Ginseng Festival

Today Ben and I were in Geumsan for the Ginseng festival. We were able to try many samples, including deep fried ginseng root with honey (last picture). It was pretty strong, but not bad. When we arrived we were greeted by an English speaking volunteer, who took us to a museum of ginseng (also known as insam). There we were able to participate in a tea drinking (2nd picture) and of course we had to dress the part. If our English speaking guide hadn't been there, we would have had no idea what to do. The cups sat on a tea pot and had holes in the bottom. If you filled it 70% full, you could drink the tea, but if you filled it all the way, the liquid quickly drained out. It was a neat experience. We walked around and it was similar to a US fair/festival...food booths, exhibits, all that stuff. We went through the marketplace and they had special buildings for the selling/buying of ginseng (first picture). Red ginseng which is older is more expensive. They let ginseng grown in the ground for about 6 years before they dig it out. We were also able to put our feet into a big mound of dirt and ginseng (third picture). The dirt was really hot, but I guess it made our feet happy. Ginseng apparently helps out your health in many ways and is one of the medicinal herbs used by the Koreans. The candy was ok, the tea was good, and then we had some other samples that were way too strong. The whole town smelled like ginseng. It was a fun experience and I'm glad we went. Now I'm back in Kunsan, and I'm sad. It isn't easy having to leave Ben every weekend. 3 months down though, so time is passing quickly.