November 2008
15 posts
Happy Birthday
Happy birthday to my Maia Kate. I wish I could be there. If I have any regrets about this whole retarded adventure of mine, it is that I will miss a year of her and Gabriel’s lives and that I won’t be there next year when Tamara has her baby. What little I have in the way of paternal instinct is fully satisfied through my own siblings children and I miss them all, born or...
Face Melting Time
On Monday during my night class someone said something about guitars. I asked the student if he knew where I could get one for cheap. Foolish as it might have been, I thought maybe I could go a year without one. Over the last couple of weeks I’d been fixating on it quite a bit and had resolved to buy one as soon as possible. When I asked him, an older woman named Choi (pronounced Che)...
It Finally Happened
I got some serious food poisoning last night. Without going into graphic detail, I’ll just say I was up being sick for hours. I was watching a documentary on my computer (Legacy; The Renzo Gracie Story) and started feeling a bit nauseous. 10 minutes later, I was on my knees in that sorry excuse for a bathroom you have all seen pictures of, puking my guts out. Couldn’t keep anything...
Update
Just got home. Went to see my buddy Mr. Park after work. Haven’t seen him in a few weeks and he seemed genuinely happy I was there. Fed me some fish wrap type things. We challenged each other to a pepper eating contest. There was no clear cut winner. The peppers here seem to top out at slightly hotter than a jalapeno, so at a certain point it’s a wash. We can eat a ton of them,...
Eff Me
7:30pm and it’s 36 degrees out. The walk to school for night classes is going to be a long one. My delicate Southern California skin isn’t tempered for this kind of shit.
Heart Attack City
I just ate an entire fried chicken. And it was glorious.
What a Bunch of Trash
In many Asian cultures, Korea included, respect for ones elders is a sacred thing. In my pathetically brief teachers training, we were told that is perfectly acceptable to ask the question “how old are you?” at the beginning of a conversation with someone you’ve just met. This way, the hierarchy of respect can be established and the protocol that follows upheld. At meal times,...
Hiking, Round 2
Historians have a saying that “geography is destiny”. If that’s the case, the citizens of Seoul are destined to hike. As I have mentioned before, hiking here is serious business. This is not hiking as I know it. Leisurely strolls up circuitous paths are unheard of. Trails here tend to go straight up. The attitude seeming to be more “I’m going to make this...
Adventures In Street Food #6.5
More sundae. Another booth near BCM sells plain sundae as well this. Not surprisingly, it’s covered in a sweet and spicy red sauce. However, where most have a bright flavor, this one is dark and rich. Almost like a a tomato based sauce that has been cooked way down. The sundae is more delicate and tender having been simmered in the sauce. There are lots of green onions, bits of cabbage...
Rest In Peace, Danny
I don’t know if this is the right place for me to be doing this. It is going to seem oddly out of place on a blog otherwise filled with snarky comments, pictures of food and not-so-insightful thoughts about my life here in Korea. But in the interest of keeping both the blog and myself as honest as possible, I’ll go ahead and do it.
Yesterday I came home to a couple e-mails saying...
Something Curious
Eating lunch in the schools cafeteria today, a couple of us realized they peel all of their fruit here. Everything. Apples, pears, even grape skins are spit out. Yet they don’t peel shrimp. Go figure.
Seoul Sucking Photo Dump
Some random pictures.
Bowl of hot tofu and soy sauce.
Toss it, you wanka!
Random street in Yongdap on a rainy day.
An older gentleman named Brian. I covered a class he was in for about 2 weeks. He took me out to dinner after the final class. I got an e-mail from him the other day. It read simply, “Ty, I want to go drinking with you.” Short, sweet and to the point. I...
National Health Care
After waiting almost three weeks for a cough to clear up, I finally took the day off work to go see a doctor. I have medical insurance here through their national plan. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would the office be run down? You there be huge lines and waits that seemed like an eternity? Would the doctor seem like he had any idea what he was doing? I’m happy yo report...
October 2008
17 posts
Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween, everyone. It won’t be the same without you. Can you believe they don’t celebrate Halloween here? For a country with so many Christians, you’d think they might remember a little thing like Jesus’ birthday. I did manage to get invited to a Halloween party tomorrow at the place where English speakers can have free beer. Actually it’s just through the...