2.250

12 (Mon) September 2011

Shrimp Tempura with Cocktail Sauce

3.0

by PJS (tempura) and me (sauce

at their home

-Seongsu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with W and DJ, Mom and Dad, maternal-side relatives

Happy Chuseok!

The occasion is usually celebrated with a wide variety of traditional Korean food, but my mother and family members in that generation have reached the age where full compliance with tradition has become too much of a physical and psychological burden, and they were never sticklers even in their prime.  As such, the number of offerings on the table has significantly been cut down to a bare minimum in recent years.  No one really seems to mind, as overeating and regretting it has always been a problem on this food-centric holiday (for most families, I’d imagine).

Within the next 5 years, I anticipate that my generation will take over the food responsibilities -not only for this particular holiday but for all of our family gatherings.  Until that time, we’re dilatorily phasing toward a complete transition by contributing a bit more every year.  Lately, we’ve been charged with appetizers.  At present, however, out of all the cousins and their spouses comprising this next generation, only 2 individuals are able to cook, and both of them are men, and one of them is me.  This means that our contributions collectively have thus far tended to be somewhat more masculine (e.g., deep-fried shrimp) and/or less Korean (e.g., cocktail sauce).  Unless the others get involved, which I don’t see happening anytime in the next decade or so, the whole family will soon be having ribs and pasta on New Year’s Day.

(See also FOODS.)

(See also PLACES.)