Moms Say the Darnedest Things

I took my sister and moms to our local Ddeok Ssam owned by that ajusshi actor. I think my mom got a little star struck when he came to our table to put some garlic on the grill. The ajusshi kind of flirted with my mom, pointing out that they both had similar salt-n-pepper hairstyles. I asked her if she wanted me to snap a picture of them, but she got all bashful. I totally should have.

My mom was also dazzled by the array of samgyupsal accouterments.














Later that evening, we even got a kyeran-jjim (steamed egg) as "service." I've been there a number of times, and have never gotten any dishes as service. Work it, mom!















After dinner, we headed over to Dongdaemun Stadium. My mom's immediate reaction was, "정신 없어." Jeongshin eopseo. Basically, it was insanely chaotic.

I swear, my mom says the darnedest things. Some of the highlights include:

"I think 99% of the guys here are...you know what."
Translation: I think 99% of the guys here dress like a gay man.
- Said while cruising the men's section in one of those Dongdaemun malls -

"..."
- My mother openly gawking at a girl clad in a short mini dress, stilletto heels, and a plastic nose. -

"This is why no one will give Koreans drivers license."
- Said in the taxi on the way to Bundang -


"I feel like we're flying."
_ Also said in the taxi on the way back to Bundang -

BBQ Samgyupsal. It's as good as it sounds.

If Koreans and Texans combined their superior grilling powers, they'd probably get something akin to the BBQ samgyupsal at 옛골토성 in Yul-dong (about a 10 minute drive from Seoheyon).
BBQ samgyupsal is basically thick slabs of smoked pork flesh. It was mighty tasty, especially when you wrap it in some white kimchi (baek kimchi). Cyndi likens the flavor of the BBQ samgyupsal to bo-ssam. Heng and I concur.

(Correction: It doesn't really tastes like bo-ssam. It just looks like it.)

The samgyupsal has already been grilled, but you'll want warm it up on the metal grill to release all the yummy heart attack juice from within the fatty flesh.












We also had a platter of ribs, which basically tastes like ribs back home, only without all that excessive BBQ sauce.












Despite how yeolshimhae Cyndi looks, she's not a fan of BBQ samgyupsal. She prefers Classic Samgyupsal.












I, on the other had, am a big fan.












By the way, do you like the sharpness of these photos? I used Heng's new Sony A300 DSLR camera. I'm so jealous. I want a DSLR...

More on Daily King's Brown Sugar

You're probably tired of hearing about brunch after just reading my massive Battle of the Brunch post, but it's my blog and I'll talk about brunch if I want to :)

In my comparison of the three brunch restaurants in Jeongja, I hastily judged Daily King's Brown Sugar based on it's dessert menu. In order to keep the comparison fair, this weekend, Joon, Heng, and I went to check out Brown Sugar's brunch fare.

I have to say, not bad.

Daily King's Brown Sugar
Michelan Arcade (Samsung Apartments)
Jeongja-dong, Bundang
----------------------------

First of all, Brown Sugar is larger than I thought. It has a chic second floor decorated with a black and white interior and Roy Lichenstein inspired artwork.














I had assumed that the Brown Sugar menu would be fairly similar to that of Daily King's Diner, but it's actually quite different. For one thing, the dishes are a little more pricey. My Eggs Benedict was a little over 15,000 won! The Brown menu also features a different (perhaps more upscale?) array of brunch platters, omelets (including a white omelet), salads, and sandwiches.

Joon ordered Jay's Platter. The French Toast was fluffy and powder-sugar free! I was also surprised to see a ham steak. There's no Richam at Brown Sugar.














Heng ordered an omelet filled with bacon, cheese, and sausages. Although the sausages tasted like strongly seasoned hot dogs, the omelet was tasty.














I ordered the outrageously priced Eggs Benedict. The eggs were slightly overcooked and the muffin too bread-like, but I was glad to see that the dish wasn't swimming in hollandaise. The side of salad was a strange pairing, but I enjoyed the meal nonetheless.














Based on what I've sampled, I'd say that Brown Sugar is worth a visit if you don't mind the higher pricing. I still, however, deem Butterfinger Pancakes as my favorite brunch diner thus far.

Brown Sugar also has the most complicated place mat that I've ever seen. Maybe you can make sense of it?

Battle of the Brunch: Jeonja-dong

Crank up some AC/DC because it's time for Battle of the Brunch.

Koreans typically eat rice and soup for breakfast or more recently, cereal or toast. American brunch, however, seems to be an emerging trend and increasing in popularity. (By "American Brunch" I mean, super-sized portions and lots of butter and fried meats.)

There are three brunch places in Jeonja, one of the more uppity neighborhoods in Bundang. Thus, these three diners are the unwitting participants in Annalog's Inaugural Battle of the Brunch.

The three contestants are: Daily King's Diner, Butterfinger Pancakes, and Daily King's Brown Sugar.

Let's begin!

CONTESTANT #1: Daily King's Diner ("The Original American Dining & Brunch")
www.dailykingsdiner.com/swf/index.swf

------
Hours of Operation:
Weekdays 11:00 AM - 10:30 PM
Weekends 9:00 AM - 10:30 PM

Directions: Get off at Jeongja station (Bundang Line) and take Exit 4. Walk towards the right side of KINS Tower towards the Paragon apartments. The Diner building is between Paragon and I-Park. Good luck finding it. The following picture of the building may help you find the diner (Look for that yellow billiards sign).















The Food:
Daily King's features a large menu that includes brunch items, pasta, and hamburgers. We tried the omelet, short stack, and bacon cheese fries.

The Lowdown: I was not impressed by Daily King's. It's been awhile since my visit to this "Original" American Diner, but I do remember the pancakes being dry and lacking in flavor. The omelet was a little soppy and skimpy on the cheese. The cheese fries were smothered in nacho cheese sauce. Blech. I was not impressed by Daily King's, but they do have a large menu so I think it deserves a second chance. I also heard that they serve a brunch buffet.

The "Where's the Cheese?" Omelet














The Un-stacked Short Stack














The (Nacho) Cheese Fries














CONTESTANT #2: Butterfinger Pancakes
------
HOURS OF OPERATION:
7 AM - 3 AM

DIRECTIONS:
Walk towards the Sunae end of Cafe Street (카페거리). Butterfinger is located at the bottom of the Interpark Apartment building; across from the GS 칼턱스 gas station; a stone's throw from Kraze Burger.

THE FOOD:
Compared to Daily King's, Butterfinger has a more compact menu that primarily consists of breakfast platters, omelets, and dessert pancakes, waffles, and crepes (They also have salad, but you don't go to a brunch place to have salad). I should also note that they have mac + cheese and meatloaf during the week days. Mmmm...

The portions at Butterfinger are huge, even according to American standards. I usually order the "Butterfinger Favorites" set which includes a short stack, hash browns, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs. I am able to finish the entire plate when I'm at my hungriest, but it's also possible for two lightweight eaters to split a plate (and split a bowl of mac+ cheese!). The pancakes at Butterfinger are buttery, some may say too buttery, but I'm a fan. The omelet is savory and very cheesy; another winner. I also recommend the waffle sandwich (ham, cheese, sour cream, and chives). The only major flaw of the Butterfinger brunch is the sausages. They taste rubbery.

Butterfinger also features a tantalizing selection of dessert waffles, pancakes, sundaes, and shakes. I'm not big on the dessert waffle/pancake trend that seems to have overtaken Seoul. I especially dislike the liberal sprinkling of powdered sugar. A number of late diners, however, seem to dig the dessert waffles, especially the ones buried under chocolate syrup and ice cream. I can't speak to the quality of the dessert waffles, but I can recommend the silver dollar pancakes. They're just so darn cute.

Basic Waffle














Blueberry Pancakes with Strawberry Compote














The Butterfinger Omelet














Blueberry Silver Dollar Pancakes














CONTESTANT #3: Daily King's Brown Sugar
www.dailykingsbrownsugar.com (This is the website listed on the business card, but it does not appear to be working.)
------
HOURS OF OPERATION:
I was unable to find this information, but you can call them at 031.711.5341

DIRECTIONS:
Get off at Jeongja station (Bundang Line) and take Exit 4. Turn left (past KINS Tower) towards the Samsung Adena Apartments (towards Migeum). It's about a 7-10 minute walk. It's very close to the Samsung Michelan Apartments. It's located right on a street corner.

THE FOOD:
They carry a smaller menu than its sibling, Daily King's Diner. Brown Sugar's menu basically consists of brunch platters, waffles, pancakes, and desserts. We tried the French Toast, pancakes, warm brownie, and about a kilo of powdered sugar.

THE LOWDOWN:
We stopped at Brown Sugar after our monthly attempt at exercising. Unfortunately, we got there past 9 pm, so we were too late to try the brunch menu. I was really looking forward to trying their Eggs Benedict. The option of that dish alone warrants a second trip.

Brown Sugar is smaller than Daily King's Diner and is set up to have a more café feel, including the requisite jazz music. Brown Sugar closes later than the Diner, but I can't recall the exact hours of operation. Unfortunately, the website printed on their business card is not working. Lame.

Based on June Unnie recommendation, we ordered the French Toast. Aside from that blasted sugar cocaine, the toast was nice and fluffy. The pancakes were nothing to write on my blog about, but they were surprisingly tastier than the pancakes at Daily King's Diner.

You can't tell from the picture below, but the brownie slice was pretty huge. The brownie was almost like a chocolate lava cake, but without the fudgey center.

Overall, the dishes were good enough that I am now curious to try out the brunch menu.

Fluffy French Toast














The Ouch! the Plate is Hot Brownie














The Enough with the Sugar Pancakes














AND THE WINNER OF THE BATTLE OF THE BRUNCH IS...

Butterfinger Pancakes!

The preferred brunch establishment for Joon, Heng, Cyndi, and Annalog.





























Butterfinger Pancakes is the clear winner for multiple reasons (in no particular oder):

• It's cool modern diner feel; good use of the color orange
  
• The wait staff all have quaint English names; some of the wait staff are even fluent in English.
• The diner has both have indoor and outdoor seating.
• The have some cozy orange arm chairs.
  
• The pancakes are yummy.
• Macaroni and Cheese.
• Just the use of cheese in general.
  
• They have the wordiest motto I've ever seen.
• It's relatively easy to find Butterfinger (in comparison to Daily King's Diner & Brown Sugar).
• Opens early; closes late.
• The brunch menu is always available.
  

The only drawback is that Butterfinger Pancakes can get pretty crowded during peak dining hours. It's not very large, so you may have to wait awhile.

If those of you in Seoul wish to try out Butterfinger Pancakes, I hear that there's a diner in Apkujung. Good luck finding it.

I should also note that the pricing for all three brunch places are moderate to moderately high (though no more pricey than Palo Alto Denney's). If you want to eat semi-decent pancakes in Korea, I'm afraid that you have to be willing to pay a little extra.

I've seen a couple of interesting brunch places in Itaewon, so if I decide to do another a brunch battle, I'd likely seek inspiration there. I especially want to try out a place called something like "Gorgeous Machos' American Diner."

Guest Post: Piliksu's Scaling Adventure

As I mentioned in a previous post about scaling (facials) for men, we dragged, I mean, invited our visiting friend Piliksu to ANACLI. Since Piliksu is a dude and has not been living in an appearance-obsessed city for the past nine months, I thought it'd be interesting to get his take on the experience.

He has a lot to say.

I think we may have scarred him for life (Figuratively speaking, of course). ㅋㅋㅋ

PILIKSU'S PERSPECTIVE
--------------------------------------

I’d like to say upfront that I’m not really into cosmetic treatments. In fact, I’ve only had a facial one other time and that was also in Korea. Nevertheless, I am intrigued with the whole body/facial enhancement process and why it’s such a phenomenon in Asia; this includes full on plastic surgery. What has surprised me is the number of men who have succumbed to this trend and are willing to shell out their hard earned money with the hope of looking as beautiful as their significant others or some famous actress, although I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have skin as smooth as 林志玲 or 이효리. To be honest, I’ve met quite a few gentlemen in Asia who say they regularly go in for facials, pedicures, and manicures. It’s a little odd to hear them talk about their appointments as if they were meeting up with friends after work to grab a beer. We tough strapping American men normally do not discuss such behavior, much less engage in it. So how was I lured into trying this out for a second time? Well, I was in Korea during a short two day layover and decided to skip out on going to the DMZ and save it for another time. The result was a free day and the two lovely ladies I was with asked me to join them for their regular treatments. I thought, “This is something I never do in the US and it’s unique. Hell, why not? I’m in.”

The dermatology office wasn’t too far from where I was staying. The first thing I noticed entering were several computer consoles in the lobby. JACKPOT! Free internet service, apparently a common perk in Korea. We first met up with the doctor to discuss our “scaling” treatment. As Anna mentioned in her post, scaling is the use of glycolic acid on your face. My understanding is that this acid removes an entire layer of skin. How this can be good for you still baffles me. I have bad skin in general--I blame it on genetics--so removing another layer of it was a little disconcerting. The doctor also concurred that my skin was not exactly up to par. In fact, I believe she was a little offended at its unsightly state, perhaps taking what appeared to be my disregard for skin care as an affront to her profession.

We were lead into a room with multiple beds and were asked to wait…and wait...and wait… and wait… I’m normally a patient person but I think we must’ve been there for over half-an-hour before anyone came in. This made me a little antsy since my time in Korea was very limited and I didn’t want to spend it lying in a dermatology office staring at the ceiling. Eventually several ladies filed in to start the process. I actually don’t remember all the steps in order, but I do recall there was constant application of different types of creams. Some of them smelled kind of funky. This was executed by the clinic’s staff and they tried their best to announce to me, the token non-Korean, each step they were about to perform. Unfortunately, I didn’t really understand what they were saying and couldn’t tell if they were speaking Korean or just heavily accented Konglish. There was also a lot of massaging of the face going on, which felt great, but I found the pressure used to be on the soft side. It was like bad foreplay (note to facial people: stronger pressure is needed to relax those muscles). After much primping by the staff, the doctor came in and began applying the glycolic acid to each of our faces with some sort of cotton or sponge pad. The initial feeling was a wonderful cool minty sensation. This eventually turned into an unpleasant stinging as if someone was tearing at your face with long nails. I’m guessing that was the part where the acid melted away the top layer of my skin. This was the doctor’s only involvement in the whole process which I found a little disappointing. When she finished, the staff shuffled back to continue additional application of random creams and their light facial massages. At one point they began to use some instrument, it could’ve been their fingernails, to squeeze out the oils and blackheads strewn across my face. I found this rather enjoyable since my face felt surprisingly cleaner afterwards.

Next was the mask. For those of you who suffer from taphephobia, I would caution you to be mentally prepared. Not only was my head wrapped like a mummy and covered in some type of green concoction as if being prepared for burial, but I had to lie still for 20 minutes while the mask settled and did its voodoo magic. Anna of course jumped on this opportunity to photograph me in my compromised position (Thanks, Anna... I hope you know payback’s a bitch). With the mask portion complete, I was ready to head out since I thought the treatment was finished. To my surprise, as they were removing the green monstrosity, a laser machine made its way into the room and tanning goggles were placed over my eyes. I was promptly subjugated to several minutes of trance alien lighting. For a moment, I half expected orifice probes to appear courtesy of the staff. Korean friends informed me later that the lasers happen to be the distinguishing piece of the scaling process and the most expensive part. Apparently, it’s the lasers that are the finishing touch in removing the blemishes and wrinkles from your face.

Overall, I found the whole hour long process to be a decent one. My face initially didn’t feel that much different after the scaling treatment. But I did notice the effects a day later. My skin was definitely smoother, but my scars, large pores, etc. were still visible. I heard that to see any real results you have to do a minimum of at least five sessions. So would I do it again? Yeah, probably, just cause the novelty of it hasn’t worn off yet. Would I do it regularly? No, I’m a little leery of regularly applying strange chemicals to any part of my body unless it’s shampoo or soap. Also, I would suggest to other guys to go ahead and try it several times for fun. But unless you’re someone like Takeshi Kaneshiro where looking money is required for your job and the ladies, I’d say go buy a nice car or fancy clothes instead with the $$$ you’d save from routine facials. I would give scaling “three-and-a-half chemical acid masks out of five.” Time to let those dead skin cells gather up and settle in for my next visit to Korea.

Annalog Eats: Live Octopus!

JIm's Chingu was really interested in trying 산낙지 (san nakji), raw, squirming octopus! We took him to a restaurant in Bundang. I've eaten live octopus once before in Busan, so I knew what I was in for. Chingu, however, was a newbie, so he was curious with a tinge of apprehension. After his first bite, he was soon craving more. He nearly finished the entire plate of octopus all by himself.

If you are into seafood, particularly octopus, I recommend the dish. The octopus is chopped up, but you must be sure to chew quickly and thoroughly for the tentacles may stick to the inside of your mouth or your throat.

I tried the octopus head for the first and LAST time. It was just way too chewy. I was chewing for about 30 seconds when I finally decided to spit it out.

We also tried nakji bokkum, stir fried octopus. Aside from the octopus overload, I also stayed away from the nakji bokkum because it was VERY spicy. Even Cyndi thought the dish was spicy, and she drinks Tabasco for breakfast.

Check out the video to see Chingu's funny reaction to his first bite of san nakji.

"King Waffle"

JIm and her chingu are in town. Too bad it's raining.
We had a "King Waffle" last night at Loveice in Seohyeon. It wasn't a very good introduction to Korean fro-yo. We'll have to take them to Red Mango.
















By the way, we took JIm to the saju in Shinchon. She also felt that what her saju was "right on the dot." Though, as we discussed, part of the saju's skill is that she can read people very well. In any case, getting your saju told is quite fun.

Good Eats: Ddeok Sam

I know that I sort of swore off celebrity-owned restaurants, but this one's in my neighborhood. Plus, I didn't even know that he was a celebrity until Cyndi told me.















I still don't know this actor's name, but he's apparently appeared in a lot of sageuk, historical dramas. I don't know how he is as an actor, but he's definitely a great restaurateur. He's very attentive. He even goes around to all of the tables to replenish your garlic or lettuce supply.

There are many samgyupsal restaurants in Bundang, but I particularly enjoy Ddeok Ssam because service is great, portions are fairly generous, and you can wrap the samgyupsal in thinly sliced ddeok, Korean rice cakes.

Kang Ho Dong needs to take note.

You know the deal. Take a look at the video for more detail.

TAEIN oppa: Don't you think the actor kind of looks like your dad?

Ddeok Ssam from Annalog on Vimeo

Speaking of celebrities, I spotted an adorable actress at the Coex Mall today.
엄마: It was the little girl from your favorite movie:


















We wanted to take a photo with her because she's so cute, but we felt a little awkward. She was in the toy store just trying to be a regular kid. Instead, we just openly gawked at her. That's less awkward, right?

Good Eats: Roti Bun Challenge

While folks back home are just starting to ooh and aah over the Red Mango fro-yo trend, Koreans have already moved on to the next hot food item: roti buns.

Based on my source (i.e., google), the roti bun trend originated from Malaysia. The roti bun is a soft, butter-filled bread, topped with a sugary coffee-flavored crust. I also read that this bun is based on a Mexican recipe. So basically, roti bun is a Malaysian concoction based on a Mexican recipe, now sold in Korea. You got that?

A few months ago, two roti bun shops opened up in my neighborhood: Roti Boy and Papa Roti. They opened for business on the SAME DAY, and virtually just around the corner from each other. I'm no business major, but I suspect that such close competition does not make for good business.

Cyndi and I decided to do a little product comparison and give our expert opinions on which roti bun shop will prevail; a roti bun rumble, if you will.

Frankly, I don't think either shop will be around in a year's time because that's the way Korean businesses seem to roll.

I should note that I'm a little partial to Roti Boy, because they gave me a stamp card. (Arg, they trapped me with their stamp card!).

Good Eats: French Food in Jeongja (video)

Free at last. Free at last...sort of. The Winter Intensives session is not completely over, but I now have time to dwell on more important matters like posting photos of food, making music videos, and speculating over Heath Ledger's death (R.I.P).

In celebration of my newly regained freedom, Cyndi, Patrick, and I went to check out the fancy schmancy restaurants in Jeongja-dong. Jeongja is a particularly affluent neighborhood in Bundang, and is the place to go for over-priced, yet satisfactory foreign food. This area of Jeongja, which I will hereby refer to as "Restaurant Row," strangely reminds me of Disneyland. It's like stepping into another country.

We decided to check out a French restaurant called "Aix en provence." I was a little apprehensive going in, because Aix en provence vaguely reminded me of Minto. Fortunately, it was levels above Minto (though, that's not saying much). I'm not familiar with French cuisine, but the menu didn't seem very French. I didn't even see any French Onion Soup or ratatouille.

The salad was sloppy and the steak was covered in an overly sweet sauce, but the food overall was tasty, if not authentically French. (I should note that the steak was decent, but not as good as Patrick made it out to be. Patrick is a good actor).

I captured our dinner on video, and am posting the footage for your viewing pleasure.

I think that I'll try to make these Good Eats Videos a regular Annalog feature, but that all depends on my schedule and level of laziness.

눈이왔다!

It's snowing!
Call me an ignorant, warm-climate baby, but is it supposed to snow before December? Shouldn't snow come after turkey and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Does this mean that hell has frozen over or is this one of the consequences of all that global warming that those celebrities keep taking about? I better start driving an electric car and start wearing more green, stat!

The excitement of the first snow made me temporarily forget that I am freezing my booty off in sub-zero (Celsius) temperatures. I'll have to save my cold weather gripes for another day...

The snow is not very thick. It's more like a flurry of slush; similar to Ice Palace, except much, much colder.

Are rain boots appropriate for snowy weather?














Snow makes Cyndi want to dance. Quick! Someone play some "Tell Me."














Who do these little prints belong to?

It's Gummy, the jittery malteseish fashionista.

We are dog sitting for Cyndi's co-worker for the next two weeks. Gummy's dad found her a few weeks ago. It looks like Gummy was abandoned at the park. I know! It's heart breaking to think about the number of dogs abandoned once they've out grown their owner's purses. Dang, that Paris Hilton and her tiny little dogs! She's turned dogs into a trendy accessory.

Gummy is a little paranoid (abandonment issues and all), but she is well-tempered. Everyone say hi or 안녕 to Gummy. She's bi-lingual, and hopes to eventually pick up some Spanish.

Just to warn you, this blog will probably feature a lot more Gummy and a lot less semi-interesting activity. It's too cold to leave the apartment. Plus, I will be swamped with work for the rest of the year! (Sounds so much more dramatic when I put it that way).

Who orders steak at a cafe?

Cyndi and I tried to eat at the new pho restaurant in our neighborhood, but it was closed by the time we got there. As we were leaving the building, we spotted a cafe/restaurant in the basement. We were intrigued by the cute hand drawn signs and the rustic decor of the entranceway.
















The interior was quite homey, with cozy couches and shelves overflowing with books.














Note to self, never let decor let determine your source for dinner.

The Minto house tea tasted like barley at first sip, but left my mouth with an icky aftertaste. I think that this was due to the "minto" part of tea. Whatever it is, I did not like it. Isn't it pretty hard to mess up tea?














Against my better judgment, I ordered the steak. (Who orders steak at a cafe?)
I was filled with a sense of foreboding as I waited for my steak. Or, maybe that feeling of "foreboding" was actually just queasiness caused by all that "minto."














We were surprised when this drink was presented as the "appetizer." Maybe I need to watch more Top Chef, but as far as I know, appetizers do not typically come in a drinking glass. If they do, there's usually some shrimp involved. Sadly, that's not even wine that Cyndi's drinking. It's grape juice.














Before I could even ask, "Where's the beef?" they brought out the entree. The quickness of the service was a little disconcerting. I've waited longer for a hamburger at Arby's. I don't even know if the steak was real beef. I'm pretty sure that the chicken had seen the inside of the microwave at some point in its preparation.














Needless to say, the entree was probably one of the worst dishes I've had in Korea.














The only plus side to the dinner was that I came across an awesome book called American Slang, which according to Dr. Robert Burchfield, editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, the book is "American slang an its rip-roaring, zany, zappy best."















After a quick look through the book, I decided to "borrow" the book for the greater good of the Korean patrons of Minto Communitast. Before you judge my "borrowing" of the book, please take a look at a few examples from "American Slang":

cracker n late 1700s A Southern rustic or poor white
nigger 1 n fr early 1800s A black person 2 modifier: a nice nigger lady
nigger rich adj phr Having much money, esp. suddenly; I'm either nigger rich or stone poor.

The definitions are rather misleading. Can you just imagine a beginning English learner asking an American, "Oh, you're from the South. Were your ancestors crackers?"

I'm not going to even think about the damage an ESL student can unintentionally wreak with the n-word. Plus, the book refers to The City as "Frisco." This is why I've decided to hold on to this book for the remainder of my stay in Korea.

Plus, it will make a good bathroom read.

We're going to Busan this weekend for Heng's wedding, so I won't be posting for a few days. In the mean time, can you figure out the definition of the following terms? I will reveal the definitions when I return.

• sweet man (or papa)
• sweat hog
• Feeb or Feebie
• jiggery-pokery
• double bagger

BONUS: Can you guess in what year this book was published?

Welcome to my hood.

We decided to 엽기 it up in Bundang. After a yummy, homemade meal of spaghetti at June 언니's house, Cyndi and I met up with HY언니 at Samsung Plaza. We began the night at Su noraebang, a franchise of "luxury" karaoke rooms. At 18,000 - 25,000 won/hr, Su is a little pricier than your average karaoke room, but still cheaper than the karaoke places back home. Based on the very feminine decor, Su appears to have been designed with female customers in mind. I didn't get a chance to check out all of the rooms, but each room is supposed to be themed, including a bathroom style room (?) and large windowed rooms that face out onto the street so that any passerby can watch you sing. Su has several locations throughout Seoul (including Hongdae).

This sign reads, "Harmony of fantastic for customer"
This statement is too philosophical for me to comprehend.














You can feel the "luxury" as soon as you walk into the place. Instead of dim lighting and unattractively upholstered furniture with suspect levels of cleanliness, you are greeted by elegant decor, chandeliers, and an inviting ambiance.















Floral walkways lead you to further luxury.





































Don't forget to pick out some free ice cream before you settle in your room.














I'm not sure what the theme of our room was, but I'm thinking it was something like a "six year old girl's bedroom." The seating area is recessed so that...














... there is room for a stage! The room also comes with tambourines, maracas, and a plastic mallet -- everything you could possibly need to unleash your inner 가수.














There are also ottomans to better perform those emotional, heart-wrenching ballads.














Even the bathrooms are luxurious. Here's Cyndi refreshing her vocal chords with some complementary gargle.














This sign reads, "We prepare sanitary napkin for woman. Ask us, whenever you need."
Woman grateful. Thank you. I will.




























Su was very nice, but we didn't get any "service"; free additional singing time. Most places give you at least 30 additional minutes if there isn't a high demand for rooms.

After, Su, we walked through Samsung Plaza, where I bumped into some chic Bundang ajummas, contemplating the latest trends in fur. We all became quick friends.














Then, HY took us to a tiny 오뎅 (oden/ fishcake) bar on the other side of Samsung Plaza. On our way to the bar, we found this man passed out in front of the mini mart. Mature folks like Korean pop singer, Lee Hyori would probably show some concern for this man's safety, however, 엽기 girls like me simply see this as another photo opportunity. The photo is a little blurry, because we all couldn't stop giggling.


































Anyway, back to the tiny oden bar. When I say "tiny", I mean tiny. This place could hold ten people at most.















There were also sorts of oden: chili pepper oden, cheese oden, curry oden, spicy oden -- the list goes on.














Of course, I had to try the cheese oden. I couldn't really taste the cheese, but I thought it was tasty nonetheless. The oden broth was also quite flavorful.














You can't hang at an oden bar without a little soju. Packs of soju often come with this free metal bottle cooler, but you should note that this cooler is specially defined to fit the unique shape of Chamisul, and no other brand.














Our oden snack came courtesy of our new friends, Busan 갈매기 (seagull) ajusshis. These gentleman all hail from Busan. The man on the far left is HY's colleague. The man in the middle works for NongShim and offered to hook us up with some free ramyun after he mentioned how much we love NongShim products. The man on the right works for Samsung, but did not offer to hook us with any Samsung products :) He did, however, pay for our oden.














We concluded the evening with some fried glinko beans. I learned that glinko is an acquired taste. It's fried and seasoned with salt, and yet, I'm not a fan. Go figure.














After the oden bar, we swung back around the mini mart to take photos, I mean, check on our drunken friend. Fortunately, he seemed to have roused from his state of semi-consciousness, but perhaps he would have been better off sleeping.














We made many new friends that evening, but I suspect that most of them didn't remember us the next morning. These incidents are what lead HY to refer to Cyndi and I as " 엽기 (yupgi) American girls." I was lead to believe that this word meant silly and offbeat, but I just looked up the term in the dictionary and it seems to mean something like "bizarrely curious." I prefer my definition of "silly and offbeat", but I'm not going to lie, I am definitely bizarre and curious.