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Hate at First Sight

Every month, I walk into my new classes and I hate them on sight. It's not personal. I just hate everybody that I don't know; those in the classroom are no exception.The feeling usually passes once I share a few words with them and am forced to accept them as people, but up until that point? Hate.

Okay, hate is a bit strong. I'm exaggerating, as I do. Hate indicates a degree of caring, which doesn't exist in this case. Apathy or, at worst, distrust would be more appropriate. Whatever it is, while I follow something resembling the social code which I was taught (holding open doors for people, not cutting in line, and other such blah), people that I don't know don't really register as real people.

Midway through the second day of class, once I've attached names to faces and seen a glimpse of personality, I come around to the idea that my students are real people. By the end of the first week, we're all pretty tight, such that I can cater my lesson plans to each of their individual learning styles and personalities. By the end of the month, I can even imagine that some of them exist outside of the classroom; this is in part because they insist that I have a drink with them, an invite which I rarely decline.

When classes come to a close each month, all the names, which went with faces, most of which had personalities, move on. A new sea of nameless faces, which I hate on sight, then grow to see as people, and finally like, maybe just a little bit, replace the old.

It's an exhausting process.

Bun Cha

It's our second day in Hanoi, and Sarah and I just stumbled on what I've since found out to be one of Northern Vietnam's most famous street dishes: Bun Cha.

Bun Cha is a lunchtime favourite that marries rice noodles, grilled pork meatballs and a fish sauce infused broth in a fantastic dish that screams our arrival in South East Asia.

In classic street food style we didn't even have to order this one - our lunch was brought to us while we were still fiddling about in the Lonely Planet food section and looking around us awkwardly.

We each recieved a plate of lukewarm, slightly sticky rice noodles and a bowl of broth. We also got a large plate of leaves to share and some chopped chili and garlic by way of condiments.

It was all pretty intuitive - take a small bunch of noodles, drop it in the broth along with some leaves, chili and garlic and then gather up as much as you can with your chopsticks, making sure to grab some of that pork along the way.

What happened next was outstanding; the pork meatballs were charred on the outside and medium rare in the middle, containing subtle hints of a spice mix I was having too much fun to even think about. The broth, meanwhile, was in turns sweet, savory and spicy, the unmistakable tang of fish sauce acting as a prelude to the slow chili burn that followed. Apart from the lettuce, I have no idea what the other leaves were. Suffice to say that they were good, with a nippy little purple number making a particular impression.

So good was lunch in fact, that I barely registered the three mice that scurried past our table during the course of our meal.

Now thats what I call food.

The Meaning of 2080 Toothpaste

Here at grad school, the passing of time is often marked by whimsical events unwillingly overanalysed by a fun-starved mind. One such event is when I run out of toothpaste and need to buy another money saving 3-pack. The excitement is sometimes overwhelming. Three tubes of toothpaste last a moderately hygienic bachelor a fair amount of time, so one must be careful to peruse the flavours with caution. If you're not careful, you can be stuck with 3 tubes of Green Tea flavour, or even worse, Sea Salt.

Although they don't sell my kindergarten favourite Colgate Bubblicious, there is a brand called 2080 here, which isn't bad. It comes in spearmint and peppermint flavours. As an amateur toothpaste connoisseur, I give it a 7 out of 10. The main problem is that it foams up too quickly in the mouth, which is inconvenient for me because I like to leave the basin while brushing and walk around the house so I can stare at the walls/ceiling etc.

But as I'm sure you're all wondering, what on earth does 2080 mean?

Aha!

The meaning of 2080 perplexed me for an eternity before I chanced upon the answer right there on the tube. It means that it will maintain 20 of your teeth until you are 80 years of age. Therefore, should I continue to use 2080, I am due to lose around 8 of mine sometime before then.

Preferably not my molars.

South Korea Trip - Pohang 포항

Alright you can check out the video of my trip from Busan to Pohang in South Korea. The trip in total was 358 kms. I rode the #7 highway from Busan to Pohang and the #14 highway back.. On the trip I checked out a lighthouse museum, Homigot Sunrise Plaza, Bogyeongsa temple and Mt. Naeyeonsan.. Each video is a one day trip. I start the day with no plan other than a final destination. By the end of the day I have compiled 2-4 hours of footage on two cameras. I then cut that footage into the five minute video you see here. The video features creative commons music by Loudog- New Friends featured on http://www.jamendo.com. On August 14 I can be heard on Busan eFM 90.5 between 10-11am (Seoul Time/ Aug.13 6-7pm Pacific Standard time) and on August 16 10-11am (Seoul Time/ Aug.15 6-7pm Pacific Standard time) http://befm.co.kr/main/IndexAction.do?cmd=Index Enjoy the video! Jeff

Apparently Prince has a bar in Korea too!

A great meal at the end of the day!

Microsoft: Asians are OK. Blacks, well, uhmm

Review: Miru Kim's photography at Gallery Hyundai offers a new perspective

You might have seen a story about this particular Korean photographer in the Korea Herald recently. Gallery Hyundai's two floors of space contains some fascinating looks at areas usually considered off-limits.

And for Miru Kim, that means doing it nude.

Whether exploring New York City, Michigan, Paris, or even Seoul, many of her works are of abandoned or deserted sites, some not known to residents of the city. Other photographs amongst the dozens bring up the 'how did she get there?' questions.

These are only meant to whet your appetite for beautifully bizarre places, some perhaps no humans have been to in quite some time.

From Michigan's Central Station in Detroit. For her descriptions, she combines imagination of what the area might have appeared like with a bit of history, then adds a dash of curiousity and fascination with the present-day look.

The Williamsburg Bridge in New York. Although nude, Ms. Kim appears neither erotic nor sensual. The female form is only clearly evident in a few of the 50+ photographs; while she seems to make little effort to hide herself, the focus is clearly on the place. Her nudity is done for herself, not the audience.

A catacomb in Paris, France. The lights she's holding is a carbide lamp, which creates a warm yellow light also used in the mining field. She explains them as being safer and long-lasting, but I'm sure it's no coincedence that they bring a more natural light to places that may have seen light in awhile. Other pictures are illuminated by sunlight or ambient light from, say, a city skyline.

My only complaint amongst this exhibition is of a technical nature. While the prints themselves are accurate, some of the images themselves tend to be blurry - possibly because of poor lighting. That the friend taking her picture is mentioned in the Herald article but nowhere in the exhibit steals some credit from a daring and courageous friend.

Full of life (and ironically,death as well) Miru Kim is highly worth seeing if you enjoy urban exploring. Be sure to visit both floors of photographs.

The exhibition runs through September 13th. Gallery Hyundai is open from 10am - 6:30pm, but closed on Mondays. Free admission; handicapped-accessible.

Diretions to Gallery Hyundai: take line 3 of the Seoul subway system to the Apgujeong station. Take exit 2 to street level, then take a U-turn and turn right to follow Apgujeong-ro. Cross at the first light, then turn right. Turn left just before the Lush store - if you pass the Mini Stop you've gone too far. After turning left, the Gallery Hyundai will be straight ahead.

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"Foreign nationals make up 2.4% of Seoul population"

Just a quick report from the Korea Herald while I work on compiling some other blogposts. We foreigners make up 2.4% of Seoul - but read on for plenty of details:

The number of foreign residents in Seoul as of the end of last year reached 255,000, according to the city's e-Seoul Statistics, published yesterday. The corresponding figure in 1998 was 51,000.

Among all 152 nationalities, 192,618 (75.5 percent) of the foreign residents were Chinese, followed by the United States with 12,821 (5 percent), Taiwan with 8,818 (3.5 percent) and Japan with 6,840 (2.7 percent).

The Chinese residents mostly live in the western districts of Yeoungdeungpo and Guro, while Americans mostly reside in southern Gangnam and central Yongsan, where a major U.S. Armed Forces unit is located. The Taiwanese favored the Seodaemun and Mapo area.

So the number of foreigners are up 500% in the last 10 years and Americans make up only five percent of the foreigners here... Granted, it doesn't say much about the other nations that send teachers... It's always nice to get some actual numbers though.

Life in Korea: 100 Korean words to sound more like a local (part 1 of 3)

To my wonderful veteran expat readers - 'Life in Korea' posts are aimed at the newer expats among us. Think of these as the Idiot's Guide to Life in Korea - helpful for some, and a review for others. Please feel free to contribute what you know in the comments!

UPDATE: I owe a few hat tips to a few expats more versed in Korean than myself. Those, along with some corrections are sprinkled throughout the post.

So you've made it to Korea, learned some hangeul (the Korean alphabet) and have gotten pretty good at reading menus, signs, and subway stops (check out the Korean Wiki Project if you haven't!). That, however, doesn't necessarily make it easier to communicate something in Korean, and hand motions can only go so far.

It's time to pick up some common vocabulary words and ditch the phrasebook. You will see these words and phrases again and again - and in some cases a couple words is all you need. While the Korean Wiki Project has a metric ton of information at your disposal, let's get some basics under our belt. I should note that no group of 100 words can possibly cover everything you need to know. With that said, let's get it started!

The basics

안녕하세요 - An-nyeong ha-se-yo? - Your basic formal hello - you should already know this after your first or second day here.
잘지내 - Jal-ji-nae? - How are you, or what's up? A more casual 'hello' amongst friends or peers. HT to Matt for suggesting another meaning of 'long-time, no-see'.
감사합니다 - Kam-sa hab-ni-da - Your basic formal thank you - again, you probably know this after your first or second day here.
고맙습니다 - Go-mab seub-ni-da - Another way of saying 'thank you' - still formal in nature.
고마워 - Go-ma-wo - A more casual 'thank you'.
천만에요 cheon-man-e-yo - you're welcome.
아마도 - a-ma-do - maybe.

The classroom (click here for some more Korean in the classroom)

조용히해 - jo-yong-hi-hae - be quiet
한국말 하지 마세요 - han-gook-mal ha-jee-mah-say-yo - don't speak Korean
시작 - si-jak - start, as in start working
알겠지 - all-get-gee - do you understand?

The people

아주마 - A-ju-ma - a married or older woman.
아저씨 - A-jeo-ssi - a married or older man.
아가씨 - A-ga-ssi - a young or unmarried woman.
선생님 - Seon-saeng-nim - teacher
학생 - Hak-saeng - student
회사원 - Hoi-sa-won - salaryman or company worker
꽃미남 - ggoch-mi-nam (pronounced goat-mee-nam - HT to patrick) - flower boy
왕따 - wang-dda - a dork or nerd, a person nobody likes (slang)

The places

방 - bang - by itself, it's just a room. It's what you do in the room that will complete the noun.
노래방- no-rae-bang - literally, singing room. Also a place to hear singing, usually badly and by drunk people.
공원 - gong-won - a good old-fashioned park.
모텔 - mo-tel - motel; one of few Korean words transliterated from English that doesn't sound different whichever language you use.
여관 - yeo-gwan - smaller family-run hotel. Usually cheaper and more basic. (HT to White Rice for catching the vowels)
역 - yeok - by itself, a stop or station. Combine it with the name of a subway station and you're in business. For example, Seoul Station is 서울역.
시장 - si-jang - a traditional market of some kind, usually open-air and outdoors.

The drinks

맥주 - maek-ju - good old-fashioned beer. Add 생 (saeng) in front if you want draft, or 변 if you desire a bottle.
소주 - so-ju - you probably learned this one in your first week here. If not, there's plenty more about Korea's firewater over here.
막걸리 - mak-geol-li - milky-colored rice wine.
와인 - wa-in - wine
취한 - chi-han - to be drunk. For example, I am drunk = 난 취했어
취하지 - chi-ha-ji - to be sober. HT to White Rice for suggesting these are adjectives - not sure how to conjugate these, but perhaps just the word will be enough.
해장 haejang = food or drink to relieve a hangover

33 down, 67 to go - stay tuned for more.

Did I miss something or get something wrong? Comments are open.

Banned in the PRC!

So for some reason, Street Foodie was caught up in the 10% of all websites blocked in China. As such, I've relied on my Dad to post for me for the last five weeks. Thanks Dad!

Whether it was my reckless use of bad puns or my virtual ignornarance of spelling and punctuation we'll never know. What I do know is that now I'm back online I'll be posting MUCH more frequently and being a much better webmaster all round.

Looking forward to writing about Vietnam. Street food is everywhere and the ice coffee has been keeping me awake at night.

Koreabridge