Why I Love F21 Korea's Online Shop

Exhibit 1: CrissCross Woven Tunic in Coral REGULAR PRICE: 24000.00

BOUGHT FOR: 9000.00 KRW

Exhibit 2: Fab Flare Leg Denim Pants in Black REGULAR PRICE: 18500.00
BOUGHT FOR: 6000 KRW

Exhibit 3: Linen-Blend Jacket in Yellow REGULAR PRICE: 34800.00
BOUGHT FOR: 14000 KRW

TOTAL PRICE AT REGULAR TAG PRICES: 77300 KRW ~ PHP 3556.00

TOTAL MONEY SPENT: 29000 KRW ~ PHP 1334.00


SAVINGS: PHP 2222.00!!



CAVEAT: There are a few things you should know about Forever21 Online Shopping
in Korea:

1. There are limited Sale Items at the Forever21 actual Stores. Why? Because Korea
has a strong online shopping culture. (We order groceries, detergents, and water online!) So it is understandable that Forever21 nurtures a big chunk of clients by offering Online Only Sale Items. :-) Which is the reason why I would rather shop
online at Forever21 than traipse to their Myeongdong Store :-)


2. Sale Items move crazy fast at Forever21. Case in point: I placed some items on
my shopping cart, then an hour later, when I was about to pay, I saw that two of the items on my cart's no longer available, they've sold out. In F21, speed ordering and a bit of patience is a virtue :-)

3. Only those who live in Korea can register with F21 Korea. It also accepts only Korean-issued Credit Cards.



Some people complain that F21 items are "cheaply made", perhaps because a lot of the items are made in China (though I bought a few shirts from F21 with the Made in USA tag, yay!), I say, it depends on what poorly made is to you. I get most of my office blazers here (and yep! I wait for the blazers to go into the SALE Section of the online site before I buy) and they are, at least for me, classy and good enough for officewear.

Make no mistake, Forever21, just like H&M, does not pretend to be a chi-chi brand. It
basks on its affordability and the ease by which it adapts fashion trends into not so
pricey fashion items that people like me can afford :-) This is a high street brand, not a designer label. And that for me (and my wallet) is a good thing ☺

On Empanadas

I am obsessed with all kinds of savoury hand pies --- empanadas, Jamaican patties, cornish pasties, pot pies, boreks, turnovers, Aussie pies. I love them all! There is nothing as comforting as biting into a flaky, browned crust and sinking one’s teeth into a hunk of savoury filling.

I grew up on Red Ribbon’s Empanadas ---- those small, sort of crusty pies with the traditional pinoy filling of chicken, potatoes and raisins. While I have tasted better versions of empanadas, there is something about Red Ribbon’s tiny empanadas that remind me so much of home, of Pinas and of family. So almost always, when I go back to K, I bring a boxful of its empanadas to comfort me and remind me of home.

Because I love empanadas so much, it is but proper to learn how to make them right? Yes, but as the famous blogger MM said in his own forays into empanada making, the road to empanada nirvana is paved with disaster. I personally do not like fried empanadas unless it’s the Ilocos Empanada kind, so all my empanada forays where of the baked kind.

My first attempt at empanada making was more than four years ago while I was living in London . It sucked bigtime, the crust was hard, brittle with the mouthfeel of crackers. But a friend, who I suppose was both being solicitous and happy for the free food, said that the filling was delicious. I remember it was a chicken a la king filling---breast cubes, carrots, peas and celery in a cream based gravy. Mind you, I had no ambition of becoming the empanada queen. All I wanted was to be able to make empanadas that I would love to eat. I wished for a buttery and reasonably flaky crust. One that could stand as a delicious background to my crazy fillings.

After nearly a dozen attempts at baking empanadas I think I’ve nailed my own personal empanada baking technique. My empanadas are still rustic (i.e. homemade looking and do not look all too uniform) but that’s okay. I bake empanadas for personal happiness not for profit haha. And the process of making them has become a ritual which I go through at least twice a year. Though in itself, empanada making isn’t hard. You need time on your hands to allow the dough to rest. And so I only embark on baking my favorite food/snack/pie in the world when I have a lot of free time.

And today being a holiday, with the shop’s preorders closed, it was a perfect time to embark on a baking adventure ☺

All you need is flour
I mix the flour with nothing but butter, ice water and when I feel like it, throw in a mishmash of seasoning powders and herbs to add a zing to the crust. I let the batter rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours though if I have time, like today, I personally like to leave my crust in the ref for at least 6 hours. The crust becomes easier to handle if you leave it in the refrigerator longer.


The Filling: As you like it

I made beef picadillo the other night ~ beef, spices, potatoes, onions, bell peppers and stewed tomatoes and lots of chili powder, and this became my empanada filling.

Now is the fun part, roll out your crust, make it into any shape you want and fill them with fillings. I like mine in the traditional halfmoon shape.

Fifteen minutes in the oven, and I get my reward--- a delicious empanada dinner ☺

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What about you, do you love hand pies and empanadas too? :D