Korea Life Blog - The Cook

One of my adult students gave me a cookbook which she stole from her office. I want to learn how to cook more Korean foods so I was thankful.



Here's a shot. The book is all in Korean, but it's not hard with all the photos to figure out most of the recipes. I guess the book is devoted entirely to chigaes, Korean soups. The book is huge. I didn't know there were that many different kinds of chigae.



This simple dish is one of my favorites. I don't know what to call it in English - I guess just bean sprout soup. I don't think I ever ate bean sprouts before I came to Korea. I don't know why not. They are really delicious and now one of my favorite vegetables.


Julie is coming over later tonight. We're supposed to cook kimchi chigae. Hopefully I'll get some pictures for you, but I think she's still a little shocked about the previous ones I posted. At least I should be able to photograph the food...I hope.



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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Haehwa Conclusion


Here are the last of the pictures I took last weekend in Haehwa-dong:



There are some monstrous coffee shops here. Look at this place. It looks more like a Hollywood mansion than a cafe. I can't believe they could sell enough coffee and "fusion" food to pay for it, considering the sky-high cost of property in Seoul.




I thought that was some kind of weird Osama bin Laden information tent, but I guess that's a drawing of some famous psychic Chinese guy from the past. Check out the hangul written in black. It's called the Psychic Department Store, hahaha. If you look closely you can see someone getting their palm read. "This line here is too short. You will die next year. That'll be 10,000 won, please." I once visited a psychic when I was in Geoje-do. She told me I would travel and have many adventures and then write about them. Man, was she way off. What a scam!




Here's the outside of another booth. It's typical for Koreans to set up identical businesses right next to each other. I guess it's to make it more convenient to get service without waiting, but there was hardly anyone around here. Anyway, this place has a huge poster outlining the various psychic points on the body and what they mean. I guess there's really no point going in now.




There are a few other booths where you can get you portrait drawn. I don't know how anyone can draw this well. I can barely draw stick figures. The picture on top is making me wonder. For some reason I just can't imagine a Korean woman flying an airplane and especially then stopping off for a quick self portrait. Hmm... The women on the bottom however looks more realistic and damn good.




You know, a few years ago this would have surprised me, but nowadays things like this seem to blend into the scenery. I wouldn't have noticed it if Julie hadn't pointed it out. What it is (a toaster van?) and why it's here is anyone's guess.



I thought these people were singing Christmas songs and sharing the joy of the season until I looked closely. It's yet another anti-war demonstration with gory war photos on display.




I guess these are The Christmas Trees United Against the War in Iraq. Apparently if your against the war, you sign a decoration and hang it up. I'm not really sure how that helps anything, but if it makes people feel better then carry on. Ironically I took this picture just a few hours before it was revealed Saddam was captured. I'm not a proponent of the war, I'd rather see all that money used to help the millions of people suffering in our own country, but I must say I am happy that guy won't be putting anymore people feet first through a wood-chipper. By the way, for Christmas I want one of those Captured Saddam Dolls or any of the other overpriced villain dolls for that matter. (Play the Talking Baghdad Bob audio clip, hahaha.) Please feel free to send me one anytime. :D




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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Busy


I was busy tonight ordering Christmas gifts online for my sister and her darling little girl, my niece, so I didn't have time to update here. I got $30 worth of free stuff when I signed up for the Amazon.com credit card, so I was able to save the shipping costs and a couple of books for free. What did I get Sierra? A Strawberry Shortcake set! And for my sister an Oprah Club best seller, a copy of my favorite book, Quiet Days in Clichy by Henry Miller, and a newbie user guide to Windows XP.



Here she is, my niece, back in NY, being a mischief maker by playing with the computer when she knows better. Her smile says it all.



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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Plays and Musicals in Haehwa


Julie informed me that Haehwa is famous for its many theaters which feature a variety of plays and musicals. As we walked around many people handed us flyers depicting what was playing that night, a brief synopsis and show times.



Let's see what's playing here. Wow! Grease! I loved that musical as did most American people. It made John Travolta a mega-star. I wonder if here they sing all the songs in Korean? That I'd like to see. I thought the poster was pretty funny until I saw the one next to it. Vagina Monologues. Hmm, maybe I'll skip Grease and check this one out instead. It sounds pretty interesting. Down below there's a poster for Twelfth Night...definitely not going to that.



The other side of the display. Nothing special here. What's going on with this Tupac show? Is Tupac really here? Or is some Korean guy going to play him? Either way, forget it.

We didn't have time to catch a show but I'd like to go back there and see one someday. Anyone been there? Seen a show? What did you see and what was it like?




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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Happy Rambling


I have not been living for the future, I've been living now. I don't base my life around a job and career, a spouse, a lover. You never know what's going to happen, whether you'll be here tomorrow or a cripple from a car accident, a victim of anti-Americanism, or facing the reality of cancer. It's hard to follow through on, but try your best to enjoy each moment...I don't even do this as much as I wish I could.

A fine wine, a delicious meal, a joyous bleep, what better way to pass the day - this is what life should be.

I never once felt bad about not living up to career expectations. I'm the guy that didn't show up to work one day, took a different exit and wound up in the mountains eating breakfast at a Mom's diner. I ate eggs and suasage, watched the deer prancing about, the snow covered pine trees, chipmunks gathering acorns. Things you usually don't noitice on the commute to work and back. That morning was one of the defining moments of my life. I never felt guilty or regret. Now here I am thousands of miles away on the other side of the planet and really enjoying my life.

I made a vow - I will always try to take the path less taken and hope to be lively, open, free and carefree. I appreciate the education I received - the professors that interested me, enlightened me, opened my mind to far other possibilities. And thank you Robert Frost, Emerson, Whitman, Kerouac, Miller...and every other writer that had the courage to do what they wanted, the opposite of what was pushed into their brains day after day...I listened to you.

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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Nolboo Chib



Julie wanted to take me here: Nolboo Chib, a traditional style restaurant in Haehwa. She said it was delicious and cheap.



You sit on the floor without a table. Then suddenly a couple of traditionally dressed young guys come out with your table full of food.



Wow! Look at all of this wonderful food! I almost peed my pants. I want to eat all of this again right now. If any girl out there can cook all of these, I will marry you instantly.




I thought I'd throw in this picture of a regular modern family enjoying their traditional dinner.


The meal really was delicious. However, it wasn't cheap. Julie had been here before but she didn't pay so she really didn't know. It cost 25,000 won for the two of us. While I really enjoyed the meal, I ate almost everything, I wouldn't pay that much again when I can get eat almost as well for half the price at most local places. Still, it was worth it this one time to taste some of the unusual side dishes and to learn about how people used to dine out in Korea. I feel sorry for those previous ajummas that had to make all that food day in and day out.



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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Board Game Cafe


This week I will feature pictures from my brief visit to Dongdae-mun and Haehwa-dong, Seoul, on Sunday. First up is the board game cafe. I heard these places are getting popular, but this is the first time I saw one. Unfortunately it takes a while for things to filter down through to Nowhere-dong.



Here it is, the Jumanji Board Game Cafe entrance in Haehwa. The place doesn't look like much on the outside, and we almost walked right by it. I happened to read the Korean and got excited. My friend "Julie" (name changed to protect the innocent) looked pretty skeptical, but I convinced her to check it out with me.




Hard to believe how big the place actually is. I don't understand how they made it. What, did they dig up the parking lot, put this place in like a subway station, then redo the lot and stick that entrance on top? I sometimes imagine that in the future there will be a whole world built underground.




I thought this was a good idea. I'm not sure if it would go over at PC bangs, but that's a small enclosed smoking room over there. If you smoke, you can get your fix without smoking up the joint.




Cool! Here's the "menu". They have about a hundred games to choose from and a selection of coffee. I wanted to play Monopoly but it's not that fun with two people and that game has been known to go on for ages. (But I could have played banker and cheated...why didn't I think of that before?) The cost is 2,000 won/person per hour, same as the Playstation bangs.




We're going to try Jenga. Here is the board game agashi teaching Julie how to play. Come on, it's not hard to figure out! Notice the plastic hammer. Loser gets whacked!




Here we are in the middle of a game. Julie was feeling the pressure and needed to take a break. The coffee here is pretty good, by the way.




I guess her time-out didn't help much. A few turns later she made the dolorous stroke. Crash! Assa! Where's that hammer? Muhahah!




Come on now, fork it over. Whack! bam! pop! squeak! Come on! Come on! Who's your daddy?




She vows revenge. I suggest UNO, a quick, easy-to-learn game, a favorite from my childhood. I don't know why it's taking two agashis to explain the rules. The one in the photo was shocked when I snapped this picture, and now I can see why!




Once we got started the agashi brought this politically incorrect wig over for the loser to wear.




There's no way I'm going to lose this game! I'm not going to wear that wig! I'm already wearing a hat to cover up the butcher shop haircut I got yesterday.



As if she rigged the deck, Julie won before I even had a chance to play a card. Man, I look like an idiot!



What goes around comes around. Julie lost the next hand. She's not as sportive about having her picture taken looking like a ghetto baby.


We played a few more games and headed off. I think it would be even better to go with three or four people but it was still a damn fun experience. You know, I could really spend all day going from one kind of bang/cafe to another. They're one of the best parts of the culture. I don't know why we don't have these kind of hangouts back home.

The Jumanji Board Game Cafe has its own website.

Bonus Picture!

check out number 42 in the gallery here



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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Sweet Motel



Here's the Sweet Motel. I thought I'd show you yet another example of a love motel, in case you haven't seen enough. I love these places actually. I didn't go in this one, but I've been to many in my three years in Korea. Sometimes they have heart shaped beds, mirrors on the ceilings, etc. Perhaps you can stay here after visiting the Roasanne Club nearby.



This motel even has a hair shop attached to it. Perhaps if you don't find your girl all that attractive you can bring her here for a little fix-up before you "sleep." Notice the car in the driveway, undoubtedly the motel owner's. It looks like the Hyundai version of a Mercedes. I swear every motel owner has a car like this. They get rich off the fact people live at home until they're married and have no place to shuck and jive.


I went up to Seoul today to Sadang, Dongdae-mun and Haewha and got a great load of new pictures to comment on this week. Stay tuned! Also check the Geoje-do part 5 section - things are moving along slowly but surely there.




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written by shawn matthews    -|link