High heels and protests

It's amazing how removed I've been from all the recent political activity in Seoul.

Not a single person (MC and my parents excluded) in the US has asked me about the beef issue, nor the protests, which leads to the assumption that most Americans (or to more accurately put it, my friends, haha) aren't very aware of, or don't care about the issue. But it's exploded into quite an ordeal over here.

If you have no idea of what I'm talking about, you can get a quick rundown from the NYT here: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/10/world/0610-KOREA_index.html

After a night of eating and shopping around Myeongdong (명동), I made my way back to the subway station and ran into this:



It was the first time I'd seen one of these demonstrations in person.

I'll stay away from any political commentary (you can read about it from more informed sources elsewhere) and move onto what we had for dinner. This, I'm good at. Eating, that is.





Jjim dak (찜닭) is a marinated chicken dish with veggies and noodles in a spicy broth... emphasis on the (unassuming) spicy! I was actually hoping to find "the kong gooksoo place" that my family and I ate at last September, but gave up, only to later realize it was but 2 doors down from the chicken place!

Ironic. This happened a second time, when we were searching for "the really tall soft serve ice cream cones." We gave up, settled on gelato from Gustimo, and realized... of course, 2 doors down... I guess the moral of the story is... patience... determination? Or perhaps, "Learn where you're going."

On a separate note, I took a mini trip to Ichon-dong (이촌동) today, after having heard of a "Little Tokyo" in Seoul. My mission was to find teriyaki seasoned nori from one of the Japanese supermarkets. Unfortunately it was nowhere to be found, and you can pretty much find the same Japanese products in the import section from Lotte Dept. Store in Myeongdong. "Little Tokyo" was a little disappointing in the sense that, it didn't seem particularly Japanese to me - though I'm still not sure if I missed something? Perhaps a hidden street? I did, however, notice quite a few cute cafes and bakeries that I'd love to revisit one day. Ichondong (Subway Line 4, Exit 3 or 3-1) itself was quiet, residential (filled with apartments overlooking the Han River), and had a unique charm to it - for some reason, it personally reminded me of morning strolls in the Richmond (SF).

Strangely, I did run into a shop that sold CHEETOS PUFFS (excitement!) but refrained from purchase, mostly because I didn't feel like carrying it around the city all day. I was also impressed to find a GNC Store and small organic market on the street. But look what else I found!





Oh, Boston... I miss you. Sometimes. : )

The Incredible Hulk

After downing conveyor belt sushi today (due to my recent attempts at being "healthier," I refused to go to a buffet since I no longer participate in "I-can-out-eat-you" challenges, but for the record, I lost, ten plates to six), we watched The Incredible Hulk. Entertaining, but forgettable.

One question. Why does NYC always get picked on? The poor city gets devastated year after year with tidal waves, gigantic gorillas, green monsters, extra terrestrial beings...

My favorite part was Iron Man's cameo, but I was also happy to see Ed Norton again - feels like it's been a while. Don't really follow comics... but are they all supposed to team up and save the world against some evil mutant alien force in a multi million dollar flick sometime next summer? Not sure how I feel about crossovers. Like when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers came together? Lame.

Speaking of movies, I do want to see Surfwise, though I doubt it'll make it's way to Korea anytime soon...



Still in a bubble. What non superhero action movies are out these days?

Handwriting

It's nearly 4 in the morning, and I can't sleep, which leads to inter continental conversations about things like lactose intolerance, Skinny Bitch (the book I'm currently reading), sleep deprivation, and well... handwriting. (Btw, this has nothing to do with Seoul, food, Korea...)

We came up with the following non-fact-based, opinion-driven conclusions:

We'd rather blog than journal. The likelihood of updating your diary increases tenfold if you have a blog, rather than that bulky old book, BUT...

Handwriting is getting uglier by the minute. In today's digital focused world, it's probably safe to assume that people are writing less and less. Compare your parents' or grandparents' handwriting to the younger generations' and you'll see what we mean.

Is it efficiency, or laziness? I recently bought one of my younger cousins a notebook and asked him to start a daily English journal. He fought me on this for a while. "Why can't I just email it to you or post it on Facebook?!"

I'm thinking of starting a new blog, with complete stream of consciousness type ramblings like the above. Thoughts? : )

Recent eats: Outback, Doughnut Plant, Haemultang, Mr. Pizza, and good ol' Starbucks

I can't believe I ended up at Outback Steakhouse again - I believe it's my third visit in Korea. This time, it was a result of desperately seeking a well air-conditioned area that would allow for ample loitering time. Around Sinchon, I couldn't really think of anything else off the top of my head. I was really craving naengmyun, but you can't typically "hang out" in a naengmyun restaurant, considering that it takes about 5 minutes to slurp down on a summer day.

Lunch specials at Outback range from around $15-30, depending on your entree, and come with:

• All you can eat bread and butter (Don't forget to ask for 1. chocolate dipping sauce on the side and 2. packaged loaves of bread to go, I'm not kidding.)
  
• Pickles (You can't escape them in Korea! But Outback's taste fresher and are less sweet than most other restaurants'.)
• Soup of the day
• 2 beverages - soda during the meal, and coffee/green tea after the meal.

Not a bad deal, considering the plates are pretty huge and very easily sharable. We opted for the "spicy rice" dish with chicken and shrimp, which was better than I expected.



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Recently checked out the newly opened Doughnut Plant branch (an American import) in Sinchon. With Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts, Paris Baguette, Crown Bakery, and a whole bunch of cafes around the corner, I wonder if this place will survive, with its pricey organic donuts? I like the "all natural" concept - these donuts are free of preservatives, artificial flavoring, eggs, and transfats - but I wasn't particularly impressed with our first visit's $3.60 peanut butter and raspberry jelly square donut. As you might tell, it's pretty freakin' huge, but also a little dry, and could use a little more peanut flavor. Apparently the cake donuts are tastier - I'll have to try that on my next go.



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Oh, Korean pizza... In middle school, I remember telling my Italian friend about how I loved cheese stuffed crusts (Pizza Hut), blueberry cinnamon dessert pizzas (again, Pizza Hut), and pineapple and chicken pizza dipped in butter (Papa John's). Needless to say, he was pretty offended. I can only imagine his reaction if he were to visit a Korean pizza chain!

I've taken quite a liking to Mr. Pizza. In particular, I enjoy the salad buffet bar (the hobak salad is amazzzng), and the fact that you can stuff your crust with sweet potato puree. I mean, it doesn't get much more absurdly delicious than that. But a pizza lunch for 2 here will easily set you back $25 - 30. (After a few months, you start to think in terms of Korean meal prices. Everything's relative... when you can get a roll of kimbap for a dollar fifty or a bowl of soondubu jjigae for a fiver.)



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I thought it was about time I give a shout out to Starbucks. It doesn't get much better than the classic soy vanilla latte. Soy milk substitutes aren't very common in other coffee shops, so I usually default to Starbucks when I'm on the go. There's just something about you, Starbucks. You will always hold a place in my heart and wallet wherever I go - and you don't even pass out loyalty cards!



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Haemultang is a spicy and slightly sweet soup served with vegetables, rice cakes, and a variety of seafood. We ordered the "can you not make it so spicy" version, and trust me, it does a decent job at setting your mouth on fire on a hot day, especially once you turn off the heat, and the broth starts to thicken!




Next on my to eat list, after having read this article... fondue! Anyone want to join me? : )

A day in the park

Did some strolling in an park whose name I can't recall at the moment, but it's an easy find from Hapjeong Station (합정역), Exit 8. You have to cross the bridge to get to it, since it's on an islet in the middle of the Han River.









Thankfully, there are lots of places with shade, and it feels like a little man made forest. Nice, quiet place to picnic and take in the sun (or avoid it, if you're like some Koreans?)

And find the inner kid in you...



*Note: I just got objection from uploading this to YouTube so out of respect for the video's star, I'll be nice and set it to private, haha. ; )

I wish I could dance like that

I'm back in Seoul! Pictures/video from the weekend in 강원도 to come soon, 엄마 and 아빠...

But first, here are some videos I took from the Last for One B-Boy Crew performance at Yonsei today. I think they're the same guys who did that Canon video.





A couple other videos can be found here and here.

This makes me want to see Planet B-Boy even more...

Speaking of movies, I saw the latest Indy Jones installment this past weekend. It was a little disappointing, but the nostalgia was enough to keep me somewhat satisfied, I suppose. Unfortunately this wasn't the case for two of my cousins, who said after the movie, "Harrison Ford got old. We should have watched Kung Fu Panda." : (

I also just finished 21 - more than anything, it was so much fun seeing Kevin Spacey in our classrooms! Aw, I miss Boston... and Kevin Spacey. Forgot for a split second how amazing and dreamy he is. ^^

Noodles, slurp slurp

As I wait for my laundry, I decided, why not blog?

My dad actually sent me this email a while ago...

I noticed that your blog got away from food for a bit, today. That’s good, I think, and you should do other things on the blog.

Ha ha ha. ^^;;

Err... please close your eyes?

Dear (Food) Diary...

Mul naeng myun (물냉면). Definitely one of the better versions I've tried... and only $3.30 from Yonsei's cafeteria (at the 어학당)! Noodles in ice cold broth - so refreshing, I could eat it every day!

Budae jjigae (부대찌개). My second time trying this dish. It's fun to eat with other people, especially when you start throwing in a lot of random things like we did last time.

Tonight one of my friends proved my uncle right, when he (half jokingly) said that it's worrying thinking of what to eat with me! ㅠㅠ

Is this really true?! 

Sigh.

I tried to convince him otherwise.

• I'm a pretty flexible person in general. ^^
  
• I'm open to any vegetable, fruit, or grain, and most dairy and eggs. Except quail eggs and ikura. They kind of freak me out. I've learned to tolerate tobiko.
  
• Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a vegetarian - I eat chicken, fish, and turkey. And no, I'm not worried about catching the avian flu.
  
• I'm pretty cool with eating things in beef or seafood broth, even though I may not drink it.
  
• I don't mind eating around or picking out the stuff that I don't eat - like the hot dogs and spam in the budae jjigae pictured above. In which case, I'd like to point out that this is an even better deal for you, Mr. Meat Eater, because you get more of "the good stuff!"
• If you REALLY have a craving for something like samgyeopsal (삼겹살) - heck, I'm all for it, let's go! I am perfectly fine munching on some rice and banchan.

Still, I feel a little bad... ㅠㅠ

But there's more to life than pork. ㅋㅋ

Sincerely,

C

PS 시험이 끝났다! ^^ 행복해 보이지?!

Korean-American Survey

If you're Korean-American and want to help USC out with a survey, click here:
http://www.koreanamericannationalsurvey.org/

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재미교포 여러분께 (English text below):

남가주대학교(USC)의 아시아태평양 리더십센터가 한국 재외동포재단의 협조를 받아 재미 한인사회의 삶의 현황에 대해 설문조사를 실시합니다. 전국적 규모로는 처음 실시되는 “재미한인전국조사”( Korean American National Survey: KANS 2008)에 귀하의 참여를 부탁합니다.

이번 조사의 결과물은 학계, 지역사회 지도자들 및 비영리단체, 그리고 한미 양국 정부기관들이 우리 지역사회에 대한 이해 및 향후 미주 한인들의 생활 향상을 위해 활용할 수 있는 중요한 자료가 될 것입니다. 여러분의 응답을 통한 적극적인 참여는 보다 나은 미주 한인사회를 추구하는데 중요한 밑거름이 될 것입니다.

저희 감사의 표현으로 경품찬스를 준비했습니다. 꼭 경품을 타실 수 있도록 설문지를 완성해 주세요!
- 미국-서울 왕복 항공권 2장 (1등 1명)
- 대형 스크린 TV 1대 (2등 1명)
- 애플 아이파드 1개 (3등 5명)

설 문 응답에는 약 15-20분 정도의 시간이 소요될 것으로 예상됩니다. 모든 답변에 대해서는 기밀이 보장되며, 어떤 설문 조항 응답이라도 응답자 개인신분과 연결되지 않습니다. 귀하의 관심과 참여에 진심으로 감사드립니다. 질문이 있으시면 아래의 연락처로 연구조사팀에게 문의를 하십시요.

위 안내문을 이해하시고 설문에 참여하겠다는 동의를 하시려면 아래에 표시하시고 진행 버튼(>>)을 클릭하시면 설문이 바로 시작됩니다.

Dear Korean American:

We are asking for your help in participating in an important study of Korean Americans to create the first large-scale database that provides an accurate profile of our community. This survey is conducted by the Center for Asian Pacific Leadership at the University of Southern California through sponsorship of the Overseas Koreans Foundation.

The Korean American National Survey (KANS) will be used by scholars, community leaders, non-profit agencies as well as U.S. and Korean government agencies to better understand and serve Korean Americans. In order for this project to be successful, your participation and cooperation is essential.

As an expression of our gratitude we have prepared some raffle prizes. Please be sure to complete the survey in order to be eligible!! Prizes include:
- 2 Free Roundtrip Tickets to Seoul, Korea (1st prize - 1 winner)
- 1 Big Screen Television (2nd prize - 1 winner)
- 1 iPod (3rd prize - 5 winners)

This survey should take you approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Your information is completely confidential and there is no information obtained in this study that can be identified with you. Your time and effort are much appreciated and your participation will make a significant contribution toward understanding Korean American lives.

Please indicate your understanding and approval of this informational text below and then click the forward button (>>) at the end of this page to begin to answer questions for the study.

If you should have any questions about the study, please contact any of the project directors below:

이제훈 교수 – 연구책임자 Prof. Jehoon Lee 213-743-2059 jelee@usc.edu
루스정 교수 - 연구책임자 Prof. Ruth Chung 213-740-3258 rchung@usc.edu

Center for Asian Pacific Leadership
University of Southern California
1149 S. Hill Street, Suite 1114, Los Angeles, CA 90015-2239
Tel. 213-743-2062
Fax. 213-743-2050

Chucks around Hongdae

When I saw a poster for this weekend's street art festival in Hongdae, I got pretty excited. I should have read the fine print - it turned out to be a Converse sponsored shoe design center... still, it was fun, and since I'm rarely around Hongdae, I used it as an opportunity to snap a few photos here and there.

I would totally put this in my living room. Oh right, I don't have a living room. In fact, this shoe may be bigger than my room.



People were trading in their plain Chucks for personalized versions made by these ladies. So bummed, the one day I was NOT wearing my sneakers... : (



Would you wear...?



It's a bug, it's a shoe, it's a bug made out of a shoe!



Cartoon Billie Joe.



We ran into some other random sights, like the Statue of Liberty. I tried to take a picture with him/her but it moved before Anna could press the button. That was a pretty freaky moment.



Street performance...





On video -



I want to take more pictures here. Anyone want to be my subject? : )



Is this GANGSTA or what? Haha.



We had seen this handsome pup earlier in the day, and ran into him a second time, only to realize he was the cotton candy guy's mascot. The doggy became quite popular with the crowd, and it took about 5 seconds for a circle of people to gather and whip out their cell phone cams.



Adorable.



Yes, these shoes (and every other display pair in the store) were CELLOPHANED.



I'm considering buying one of these bags. Thoughts?



Paper clip wall.



Hmm, this reminds me of someone...



...Whatever happened to Clippy?!





: )

Reasons to run

Note: Errrrgggghhh, I practically wrote an entire food essay for this post, but once again, my browser froze on me, and I lost most of the text. Succumbing to laziness, rather than re-writing, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

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I've pretty much failed all attempts to "eat healthy," and looking at some of my recent pics just adds salt to the wound. Since I can't give up the food, I'm thinking about getting off my butt and hitting the track a bit more - inspired by Onni and Janice, who've completed a half marathon and full marathon this weekend, respectively. Congrats, girls!!!

Without further ado, I present to you, Reasons to Run.

Cashew nut chicken and rice cake (떡) & scorched rice (누룽지) stir fry from Fish and Grill (a chain) in Yeouido. Tasty!



Chicken skewers from a "fusion" bar (in fact, it might have been called "Fusion Bar") in Hongdae.



Cheese ddukbokki from Minto, whose concept I will explain at some later date. This actually tasted better than I expected.



Fried rice cake skewers, covered in yummy, sweet, and tangy goo and topped with peanuts. Matt, I know you hate dduk, but I really think you'd enjoy this version.



My favorite rice cake donut from Paris Baguette. For you Hawaii folks, it's a got a similar consistency to fried poi mochi (though it's glazed and less oily).



Curry chicken croquette from Paris Baguette. Nothing to write home about. : (



Chocolate triangle pie from Mickey D's.*** It's like a realllllly greasy version of a chocolate napple from Napoleon's bakery. Oh my gosh, I miss Napoleon's - but apparently online ordering is coming soon! Do you think they'd ship to Korea??



***(I'm sorry, Matt & Grace, I broke the rule again! I don't know if this is any consolation, but they make a point of only using Australian beef in McD's Korean chains, though it's for different (current and silly) political reasons. I'm not positive Australia's meat industry is any friendlier than the US of A's... well, I'm fresh out of excuses, aren't I?)

And on a non-food note - congratulations, SJ, if you read this... this picture is marking HISTORY, isn't it?! ^^

H e l p

Been catching up on Imogen Heap vLogs, browsing old Darren vids, playing Temposhark podcasts, listening to Kerplunk on repeat, checking out new stuff on iTunes every now and then, rummaging through old Hotel Cafe clips...

I NEED MUSIC!

You know, stuff more like this... ^^



And less like this... >_<



Help.

Help.

H

E

L

P

!

Thank goodness for YouTube.

This post goes out to my big sis, who always (whether knowingly or not) let me "borrow" her cassettes (Whoa! Those are like extinct now, no?) and CDs and got me listening to stuff that usually wasn't crap. Except for that one Beastie Boys album. I never really got why you bought that.

Songs I was too young to completely understand at the time but loved and will always cherish. ; )

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit


REM - Stand


B-52's - Roam


Green Day - Christie Road

Okonomiyaki: Part 3

A friend and I have an ongoing race to be the first to visit Top Cloud, the restaurant on the 33rd floor of Jongno Tower. It's a pretty neat looking building - my snapshot below (from the '07 trip) does not do it justice - you really ought to check out the architect's site if groovy buildings are your sort of thing.



So the joke originates from the fact that he thinks I've been to more places in Seoul than he - the original Seoulite - has, which usually leads to conversation like this:

What about having dinner in ______? Have you checked out the area before?
Yeah, maybe once. Let's go!
No.
What?
You've already been there.
So?
No.

A few of us met up in Hongdae and searched for some dinner. HY suggested okonomiyaki, and we actually walked by a couple of okonomiyaki places before she decided on, of course, THE okonomiyaki restaurant. It looked strangely familiar... and it hit me. I had been here once before during the restaurant's grand opening with some pals from Japan.

My friend's reaction? Priceless. Muhahaha. ^^

Fried kimchee and octopus. This is what you call "localization."



Shrimp okonomiyaki. Normally, the shrimp is supposed to be mixed in with the rest of the ingredients, but they picked it out since I don't eat it (aw, so sweet ^^), which resulted in a couple, "Did the shrimp just jump out of the okonomiyaki?" glances from the cooks at our table.



Yakisoba. Yum! Hard to go wrong with yakisoba.



The goofy, happy eaters. Somebody needs to learn how to do a countdown! *cough*
*Click here to check out the homemade version of okonomiyaki.



After dinner, we visited some beer bar that I probably wouldn't be able to find again if I tried. To my surprise, for once, there was no Hite to be found, haha!



We had been talking about London when I saw Hoegaarden on the menu... I ordered it to reminisce over the first time I tried it in Soho with S.



The same night we randomly ran into Joshua Jackson and Patrick Stewart...



I wouldn't be able to do this quite as easily 10 years ago. I heart you, Blogger.