Noono's Corner

  Once upon a time, there lived a rich merchant, named Snefru, in a place called Manf / Memphis. Snefru lived with his wife and daughter, Rhodopis or  Radobee. When Radobee's mother felt her death approaching, she said to Radobee, “You're so pretty. After my death, your father will remarry and give birth to more daughters, and those daughters will be jealous of you.” Then she gave Radobee a wooden box. There was a necklace of Hathor and very special shoes—golden sandals. Because the shoes only fit her feet, her mother promised those sandals and necklace would protect her from harm. She told Radobee to take good care of them. After her mother’s death, her father did indeed marry another woman. The stepmother and her daughters mistreated Radobee. Meanwhile, the king held a big party to find a good wife for his son to carry on the royal lineage. However, the evil new stepmother locked Radobee in her room and sent her own daughters off to the party. While Radobee was bathing in th...

  "물장수" (Muljangsu) would typically carry a large barrel or container filled with water on their back. They would use a dipper or ladle to scoop and serve water to customers. The practice of selling water by Muljangsu, or water sellers, originated in a time when access to clean and safe water was limited. This was especially true in historical periods when there were no modern water supply systems or widespread availability of tap water. The water sellers would travel from place to place, providing a convenient source of water for people who didn't have access to wells or other water sources. They played an important role in ensuring that people had access to drinking water, especially during times when water scarcity was an issue. Water sellers, known as "Sakka" (사크카) in Egypt, would transport water from the Nile using large leather containers. They would then travel through the streets, calling out to announce their presence and the availability of fresh water...

  As far as I remember, I attended a Songpyeon-making workshop back in 2014, although I'm not sure of the exact date. During the workshop, we were given pre-made rice flour dough and instructed on how the festival is celebrated in Korea. We filled the dough with brown sugar, sesame seeds, or nuts, and folded it into a half-moon shape. While folding it, the shape reminded me of the Egyptian dessert "Qatayef," which is a festive dish during the month of Ramadan. The main difference between the two desserts is the dough ingredients: Songpyeon is made from rice flour and steamed, while Qatayef is made from flour, fried, and dipped in sugar syrup. I tried Songpyeon just once, but I didn't like it. Its taste was a bit strange for me. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was because back then I used to prefer sweet things, and this wasn't very sweet. Or perhaps I wasn't familiar with Korean food at that time.

 Korea and Egypt both have bathhouse   culture. In Korea it's called "Mok Yok Tang" while in Egypt it's called "Hammam". The bathhouses in both countries are almost the same, starting with a hot tub, then scrubbing and massaging the body before a final shower. In Korea People hang out there with their family members or close friends to relieve stress. Meanwhile in Egypt people go usually for refreshment, and health reasons or special occasions such as marriage. In Korea people get naked in the bathhouse while in Egypt people keep their undergarments on or wear something like a swiming suit. P.S I'm not sure if I would try the Korean Bathhouse or not because it's embrassing to bathe with strangers or get undressed in front of people and I don't know how to adapt to it. To be honest I haven't tried the Egyptian Hammam experience yet. 한국과 이집트에는 목욕탕 문화가 있습니다. 한국에서는 "목욕탕"이라고 이집트에서는 "함맘"이라고 합니다. 두 나라의 목욕탕은 온수 욕조에서 시작하여 몸을 문지르고 ...

It's Broad beans season now in Egypt. So I can't miss the opportunity to make the dish Kosbaria dish (Kosbaria is derived from "Kosbara" which means coriander in English). It's a famous vegan dish that's full of protein and is made during winter. The ingredients are rice, broad beans & fresh coriander. 이집트는 지금 누에콩 시즌이라서 코스바리아 라는 음식을 만들 수 있는 기회를 놓칠 수 없습니다. 단백질이 풍부하고 겨울철에 만들어지는 유명한 비건 요리입니다. 코스바리아는 고수(영어로는 Coriander)를 뜻하는 단어인 코스바라에서 유래했다. 재료는 쌀, 누에콩, 신선한 고수입니다.

It has been a long time since I wanted to talk about folk remedies used in Korea, and compare them with Egypt but my laziness caught up with me.  Anyway, since the last Korea class, the teacher discussed the folk remedies in Korea and asked me about folk remedies in Egypt. It was such an interesting class. We talked about some of the remedies that are still used today.  In Korea if you catch a cold, you drink ginger tea, date tea or citrus tea. While in Egypt, if you catch a cold, you drink lemon tea. In Egypt, a sore throat is treated by drinking Anise tea. In Korea, there's an old remedy of pricking the finger tip with a needle if you have a stomach ache. While in Egypt, we drink peppermint tea as it aids digestion. For blood pressure Egyptians drink hibiscus tea. It's helpful for high blood pressure when it's drunk cold, and low blood pressure when it's drunk hot. P.S: during the class, the teacher talked about Soybean Sprout Soup, which is a traditional way to cure ...

  Today I wanted to share the similarity between the Kut ritual of Korea and the Zar ritual of Egypt. Both aim to get rid of bad luck and protect people from evil spirits. Zar usually takes place in a big room; participants will often rent a house for the purpose. Similarly, Kut takes place in a Shaman's shrine or the possessed/case's home. A Zar altar (a round tray placed on a tall bench in the center of the room covered with white cloth and laden with piles of nuts and dried fruits) is important. The leader of the ritual is usually a female who has inherited the skills from her mother. She is titled "Kodia" and plays a vital role in the ritual performance and the contacting of Jinn. Men can contribute to the ritual by playing music, just like in Kut. The possessed woman/case in Zar wears a white jalabiya – and this may be a point of difference, as I don't know whether in Kut the subject  should wear white or not. The musical instruments used during Zar are the T...

                                     Making Songpyeon Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Festival) is coming, I would like to share something Egypt and Korea have in common when celebrating festivals. Both, Egyptian and Korean families gather to make dessert for the fest.                                                Making Kahk  In Egypt, we make Kahk(Egyptian traditional cookies) and in Korea, they make Songpyeon (Half-moon shaped rice cakes). You can see how happy children are to help their mothers and grandmothers make dessert in both countries.

                                      Different types of Egyptian rice                 Egyptian rice and Korean rice are a bit different.  Making Egyptian rice requires frying the rice and vermicelli, then adding water or soup.  Different types of Korea rice   However, the Korean method of making rice only involves steaming the rice with other grains or beans, such as millet, sorghum, black beans and red beans. Even the fried rice is made by frying steamed rice with other vegetables.  The type of Egyptian rice used depends on the dish: White rice and white rice with vermicelli are usually eaten with vegetable stews. Brown rice is eaten with seafood. Yellow rice or curry rice is eaten with grilled food.  Mahshi rice is the type of rice that we use to stuff vegetables with. We usually cook the remaining rice  for the chil...

 The bread culture in Egypt is as important as the rice culture in Korea. Bread (Aish) is considered as an important source of life. Egyptian call bread "Aish", which means life. This explains how important is bread in our everyday lives. Historically, the importance of "Aish" dates back to old times where it was used as offerings and to ask for blessings from gods. The Egyptians knew how to make bread thousands of years ago from various grains such as: wheat, barley and corn.  The shapes of bread varied from oval, round and rolled shapes. Egyptians were the first ones to know how to bake (They introduced baking). They baked different types of bread, cakes, cookies and pastries for every ceremony and used different types of dried fruits such as dates and fig. There's an Egyptian expression “we eat bread and salt together.” This expression is a symbol of brotherhood. Rice is not just a staple food or a side dish in the Korean Cuisine. It's a centrepiece that ...

 Bisara is one of the most famous Egyptian vegan dishes. It's made from soaked split fava beans boiled with onion, garlic cloves, chopped coriander, and parsley. Once the beans are tender we blend all the ingredients, return them back to the pot, season it and then serve and garnish it with fried onions. 비사라는 이집트에서 가장 유명한 채식 식단입니다. 불린 파바 짜개에 양파, 쪽마늘, 고수, 그리고 파슬리를 넣고 끓여서 만듭니다. 일단 파바콩이 불면, 재료들을 갈아서 다시 냄비에 넣고 간을 한다음, 양파튀김과 함께 곁들여 냅니다. البصارة من أشهر الأكلات النباتية المصرية.  مكوناتها: فول مدشوش، بصل، ثوم، كسبرة وبقدونس. طريقة تحضيرها: يتم غلي المكونات السابقة وعند تمام نضج الفول، تفرم المكونات بالخلاط وترفع على النار مجددًا مع إضافة التوابل، وتزين بالبصل المقلي (التقلية) عند التقديم.

 Today, Egypt is celebrating the Eid al- Fitr Feast. For the Eid celebration, each family prepares some desserts, especially Kahk (Egyptian traditional cookies) and Eid Tasali which contains nuts, candies, Lupinus and Hummus. They also spend time together watching TV shows.   오늘은 이집트 명절 이드-알-피트르입니다. 이드 축하를 위해 가족마다 디저트 특히 카흐크(전통 동그란쿠키) , 견과류, 캔디, 루피누스와 후무스가 포함된 이드 타사리를 준비하고 가족 모두 모여 tv를 함께보며 시간을 보냅니다.

  Fava Bean Sprout soup   " 2days ago was the "Good Frida      In this day Egyptians make foul nabet soup (Fava Bean Sprout soup). This soup has religious symbolism. Beans are sprouted for 3 days, which refers to the days Jesus spent entombed before his Resurrection. Also beans wrapped in a towel to help them to sprout. This represent Jesus's 'shroud! The sprout indicates the promise of spring and the hopefulness of the life to come. Egyptian usually fast all day on Good Friday and they break their fast by eating Foul Nabet Soup. 지난 금요일은 성금요일이었입니다. 이날에 이집트인들은 풀 나벳 수프 (파바 콩나물 수프)를 만듭니다. 이 수프는 종교적 상징이 있습니다. 콩은 3일 동안 싹을 틔우는 데 예수님이 부활하시기 전에 묻히신 날을 의미합니다. 또한 새싹을 돕기 위해 수건에 싸여 있습니다. 이것은 예수님의 수의와 같습니다. 새싹은 봄의 약속과 다가올 삶의 희망입니다. 이집트인 주로 성금요일에 하루 종일 금식하고 풀 나벳을 먹으면서 금식을 끊습니다.

 When you're invited to Egyptian housewarming you can bring fruits and dessert. It is better to buy not to take anything savory because the message you may be sending is that you have brought your favorite food and it's a kind of insult. If you're invited to housewarming for new weeds you can give them money  if you didn't give them in the weeding day. Or you can bring some kind of jewellery to the bride. You can bring chocolate or dessert as well. 이집트에 집들이에 초대되면 과일과 디저트를 가져올 수 있습니다. 풍미있는 음식 가지면 안됩니다. 왜냐하면 풍미있는 음식 가지면 이런 행동이 보낼 수 있는 메시지는 당신의 좋아하는 음식을 가져왔다는 의미이고 예의 없는 것 같기때문입니다. 새로운 잡초를 집들에  초대 받으면 돈을 내면 됩니다. 특히 당신이 결혼식에 못 가거나 결혼식에 잡초에게 돈을 주지 않다면 돈을 줄 수 있습니다. 또는 신부에게 어떤 보석을 가져올 수 있습니다. 초콜릿이나 디저트도 가져갈 수 있습니다.

  There are many similarities between the Korean old school Seodang and "Kuttab" old Egyptian school. Only names are slightly different. "Kuttab" in Egypt was established in buildings connected to mosques, independent buildings, or at the homes of the Kuttab teacher himself.The teacher was sitting on chair or higher "Mastaba" (Stone bench) and students were sitting on the floor that was covered by "Hasira" (Egyptian old mat). People in Kuttab learned religion, literature, poetry and mathematics. The most prominent graduates of Kuttab were Rifaa al-Tahtawy and Taha Hussein. The teacher of the "Kuttab" was called "Sayedna", and his assistant was called "Al- Areef".  "Faqi" used to hold a long stick of palm-tree in his hand with which he can poke the farthest child away from him. If he found the child didn't pay attention or distracted. He usually revised the children's past lessons,  then reads them n...

  Today is epiphany, that's why we cook Qolqas(Taro) and eat Sugarcane. but do you know why Egyptian eat Taro stew and Sugarcane while celebrating epiphany? Because, taro is cooked by being soaked and boiled in water as well as sugar cane is planted into a lot of water, so both of them are symbol of baptism. 오늘은 주현절입니다. 그래서 이집트 사람들이 토란 스튜 만들고 사탕수수를 먹습니다. 혹시 여러분들은 주현절을 보내면서 토란과 사탕수수를 먹는 이유 아 십니까? 왜냐하면 토란은 물에 담기고 끓여서 요리하고 사탕수수는 많은 물에 심기 때문입니다. 세례 같습니다. "اللي ما يأكلش قلقاس، يصبح جتة من غير رأس"

  Today Egyptian celebrat the birthday of prophet Muhammad Al-Mawled Al-Nabawi. The celebration since Fatimid era includes buying 'Halwat  Al-Mawled' (nutty sweets made of nuts and sugarsyrup) & 'Arouset Al Mawlid' (Sugar doll that covered with coloured paper) The doll was a symbol of Mawlid and newly married couple. There are 2 theories related the origin of the doll. 1st theory: During Fatimid era the ruler Al Hakim Ba'amrullah dressed up as a soldier while riding a horse to visit a town with his wife she wore a white dress with a Jasmine flower crown on her head. When candy makers saw her they decided to decipt her and her husband on horse, they sculptured a sugar doll with 3 circular fans attached behind and a sultan on a horse shape doll for the ruler. 2nd theory: Soldiers returning from war were promized to marry beautiful women as a reward that's why candy dolls were made to honor them.  요즘에 이집트 사람들이 예언자 무함마드의 탄생일 (알 말레드 알 나바위) 지냅니다. 파티마 시대에 축하 행...

 In Egypt there are similar old folk stories like )grandpa Mangtae and Go miho (Nine- tailed fox    Al- Naddaha us similar to Go miho who seduces and kill men. Abu shiwal is similar to grandpa Mangtae who kidnaps  misbehaving children  한국 옛날 동화 '구미호나 망태할아버지 같은 동화는 이지트에도 있습니다. 구미호와 비슷하게 알 나드다하라는 여자는 남자를 꼬시고 죽여요. 망태할아버지 같이 아부 쉬왈라는 사람은 말 잘 안 듣는 아이들을 납치해요.