By Honorary Reporter Lani Jean Matugas from Philippines

2024 marks the 75th anniversary of official ties between Korea and the Philippines. For the second straight year, I am a member of K-Culture Friends, aka the Krew, a group of supporters at the Korean Cultural Center in Taguig. The 75 members are divided into 15 for the content group and 60 for the support group, and I am part of the latter.

The group's year's first meeting and orientation came on Feb. 2 at the Philippine-Korea Friendship Center. We met the KCC staff, fellow Krew members and KCC Director Kim Myeong-jin, who delivered an opening speech. 

We received a welcome kit that with our group badge, Korean snacks and brochures related to our first mission: the recipe for tteokguk (rice cake soup) and ingredients. This dish is traditionally eaten in Korea to mark Seollal (Lunar New Year).

This was my first time to cook tteokguk, so I wasn't sure how it would taste after I cooked it. Using beef broth as the soup base and sliced rice cakes from my welcome kit, I followed the recipe and started cooking. It turned out so well that I even served it to my parents, and my father loved it.

Eating the dish on Seollal is so ingrained as a Korean custom that the question "How many bowls of tteokguk have you eaten?" is commonly asked about someone's age in Korea. In this Year of the Blue Dragon, I say, "Saehaebok mani badeuseyo" (Receive lots of luck in the new year)."

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.