March News

Less than two months to go..

Late February/early March brought unusually warm temperatures to the Korean Peninsula. Perhaps it was a bit premature to indulge in the warmth, but damn it felt good. It was especially nice to open the windows in the apartment and get outside and run.

Sadly, less than two weeks later, the premature nature of the "false spring" proved true with return to more winter-like temperatures and a light snowfall March 8th. Damn!

Recent holidays:

Apparently, in Korea, along with Taiwan and Japan, they celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14, and something called White Day one month later on March 14. I guess the idea behind this is Valentines Day is for the men to indulge themselves with gifts and attention from women, and women, in turn, indulge themselves with gifts from men on White Day. Go figure.

March 3rd was Samgyeopsal Day, an informal Korean holiday. Because "Sam" means three in Korea, the date is obvious. Samgyeopsal is "3 layer pork". I was completely oblivious to this, but once I learned of the holiday, I celebrated with a scrumptious lunch of my favorite Korean food. Besides, who doesn't love delicious pork grilled table side with all the traditional accompaniments? Lunch or dinner, it's all good with me!

March 1st was Korean Independence Movement Day. This date marks a significant event in Korean history, when 33 nationalists marched against Japanese occupation in 1919. The nationalists were later arrested, tortured, and this event sparked an outrage amongst the Korean people. To the Koreans, it's just one more incident in a long history of hatred against Japanese atrocities.

The March 1st holiday meant another 3 day weekend for Ethan, so I returned to the Taean Peninsula, only this time with a car. Last time I visited the area was in August (Week XVI) with my former friend Alvin, prior to his expulsion from the country. Because we only had public transit at that time, we were limited to our campground at Mongsanpo Beach and we could not thoroughly explore the area. It was especially uncomfortable on the ride home, when Alvin and I had to stand for over three hours on the bus. Following this bus ride from hell, I vowed to return one day under more comfortable circumstances.

Following a three hour car ride with moderate traffic and light rain, Gemma and I arrived in Mallipo late Saturday afternoon, just in time to select accommodations prior to the sun setting. After about an hour of comparing various beachfront pensions, we finally selected the Pinocchio Pension. It was a near perfect setting, and my travel partner was somehow able to convince the owner to provide us with a 20% discount for two nights stay. Hooray!

Mallipo is a beachfront community located approximately 175 kilometers Southwest of Seoul, at the Northern tip of the Taean Peninsula. The entire peninsula features some 530 kilometers of coastline and contains some 120 islands. A large part of the area consists of the Taean Coast National Marine Park, which boasts 230 kilometers of shoreline and 72 islands of its own. The topography is composed of low pine-filled mountains, large sandy beaches, and rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. It's really beautiful, and as I previously noted, reminds me a lot of Northern Michigan.

Numerous fishing villages dot the area and serve as both a tourist attraction and a great place for seafood lunch. Squid is popular, as is hameltang, a shellfish noodle dish served in a hot broth. Batter dipped and fried prawns are also a treat, and can be purchased from a variety of street vendors. I chose to avoid most dried fish, including the scary alien-looking fish and the ever-popular Korean favorite, dried squid.

The Chollipo Arboretum is another well-known attraction, located only a few kilometers from Mallipo. I first learned about this in a Wall Street Journal travel article back in May 2009, and since then, I have always wanted to visit. The article titled Seoul: One Man's Dream of a World Class Arboretum is worth the time to read it, and actually, that's what originally introduced me to the Taean area. Sadly, the weather was uncooperative the day we intended to visit there, though I did strongly evaluate this decision in the parking lot, and I took a brochure from the park prior to leaving.

Total cost of the weekend adventure was around 300,000 Won, which included gas (60,000 Won), two nights lodging (160,000 Won with discount), groceries at E-Mart and meals. Not bad for a euphoric weekend and some quality time with the lovely Gemma. The highlight of all this was spotting the semi-naked elderly couple in the backseat of an SUV parked at Mongsanpo Beach. That was a true surprise.

Other news:

I reunited again with former student and good friend, B.H. for BBQ dinner and good conversation. After dinner, he invited me to his home for coffee, which is a beautiful luxury apartment in the town of Suji. I also was fortunate to meet his wife for the first time. Sadly, I fear it will only be possible for B.H. and I to gather again one or two times before I depart for the U.S.

On a recent trip to COEX Mall, I noticed that Crazy Heart was showing at the theater and decided to watch it. This was only my fifth experience at the Korean cinema. Previous films included last year's Star Trek, Avatar (in 3-D), 2012 (I regret watching this), and the Korean film Take Off.

Lately I have been suffering an extreme longing for Western food. Please don't mistake my words, I very much love Korean food, it's just I'm tired of the same old restaurants in Sanbon. This has led me to several new restaurants in Seoul.

Mad For Garlic is pretty much what the name suggests; garlic everything! It's a Korean chain with 11 locations and an impressive wine list, for Korean standards. For an appetizer, we ordered a large caesar salad, pretty much traditional with a creamy garlic dressing, and crunchy croutons. Most delicious, and we agreed it was the best part of the meal. A thin crust cheese with pizza gorgonzola and a pasta dish loaded with garlic and Mexican spices were shared for the main course. The pizza was good, but the pasta was overwhelmingly spicy. Total cost of the food was around 45,000 Won plus tax. A bit on the expensive side, but unfortunately, that's the price you pay for Western food in Korea.

Chili King Korea is located in Itaewon, the infamous foreigner neighborhood of Seoul. I first read about it in an article published in The Korea Herald, which can be a great way to learn about different restaurants throughout Seoul. Sadly, both Gemma and I were a little disappointed in The Chili King. The burger was not as delicious as my local favorite, Krazy Burger, and the chili cheese fries were a poor attempt with crinkle cut fries, a tiny portion of chili, and "cheese" from a squeeze bottle. The restaurant is a tiny shoebox located off an alley, and the owner enjoys singing to an assorted sampling of classic 80's music while preparing your food. All this has a cost of around 30,000 Won. Not a good investment and a poor attempt at satisfying a grown man's craving for some chili.

Sorrento Pizza and Pasta is the surprise hit of the season. I have now sampled both their margherita pizza and their gorgonzola pizzas. Each are an excellent creation, loaded with cheese and priced around 14,000 Won. The gorgonzola is also topped with salty potato chips, which gives it a little crunch and some added flavor. Honestly speaking, this pizza is better tasting than the similarly-priced version at Mad For Garlic.

That's about it. Next weekend is another three day holiday from school, and I am planning a reunion with my friends in Busan. Following this, I'm sure there will be lots to report.

KOREA Week XVI Review

Thursday, August 20, 2009 at 10:55pm

Korean Independence Day was Saturday, so there were no classes on Friday. This holiday actually celebrates Korea's independence from Japan following the end of World War II in 1945. To celebrate, Canadian friend Alvin and I traveled to the Taean Peninsula and spent the weekend camping at Mongsanpo Beach, one of Korea's most famous beaches. The Taean Peninsula is also the home of Taean Haean National Park, a 325 square kilometer peninsula, with over thirty beaches, and some 230 kilometers of pine tree filled shoreline. Yes, it's beautiful, and yes, it reminded me very much of Northern Michigan.

Travel time was three hours via KoBus, departing from Anyang at 10am and arriving at the campground around 1pm. Both Friday and Saturday nights were treated to a marvelous sunset with a fire-red sun filled sky. It was gorgeous. The campground, however, was packed full with Korean families of all shapes and sizes. We, of course, were the only way-guks (foreigners) and we demanded attention everywhere we went. It was so crowded that when we awoke late Saturday morning, 11am, we were surrounded by new neighbors on all sides of us. Normally, this would not be an issue, except our neighbors conveniently parked their automobiles within five feet from each of our tents. A little inconsiderate if you ask Alvin and I, and an infringement on our small campsite. Not cool.

The temperature Saturday was easily pushing 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so a dip in the Yellow Sea was a must. Since we were the only foreigners in sight, we also seemed to be the only men swimming with our shirts off. It's a crazy thing, but Koreans go to the beach near fully clothed. I don't understand it. Koreans do, however, know how to camp. Since this is only my second time visiting a campsite in Korea, I remain even more impressed with the tent and portable kitchen set-ups Koreans pack with them when camping. It's truly amazing. Also, the very first thing they seem to do within 30 minutes after arriving and pitching their tents is cook up a fantastic looking meal on the grill. It's almost as if the meal is the true destination and the real reason behind their weekend excursion. They don't mess around. I love it.

Regarding food, Alvin and I cooked up some delicious bulgogi and dak-galbi, accompanied by kimchi, rice and pasta dishes, and ever-popular Cass beer. I purchased a small propane powered grill (only 20,000 Won on sale) to assist with the cooking, and it was one of the best purchases I have made. On the negative side of the weekend, one of my two tent poles snapped, and I sliced my finger while attempting to correct this issue. A minor setback, but easily fixed. The other negative part of the weekend were the mass swarms of mosquitos that descended upon the coast this weekend. Writing this post now, I still have bumps up and down my legs and covering my feet. They were relentless.

Finally, this leaves me with the Sunday bus ride home. It seems KoBus sold more bus tickets than available seats, so we were forced to stand the entire three hour ride to Anyang Station. Seriously. It was a terrible experience and I wish I were joking about this. Every time the bus stopped at one of the four or five scheduled stops, maybe two people would exit and another five or six would come aboard. The bus driver tried to tell the oncoming passengers there were no seats available but they kept on coming. We were literally packed like sardines and left standing in the aisle of the bus. At one point I counted the number of passengers standing in the aisle. 32. The experience was entirely bullshit if you ask me, and it has left Alvin and I preliminarily discussing the purchase of a cheap automobile for future travels.

South Korean news this week:

Monday - 37-year-old South Korean golfer Yong-Eun Yang wins the 91st PGA Championship. An incredible golf match and an equally incredible day for South Korea athletics. Golf is popular with the wealthy and many businessmen in Korea, but some have suggested it's popularity will increase rapidly amongst young players, similar to Tiger Woods' effect some twelve years ago in the U.S., following this triumphant victory.

Tuesday - Ex-President Kim De Jung dies from pneumonia at age 85. This is the second former President to die within my short four months in Korea, and another tragic loss for the country. The country is, once again, in mourning, though this time is not as shocking as the last. I will admit I did not know much about President Kim prior to his death, but I have since learned a great deal about this distinguished leader and his remarkable political career. Some interesting facts:

The 15th-Term President of Korea (1997-2003); served in Korean politics for over 45 years, he is the only Korean to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, he survived at least one assassination attempt leaving him with a permanent limp, he was kidnapped by the South Korean military in 1973 and taken to sea where he was to be executed but was instead saved by a covert operation involving the American CIA, he was placed under house arrest for almost seven years, he was imprisoned for over two years as a political prisoner in South Korea, he was once charged with sedition and sentenced to death, he lived in exile for two years in the United States, he was re-arrested immediately after his return from exile in the U.S. and once again placed under house arrest, and he successfully founded several political parties, including; the Party for Peace and Democracy as well as the National Congress for New Politics. In addition to these many achievements, he is accredited with being the first truly democratic president in South Korean history, the first South Korean President to engage in peace talks with North Korea (2000), and he is responsible for leading South Korea through it's turbulent financial crises and I.M.F. bailout during the late 1990's.

Wednesday - South Korea delays it's 502 billion Won ($402 million U.S.D.) rocket launch for the seventh time since 2002. What was supposed to be an inaugural day for South Korean aerospace suffers yet another setback in it's troubled, non-existent space history.

Other happenings this past week: I continue to cook in my apartment, especially since I have recently discovered all meats on sale at E-Mart after 1030pm. This past week, I prepared grilled steaks on more than one occasion, and despite what my good friend Dan from Chicago may say, it can be a Korean influenced meal if you add red pepper flakes and grilled kimchi to it. And the beef quality is not half bad. It actually makes for a delicious meal, especially when you serve it over a bed of white rice with a side of grilled garlic cloves. Yum!

Unfortunately, it was while eating one of these garlic cloves on Tuesday that I nearly passed out and died on the floor of my apartment. The garlic, apparently, was not fully cooked and was so potent there was an intense pain in my chest, my throat swelled shut leaving me gasping for air, and this grown man was reduced to tears. I literally crawled to the refrigerator where I drank milk from the jug to help cure my ailment. Why milk, I'm not sure, but it was the first thing I saw during this panic attack. Seriously. I love garlic and normally cannot get enough of it, but this was some type of magic garlic clove and it hurt me bad. Later that night, I experienced some of the wildest dreams ever and crazy ridiculous night sweats.

This Saturday, I will travel to Busan for the first time. A fellow Toledoan named Greg is hosting a party at his apartment Saturday night and has graciously invited me to come down and stay the weekend. I am very excited about this trip, as Busan was my first choice when selecting cities to live in Korea. Busan is the second largest city in South Korea; they call it "Seoul in the South", and it's located directly on the ocean at the Southeastern tip of the peninsula. Greg, who has lived in Korea for many years, was also very instrumental in helping me prepare for my experience; answering my many questions and providing tons of useful information. His advice was, in fact, priceless, and I look forward to partying with him Saturday.

More updates next week. Have a great weekend.