I've begun to use my second roll of Korean toilet paper. Only 22 more to go! Maybe I will donate my excess rolls to random locations/people in Seoul... or put 20 all in one public bathroom stall. Decisions, decisions...
Oooh. Here's an incentive to comment on my blog: Post your suggestions for what I should do with my excess toilet paper below and I will announce/follow-through with the best idea! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ <- Korean laughter (think evil "kekekekeke" - that's what I imagine, but I'm sure no Korean would tell you that)
Tonight I also did my first load of laundry in Korea and unfortunately it was not the epic disaster-adventure I was hoping it would be. I was expecting an exciting overflow of soap suds and the washer to explode from putting in too much detergent. Or all my clothes to be dyed one color. Or my socks to go missing. Or at least the dawn of the CLOTHING MUTANT reign. But alas, my clothes are just a bit cleaner than they were before and smell kind of weird because the dryers smell weird and I didn't have nice-smelling fabric softener (nor any bad-smelling fabric softener for that matter) to put in the dryer with it. I fear I am much more domestic than I hope I wasn't. Moving on.
Last week my film course brought me to travel the Southeast, somewhat coastal cities of 경주, 안동, and 을산, throughout which I had absolutely no internet connection. Hence no word from me for so long. But before I describe any more (non)adventures I promised you a KOREAN FOOD GUIDE:
Basically eat everything.
Done!
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Just kidding. But I actually have not disliked anything that I have eaten here. Truly, just eat everything.
I shall now present you with KOREAN FOOD PICTURES:
BEHOLD: 팥빙수
Sort-of-not-really pronounced: PAt-bing-SU
팥빙수 is the greatest dessert of all time. It is shaved ice with a glob of red beans hidden in the middle (you can't see it in these pictures). The ice can be flavored like green tea on the left, or strawberry(?) on the right. It also often has a scoop of ice cream on top. And finally, like almost every dessert, drink, or special food in Seoul, the surface is carefully decorated to look fantastic. On the left you have tapioca balls arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way. On the right, chocolate and vanilla sauce is on top of pineapple and cherry tomatoes and bananas and grapes and honey dew - ALL INSIDE OF A WATERMELON SHELL. IT'S GENIUS I TELL YOU! KOREAN FOOD IS GENIUS!
NOW MOAR POTOS:
Now you might notice something about these photos, and indeed with 팥빙수 as well. Korean food is almost always "family style" or sharable. The common Western/American conception that "This dish is MY MEAL because I want it for me. And it is mine. My food. And I will eat it because it is mine." doesn't really exist here except at McDonalds or Taco Bell. I think it's really great because a) it's much easier to split the bill, b) you often can try more kinds of food this way, and c) it creates this magical, happy atmosphere of camaraderie and friendship that Americans lack. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ So c) is a bit exaggerated, but eating "family style" really does make eating more social and fun with everyone trying the same dish that you all can react to. I don't know how to explain it so... just come to Korea and try it yourself! :D
ONE MORE FOOD PHOTO:
This is my favorite Korean food: 죠스떡볶이
떡볶이 is roughly pronounced: TOCK-bok-key
I just love this dish. 떡볶이 is rice cakes and fish cakes swimming in spicy red chili pepper sauce and just sooooooo gooooood. 죠스떡볶이 is supposedly a particularly spicy 떡볶이, but like most Korean dishes that had been flagged by locals who baby all foreigners about how spicy the food is, I do not find it as unbearable as I apparently should. I admit that this dish and a few others I have eaten have been spicy, but not, "Oh my! My mouth is on fire and my eyes are watering! Give me all the water in this restaurant because this is food is SO SPICY!" kind of spicy. Eat this dish with some delicious pig intestine, 순대, and drink the delicious and refreshing 쿨 피스. Then you will find your meaning to life and happiness and stomach fulfillment.
So I have to sleep now or be a zombie in class tomorrow, but I have so much more to share that a new post will definitely be up in a few days. To wrap things up with a friendly toilet seat brand, "HELLO"
Why, hello there, rear-end. Have a pleasant time here in this lovely land of bathroom stalls.
GABI OUT
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