excited to have the chance to become even more immersed in food culture and potentially discover more medicinal food secrets. -Anina

Meet Tanya

Greetings!

If it couldn't already be guessed, it must be said: I'm a lover of food. In truth, I am interested in a massive array of things but, above all, I consider myself a food-obsessed person. I want to know all about all aspects of food. I want to know what kind of seeds were used and who saved them? I want to know where those seeds were sown and by whom? I want to know about the cultivation and the harvesting. I want to hear the stories of the farmers-- the way they were treated, their rights and the support they have (or don't have) via our national and global food policies. I want to know how far this food traveled to get to our kitchens. Exactly how a dish is prepared and plated and by whom it was created. I want to admire how my food looks on the plate, breath deeply its aroma, and pick apart its flavors. I want to value how it makes me feel, what it does for my body, my mind and my spirit. I want to value what it means to my family, my friends, my culture and to the history of man. I want to embrace the art, entertainment and sheer joy of food.

Well, I don't just want to do all of these things, I do them. My contributions to this blog are one manifestation of this love. The opportunity to take part in this Hansik food tour incorporates so many of the things I care deeply about and despite our non-stop schedule and the overtime work my gut had to do to process it all, I have been truly blessed.

You might be curious to know more and I'd be happy to tell you. But we've got a lot to cover and if I can tell you just one thing about me, it is that I'm a lover of food. If we were going for labels, I might eschew the term "foodie" for one a little more holisitic: ethicurean-- someone who seeks 'SOLE' food that is  Sustainable, Organic, Local, and Ethical. But as with everything, I also believe in a balance. I believe in being kind to yourself, letting go of dogmas and egos and just enjoying yourself. If a strangers offered me half a fast-food burger that I would never have selected in a moment alone, I would rather choose to create that moment of sharing and gratitude so often found in food culture than to let my food ideology deprive me of it. This food tour, however, combined the best of both worlds. I hope you enjoy reading our stories as much as I've enjoyed the journey. And even more, I hope it encourages you to create your own food journey and to invite your own array of impassioned friends or strangers to share it with you.

Much love,
Tanya

Meet Greg

Hello.

I am student of permaculture, herbalism, brewing, botany, wild gathering,  cob building and many DIY projects. I do this because I wish to free myself from a mechanical world of numbers and dead facts, and its constantly breaking machines, and people. There is more to life than making money and I wish to opt out of participation in the rat race.

My blog electrickimchi.blogspot.com and my youtube videos are my attempts to teach, inspire and be taught what it means to be a human from planet Earth, and not a domesticated visitor to this planet.

Blogging to me is a means to an end as a way to gather together the positive people and build a community of like minded people interested in living a life for nature and not against it.

When I'm not cooking and eating and reading, making music, or spending time outside, I'm with my wife or my friends. All together I'm grateful for the people I meet. We become connections made of flesh and spirit, beyond this matrix we so often meet.

I hope you have a connected day.

from my time at Mulme Healing Farm. 

Greg

Meet Mike

Hi Everybody! Mike here. Here's a little about who I am and what I'm up to:

I'm winding down my fourth contract here in Korea. I spent two years at a hagwon in Daegu, then took a year off to travel, then came back to Daegu for a college job a few semesters back. I originally started blogging at http://mikeindaegu.blogspot.com as a way to keep in touch with friends and to relay to them whatever weird, interesting, awesome, or zany stuff happened to me here. I went vegetarian nearly two and a half years ago, and then vegan slightly after, and am now mostly weary of labels and doing my best to eat as "ethically" as possible, and since then my blog has changed focus, dealing less with little interesting tidbits about Korean language and culture, and more with my forays into various environmental groups here in Daegu. I also started my own group, Daegu Green Living, and a blog (http://noksaeksari.blogspot.com) to go with it, as a way to help foreigners find out about vegetarian restaurants, organic restaurants, stores that sell domestic/minimally processed/organic produce and meat, and other eco-events going on in the city.

Because the Hansik tour and project gives me a chance to explore my passion for writing, for food, and for all things Korean, it seemed like a great opportunity. I'm very happy to have been selected and totally honored to be on a team with such funny, friendly, and right-thinking folks such as Greg, Tanya, Anina, and Andy.

Please keep following HappyBearEats! I'll do my best to keep it interesting and informative.

Happy Eating~~

Here's a little secret: cameras stress me out and make me act ridiculous.