Recent Blog Posts

All Recent Posts

Google Closes Censored Search Engine in China

Google has made good on its threat to close google.cn, the search site it

was running in China. The site's search results were censored, with searches

for terms like 'human rights' and 'Tienanmen Square Massacre' coming up empty.

The site had also been attacked multiple times by hackers, with human rights

activists' private Gmail accounts broken into by hackers within China. The Chinese

government has denied responsibility for the attacks. Google's chief legal officer says

"it seems that things are getting tighter for open expression and freedom."

Read the New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/technology/23google.html?pagewanted=1&hp

Carol's Cooking

Not sure what I ever did to deserve someone that can cook up a storm like Carol. Not only is her cooking incredible but its the heart that goes along with her cooking. For example, if she finds out it's your birthday, she'll cake you. Carrot cake, pineapple upside down cake, dump cake, angel food cake, etc. Her recent trend is to brownie people. See previous post.

Anyway, for my birthday she tiramisu'd me. I know. I'm butchering this whole grammar thing with my noun-verb usage.

Here's the last piece of my birthday tiramisu - better known as a small chunk of heavenly mascarpone, coffee and lady finger goodness.

I mean for real, who even knows how to make tiramisu? I'm talking for real, not the urbanized recipe of:

1. Drive to Costco

2. Buy tiramisu

3. Remove lid without getting a paper cut

The other day, Carol busted out these Vietnamese style spring rolls. They were amazing. Peanut sauce and all. She also cooks a couple of Mom's Filipino dishes like pancit, lumpia and caldareta. Please don't pass this along to my Mom, but my nephew Brandon even said that Carol's beef and broccoli is better than Mom's. Blasphemy!

The point of this blog entry wasn't to brag on Carol's cooking skills...well, actually it was. I'm just so inspired by the heart that she puts into her cooking. Whether it's making spaghetti for International Day at school, baked goods for the PTA fundraiser, mexican food for the Cinco de Mayo get together, cooking up a storm for the various church functions or just having some of the geo bachelors over the house, she's just so generous with her cooking. When I was the Maintenance Officer at one of my old squadrons, Carol even cooked special meals for all of my troops - for no reason whatsoever. The guys working the night shift really appreciated her kind gesture. They sometimes feel like they're forgotten. She would take turns taking requests from the various shops. Whether it was pasta for the jet engine mechanics or pot roast for the electricians, they all seemed to like the home cooked meals.

The other thing is this. I've done the last minute dinner invitation thing for various Mr. Big Pants over the years. Carol has always responded with grace in these types of situations. She knows she can tell me to pack sand but she rarely does. I know a lot of spouses wouldn't be so understanding about the last minute guest thing.

So the only negative to Carol's total kitchen domination is the extra poundage that girdles my loins. Hey, I'll take it. Thank you Carol for feeding us Cruz boys so well. Little did I know that cute smile, curly locks and southern drawl that I married over 16 years ago would turn out to be such a maven in the kitchen. Hate to think what you could do with a double oven. Watch out! Until next time -- C2

The 5 places you WON'T see on a Seoul tourist map

As a travel blogger, I make it an effort to see a wide variety of places - both on the touristy side of things as well as off the beaten path. Today is a special day of sorts - it's been two years to the day since I arrived in Korea. From the beginning, I started covering places to see in Seoul and Korea (I started blogging in late 2007, although I didn't arrive in Korea until later) - during that time I've discovered quite a few places you definitely won't see on any tourist maps.

Of the five, the first one is probably the best known among expats in Korea: Hooker Hill / Homo Hill.

Don't let the two names fool you - we're talking about two areas, within a stone's throw of each other, in the same neighborhood. The history of Hooker Hill wouldn't be complete without including Itaewon and the Yongsan Garrison - although the official histories leave out a lot of the story. After Yongsan Garrison opened in the 1970's, the area became a central place for businesses catering to the foreign soldiers. The prostitution business was one causing significant problems in the area until 2004, when the USFK began trying to clean up the area. Trying is the key word - to this day, the area still offers a number of women selling themselves under one cover or another. You're far more likely to be 'juicy bars', 'kissing rooms' and 'da bang' than out-and-out prostitution.

Yongsan red-light district

청소년 보호 구역 - the text translates to 'Youth Reserves' or 'Youth Protection District' according to Google Translate (better translations are always welcome!), but the point is to warn passers-by of a red-light district. As is fairly usual, the glass walls allow for a view - but you'll have to get closer to ask for prices. Don't bother, though - half the time they don't, er, service foreigners, and the other half of the time they'll quote you an outrageous price.

The reasons why may be self-explanatory, but the pictures are proof.

Moran Meat Market
I've blogged about this place before - while you'll see some directions to the older but respectable 'five-day' market, you won't see anything about the area where dogs and other animals are sold for consumption. It's right across the parking lot, and is easy enough to spot if you're in the area. If you're in the market to eat some dog, there are plenty of dog-meat restaurants around to satisfy your taste buds.

For some strange reason, however, eating dogs doesn't quite resonate with the average Western tourist. Think what you like, but don't try to change it by going in PETA style or trying to buy a dog to set them free.

The Gupo Market in Busan is similar in nature - find that by taking line 3 of the Busan subway to Deokcheon station. Take exit 3 to street level, turn right at the first street then left at the first street.

Yeongdeungpo / Cheongnyangni

Two more red-light districts still clinging to life. Before thinking that flashing those green (or gold) bills will somehow open doors to sexy women, understand that foreigners are generally shooed away. Those that aren't might be caught by the police (and while the bribes might be offered by the Koreans caught for the same thing, you won't get that opportunity) Walk by, look around if you like, and move on.

Any bosintang (boshintang) restaurant

In case the Moran Meat Market wasn't enough for you, most bosintang (보신탕) restaurants still have an old-fashioned feel to them. The few that weren't put out of business before the 1988 Summer Olympics are still hanging on in the older non-renovated parts of the city. Expect them to be busiest during malbok, the last of Korea's three summer 'dog days'. It's when the heat will make you want for stamina. For those traveling with a queasy stomach, other foods are available; don't be too surprised if a dog's leg is offered your way by another patron. If looking to avoid eating Fido, pass on gaejangguk (dog meat soup) gaesuyuk (boiled dog meat), gaesoju (a drink with dog meat and herbal ingredients), and gaegogi (literally, dog meat) as well.

Readers - any favorite Korean spots that you won't find in any tourist brochures? Comments are open!

© Chris Backe - 2010

This post was originally published on my blog, Chris in South Korea. If you are reading this on another website and there is no linkback or credit given, you are reading an UNAUTHORIZED FEED.

—

Oneweirdglobe.com

Twitter

Facebook

Google+

RSS Feed
Contact

I got a compass in my heart

First we ate...

... then there was an appearance by the "dirty uncle" ...

... followed by some drunken sailors ...

... and finally it was time to go...

....and listen to listen to him.

The first time I saw him play I was alone at a bar.

My friends had run off in search of faster tunes while I stayed behind and fell in love with lyrics. He sings songs that evoke old memories, intimate little stories that draw you in and remind you of all the stories you have locked away.

... and when he sings everyone seems to stand a little closer ...

.... smile a little longer ....

.. hug their friends a little longer...

... and go out and maybe even make some new ones ...

Cheongdo Bullfighting Festival

Jason and I with the Police

Bright and early on Saturday, Sandra, Jason, Maiko, Jenn and I left Jangsan to head towards Busan Station for another MeetUp. This time we were heading out to Cheongdo, a small town located between Busan and Daegu. As we got on the train, we learned that we didn't have seats, so four of us piled into a small Noraebang (Karaoke). It was crazy. I've never done Noraebang at 9:00am, let alone on a train. Great start to the day! I upload video of that at a later date.

Anyways, we arrived in Cheongdo and got shuffled around until we finally found out where we were going and got the the Festival. It cost 5,000Wan per person, rumours were that those born in the year of the Ox got in free, but they were indeed just rumours as numerous signs pointed out at the ticket booth. The festival had several booths selling food, snacks, traditional activities and lots of persimmon products. Persimmon's are apparently a famous product of the area.

Start of the match

We piled into the stadium and started watching the bulls. It was an interesting sight, the stadium was not full, but well attended by a handful of foreigners and a lot of old Korean men. It definitely is not an event that the younger generations go out to. Essentially two bulls are brought out (usually they are in the same weight class), and the owners release them and the bulls head put, head lock, head jab, and head wrestle until one of the bulls, the loser, decides to run away. These matches can last from a few seconds up to about 40 minutes. We saw 5 or 6 matches, which were all entertaining, but I starting to feel bad for the animals. By the end of the match they had blood running down their heads, and some had jab marks in their necks. However the days events clearly didn't change our views as we ended up having beef soup for dinner back in Busan.

Bullfighting

The Stadium

After watching we met up with some others (Becca and some of her friends) for lunch, and then went to play some traditional games which was fun. Some people made pottery as well. It was an enjoyable event, not sure if I would go again, but it was culturally interesting to witness.

It wouldn't be a true Korean event without strange crossdressers

It will be interesting to see the future of the event, as it looks like younger generations have no interest in it at all. Apparently during the warmer months, the city of JinJu also has weekly bullfighting matches in case I get the urge to watch another match before I go home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vNc8FO0LYQ

Noraebang...on a train...at 9:00am!!

Making rice cake..the traditional way

Hellboy mascot?

i may be a little darling gal of yours

i may be a fool to act the way i do
even though i'm crazy, i'm still a fool for you
so grab my hands, let's go dance, baby you've got to see
letting loose ain't that hard so come get wild with me
- Those Darlins

A conversation through Babelfish

I had a lovely exchange this afternoon with my landlord and who I think is the maintenance man for this apartment building, who both came up after school because of what could only be described as a "merciless fucking bad smell" coming from the sink. Seriously, a couple nights ago, I walked over to it, sniffed, and nearly swooned. Last night it got so bad, I woke up from it and had to open a window even though it was cold out. That's how bad it was.

When the three of us popped up at around 5p.m., sure enough, there was no smell. None. I sniffed it deep; I did not pass out.

The two men talked back and forth, looking at the sink, opening up the bottom and showing me the connecting pipe, which was clear, and said, "clear!" They seemed good-natured about the whole thing, but I wanted to let them know that it was bad last night, real bad, but I understand that it's not bad now. What to do? What to do?

Babelfish translations! I know they are generally pretty inaccurate, what with not being able to discern the subtle nuances of a language, making translations sound pretty damn silly, but my point will get across, yes?

I think it did, but it must have sounded pretty amusing. Maybe that's why they laughed. Here was their response:

The condition is not not bad now. Also the smell is not born almost. From upper layer is caused by probably occasionally with food logic and with cultural difference food the smell is the same thing temporarily every the country is probably caused by and does not become the adaptation not to be and from isn't a little nauseating smell born. And is ordinary now is caused by with mobility of the being revealed refrigerator about sound arresting problem and to the slight sound arresting outside is not born. About sound arresting problem when to speak….

Can you figure out what they were trying to say? I think I got it. I think.

The conversation continued, concluding with an invite for food. To Lotteria, a Korean fast food joint, I think. I politely declined because I had to go for acupuncture:

If now being revealed when the hereafter problem which comes to think with the fact that does not have an above occurs, liaison staring, does a best, to take a measure. The opinion which will bite strangely comes to other country and the suffering is many. Does a best and assists. A little be piece which is inconvenient and school side and coat and a liaison give. Evening is a time takes a meal and the soup bowl. If the time is okay,….

Had I taken them up on the offer, I surely would have brought my laptop with us. Oh, the conversations we could have had...

In other news, I bought my first plant ever in Korea, an orchid. I also put up the calligraphy pieces I made at the Buddhist calligraphy class I attended yesterday afternoon. I will show them once I finally get my camera (and backpack) back from an apartment I left them at two weeks ago.

—

—John Dunphy

A Birthday in Korea is...

A birthday in Korea is different, to say the least. For the actual day I went to the monthly cultural event at Hongbeop-Sa Temple, about 5 minutes from the Nopodong subway station. Hongbeop-Sa is the first modern Buddhist temple that I'd ever visited but it was surprisingly beautiful, if very different from its ancient counterparts. The program consisted of a free lunch (bibimbap), a talk on Dharma and Buddhism and a traditional Korean calligraphy class.

The pile of shoes outside of the lunch room door. Not sure where they put them when it rains...

Golden hand in front of the main entrance. I was told while visiting another temple that gold is very good for luck. ~shrug~

Light your incense here! Very pretty grounds except for the areas that were all dug up (like the background of this picture) for planting or something.

These trees amused me to no end. I wonder if trimming them is some sort of meditative practice or if they have some deeper significance. Maybe it's just aesthetic.

Happy Buddhas!

Fish! I think they get fed often because the second they noticed me checking them out near the water's edge they swam straight over to say hello.

Purdy lanterns.

Inside of the temple. During the Q and A I asked about the iconography of the 3 big Buddhas. The translator for the abbot said that it meant essentially that "you are the hero of yourself, you decide what to see, hear and say." However, another expat said that he had been told at a temple in Nepal that told him it meant 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.' The latter sounds familiar though it could be argued that both have similar messages. In any case, it's an interesting set of images.

I love ceiling pictures in temples. But we knew that already...

The beautiful juxtaposition of traditional life and modernity.

How many people does it take to give Starfish ink?

While we labored away with our Korean characters, the monk next to us made a happy English drawing. It was hilarious and he laughed when he showed it to us too. I like monks with a sense of humor.

The elusive adventurer, caught on camera! (Well, elusive according to my mother, who never seems to have quite enough photos of me.)

Look at the happy birthday girl! I wrote happiness (heng bok) twice, signed my name (al-leck-su), and stamped it with little Buddha stamps. Very pretty. I'm not artistic in the slightest but it was fun and it was about on par with the quality of my peer's work.

Definitely a fantastic, if slightly unusual way to spend my birthday.

—

http://aaaalexsadventuresinasia.blogspot.com/

I missed International Water Day.

I put a little work into a post in honour of International Water Day last year. The theme was transborder waterways – rivers and the like; pollution, taking water for irrigation and the use of dams. I wrote about rivers crossing the DMZ.

Yesterday was World Water Day 2010 and I don’t even know what the theme was. The Joongang has an article describing Biological Oxygen Demand or BOD and dams in Korea. From the article:

According to a Ministry of Environment report released Friday, at the Paldang Dam, which supplies water to over 20 million inhabitants in the Seoul metropolitan area, biochemical oxygen demand – or BOD – was 1.3 parts per million last year, just 0.1 ppm less than in 2000. That falls behind the BOD target of 1.0 ppm which was set by the government in 2005.

BOD is a measure of the uptake rate of dissolved oxygen by organisms and is considered an important factor in determining water pollution. A low BOD level of 1 ppm or 2 ppm means there is not much organic waste in the water supply, whereas a BOD of 6 ppm or higher means that the water supply is polluted.

For the past five years, the Paldang Dam has consistently lagged behind the government’s target BOD.

In the same period, the BOD of water at Gimje in North Jeolla and Muan in South Jeolla worsened to 7.9 ppm in 2009 from 4.8 in 2005 and to 3.5 ppm in 2009 from 2.8 ppm in 2005, respectively.