Korea Life Blog - Fast Food Craving

Every once in a while (probably more for others) I get into a food funk. One of those days when the mere thought of eating more kimchi and rice makes my stomach depressed, suicidal even. When I walk up and down the main road here no less than 5 times trying to decide what to eat, peering helplessly into windows, shooing off ajumas anxious for business. Nothing sounded good. I contemplated mandu, but I had already eaten it at least 12 times this week. I could cook at home, I thought hopefully. Then I remember all I had was ramyon, eggs, and alas, frozen mandu. Then it hit me - that insane desire to eat fast food. Almost at once my stomach cheered up, growling excitedly as my mouth drooled like Pavlov's dog.


Thirty minutes on a bus and I'm here at last: Suwon Station. My stomach knows there's a Burger King in there. It growls wildly.


Alas, the familiar site of the Whopper Value Meal. Within 5 minutes I will devour 1600 hundred calories, but my stomach will love me again.


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written by shawn matthews   -|link

Korea Life Blog - Coffin Car

While SUVs are becoming increasingly prevalent in Korea, accounting for over 25% of all vehicle sales, small compact cars still remain popular, especially amongst young people. They're cheap and good on gas, which is important considering the cost of gasoline is triple that of the US. The downside is they get a little too compact, if you ask me, which is especially unnerving considering the increase in larger vehicles on the road.


Here is the ever popular Hyundai Atoz vehicle. When I lived in Ulsan, I knew at least four people who owned this model, including one of my girlfriends at the time. She was an awful driver, no surprise, and we agreed I should be the driver. I drove it around the city and even a few times to Pusan, about 30 miles down the highways. While it was a nice change from public busses, I feared for my life at every moment in this thing. It's like driving your own coffin around. If you were to crash, chances of surving without serious injury would be pretty remote. Why can't I find a girlfriend who has a Hyundai Equus? (If you're a Korean girl who owns an Equus and would like to meet me, or if you're a Korean girl who doesn't own an Equus but have some other good qualities such as your dad owns an Equus, or if you're just plain beautiful, or if you're not that beautiful anyway please feel free to e-mail me as soon as possible...)


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written by shawn matthews   -|link

Korea Life Blog - Chicken and Hoff

I thought Americans like fried chicken, but Koreans really love it. There's a KFC and Popeye's everywhere you go here. One of my favorite things to do is hang out in the chicken and hoff restaurants drinking draft beer, and eating delicious fried chicken. I love these places and they're virtually everywhere. There are franchises such as BBQ Chicken and Pelican Chicken, Donkey Fried Chicken, Mickey (Mouse) Fried Chicken, Bunny Fried Chicken, etc -(where they come up with these name's I don't know)...Even here in this tiny town outside of Suwon, there are three privately owned ones. I have no idea why this style of restuarant isn't more popular in America. What better idea than drinking beer and eating wonderfully greasy fried chicken with your date?


After a few glasses of ice cold brew and some interesting conversation, the chicken is served at last, piping hot, fresh from the frier. Dip the pieces in the delicious sauces and enjoy!


Ooops, all gone. Already I feel guilty. Good thing I joined a gym this week. I'm going to have to run all day to work that meal off. At least I quit smoking over a year ago. My friend should do the same...(and so should this guy next to me at the PC bang who has smoked at least 7 cigarettes this hour as he plays Starcraft at full volume, oblivious to the fact that the smoke is blowing directly into my face tempting me to poor the overflowing ashtray on his head...)


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written by shawn matthews   -|link

Korea Life Blog - Money!

My post about money magically disappeared due to a Blogger error, so I'm forced to redo it in a shortened form below:

Korean cash currency comes in denominations of 1,000 Won, 5,000 Won, and 10,000 Won only. These notes concur with US 1 dollar, 5 dollar, and ten dollar bills. Also, the money here is about 20% bigger than American money.

An average teacher's salary here is about 2,000,000 Won. Imagine how much money that is. (In case you're a monkey that would be 200 10,000 won notes.) The first time I got paid, I thought there must be some mistake. I thought I was rich. It took 10 long minutes to count it. I hugged my boss. I hired a wheelbarrow to get the money to the bank, where I exchanged it and realized I was still a poor bum.


It looks like a mountain of money, but it's only 900,000 Won, or about $750. Without rent or a car payment, this kind of money lasts a while, though.


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written by shawn matthews   -|link

Korea Life Blog - Samsung Computers

Samsung is a well known company throughout the world. If you've never been to Korea, you probably know Samsung makes TVs, monitors and handphones. In fact, they just secured the number one position in LCD display sales worldwide. What you may not know about Samsung (especially if you're American) is that in Korea they make sleek, well designed, top quality computers. (They also make ships, apartment complexes, select automobiles, construction equipment, air conditioners, washing machines, copy machines, cameras, and anything esle you can think of - I've even seen eaten at Samsung owned restaurants...)

Take a look at this site to see some cool Samsung Computers:

Desktops (click here) and Notebooks (click here)

If you're computer can't show Korean, no matter - just click on the pictures and drool.


A display outside of Suwon Station showing off Samsung's latest computers. Hey! Where are the sexy dancers? What a jip!


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written by shawn matthews   -|link

Korea Life Blog - Dangerous Road

Driving in Korea is all around dangerous. Not only are there too many people on the roads, too many careless drivers, etc., but sometimes the roads themselves are just plain dangerous. The worst is in the mountains. The busses zip and zoom up and around narrow roads through the high hills - the only barrier between the road and steep drop offs: old, rusty, frail railings.

Also, many roads have deep draining ditches running alongside them without so much as a railing or warning bumps to protect hapless drivers. My stomach twirls when I see the bus's wheels about to plummet off the edge, certain to flip the buss over, killing us all - only to swerve back onto the road just in time.


Here is the road that runs along side my apartment. Notice the deep drop off and no railing.


Another angle of the road. As if this isn't dangerous enough, there are no lights here at night. Don't forget to buckle up!


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written by shawn matthews   -|link