tea diaries ~~~~~ groooooovy

Tangerine Farm!

So ... I've done nothing but pass tangerine farms all day every day when I go driving on the roads on this island. I've always wanted to work at one, and I found out today that one of my host family's family friends owns one! So we went over to have lunch with them. They have two uni-aged daughters who were off, but also one 3rd grade elementary school girl who is quite possibly the cutest kid I've ever seen. Played with bubbles with her for maybe an hour. :) The farm is far from their house, but they have a sort of makeshift outside patio and kitchen area right next to tangerines. We sat around and talked as suddenly I heard an aborted "cocka-doodle doo!" and in came two six-seconds dead chickens. Watched as my host mother and her friend de-feathered and de-organed our lunch, as me and my host brother prepared the outdoor fireplace (which smelled amazing...) and then we stuck the chickens in a huge pot with juju-bees, garlic, and some traditional Korean herbs and just boiled it all over the fire. The whole day just felt so ... visceral. I crept with the kids around the tangerine trees stalking the other chickens, climbing around the trucks, and eating tangerines right from the trees. After lunch I helped pick three huge bushels of tangerines with the grownups. Hopefully I'll be going back there soon to help out. :) And the whole day I could look up into the cloudless sky and sea the browned top of Halla-san. I heart Jeju.