Stamina foods for summer
By Lee Sung-hun Summer heat is in full swing right now, and last Sunday was the first of the three “bok” days, marking the first of the three hottest days during peak summer.As the Korean “bok” days are designated according to the lunar calendar, they change year to year but usually fall somewhere between mid-July and August ― almost coinciding with the days associated with the Western expression “dog days of summer.”The word “bok” actually means to lie face down to describe that autumn-qi becomes ineffective and lies down, bowing to the strong summer-qi.According to Eastern philosophy, the Sun, which belongs to fire among the five elements (fire, water, wood, metal and earth), emits yang-qi at its strongest during the summer season.Autumn is represented by metal, which is considered to have qi that accumulates, as it is typically a harvest season.During these three “bok” days, it is said that fire is strong enough to melt metal, meaning that summer beats autumn-qi into submission.In such hot summer weather, it is easy
Jul 19, 2016
