Oh, it has been a while. Here are some reasons why. First, my students are driving me crazy, and it has caused my brain to malfunction. Therefore, I have consistently forgotten my camera any time I do anything, and a lack of pictures just makes these posts uninteresting. I don't blame you for skipping over this one due to a lack of imagery. Second, I have been extremely busy with testing, the end of the term, and these awful student reports that are being forced down my throat. They are due tomorrow...can you say procrastination? Third, my mind has been too busy obsessing over the enigma that is LOST. No one watches it here and it is killing me.
I ate live octopus this weekend but am without video/pics. I will steal a video and pictures and will have more on that later. It was an experience, to say the least. More importantly, I am headed to Beijing this weekend for Chinese New Year. We have a long weekend, so I will be jam-packing the ultimate Chinese experience in 4 days. When I fly into Korea from China I actually have to go almost straight to work. That should be a real treat. I'm trying not to think of that, though, and am focusing on falling head over heels for China (for some reason I have a strange feeling I am going to be obsessed). I know for sure that things are going to get weird....
Beijing, here I come! (If I can reattach my head and remember to document the trip, I'm sure I will have more than enough visuals to stimulate the senses)
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
I Like Ya, Honey
On Saturday, I went to Insadong, which is a touristy area full of various food stands, trinket stands, independent shops, and tea rooms.
Right outside the main strip was a park with gazebos built in traditional Korean style. In the park there was also a stone monument inside glass (to preserve it) that was part of an original palace, dating back to the 15th century.
We walked around and sampled a bunch of street food, all of which were delicious. Spicy chicken and vegetables on a stick, rice cakes filled with bulgogi and sweet potato, as well as other things that I cannot explain because I do not know what they were. They looked and smelled good, so I ate them.
The last picture is one of those that can't really be described because again, I have no idea what it consists of. It was some sort of seafood and cabbage mix, I believe, on the inside, coated in a crepe-like batter with something similar to a plum sauce on top. A ball of goodness....that's all you need to know. What really took the cake though, was the honey candy--referred to as Dragon Beard candy--that Insadong is actually known for. It is honey stretched so thin that there are supposedly 16,000 or so strands within a piece. The strands were so thin the candy was hair-like (you can hear the men making the candy say so even). Inside are seven different types of nuts, consolidated into a nugget by the honey. The construction of the treat is quite a process and there are several workers basically putting on a show at the counter for the tourists. It was totally entertaining:
It was really cold on Saturday so our tourist adventure did not last long before we went into a tea house to warm up. A cup of tea is not cheap at these places: around 7,000 won/cup. The warm room combined with the warm delicious Jujube tea that I ordered was well worth the cost in my mind. It was much thicker than regular tea, Jujube chunks and flakes were floating in it. It tasted a bit like sweet potatoes and spice. The decor of the place was pretty interesting:
Lots of new food=weekend success.
Right outside the main strip was a park with gazebos built in traditional Korean style. In the park there was also a stone monument inside glass (to preserve it) that was part of an original palace, dating back to the 15th century.
We walked around and sampled a bunch of street food, all of which were delicious. Spicy chicken and vegetables on a stick, rice cakes filled with bulgogi and sweet potato, as well as other things that I cannot explain because I do not know what they were. They looked and smelled good, so I ate them.
The last picture is one of those that can't really be described because again, I have no idea what it consists of. It was some sort of seafood and cabbage mix, I believe, on the inside, coated in a crepe-like batter with something similar to a plum sauce on top. A ball of goodness....that's all you need to know. What really took the cake though, was the honey candy--referred to as Dragon Beard candy--that Insadong is actually known for. It is honey stretched so thin that there are supposedly 16,000 or so strands within a piece. The strands were so thin the candy was hair-like (you can hear the men making the candy say so even). Inside are seven different types of nuts, consolidated into a nugget by the honey. The construction of the treat is quite a process and there are several workers basically putting on a show at the counter for the tourists. It was totally entertaining:
It was really cold on Saturday so our tourist adventure did not last long before we went into a tea house to warm up. A cup of tea is not cheap at these places: around 7,000 won/cup. The warm room combined with the warm delicious Jujube tea that I ordered was well worth the cost in my mind. It was much thicker than regular tea, Jujube chunks and flakes were floating in it. It tasted a bit like sweet potatoes and spice. The decor of the place was pretty interesting:
Lots of new food=weekend success.
Adventures in Food
On Friday night, I went to dinner at a place that we thought served various types of chicken dishes. We randomly ordered two dishes on the menu. A few minutes later, we were presented with what we had ordered: ta-dah! Intestines! They actually looked quite appetizing, accompanied by noodles and some vegetables along with two different types of sauce. The one dish was actually pretty tasty, and that particular intestines' texture was not so bad: a bit chewy, but good. The other dish was doused in a spicy sauce. The sauce was delicious, but the texture of this dish was much tougher, and took quite a few bites to get down. The overall flavor was good, but after a while, chewing that much just got old.
Saturday night rolled around...different place, same story. We attempted to order spicy boneless chicken. Out comes spicy boneless chicken FEET. Oops. These, too, were not so bad but did not have the most appetizing texture. They were fairly fatty and strangely chewy. I was not in the mood to put the effort in to break down this food, so I ordered something else. An experience, if nothing else.
No pictures sorry, don't know what I was thinking.
Saturday night rolled around...different place, same story. We attempted to order spicy boneless chicken. Out comes spicy boneless chicken FEET. Oops. These, too, were not so bad but did not have the most appetizing texture. They were fairly fatty and strangely chewy. I was not in the mood to put the effort in to break down this food, so I ordered something else. An experience, if nothing else.
No pictures sorry, don't know what I was thinking.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Ski and Sing
Last weekend I went to Kangwon-do with my entire branch to ski for the weekend. I hadn't skied since 8th grade in the ski club Trolls, in which case I "taught myself." A more appropriate way to put it would be that I threw a pair of skis on and flew straight down the mountain. Oh right, and Wilmot, the place we went every weekend for ski club, was no mountain. I actually think it was a landfill with manufactured snow on top of it. I mostly did it for social purposes. Needless to say, I was a bit intimidated by some of my coworkers who were practically expert skiers. My boss walked me through the first run just to ensure I didn't kill myself. He was extremely helpful and I felt comfortable within about 5-10 minutes to go off on my own.
The last picture is actually from the top of the mountain, which took about 45 minutes to get to. I am so hardcore.
Later, we went back to our condo and rested a bit before dinner. Koreans tend to encourage separating sexes in social situations, so at dinner, myself and the 4 Korean girls sat at one table. They taught me some new drinking games that I had not learned yet. I decided it would be a good idea to teach them how to play flip-cup. We slowly recruited the boys over, and in the end, had the entire staff playing an intense game of flippy cup. My coworker, Kyle and I, are the only two fresh out of college so we totally thought we had this game in the bag. Well our cockiness got the best of us, and our team ended up having to pay for the Noraebong later as penalty for losing.
The Noraebong was right inside our hotel. I sang" Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Don't Stop Believing." I am incredibly predictable. The last time I went, I sang these songs as well. I took a video of my boss singing some sort of love song:
I'm not sure if this is only funny to me because I know my boss, or if it is just universally good. Nevertheless it sums up a lot of my night.
The last picture is actually from the top of the mountain, which took about 45 minutes to get to. I am so hardcore.
Later, we went back to our condo and rested a bit before dinner. Koreans tend to encourage separating sexes in social situations, so at dinner, myself and the 4 Korean girls sat at one table. They taught me some new drinking games that I had not learned yet. I decided it would be a good idea to teach them how to play flip-cup. We slowly recruited the boys over, and in the end, had the entire staff playing an intense game of flippy cup. My coworker, Kyle and I, are the only two fresh out of college so we totally thought we had this game in the bag. Well our cockiness got the best of us, and our team ended up having to pay for the Noraebong later as penalty for losing.
The Noraebong was right inside our hotel. I sang" Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Don't Stop Believing." I am incredibly predictable. The last time I went, I sang these songs as well. I took a video of my boss singing some sort of love song:
I'm not sure if this is only funny to me because I know my boss, or if it is just universally good. Nevertheless it sums up a lot of my night.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Little Bit of a Mishap
I was following my usual routine today while getting ready for work. I will usually plug my curling iron into the bathroom outlet, and then do other things in my apartment while waiting for it to heat up. I got distracted watching Dexter, (Trinity... wtf?) and left it alone for 15 minutes or so (which is not that long and usually completely fine). I suddenly started to smell something burning. I walked into my bathroom to find my curling iron literally melting away before my eyes. I had plugged it in directly to the adapter without using the voltage converter. This, by the way, is not the first time I have done this. The other times I just singed my hair off and realized my mistake.
Who knew that this is what would happen when you forget to plug in the stupid voltage converter? Well, probably a lot of people....
Many singed hairs, a completely bent and melted curling iron, and coming very close to setting my apartment on fire: lesson learned (hopefully).
Who knew that this is what would happen when you forget to plug in the stupid voltage converter? Well, probably a lot of people....
Many singed hairs, a completely bent and melted curling iron, and coming very close to setting my apartment on fire: lesson learned (hopefully).
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
It's Love...
I have officially developed a head-over-heels obsession with the newest condiment addition to my life: ssamjang. Ssamjang is served with many Korean dishes, particularly barbecue. It is made of doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, onion, garlic, green onions and brown sugar (should I site Wikipedia?). Doenjang is a fermented bean paste and gochujang is a type of red chili pepper vinegar paste--which is delicious in and of itself. The combination is heavenly and takes any meal to a whole other level. Considering it is served in a small dish, I assume it is meant to be used sparingly. I obviously do not follow that rule ever when it comes to condiments, why would I start now? Not sure the availability of ssamjang in the states, but it is definitely worth searching for, which I will do to no end when I return to the states.
Pay It Forward
This weekend, Juliet introduced me to her young friend who she said I would have a lot in common with. She goes by the English name Jessica, and I did indeed get along with her quite well. She is extremely sweet and outgoing. She is 23 in "Korean" years, but she was born in 1988, making her 21 in "American" years. I will explain this whole age discrepancy some other time. She is still in college--or university as they call it here. When we got to talking, she explained to me that she studied for a year in Orange County, in California, at a small college. I prodded her with questions about her experience in the US, curious to see how her observations and culture shock compared to my own in coming here. Some of the things she pointed out:
"Food is so expensive! You have to tip and tax?! And you barely even get any food!"
"Everyone talks so fast and uses lots of words I don't know the meaning of (aka slang)." She congratulated me on my annunciation and slow pace several times.
"You are actually kind of slim. Most of my American friends are fat"
And finally, she talked about how cruel and impatient so many Americans were toward her. She told me that after that experience, she vowed to wholeheartedly help any foreigner she came across, as she had been in their shoes at one point. I am, in a way, benefitting from the fact that she was treated poorly by some asshole Californians because she now is proverbially taking me under her wing, planning all sorts of things to do together. However, I am not in the same position as she was when living in California. First of all, she spoke English, whereas I am worthless; I do not speak Korean. Secondly, the majority of Koreans I have interacted with have been nothing but genuinely kind. It's really kind of pathetic how unwilling we are to welcome foreigners into our circle unless they speak perfect English and are totally acclimated with western culture and norms. So now that Jessica has pointed out her mission after returning from California, I, following the guidelines of Haley Joel Osment, have no choice but to pay it forward when I return to the states.
"Food is so expensive! You have to tip and tax?! And you barely even get any food!"
"Everyone talks so fast and uses lots of words I don't know the meaning of (aka slang)." She congratulated me on my annunciation and slow pace several times.
"You are actually kind of slim. Most of my American friends are fat"
And finally, she talked about how cruel and impatient so many Americans were toward her. She told me that after that experience, she vowed to wholeheartedly help any foreigner she came across, as she had been in their shoes at one point. I am, in a way, benefitting from the fact that she was treated poorly by some asshole Californians because she now is proverbially taking me under her wing, planning all sorts of things to do together. However, I am not in the same position as she was when living in California. First of all, she spoke English, whereas I am worthless; I do not speak Korean. Secondly, the majority of Koreans I have interacted with have been nothing but genuinely kind. It's really kind of pathetic how unwilling we are to welcome foreigners into our circle unless they speak perfect English and are totally acclimated with western culture and norms. So now that Jessica has pointed out her mission after returning from California, I, following the guidelines of Haley Joel Osment, have no choice but to pay it forward when I return to the states.
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