A Post Wherein I Play Food Critic

I am blogging at you from the familiar comfort of the chicken hof downstairs in my building.

It's been a while, but nothing changes much here, except the faces of the waitstaff--the uniform stays the same, the individual occupying it seems to move on before very long. The chicken is reliably fresh and hot and golden crispy, the beer cold, the ambiance unobtrusive, though I like it when they play the mixed tape (er, CD or whatever) of classic sixties and seventies rock.

The last time I ate chicken downstairs, I tried the new hof (2000 won obek) that took over the seafood place on the corner, but it was terrible: that thin crumb coating, small pieces, fried dark brown to the point of desiccation. Furthermore, they tried to undercharge me--hey, you announce 2000 W beer on your front door, that's what I expect to pay.

I might have mentioned the Hotsun that opened in Blue Nine across the street--the baked chicken is good, the grilled chicken is better, but the best thing on their menu is barbecued pork ribs.

Speaking of restaurants, I met up with Nick and Andy for Chinese lamb kebabs in Bongcheon on Monday. When I came out of the subway exit, there was a loud cluster of fire trucks and emergency vehicles crowding the alleyway. Nick said something like, "Wouldn't it be funny if that was our lamb restaurant?"

Turns out it was. Not funny, but "our" restaurant. Gutted. Andy got a photo (my cell battery was so low, it wouldn't snap a pic), and then we moved on down the side street to another lamb place that Nick's Chinese friend had certified as authentic. And it was really good. So good, we followed up prodigious quantities of lamb with small, delicate quantities of grilled quail. They arrived plucked, cleaned, and skewered, ready for grilling, and about the size of my laptop's touchpad.

I'm used to Georgia quail which, though small, is double the size and has some meat on it. The Korean/Chinese version were so tiny you're supposed to eat them bones and all--this made them excessively crunchy, though they were tasty nonetheless. I felt just a little like I was eating an Ortolan Bunting. If you don't already know what that is, I encourage you not to look it up.

One final food note: for school lunch today, the main course was cubed pork stewed with baechu kimchi. It was delicious. I realized today, not how accustomed I am to kimchi, but how much I've come to relish it. Served cold, as a condiment (or panchan), it's no great shakes, but mixed up hot with something else--or as a jjigae or guk (stew or soup)--it is filling and spicy and al dente. I usually find myself wanting more.

There But By the Grace of ...

The longer I live, the more acutely I am aware of the role of randomness in the circumstances of birth, and what the "luck of the draw" leads to. I was born in America during the headiest days of the American century--by the happenstance of being plopped down in the first world, I have had education, opportunity and resources unimaginable even now to about 90% of the people on Earth.

I think--I hope--people who know me believe I am basically a happy guy. I don't complain a lot, and when I do it's with the understanding that this is minor, that things could be worse. In fact, my biggest complaint these days is that my house has not sold--yet I am one of the fortunate few on earth that even owns a home!

I'll become 48 years old in two weeks time, and my biggest tangible problem is that I have too much! While it is not my intent to low-ball the financial difficulties of this situation, I am saying it could be worse. Much worse. I don't live in a refrigerator box, and I don't collect cardboard from the streets and haul it to the recycling center in heavily-laden carts for a few hundred won per kilogram.

Yet there are thousands of Koreans who do just that--and they are elderly halmoni and halabogi (grandmothers and grandfathers) who, simply through the circumstances of their birth, are not eligible for most of Korea's social security benefits. They were born too long ago, or they can't provide evidence of their place of birth.

And even they must be grateful--assuming they know it--they were not located 40 or 50 km north of Seoul, north, that is, of the 38th parallel, when the cease fire was declared in 1953. But here's my point--so must I.

And yet, Westerners like me seem to feel we are a special case, that we constitute a special class, an entitled class. I have never had to squat over a trough toilet (oh, I've squatted in the woods more than once, but that was matter of choice, more or less), much less grow up doing it daily, with members of the neighborhood right there alongside me. Budae jjigae is for me (and today's middle class Seoulites) a sort of comfort food, not the rare feast it was for war-impoverished Koreans scavenging the waste bins of Camp Johnson and other US bases.

Even in the 1970s, economic tough times, most Americans could count on tins of tuna and boxes of noodles as a minimum standard meal. While we complained, we could still spare a few cents to feed the starving masses in sub-Saharan Africa. In the 80s, the rich got rich richer, and the rest of us improved our lot, too--every home had a microwave oven and VCR player. Bought on credit, but still ...

I am drawn back to the image of elderly Koreans who are grateful if you leave the packing box from your new microwave where they can be the one to add it to their cart, their take, the meager daily toll they claim for twelve or more hours work.

The longer I live, the more acutely I am aware of the luckiness of my high level of general health, education, economic power, and control over my circumstances. For over twenty years, I lived in the same ZIP code in semi-rural Georgia--I found life there quite acceptable, it's fair to say. Here I am in Seoul, Korea, and I'm liking this place pretty well, too. Now I realize I am me, and you are you and he is him and all that, but I decide it. Some people--well, most of humanity--don't get that choice.

So, when I read of people living here (people from outside Korea) who spend the majority of their time complaining about it, whining about the theoretical constraints they feel, wanting to make this place into the place they come from (or the place they think they come from), I don't really connect to that. Like me, they have led a life of privilege, and are in a better position to change their lives than, say, almost any Korean.

Life is too short to be miserable. Quit whining, and do something to improve your life. Or change your attitude. In the words of Eubie Blake: "Pay the thunder no mind - listen to the birds."

Frauds and Monsters

That's what I ended up titling my lesson in second grade this week. The textbook chapter is about Scotland, for reasons which I won't get into here (mainly because I have no idea). Anyway, last week, I played 20 Questions with them under the guise of "Who Am I? Scotland Edition". They like 20 Questions, even though most classes are notoriously bad at it.

First question: "You Korean singer?"

For God sake, man, do you not understand why that is a horrible first question--even if the category isn't "Scotland"?!? Incidentally, the names were "associated" with Scotland, but had to be people they'd know--James Bond, famously portrayed by Sean Connery, Hermione Granger, a character created by JK Rowling, who lives in Scotland, etc. Of course, they're always people I feel sure my students will know (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Peter Pan, Alexander Graham Bell), but half the time, somewhere around question no. 12, someone will ask, "Are you famous?"

For fellow teachers wondering how I do this in a classroom with 30-odd students, I arrange the seats in groups of six, and rotate the student that asks the question from each table in turn. Syntax is one of the key teaching points, so they must phrase a question. Time limit, one chance to rephrase, etc. I draw the first name, but after that the correct guesser becomes "it".

Anyway, this was week two, so I don't know why I'm going on and on about last week. The first thing we did was watch this video:


They write a two-sentence response to the product, and eventually I inform that it is a hoax--a prank, a trick, joke, fake, fraud. Everyone thinks they are too smart to fall for a hoax, but you don't think that way when it's your teacher--or a scientist or other respected figure (Hwang Woo-suk, anybody?)

From here, I take them to the Loch Ness Monster, show some pics and a video, and then this cartoon:


The point is that whether or not Nessie is a fraud, some people have reason to perpetuate it. Next up on the slide show is a variety of "true or false" monster images--mermen, giant glowing squids, the elephant man, blue people of Kentucky, the Scottish Brothers.


The Scottish Brothers--I'd never heard of them either, before I started researching this lesson--were dicephalus conjoined twins who lived in King Edward III's court most of their lives, until their death a few days apart in about 1490. They were well-educated, spoke multiple languages, and harmonized grand duets--one tenor, the other bass. They also argued a lot.

I had heard of the two-headed monster game, somewhere in the ESL world, where students pair off and speak by alternating word-by-word, as if one brain is using two mouths. More advanced students could do this extemporaneously, but my guys would need a script.

So we played the "Scottish Brothers" for the last 15 minutes. I created an interview Q & A worksheet, where the answers would require some practice beforehand, since they had blanks to fill in:

Q4: Tell us about your hobbies.
Q5: Do you like to play sports? Which ones?
Q6: What book did you read most recently?
----
A4: We both enjoy ______ and also ______.
A5: Yes! We play doubles in tennis! We also like ______ and even ______.
A6: I read ______; my brother just finished ______.

Doubles in tennis!

Changes at Yeouido Park

There are two meanings to the title of this post: first, I have assembled a little video made from snapshots at Yeouido Park throughout the course of the last year, organized season-by-season. I put a little Vivaldi Four Seasons behind it, Winter movement. Since it's winter (feels like, anyway!)



Second, when I visited today, workers were busily redoing the walking track that runs the perimeter of the park:


They are replacing the curbs with big, shiny hunks of polished granite, and laying in improvements to the storm drains.



Some kind of construction is going on above the stage area at the north end of the event plaza, as well. I was a week late to catch the park in full fall colors, but there were some striking examples, nonetheless:




Watch the video for more!

Seoul Lantern Festival

So, it was cold and it was windy but that did not prevent about five trillion people from showing up at the Cheonggyecheon for the opening festivities of the Seoul Lantern Festival. I realized many of those people had come to see and hear the Hallyu headliners perform for free.

K-Pop ain't my bag, so I wandered downstream to get a good look at the "lanterns", which were more like parade floats or statues, really. As you walk downstream, you pass through various zones, focusing on a particular theme.


Perhaps my favorite was the animals of Korean nature and mythology. The Korean tiger, now extinct in nature, and the dragon, have long been staples of Korean folktales (remember to click on the images to see a larger version):



The red-crowned crane is a Taoist symbol of longevity and immortality; it is also revered for its nobility. That's a red-crowned crane on the JAL logo, incidentally.




The bull and the panda were particularly well-done:


There were lots of lanterns of traditional Korean activities, like the wrestlers, the juggler, and the palace guards:




A couple other favs included the space shuttle, and the giant VW Beetle:


There was a tunnel/bridge across the stream made from lanterns:

From outside

From inside

The walls along the sides of the stream near the stage end had lanterns on which you could leave a message. This is very common at festivals here--I wonder what happens to all these items...


The section closest to the origin consisted of famous landmarks from around the world, including Gwanghwamun (Seoul's own main palace gate), Big Ben, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa:

Veteran's/Pepero/Lantern Festival Day

Today is Veteran's Day in the US, when we take a particular opportunity to express our gratitude to those who have defended America in uniform.

It is Pepero Day in Korea, when we buy Pepero sticks (aka Pocky) for those we love. This holiday was invented by Lotte, makers of Pepero, to move product. The date 11/11 was chosen since it resembles the sticks.

It is also the day before Korea's nationwide college entrance exam. Literaryhero describes he situation perfectly in his post for today.

The mid-autumn lantern festival kicks off tonight at the Cheonggyecheon, the man made stream that traverses central Seoul. According to the Korea Sparkling page:

The festival invites people from all over the world to come to Seoul and light a lantern, a symbol of 'hope and friendship'. Main events will include an opening ceremony, star studded concert and the daily lantern lighting ceremonies.

Let the festivities begin!

H1N1 Update/Upset

Before the flu outbreak, if a kid put his head down in my class, I would inquire as to whether he was sick or just sleepy. If sleepy, I would make him alert; if sick, I would leave him alone, and tell the co-teacher he says he's sick.

However, the "new flu" has been identified in 80-odd Young-il students as of this morning--my sixth period class was missing 11: six confirmed and five suspected cases. In two weeks, we've gone from four cases to over 6% of the student body!

With those numbers, better safe than sorry, I say. And indeed, with Korea's tendency toward paranoia and overreaction, so you'd think they'd say, too. Which is why I was both surprised and upset by what happened during fourth period today.

A kid with his head down said he felt sick. I alerted Mr Hur, who talked to him a bit about his symptoms, then sent him to the school nurse. He had a headache, general misery and a fever.

Some time later, I notice that the kid has returned to the classroom! Mr Hur investigates, to find out the nurse was unable to confirm the flu--of course--but had told him to go to the hospital (hospitals and clinics are the Korean equivalent of "going to the doctor"). The boy says he did not want to miss school, so he came back to class. Fortunately class was almost over. In my ensuing conversation with Hur and Miss Lee, I learned that they don't think government policy allows the school to send kids home even if the school nurse directs that they go to the hospital.

Well, I hit the roof! Millions of Koreans spent last summer protesting American "crazy cow" that never hurt anyone, but you let kids presumed infectious with a known killer flu spread the microbe in classrooms packed with 30-odd other students.

I think they're wrong about the policy--the Korean Medical Association wants to close schools for a few weeks, and some have done so--so I am thinking of arranging to discuss this with Principal Jun. I have never taken a flu shot, I have never worried about my own health situation regarding the flu, etc., but this business of ignoring standard protocols for it (ANY source of information points out that you must stay home if sick) does make me worry!

Of course, we are coming into the time of Korea's main testing frenzy! Thursday is the nationwide college entrance examination, taken by "third graders" everywhere. Airplanes will be re-routed, businesses will open later than usual, vomit-splattered soju-drunks will hide in alleyways rather than splay themselves on park benches, all in order to assist the seniors in their quest for the SKY! (Seoul National, Korea University, Yonsei)

This will be followed next Tuesday by the national practice exam for content area competence among HS first and second graders. So students feel a special burden to come to class, even if they put their heads down and don't learn a damn thing! Sure, there are kids that need an injection of Tamiflu, but the educational system needs an injection of common sense.

A Dog Cafe

Nope, not a place with dog on the menu, but a place with dogs to pet and play with. I met up Saturday afternoon with Karen in Hongdae (Hongik U. station, Exit 5) then turned left and walked two big blocks, and turned right into the first alley. Maybe the second building on the right. It's 2F and the sign looks likes this:


Usually, I am beloved by dogs and small children, but it took a while before I found a canine friend here. People say dogs' love is unconditional, but this is untrue--snacks help:



There was quite a wait to get a table, but the dogs roam quite freely, and I made a friend who loved having her belly rubbed (who doesn't?):


The "Bau House" offers beverages including coffee, tea, fruit drinks and beer, but not much to eat--except doggie treats! It is family-friendly and several families brought their own pet. Remarkably, there was very little aggressive behavior, and while the place smelled of dog, of course, it was very clean thanks to constant swiffering by the staff.

A big city is a difficult place to own a dog, so this "cafe/hotel" offers dog-lovers an opportunity to commune with their canine side. There were about thirty or so dogs of a wide variety of breeds, from chow to husky to sheltie to lab, some of whom apparently do work in the entertainment industry when they're not being pampered by patrons of the Bau House.


Still, they spend most of their time indoors, so it's no wonder someone wants to go walkies:

This and That

1) Yesterday during sixth period, it was Open House, meaning mothers come in to observe in classes. Guess when I found out it was Open House? Yesterday, after fourth period. Surprise.

Now, I have no problem with anyone observing my class, anytime. I'm not going to change my lesson plan, or anything like that. However, knowing in advance, I would be sure to dress less casually--best foot forward and all that. Fortunately, I was rather nattily attired yesterday, but that's not the point.

Further, I am proactive in asking my co-teachers on Friday about any special events or anything that might effect my classes in the coming week. But not a word. As consolation, Mr Lee assured me that the mothers who sat in my class (7 or 8) were very satisfied.

2) Interesting article in today's NYT about why it's so hard to lose weight despite regular exercise (and yes, I watch my calories, too):

The Denver researchers were especially interested in how the athletes’ bodies would apportion and use calories. It has been well documented that regular endurance training increases the ability of the body to use fat as a fuel during exercise. They wondered, though, if the athletes — or any of the other subjects — would burn extra fat calories after exercising, a phenomenon that some exercisers (and even more diet and fitness books) call “afterburn.” ...
To their surprise, the researchers found that none of the groups, including the athletes, experienced “afterburn.” They did not use additional body fat on the day when they exercised. In fact, most of the subjects burned slightly less fat over the 24-hour study period when they exercised than when they did not.

Still, you can design your workout to maximize the amount of body fat you burn. I had this conversation with the fitness guy at my gym last week, when he told me to slow down on the stationary bike--I do 2 min. really hard (above 40 km/h), then slow down a bit for 3 min. (between 34 and 36 km/h), over a period of 25 min. Then I do 5 and 5 in similar fashion on the elliptical trainer for 25 min.

I pointed out to him that to drop this fat (or "pa-duh"), I need a heart rate of at least 125. Which is what I get (the machines have pulse monitors). It's true I get red in the face, but I can still talk while working, I don't get dizzy or feel excessively weak, and I sweat up a storm. The article has this to say:

“If you work out at an easy intensity, you will burn a higher percentage of fat calories” than if you work out a higher intensity, Carey says, so you should draw down some of the padding you’ve accumulated on the hips or elsewhere — if you don’t replace all of the calories afterward. To help those hoping to reduce their body fat, he published formulas in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research last month that detailed the heart rates at which a person could maximize fat burning. “Heart rates of between 105 and 134” beats per minute, Carey said, represent the fat-burning zone. “It’s probably best to work out near the top of that zone,” he says, “so that you burn more calories over all” than at the extremely leisurely lower end.

I may print this off and take it to him. His English is poor, but he is motivated to improve, and armed with a dictionary, I think he can get through it. My Achilles' Heel remains the chicken hof--Korean fried chicken is awesome! A new hof opened in my building where the seafood place was, and I'm sure I'll be able to give you a review soon.

3) Of all the fruit trees you can grow, Seoulites seem to choose the 감 gam, persimmon, above all others. I pass a dozen persimmon trees growing in people's small yards each day, and this is the time of year when they get ripe. They must be bletted before consumption, so don't go picking them as you pass by and crunching down. Here are a few photos:

Konglish 102

Here are a few examples of Konglish (Korean English) collected recently. First is a football confiscated in class by art teacher Lee Chunggye, the 'Vesta Impect' model:


Just down the street from my school is this car remodeling shop, with the questionable/questioning motto: 'The Car, Whatever You Want?'


I just noticed this tag on the inside of the small, auxilliary backback of the backpack I bought for my China trip. It reads 'This label is issue to the only Genova product that proved it's best quality by 12 steps of test in the extreme':


Finally, found just inside the Men's Room at Seoul World Cup Stadium:


For more Konglish, just click on "konglish" in the Label Cloud in the right-hand sidebar.

The Weather Outside

Well, it turned really cold all of a sudden here in my Patch of Seoul; today's high temperature was 54 F, and the low tomorrow is expected to be 31 F, with a high of 40. Brisk, to say the least.

It was rainy all day yesterday, until about 7 PM; after it stopped, the temperature started dropping. Also, the ghosts, ghouls and other scary creatures started appearing--no, Halloween isn't popular in Korea (yet), I was in Itaewon, Seoul's stand-in for the USA. I had dinner with Karen, after which we made our way to a place called The Loft on the promise of free drinks for the ladies. Andy and Jisun were there there, along with Nick. The Loft is more for the younger crowd--the music too loud and the atmosphere too close--but we stayed until it was time for me to catch the last train.

In addition to the dressed-up weigookin, there was also a small faction of Korean small-fry in Batman and Superman costumes doing trick-or-treating on the streets of Itaewon. In uniquely Korean fashion: they were actually giving out candy! The cuteness of it defies my powers of description. A picture is worth a thousand words, but I don't have any pictures, either. Sorry.

Bonus Photographs: In an attempt to make up for it, here are a couple of photos from my visit to 서울풍물시장, the Seoul Folk Flea Market.

Let's Get [a] Physical!

I spent the better part of the morning at Mok-dong Hospital (my Thursday schedule gives me free periods from 10:30 to 2:10). Never fear: me, flu? No! I was there to get a medical exam as required biennially by my school--totally different than the medical exam required by SMOE for my contract renewal back in early August.

In addition to a standard work-up, employees in my age group have to be tested for gastric cancer. I assume that next time it will be for a different cancer. The regular check-up is free, but the public health insurance only covers 80% of the cancer thing. Miss Lee was so apologetic when she told me about this, I made sure to have lots of cash when I went in.

Well, my 20% came to W9,320 (about USD 8). I only mention this for the context it provides my friends in America who fear the single-payer system (hell, looks like we won't even get a robust public option). I pay 4.5% of my salary matched by the employer, plus co-pays like this, for modern medical care--computers, X-ray machines, lab coats, that hospital smell. A complete physical took about 2:15, including the exit interview. I finished up Life of Pi while in the waiting areas. Riveting read, awesome ending!

My results? Well, they will mail the full report to me in "less than two weeks", but I did see some of the results when I talked to the doctor.
Bad news: I am overweight, have high blood pressure, and drink and smoke too much. Not that that's news...
Good news: my weight is down 3 kg from August, my systolic BP down 15 points, and the doc informed me the ideal amount to drink is 1 to 2 bottles of beer per day.
Best news: he didn't specify what size of bottles.

New Flu Review

I haven't written much about the A-H1N1 influenza situation because, from my perspective, there isn't much to write about. Every year or three, a new, virulent strain of 'flu comes along, and health authorities everywhere scare everyone, try to calm everyone down, then scare them some more by their oscillating predictions of its pandemic possibilities. Occasionally, they actually manage to provide a beneficial vaccine.

So has it been in 2009. Initially called 'swine flu', Korea has taken to calling it 'new flu'--though of course each year's strain is new--and reminding everyone about hand washing, covering one's mouth, and staying away from crowds. Even cancelling some popular events to slow the spread. Despite these efforts, the new flu has been gaining ground.

Mr Hwang informed me on Monday during our walk to school that Young-il got its first case over the weekend, and today three more were added to the rolls of the infected--still, they are otherwise healthy teenage boys, and so I don't fret for their lives. The virus has caused 29 deaths in Korea as of the latest news reports, almost all from the most susceptible demographic groups: the very old, the very young, the already compromised. Is it crass for the more firm-bodied to take heart in this?

President Lee was in the news today for visiting new H1N1 patients, though he has not been inoculated along with the priority groups, saying "he can wait his turn." Good for him ... I hope.

The first round of Tamiflu has become available at hospitals and drug stores, as of yesterday. Today I walked past Hongik Hospital in Mok-dong to see a veritable triage system in place outside. The government plans to vaccinate 35% of the 49 million people in the country. First, you target the health care workers ...

But, back to Young-il, my high school. I read with interest this story: Doctors urge gov't to close schools to curb flu in the Herald tonight.

In a statement released in downtown Seoul, the Korean Medical Association claimed there is a pressing need to shut down schools from next month at the latest.
"Such measures are needed due to the rapid spread of the disease within the general populace and among young school children, and because of the time it will take to complete the ongoing vaccination process," the association said.
It added that the government should keep schools closed for at least two or three weeks.

This brings up a few questions:

• You better pay me anyway!
  
• If students are away from school, will they remain isolated at home? Or will they congregate at PC bangs and hagwons, as usual?
  
• The Korean SAT is November 12. They re-route air traffic to minimize distractions during this all-important event, would they really cancel school and/or the SAT?
  
• What will parents do with their children anyway? Send them to daycare? Hmmm? (Okay, that's three questions.)
  
• What is the wind-speed velocity of Tamiflu?
  
• You wear a spankin' new blue muslin face mask every day, but you put your used toilet paper in a trash can rather than flush it down the commode. Huh?
  

What follows is conservative Dong-A Ilbo's #2 story in today's online version:
Gov`t Statement on H1N1 Flu

Health, Welfare and Family Affairs Minister Jeon Jae-hee looks embarrassed while releasing a public statement following a pan-government meeting on H1N1 flu Tuesday. The statement said, “The H1N1 influenza is spreading fast but if the people trust the government and carefully follow instructions to prevent the disease, the public has no reason to worry too much.”

NK Defectors Fail to Assimilate into Korean Society

As reported in today's online version, the Dong-A Ilbo's Investigative Team

... sent questionnaires to the 470 defectors [from NK who entered the South by way of China through Vietnam in July, 2004] for three months from July 16, among whom 200 answered. The team conducted face-to-face, phone and written interviews to find out their occupations, income, housing situation and life satisfaction.

Alas, all they came away with was about 500 words of plebeian reporting, mainly centered on the economic success (or lack thereof) of the defectors--about 30% are chronically unemployed, and many of the rest face economic hardship due to lack of job skills and training, and the fact that they send whatever they can to family members stuck in the North or hiding in China.

The survey found that most defectors are still wandering around and struggling to survive in the South. Their noticeable linguistic accent, cultural differences, and a public reluctant to embrace them were the main reasons preventing their assimilation.

So much so that some have moved on to other countries, mainly in Europe. One defector who lives in London is quoted as saying, "We always faced hardship in South Korea due to our status as North Korean defectors."

I'm not clear on why this attitude exists among South Koreans, but I noted it too in Kang Chol-hwan's frightening, harrowing and moving account of his years in North Korea's Yodok "re-education camp" and subsequent escape (more here). In summary,

Yeom Yoo-shik, a sociology professor at Yonsei University, said, "This is the first time so many North Korean defectors were selected randomly and surveyed extensively.
"Through the study of North Korean defectors who moved to South Korea over the same period, we can learn what factors are important for North Koreans to adapt to South Korea. As such, the study will be a great reference for Seoul in setting subsidy policy."

Prof. Yeom is probably right, but the fact is that the article that resulted from the "study" provides virtually none of the information needed to understand and deal with the deeper issues of the lack of assimilation.

While I understand the political difficulties involved in taking in defectors, once they are here, it seems to me there is a responsibility to assimilate them: resettlement subsidies are only a beginning. These are people so courageous or desperate that they faced death to flee the barbarous regime just north of here--starved, brainwashed, fearful, hyper suspicious, the culture shock could last for years.

I want to learn about that--what were their first thoughts when they saw a bustling Seoul, the aisles of rice and produce in E-Mart; what do they still fear about the NK machinery; at what moment did you realize you had no choice but flee; what is it like to reject the Dear Leader you were forced to adore; do the songs of worship you sometimes hear in your head haunt you or make you laugh today?

Game 7, KIA Wins!

UPDATE: Now (finally) includes some video I shot at the game. Not much game action, but a good feel for what it's lke to be at the game. Scroll down a little.

Well, I have come full circle with the Korean baseball season. Along with Nick and Andy, I was at Jamsil on Opening Day back in April, and I was there for Game 7 of the championship series on Saturday. With Andy and Nick, and my co-teacher Jerry:


The game had a 2:00 start, and even though we entered the stadium at 12:30, the only seats we could find were deep center field, where we were stuck under one of the KIA banners:


Just kidding, they only hauled that out during the middle first inning warm up. Which is a good thing, because it was a really good game, a suitable ending to a hard-fought series. SK went ahead by three runs by the top of the fifth; KIA struggled back with one run in the bottom, only to give up two more in the next inning. The Wyverns now led 5 - 1.


The Wyverns, who were the league champs the last two years, finished one game out of first to the KIA Tigers thanks to an amazing 17-game winning streak to end the regular season. However, KIA showed the stuff that put them in first by fighting back with consecutive two-run innings in the sixth and seventh that evened things out. I have footage of one of the key hits in my video below.


Both teams have enthusiastic fans, thus making the game all the more exciting. But this game ended in the most inherently exciting fashion possible, a home run to score the win in the bottom of the ninth, sometimes called a walk-off homer, by Na Ji-wan. On the way out of the stadium, I snapped this photo of discarded SK Wyverns noisemakers, piled up like so many broken dreams:

Gay Means Happy, Right?

Fair's fair. After panning the Korea Times on Wednesday for a poorly sourced, muddled story, today I have to congratulate them for today's courageous examination of the current state of the gay community/gay rights in Korea.

To get a sense of the status of gays in Korea, you only have to realize that there are no laws on the books concerning homosexuality. But--big but here--this is because the behavior is traditionally seen as so aberrant that no Korean could possibly indulge in it.

Well, Koreans do indulge in it, as do Icelanders, Micronesians, Tamils, Canadians, Lesbians (oh, wait!), Alsatians and whatever other group you may name. To some extent, it's a matter of degree. For instance, the boys at my high school are very touchy-feely with one another, petting, hand-holding, grooming, nut-checking, etc, being common behaviors. Kinsey would call this "homophilic touch".

In fact he does, in the International Encyclopedia of Sexuality, along with more direct accounts of homosexuality in Korean history. (My thanks to I'm No Picasso, who linked this source in an unrelated post a few days ago.) For example:

In the Koryo dynasty, same-sex relationships, mostly between males, were very common among the ruling class. In a historical analysis of Hallimbuilgok by Seong, King Chungsun (1275-1325) maintained a long-term relationship with a wonchung (male lover), and King Kongmin (1325-1374) appointed at least five youths as “little-brother attendants” (chajewhi) as sexual partners.

Anyway, the Korea Times article mentions a few of the better-known gay bars in Itaewon (largely a foreigner-intensive district) on "Homo Hill"--not to be confused with "Hooker Hill". I mean, Seoul is all "up one hill, down another."

Older Koreans are far more reticent to come out, or even to speak on the record, with a few notable exceptions. One of the most notable, of course, is Hong Seok-chun, the actor who lost his career when he came out in 2000. He started a business in Itaewon, the now-famous restaurant Our Place.

Right on the sub-main strip, I went to Our Place once with Gavin, but it cost W11,500 for two beers, which is twice the going rate. Cheater, cheater, peter eater. Apparently Hong was thinking that by coming out, he would lead others from the closet into the light. Other well-known figures in Korea who are secretly gay said, "You go, I'm with you!"--but only on the inside.

'Konglish' A Double-Edged Sword

This according to a whimsically under-written article in today's Korea Times. Konglish, in case you didn't know, is English words in hangeul, spoken following Korean pronunciation rules. For instance, Burger King is 버거 킹, or Baw-gaw King. Toast is 토스트, or toe-suh-tuh. Last week, "toast" was the answer in a word game I played with the first graders. I made them repeat it properly about six times before moving on.

Anyway. By "contributing writer" Ines Min, the article wants to make four points:
1) Konglish makes it more difficult for Koreans to learn English. As evidence, the author provides no studies, journal papers or such, just a quote from Brian Deutsch of Brian in Jeollanam-do fame:

"(The overuse of English) actually makes it harder for Koreans learning English," [...] "They are so accustomed to pronouncing these borrowed words the Korean way that they can't adjust to English pronunciations and meanings."

I think he's right about accent and pronunciation, but meaning seems a much more tenuous argument to make. And it's not made here.
2) Konglish has a corroding effect on the Korean language. Min quotes Eric Kim, who authors a well-known series of English education books, with an example:

"The Korean language did not (originally) have the present perfect aspect," Kim said. "The recent introduction has resulted from the use of English in Korean." This could later distort the traditional Korean way of constructing meaning, he added.

3) Exactly the opposite of 2. Her source is Edwin Sunder, whose Ph.D in education is the closest thing to expertise in the whole story (well, there is an SNU professor, but we are not told in what field):

He doesn't feel the use of English is a problem because in India, his native country, a similar occurrence took place, with English becoming the official second language.

4) Borrowed words add depth (or certainly new words) to a language and promote multiculturalism. Fair enough.

I might note here that if you were to try to remove the borrowed words from English, you'd have nothing left. Remind me to do a post about "pia" someday. Not Pia Zadora, no. The suffix Koreans use to suggest Utopia.

Bonus Photographs: These are not exactly Konglish, but they're something. The first is just a typo of some kind, on a banner three feet tall. The second is part of the events calendar of the brochure I picked up at Seoul Olympic Park:

A Few Follow-ups

1) As promised, an update on the week's lesson following the "hell class" of Tuesday, fifth period. I am happy to announce that they really liked it. They bought into it and jockeyed for position to be the next to go back in.

Alas, the seventh period class did not have their best day. They were rambunctious, and are the first class (of 10 so far) to do a poor job of getting the information down completely (I spot-check their worksheets, of course).

OTOH, Mr Wright's two classes of first graders were impeccable. Mr Wright, a grammarian who once spent a month in upstate New York, is becoming a really good co-teacher.

2) Seoul is having its first cold snap of the season. It was 43 F this morning when I left home, and it warmed up to not quite 60 F. The weather gadget says it's 50 F right now. Today was also a strong yellow wind day.

One likes to have a couple of months after turning off the aircon before turning on the ondol (floor heating)--and then, of course, vice versa in the spring. Older Koreans tell me the Seoul winters are quite mild compared to the days of their youth. They accept global warming as fact. Of course, some of them also accept "fan death" as fact...

3) A South Korean historian receives coverage in the Dong-A Ilbo for his thesis that patriotic ancestor An Jung-geun was [gasp!] tried illegally by the Japanese government after assassinating Japanese colonial governor of Korea Hirobumi Ito in what was then Russian-controlled territory in China. The year was 1909. The Russians should have had control, and should have consulted with the Korean government.

I bet he's right. But I don't know that this exactly newsworthy, since there doesn't seem to be anything, um, new in the article. Whenever I read stories like this, I vaguely hear Mrs Lovett's voice in my head, trying to get Sweeney Todd to let go of "... the wrongs what was done to you, Heaven knows how many years ago..."

Just the other day, I was talking with youthful co-teacher Mr Hur about, well, I don't remember what, but we ended up on the American Revolutionary War. He studied American and British Literature in college, not much history, but he confessed he's always been surprised by the close friendship of the US and Britain after such a significant war.

I shrugged and said, "Well, I guess the British don't hold a grudge like the Koreans do!"

"Yah!" he said, nodding sagely, "very different cultures."

Young-il Toy Convention

I have been working for weeks on this lesson plan, and finally put it into the implementation stage today. The idea: an information gap activity taking place at a toy convention where manufacturers' reps are pushing their product on store buyers. The buyers have to find out about safety-testing, incentive programs, recommended ages, etc, and the ones manning the product booths have to find out about the store's price point, customer base, etc. I thought it would be more interesting for high school boys than a pretend supermarket.

I created eight booths, for eight products, along with company names and logos, product flyers and the like. It was a lot of work. Here is the booth set up:


Inexpensive, quality toys with no batteries required are tough to find here, but I managed to get eight items that I could live with, including a magnetic tangram board, a Rubik's cube in a coin bank, a doctor kit, and some plastic animal playsets in little suitcases. If I could have found some marbles, I'd have nine!

The co-teacher picks eight mature students with good English skills to man the booths; the others are given a worksheet with a unique identity, a store and a set of requirements (age range, price, etc) they are trying to fulfill. Of course, everyone has a match, if they can find it.

It's easy to catch a cheater (and there are cheaters, since they believe filling in the sheet is more important than practising English), because if "Sam Spade" interviewed at "Scientific Fun" his info will be on the manufacturer's rep. worksheet.




It went okay, but the real test is tomorrow, fifth period. There's a handful of unmotivated smart-alecks, but they often ruin it for everyone. And my co-teacher is the most inexperienced of the bunch. Stay tuned.

Another Saturday in Seoul

Usually of a Saturday, I like to go to the park, or watch a sports event, or meet with friends and drink a few beers. Yesterday, I managed all three! I mentioned earlier that I've taken to sitting on a bench at Yeouido Park and reading a book lately, since line 9 has it so convenient. I'm currently reading Life of Pi. With the cooler air moving in, I suspect there aren't a lot of such opportunities left. I took a couple pictures of the spot I choose on this trip; it's a nice oasis in the middle of Seoul's CBD:



From Yeouido, you can take line 5 to Gongdeok and transfer to line 6 heading to World Cup Stadium. Outside exit 2 is a huge amphitheatre, where usually nothing is happening. On this occasion, there seemed to be some kind of high school performance fest. One group was doing a meaningful drama as I walked by so I took a couple photos. It reminded me of a play I did in high school called "The In-Crowd":


They were followed by an all-girl drum corps which sounded pretty good, I thought:


The game ended up a 2 - 2 tie between FC Seoul and Busan I'Park. The game started at 5:00 and sitting on the east side of the stadium, the colors of the sky looked pretty amazing around dusk.


After the game, I met up with Karen and Patrick in Itaewon for some food and conversation. The original plan was to see the game together, but Patrick flew in late. We finished up late, very late, so I had to take a taxi home. Due to the late night rate, it was W18,000.