How are cacao and cocoa different? Which is healthier, cocoa or cacao? Do cocoa and cacao taste the same? As a chocolate writer, I get these questions all the time, and the answer is quite simple: cacao and cocoa are the same word, in different languages. It’s a bit of a debate in the craft …

Have you ever wanted to wander through a lavender field in full bloom, and then lamented not being in Europe in the summertime? Enter: Hani Lavender Farm. Welcome to the late springtime flower fields of your dreams, located just south of the DMZ, in Goseong County! If you’re coming to Korea in May, June or …

This inexhaustive list of things to do in Korea, a bucket list if you will, was compiled based on recommendations from friends & fellow bloggers, as well as personal experiences & misadventures. I hope it helps you get ideas of what to do in Korea no matter where your interests lay, whether you’re going to Seoul …

If you’ve ever been to Seoul, you’ve seen the evidence of thousands of coffee shops, one or two per corner. Over the last couple of decades, coffee has also managed to invade the homes of millions of Koreans, and stage several annual coffee festivals in Seoul and all across Korea. Korean coffee culture has gained …

This memory makes me cringe more than most “promposals” do. It’s one of my biggest regrets, actually, which I suppose is an accomplishment of its own. Setting The Scene Ocassionally, I think of the past, and the embarrassing or thoughtful things I’ve done in it. I try to live a life without regrets, but have learned that all …

Is chocolate actually healthy? The buzz around chocolate these days is focused on flavonoids and trace minerals, some of the molecules that make cacao a so-called “super food.” But do you know what those things are, and more importantly, why they matter? 5 Reasons to Eat More Quality Chocolate Chocolate is good for us because it …

Life can be stunning. It’s what happens after you craft, and often change, your lofty itinerary. Bohol is a beautiful island, the highlight of my many weeks in the Philippines, and I was stunned to find what you can pack into a single day. There are tiny primates, a bevy of bridges, and the beautiful …

While I didn’t exactly bond with any of the animals at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre, it was nevertheless the animal park of my dreams. It was the perfect half-day trip from Phnom Penh, where we spend a few days while backpacking Cambodia. According to the centre’s website, “all of the animals have been rescued …

*Grandma, Several years ago, you found yourself in quite bad health, and at 90-years-old-minus-a-week you called all your family to your side. You wanted to have a funeral that you could enjoy witnessing before you died, and you desired that each of us write you a letter, something that we would have written about you …

Twenty-one was an amazing year. There were lots of ups and and way fewer downs than I expected considering that I moved to South Korea right after my last birthday. The change was much easier than people seemed to make it out to be online, and other than a few frustrations at work and a …