19. Suburban Home

We had grandfather’s 60th birthday party at Gu Pa Bal home. Life expectancy was still in sixties and 60th birthday was the big deal then. They prepared food for two days. An old lady singer was hired to sing Korean traditional birthday ritual songs while grandfather’s kids and grandkids served him small wine glasses and bowed to him. There was no set time for the meal. The guests came and sent all day long. Whenever new guests showed up, women will fix a try of food and served them. Some ate the meal and some just had wine and appetizers.

 

What you learn early in your life would last forever. I and my siblings felt we had to have 60th birthday parties for the parents. We were still young and did not have enough money to have a big party for father. We only invited few relatives and friends. For mother, we went to Chinese restaurant, Dragon, in Los Angeles and threw a big party. 

 

We ordered Korean rice cakes and fruits, and decorated her table with stacks of decorative food. We served her wine and bowed to her. We also sang some songs. We invited all of her and father’s friends. It was a big party.

 

Gu Pa Bal was still a countryside. There were fields in the neighborhood and several of our neighbors were farmers. Father kept goats. During the day, they were taken to the hill. They ate grass. Goats also could eat papers. We had goat milk.

 

In fall, we slaughtered a pig. Father hired a slaughterman. He killed the pig and cut up the meat. We shared them with the neighbors. Mother learned how to make Korean taffy. She added popped rice and beans to this taffy, and made crunchy snacks. They were similar to rice krispie treats or popcorn balls. She served them and tangerines while we watched TV in long winter nights. 

 

There were 2-3 chicken farm workers living with us. Mother gave them rice and bean crunchies and gave us ones with sesame seeds. They were tastier. 

 

During the school vacation, we often had boiled potatoes and corns for lunch. Sometimes, we boiled partially cracked eggs and ate them. Father used to tell us about his childhood. They did not have enough rice. He ate potatoes for every meal. He would pound the boiled potatoes, added a pinch of sugar substitute, and made potato cake. 

 

Sometimes I ask my wife to cut up the potatoes and put them on top of the rice when she cooked it. I like them. Potato is tasty if you do not have to eat it for every meal.

 

When I was young, I had no idea what the air conditioner was. The electricity was weak and we had to use transformers to use it. Hand fans were very useful. At night, we put a mat on the cement veranda, sat around and chatted or just looked at the stars. My brother was good at catching frogs with the top of his pencil case. He covered it with the pencil case, put his hand under it and pick up the frog. He slam-dunked it hard on the hard surface of the cement. The frog stretched its limbs and stayed still. A while later, they woke up and disappeared. If not, they became chicken feed next day. 

 

Since the chicken stall was not too far from our home, we had plenty of flies. Even though we had screens on every window, they still came inside the house. There were long sticky fly traps hanging at the kitchen. Every evening, father went around the house with flapper and slapped the flies on the walls and ceiling. 

 

My brother played with the neighborhood country kids. During his vacation, he ran around the hills and fields with them and learned to eat plant roots and roasted frog legs.