The Metro I

One of the draws to living in a large metropolitan like Seoul (or the greater Seoul area) is the convenient public transportation system. Though not as clean as the Hong Kong Metro, but nowhere near as dirty as the NYC subways, the Korean Metro system is an easy way to get around Bundang and Seoul.

My school is about a twenty five minute subway ride away. If I manage to get a seat, I usually spend that time reading a book or reviewing my lesson plan. If I'm left standing, I usually pass the time listening to my iPod. (Speaking of music, check out my music box to the left). Though I enjoy this time to think, read, and sleep, I've realized that I'm totally missing out on a wonderful Korean gadget -- the handheld TV! The Korean version is way cooler than those heavy little portable boxes from the '90s. A tad larger than my iPod nano, these sleek Korean handhelds pick up satellite feeds of popular sitcoms, variety shows, news, and sports programming, all while the train speeds along the underground railway, however many meters below the surface. If you're willing to drop some extra won (actually, more like, a lot of won), you can also get the device built into your mobile phone. The screen also rotates accordingly if you hold it vertically or horizontally. I've glanced at a number of these screens, and the image quality appears to be HD quality.

If I knew that the U.S. was capable of handling such technology, I might actually pick up one of these babies for myself. However, knowing the U.S. and all of its hangups over resource allocation and proprietary issues, it's unlikely for you all to be enjoying your own handheld TVs in the near future. So for now, you'll just have to enjoy your archaic little video iPod. Muahahahahaha.










































Speaking of subways... despite the personal space issues, most subway riders keep to themselves and cause little ruckus. With that said, in little over a month, I've already observed my fair share of drama on the subway trains. For example, there was the time that this ajusshi (old man in his fifties) confronted a young girl in her early twenties, screaming at her for sitting in the seats designated for the elderly, disabled, and pregnant women. The train was pretty empty, so I don't see why the man took such issue with the girl (perhaps soju was fueling his ire). To my great amusement, the girl was not threatened by the man's rage, and simply yelled right back at him. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but at one point the old dude pushed the girl's shoulder. Oh snap! This girl wasn't having it. She pushed him right back! Unfortunately, the drama came to an abrupt halt when the train pulled into the last stop, and the two fiery parties went their separate ways. I guess Confucian values can only go so far. I'm sure that Destiny's Child would agree that all independent women have the right to stick up for themselves if they've been wronged.

The fight was both exciting and frightening. I suppose this why so many folks enjoy UFC matches. I only wish I caught the fight on camera.

I did, however, catch a photo of a presumably homeless, man on the train. He didn't have any shoes, but he did have a fresh bottle of soju. I wanted to catch his tirade on camera, but I was afraid that he'd go all Russell Crowe on me if he caught me recording him. So, all I got was this blurry photo. Unfortunately, in his drunken stupor, the shoeless man started roaring at the elderly gentleman sitting across from him. I'm not sure what Shoeless was saying, but the elderly gentleman timidly nodded his head every once and awhile. The elderly man seemed like he wanted to move seats, but was afraid of seeming rude, or perhaps, afraid of inflaming the drunk further.

Should I have stuck up for the old man, and have told the drunk to shut it? Perhaps I should have, but I wonder if Shoeless would have understood the phrase, "Stick a cork in it, you a-hole"?




I have a few other subway stories to share, but I'll save them for another post. Instead, I'll end with a photo of some hip hop dancing soju bottles. I'm assuming that they were dancing as part of a promotional activity, and were not sporting the latest trends in Korean fashion. I was greeted by these break dancing bottles on my way from the subway station. It made me smile.

이대 Edae

My current favorite neighborhood is 이대 (Edae). As home of Ehwa Women's University, it features tons of boutiques, shoe stores, nail salons, eateries, and cosmetic stores; reasonably priced for young Korean fashionistas. I've gone there a few times previously, but only during the day. You'd think I would have figured this out by now, but I learned this weekend that Edae is much more lively in the evening. Apparently, the street vendors don't come out until the sun goes down.

I was especially excited by all of the street food: chicken skewers, fried balls of octopus, sausage & beer, fried potato spirals, french fries, walnut cakes, steamed corn, fresh fruit juice, dried squid -- the list goes on. The assortment of street food is mouth watering. Though I feel it is my duty to try every individual snack on behalf of all of you back at home, I'm trying to pace myself.

This time around, I tried 옥수수 호떡 (oksusu hoddok), a chewy corn cake stuffed with some sort of cinnamon filling. On an embarrassing note, I dipped my corn cake into what I thought was cinnamon sugar, but it turned out to be some sort of salt and pepper mix, intended for the fried potato. I should have been tipped off by the odd look that the vendor shot me as I grabbed the shaker, but I just thought she was concerned about my clumsy use of of the "cinnamon" shaker. Cyndi says that the woman called me "unique." I think that sounds about right.
































































FASHION BONUS
So how do the ladies of Edae plan to tackle autumn in Korea? If these mannequins are any indication, it's all about layers, vests, scarves, and a warm, muted color palette (e.g., gray, army green, or burgundy). Also, don't let the autumn breeze stop you from getting more out of your summer shorty shorts or mini skirts. I swear, Korean women must have legs of steel. Not only do they spend all day in stilleto heels, but they can rock a mini skirt into the thick of winter.

I'm looking forward to dressing for the fall. I love scarves. Any hint of a breeze is reason enough for me to wear a scarf. Yay! My first real autumn!

At the Moobies

I'm still dying to see Superbad, but I did manage to catch Stardust a couple of weekends ago.

I was hoping for cooler concession snacks (I don't know. Maybe some samgyupsal?), but it was pretty similar to typical American delicacies, like popcorn and churros. The only significant difference is that seats are pre-assigned. You may request a specific seat upon purchase. Tickets prices are slightly less expensive than in the States, but I wouldn't consider them cheap. Maybe around $7? I don't exactly recall.

Here's a pic of Cyndi & me in the theater. The theater was quite small and cramped, but I don't think its representative of your typical Korean theater.

Check out the lady behind us. She looks totally disgusted! I was tempted to take more photos, but felt a little awkward after viewing her expression upon playback. Come on, girlfriend! You're Korean. Don't you understand the importance of sel-cas.
















So, what did I think of Stardust? I absolutely adored it. It was funny, romantic, adventurous, continually entertaining, and featured a stellar (no pun intended) cast. I don't consider myself a Claire Danes fan, especially a British-accented Claire Danes, but she was quite winning, especially with her long blonde hair. She definitely rocks the blonde locks. Robert DeNiro is quite hilarious (though over the top) as Captain Shakespeare, a man with a few fabulous skeletons in his closet, if you know what I'm saying. Michelle Pfeiffer, who gets more beautiful with age, is perfectly casted as an evil witch. The star of the show (these star references were honestly unintended!), however, was the movie's hero. At first, I was like, who is this guy? Then I was like, who is this guy? His name is Charlie Cox, and he manages to pull off a nice blend of cluelessness, charm, swashbuckle (Can I use that as an adjective?), and good hair.
If you feel like a fun, engaging movie, I definitely recommend Stardust. If not, you should definitely check it out when it's available as a rental. Or, if you're in Korea, you can "purchase" the dvd from your local "vendor."

Speaking of purchasing dvds... I've heard that you can purchase the dvd of films currently released in theaters; films like Transformers, Die Hard 4, or The Simpsons Movie. I have absolutely no first hand knowledge of such illegal merchandise, but I've heard that you can buy two movies for approximately $5, or five movies for $10; possibly from some dude at your local subway station -- allegedly. As I've clearly stated, I have no knowledge of such underhanded transactions, but... I have seen The Simpsons movie and have to say that it's totally worth 5000 won, especially if its accompanied by the dvd for 1408 starring John Cusack. Or, so I imagine...

Back to Hongdae

We went back to Hongdae, but I swear that we didn't purposely go there to stalk Gong Yoo -- again. We just happened to be in the neighborhood...

We met up with Bo & Yeong Jung (not sure if I spelled their names correctly) in Hongdae. Incidentally, we learned that no one goes to Hongdae that early. Things don't start popping until late into the afternoon. I love Hongdae because it's so colorful; there's no shortage of cuteness. As a faithful reader, you may recall from my previous post that Hongdae is an artsy neighborhood, so it's a great place for crafts and art pieces.

We also came across a cap that we thought a few people back at home may enjoy. Holler if you want one.

Anyways, as I mentioned at the start of this post, we eventually found our way back to the Coffee Prince cafe.

Don't worry, Mom. We honestly were not stalking star actor, Gong Yoo.

We were visiting the boutique owned by one of Yeong Jung's friends, which, coincidentally, was a stone's throw away from the Coffee Prince cafe. They happened to be filming that day, so we just had to check out all the action. Unfortunately, the place was swarming with fans. With no hopes of basking in Gong Yoo's hotness, we decided to act cool and unaffected by all the fervor. As we were moving away from the crowd, we noticed a couple of vans, typically used to transport celebrities. Based on the dusty love notes left on one of the vans, Cyndi discerned that the white van belonged to none other than Gong Yoo! Sadly, the van was empty. Nonetheless, I took a photo of Gong Yoo's van. Hey, as they say, when in Rome... Silly fan girl behavior is an intrinsic part of the Korean youth culture.

Goods Eats Aug 12 - Sept 1

I keep forgetting to capture the good eats, but here's a sampling of my eats from the final two weeks of August.

Notes:
- I'm not a huge fan of Pizza Hut back at home, but I love Korean Pizza Hut. The pizza dough seems less greasy and less crispy. I'm also loving the unusual Korean topping combinations like shrimp and sweet potato. I love me some sweet potato. The salad bar, which includes at least three types of potato salad, is also way more interesting. Lastly, I love the little ribbon tied take out box.
- We tried Vietnamese food in Hongdae. It didn't taste like any Vietnamese food I've had in San Jose. The flavors were lacking.
- I also tried bbq pork skin for the first time. The pork skin was "service", on the house. It wasn't that bad, and surprisingly chewy. It helped that the skin is marinated in soy sauce and sugar. I learned that the key to enjoying pork skin is to cut it up into bite-size pieces.
- The worst drink ever: the "Kogoma Hollychino" from Holly's Coffee. I don't know what I was thinking. It tasted like a sweet potato shake mixed in with rancid milk. Blech.

부산

Now that I finally have my visa, I've rapidly gained more teaching hours. I'm currently teaching reading and writing to junior high students. Most of them are quite sufficient in English. Teaching is quite a challenge, but I'm enjoying it -- so far. In addition to a bunch of cheesy workbooks, my classes are currently working on The Westing Game and The Princess Bride. (Classical schmasical. Canon schmanon. That's right, I'm picking books that I like! )

Anyway, that's why I've been slow to blog. I was trying to make blogging a daily thing, but I seriously doubt that's going to happen. :)


We went to visit Cyndi's family (her Dad's side) in Busan...several weekends ago. They are still as nice and fun as ever. They patiently took us around a couple of famous Busan sights, including a Buddhist temple by the sea and a famous lighthouse. We also ate a lot while in Busan -- hanshik style. You know the drill. Check out the movie below for a sampling of photos.

An afternoon in Hongdae

In honor of Korea's liberation from Japan, Hyeyoung, Cyndi, and I spent last Wednesday in Hongdae (Hongik University), best known for its artsy students and Club Day. Filled with trendy boutiques, cafes, and hipster art people, Hongdae reminds me of SoHo, just not as expensive and less pretentious. I dig Hongdae.

Our afternoon in Hongdae started off with a search for the location of my favorite new drama Coffee Prince, starring adorable 몸짱 Gong Yoo. Fortunately, we, along with 50 other teen girls, found the cafe.






























Sadly, Gong Yoo was nowhere in sight. 공유 없어서 우리가 실망했어요.



















We, then, cruised around the neighborhood where I picked up a pair of mouse pirate hoop earrings. I tried to bargain, and got a slight discount after purchasing a second pair of earrings. I need to work on my bargaining skills.
















I also forced Cyndi & HY to eat an 아이수와풀 (ice waffle), a waffle ice cream sandwich. If you're on a diet and want something lighter, you can order an 아이수파이 (ice pie), which is a waffle slathered with strawberry or vanilla cream. I recommend the ice cream version.































Despite a lot of eye shopping, we spent most of our time looking for an air conditioned cafe -- as did every other person in Hongdae. We were so desperate to find a cool place to chill that we considered going to the Ice Bar, a trendy lounge bar set at a sub-zero temperature. If I were an uber popular celeb like Gong Yoo, I'd hang out at Ice Bar, because at $15 a person (and this is just the day price), it is an unlikely hangout for common fan girls like us. Fortunately, the Ice Bar led us to a nearby cafe called Dicca.

I can't remember the exact description, but Dicca is a cafe/ photo studio. It's a place where you finish a cup of iced coffee, then head into one of three studio rooms and take photos. Use of the rooms (each features a different backdrop) and accessories (wigs, glasses, hats, etc) are free. Costumes are available for a fee, but we slipped on some of the dresses when no one was looking. This cafe/ photo studio is such an interesting concept. It combines two favorite Korean pastimes: coffee drinking and self photos.

The efforts of our ultra glamorous photo shoot may be seen in the following video:

There's no place like Costco

After our Hongdae adventure, we ventured out in the rain to check out the Costco in Yangje. Since the Lawrence Expressway Costco patronage back at home is usually about 50% Korean, I felt quite at home. I never thought that the name "Kirkland Signatures" could make me feel so warm and cozy.

In addition to the addition of a number of common Korean products, I noted a few other differences:

1) It's twice as crowded. I've never experienced such mayhem at a Costco.
2) The Costco here is three stories. Costco traffic on escalators. Not so exciting.
3) The Rotisserie Chicken is about half the size, but twice the price of a chicken from the Costco at home.
4) Cakes here are way more artful. Way classier than the balloons and clown cakes back at home. No offense.
5) They hand out samples of wine! I don't recall ever seeing free wine or for that matter, any samples of alcohol given out in the States.
4) The food court menu includes clam chowder.
5) You must leave your shopping cart unattended, in a designated area if you wish to eat in the food court. People here are so trusting. Someone could have easily walked off with our blueberry bagels and sour Icebreakers, in which case, I would have been fuming.
6) You can purchase reusable plastic shopping bags for about $2.50. They are available in red or blue. The bags proved to be quite sturdy, particularly when you're trekking through the rain.

August 8: Cyndi's Birthday

Cyndi's co-workers kicked off the celebrations the night before her b-day with a sashimi dinner, followed by cake & beer at Happy Time















June & Taehee joined us on the 8th for some pasta & pizza. June picked out a cute chocolate cake. It was light and not too sweet -- that's how they like it in Korea.



























I also picked up a cake from the neighborhood Cold Stone Creamery. It was dense and very chocolatey. I wonder if they make the cakes locally or import them? I suppose it's silly to import ice cream. Thanks to a 25% sale, the price of the cake was comparable to the U.S. price.















Cyndi also received an international cake surprise from one of her many admirers. Unfortunately, I can't say any more as Cyndi will kill me. As Cyndi would say, "죽을래?"

Shopping for a wedding dress

Don't worry, mom. I'm not getting married.



Cyndi's co-worker, Hyeyoung & her fiancee, Joon invited us to join them as they shopped for their wedding hanboks and wedding jewelry this weekend. Shopping for hanboks was quite fun. We visited two very trendy dressmakers in Seoul, including Betul Hanbok, official hanbok maker for the 51st Annual Miss Korea Pageant.

Couples are supposed to schedule an appointment for weekend consultations, but fortunately, Betul Hanbok had an opening. I did not anticipate the variety of decisions that go into selecting a hanbok. In addition to the different color and fabric choices, there are various accessories, trim, and handiwork to customize your dress.

A quality, customized, hand-sewn hanbok will start at around $500-$600 for women, and $600 - $800 for men. That's right. The men's hanbok is more expensive. Maybe because of the pants?

In addition to a hanbok set, most Korean couples will also purchase a western style wedding dress/tuxedo combo. That's a lot of won for outfits that will likely stay in storage for the rest of a couple's lifetime.

I also learned that brides traditionally wear a red or pink skirt. Purple and white are not very popular because they are usually worn at funerals. I also learned that I have the tastes of an ajumma, as I gravitated towards colors that are not very popular amongst young brides. I was surprised that in this country of matching couple outfits, Korean bride & grooms typically do not color coordinate their hanboks. So, if the groom prefers a sherbert orange while the bride loves a neon green, not a problem.

Hyeyeoung & Joon are going to check out hanbok makers in Busan before they make their final decision. I'm sure that whatever they end up will look good as they are a cute and stylish couple. :)


We also accompanied H&J to Mucha, as they browsed for their couple rings. Mucha was the official tiara maker for the Miss Korea Pageant.

Apparently, in Korea, the engagement ring and wedding bands are all purchased at the same time. Whereas in the U.S., typically, the woman (sometimes the man) is presented with an engagement ring (usually featuring a diamond) during the proposal. Then, the couple selects wedding bands in time for the nuptials. Once married, the woman wears both her wedding band & engagement ring. In Korea, however, or at least in Hyeyoung case, both the diamond bling and wedding band will be purchased at the same time. She will wear her wedding band on most days and save her diamond bling for special occasions.

I'm sure that Joon will treasure his wedding band once he is married, but I've noticed that a lot of Korean men tend to leave their ring at home. I can understand this if you are a plumber, but I don't know how a ring can impede your work if you are sitting at a computer all day. Shady...

Good Eats: Aug 2 - 11

I've eaten a lot of spicy food since arriving to Korea. I'm still a spice wimp compared to the average Korean, but I'm doing my best to keep up. Sometimes the spice heat even gets to Cyndi. That's when I know I'm in trouble. I manage to get by with a lot of water.

Play the video to glimpse a sampling of what we've eaten thus far. It seems that I've only taken photos of the less spicy food. I guess that's my subconscious at work.

We've been eating out a lot, so we went grocery shopping in an effort to eat more at home and save a few won. Lotte Mart is only about 5 - 7 minutes away on foot. Not too bad. Stores here charge a 100 won (about 10 cents) per plastic bag, so Cyndi and I must remember to bring our little shopping cart, courtesy of her dad.

Welcome to Korea.

We arrived alive.

We arrived in Korea via Taipei, Taiwan on China Air. It was not the most luxurious of flights, but it wasn't too bad. The China Air flight crew were all very nice, and I was able to watch Meet the Robinsons for the second time. I was looking forward to some Chinese airplane food, so I was quite disappointed in the hash brown & eggs for breakfast and the watered down shoyu chicken for lunch. Or, perhaps I am mistaken, and hash browns are an essential part of Chinese cuisine.





Here we are waiting for our connecting flight to Incheon. Unfortunately with about 20 minutes to spare, we did not have time to try out the beef noodle soup as recommended by Soo & Piao. Maybe next time.

Once we arrived in Incheon, we met up with Cyndi's dad, caught a bus, then taxi, and arrived in Bundang, South Korea. I'll be sure to post more about our apartment, excuse me, officetel, another time.

For our first official meal in Seoul, we had sundae (soondae). I forget the name of the dish (sundae bokum?) but it's basically a mixture of blood sausage, perilla leaves (깻잎), rice noodles, pig stomach, and chili sauce. I know, mouth watering, isn't it? I haven't always been a fan of sundae, but I thought it was pretty tasty. Maybe because it tasted like perilla leaves?

I hope to post regularly, but it looks like we may not have internet for awhile. I'm currently using the computer at a PC Bang. The keyboard is quite greasy (for reasons I do not even want to think about), so I may not frequent the PC Bang too often. I must note though that the internet speed is lightning quick AND people can use their cell phones in the subway and in moving elevators. Technology is so advanced in the Motherland.

A New Beginning