We’re at my mom’s house the last 2 days which means we get to eat comfort food like vegetables grown from my dad’s garden including spicy pork and rice wrapped in perilla leaves. It also means we get to eat things like frozen red bean pops, a favorite of ours because it’s not too sweet. Contrary to what you may think, Mark and I are not big ice cream eaters and I can count on 1 hand how many times I’ve had ice cream this year (the kids on the other hand…). Crazy, right? Obviously it’s not because we don’t like ice cream, we just don’t think to buy it when we’re at the store and Mark’s been too busy to make any.

Oh and this package of Fried Hard Tack? Have no idea what it is and have never seen it in their house before. Engrish at it’s best. I’m not really even tempted to open it. All I know from the package is that it’s “high quality and elegance” and that it’s meant to be enjoyed during my leisure time.

These have been our 2 fruits of choice of late. Mia’s crazy about eating pomegranates and we happily found some really big ones at Costco (a box of 6, of course). We’ve been going through them like mad. Claudine is intrigued by them as they look so appealing, like little ruby nuggets that are edible, but she can’t get past the hard kernel inside. And the persimmons? They are from my dad’s tree. He jokes that nobody steals them off his front lawn because nobody knows what they are or what to do with them. Persimmons may not be so commonly eaten here, but when they are perfectly ripe, they are like sweet custard with a most unusual flavor. We break the skin and scoop it up with a spoon. Claudine ate one a day last year for a whole month when she was a baby, but she won’t go near them this year.

They are one of Mia’s favorite things to snack on when we’re at my parent’s house, along with seaweed. Korean peeps, you know what these are, but I couldn’t tell you what kind of fish it is - maybe sardines? Anchovies? Some kind of baby fish? I don’t know, but these are the kind of things that was always around in the fridge when I grew up. They’re kind of crunchy, a little bit salty, a little bit sweet and flavored with sesame. Bet you can’t find another kid that is willing to put one of these in their mouths, let alone pop them in one after another, little beady eyes, heads and all (ok, except maybe for other Korean children). My parents love to say that even though she looks all white, (let’s face it, she does) there’s no denying she’s Korean because of her love of the food.

I can’t think of anything better right now than fresh, sweet sugarsnap peas bought from the Farmer’s Market. They taste so green and the little peas nestled inside their shells burst with fresh flavor. Kids love it too because they’re so fun to eat. Seems like anything that involves a little “project” to open, like nuts and shells, are met with great enthusiasm.

Mia’s done with school for the year, so we have a long summer of trying to entertain the kids all day. Luckily the 2 of them are playing so well together, even if Mia is starting to really boss Claudine around (Claudine doesn’t know any better, however, and she just follows her around saying “okay!”). We are looking forward to a non-Flea week. We still have steady online orders, but it would be nice not to have to pack cookies every night for a change.

A visit with my parents means more rice cakes (I’ll probably end up posting about every rice cake out there during the course of this blog). These, however, are one of my favorites. They’re made with rice wine as a key ingredient and as a result they are somewhat fermented and spongy, not unlike a sweet Ethiopian Injera, oddly enough. And who can resist the mini-cupcake shape?

Rainy spring days with a chill in the air means it’s a perfect day for a tea party. The girls are enjoying hibiscus tea with thin, crispy, sesame cookies right now, a favorite rainy day activity.