Not worried, Prepared

Always prepare for the worst, but don't panic.

I am not worried about the last month or so of political bolstering from the North. They're doing a good job trying to make people panic, but the best thing we can all do is go on as normal with one change: have a plan.

Expats in S. Korea should do two things:

1. Pack an emergency bag.
2. Sign up for your consulate travel warnings.

Your emergency bag is the get out of dodge bag. It's your evacuation bag. It should be small and basic. Mine is a backpack. It has a change of clothes, sundries (toothbrush, brush, spare glasses, contact case), my USA track phone (even though it has no minutes), and an international power converter, and my laptop. I don't carry my passport around, but it is next to the door with my bag.

I signed up for USA travel warnings about a month ago when this all started. I kept putting it off. They sent me a 'don't panic' email last week and I'm going to assume that since they have my phone number if something bad happens they will call or text and email me with instructions.

For a more detailed take on the whole thing, head over to JackK's blog. I'm pretty much on par with his sentiments.

Shredding Week 2

I just finished level 2. I'm only shredding for 3 weeks on weekdays, then I will probably do a week of yoga to let my body recover. I lost just over a pound last week. I anticipate it might be more this week with my activity up.

Most of my measurements are the same, but some places are creeping down:

arms: 14 (-.5")
bust: 38
waist: 40
hip: 44
thigh: 26.5 (-.5")

I've had a couple of people message me about my progress and I think that's great. I'm actually really happy that people have been following what I'm doing and are getting inspiration. We all need to support each other. I need it, you need it, we all need it.

If you can, please comment or message me questions, ideas, or what you're doing. Everyone needs different methods because every person is different. You can buffet your health. A little bit of advice here, a different workout there. The whole thing is a learning process about what is best for you. It takes time but it's totally worth it.

High Street Market Review

There are quite a few different foreign food markets in Itaewon, but High Street Market is the newest. Their specialty is a deli, but they have a lot of other great things, too.

What are you looking for? Oatmeal? American coffee or tea? Spices? Canned vegetables? Grains? Venison?

They have a wide variety of things you might want and the best part is, they'll deliver. That's right, they'll deliver. I haven't tried it, yet, but I live 45 minutes from Itaewon so I haven't needed it. However, Korean "taekbae" service from them is 3,000원 anywhere in the country (6,000 for Jeju) and they even deliver free to some districts in Seoul.

So far, I have bought an 8"x8" baking pan, a muffin pan, ground turkey, spices, coffee, oatmeal, Pam spray, and some chocolate from them. I really love their store and it's becoming very popular. I highly recommend if you're in Itaewon you head down to check it out. If you can't make it up to Seoul, check out their website. You'll be happy you did.

The most recent haul. P.S. That oatmeal is amazing.

Main site: http://highstreet.co.kr/
Map: http://highstreet.co.kr/Front/Mall/?url=Comintro&

Good Korean Restruant Foods

The best restaurant foods I can recommend in Korea are in the video above. Let me also talk to you about them in more detail here, in the blog.

I got all of my dietary information from the KFDA website, which you can find here.

Eo-mokguk ~ 어무국

You can find this stuff in street stalls all over the country as well as in Kimbap shops and even at the lunch stalls in grocery stores like Lotte Mart. I like to eat it at Addal (아딸) a Korean fast food chain where you can get a big bowl of soup with fiskcake for \2,000. I think it's a steal.

One Serving: 600g
탄수화물(carbohydrates) 34.2 g
단백질(protein) 18.3 g
지방(fat) 4.5 g
식이섬유(dietary fiber) 19 g
Weight Watchers Points: 5


Kimchi Jiggae ~ 김치찌개

Also available at most Korean restaurants, you can get Kimchi Jiggae from anywhere from a doshirak (lunchbox) place like Hansot to a neighborhood restaurant or kimbap shop.

One Serving: 400 g
탄수화물(carbohydrates) 11.9 g
단백질(protein) 15.1 g
지방(fat) 15 g
식이섬유(dietary fiber) 8.4 g
Weight Watchers Points: 6/7

Galbi Tang ~ 갈비탕

Oxbone soup is so flavorful that you might not believe it's only 6 points, but the portions are so light with the actual meat it gives you right what you need. It might be a little hard to find places that have it, but just ask around. Someone can probably point you in the direction of a place with good galbi-tang. It's worth it.

One Serving: 600 g
탄수화물(carbohydrates) 7.6 g
단백질(protein) 27.4 g
지방(fat) 10.8 g
식이섬유(dietary fiber) 2.6 g
Weight Watchers Points: 6

Steamed Dumplings ~ 물만두

This is the one I didn't believe what the KFDA website had because it seemed like there was a typo somewhere. Regardless if you want some dumplings, have them, just watch how many you eat and keep balanced the rest of the day. The listing for steamed meat dumplings was reasonable, however.

Vegetable:
One Serving:10 Dumplings 120 g  <- 120g for 10 dumplings? Seemed low.
탄수화물(carbohydrates) 18.7 g
단백질(protein) 6.8 g
지방(fat) 6.1 g
식이섬유(dietary fiber) 5.5 g
Weight Watchers Points: 4

Meat:
One Serving: 8 Dumplings 250 g
탄수화물(carbohydrates) 48.6 g
단백질(protein) 16.3g
지방(fat) 21.4 g
식이섬유(dietary fiber) 10..5 g
Weight Watchers Points: 11


Mul Naengmyeon ~ 물냉면

Cold noodle soup is fantastic.

One Serving: 800 g
탄수화물(carbohydrates) 112.9 g
단백질(protein) 15.8 g
지방(fat) 4.1 g
식이섬유(dietary fiber) 33.2 g
Weight Watchers Points: 12