tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11251284908483943282024-03-14T10:21:59.336+09:00The Seoul PatchRead the ramblings of a middle-aged American teacher, writer and soccer coach teaching English in Seoul, South Korea since August, 2008. Expect entries on education, lesson planning, politics, soccer, food, culture ... and travelTuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.comBlogger1041125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-53626275029854023852023-05-26T22:45:00.000+09:002023-05-26T22:45:42.693+09:00I've Got News!Well, the contract has been signed, and the countersigned contract has been returned, my SMOE school has been informed, my airplane ticket has been bought (for way too much won), so it's now pretty much official, Tuttle will be returning to good ol' Georgia in early August to take a full-time position as a science teacher at a stable Atlanta-area independent school for 2023-24, and hopefully some years thereafter.
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While I was on vacation in Thailand (I might end up making a couple of posts later on this) I decided to test the waters since I was reaching the retirement age here in Korea. Frankly, 62 is a ridiculously young age to put a quality teacher out to pasture--I personally have a good ten years left in me! Especially now I've got new lenses after cataract surgery in 2017, a new shoulder following my terrible accident, and a brain MRI that demonstrated I am in "perfect" brain health a few months ago.
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So I updated my resume, worked up a solid cover letter, and sent it out to schools looking for such as me identified on the GISA website. To be honest, I am highly qualified, quite energetic, and a pretty good candidate for MS/HS science teaching jobs. Due to age, I didn't have high expectations--I was mainly just testing the format--but got a fair amount of interest, and eventually the job offer.
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I know I don't post much these days, which I explain honestly by pointing out that not much newsworthy has been going on--heck, my last post was really just the same post I've made a dozen times with photos of the Yeouido cherry blossoms. Well, to be fair, they are blogworthy no matter how many times you've seen them!
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Anyway.
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I think this is blogworthy, fer shure!
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This blog was inaugurated on the acceptance of a position teaching English in Korea, after umpteen years teaching science and math in my home state of Georgia, and so should probably end on leaving Korea to teach science and math in Goergia. But before that, I want to be sure to memorialize, or blogorize, some of my final, special times here--two and a half months transpired from contract to arrival in Korea, and it's just about the same timeframe before I begin my new job.
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So therefore, I hope to at least capture some of my last weeks here before moving on to the next stage in my life--and letting my Patch of Seoul grow on its own.
Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-22364471697113080092023-04-17T14:18:00.000+09:002023-04-17T14:18:49.510+09:002023 Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival<br>
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After years of Covid closures, the Cherry Blossom Festival finally returned to Junjungno, the street that circles around the top end of Yeouido at the Korean government's legislative center.
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Of course, the flowers return every year, but this is the first time the crowds of people have returned to view them since 2019! You can see there lots and lots of folks, possibly more than I expected on a Sunday morning before the Festival officially opened on Monday.
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The pic above shows that the festival is not just about the cherries (a gift to Korea from the Japanese governemnt from around the same time as they gifted the ones found in Washington, DC's tidal basin to the US), but is actualy the "spring flower" festival, what with the 개나리 <i>kenari</i>, aka golden bell, a member of the forsythia family. Below, a gorgeous tulip in one of the roadside planters, followed by two little fellows posing for photo ops!
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Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-19637209794159968652022-12-11T22:30:00.007+09:002022-12-11T22:32:51.804+09:00A Saturday in SeoulHaving bought a (used) iPad, part of my needs for upcoming vacation in Thailand, I also needed a charger or power bank, whatever you call it, so I headed on Saturday to Sindorim TechnoMart--which I previously mentioned <a href="https://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/2009/05/sindorim-technomart.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/2015/04/in-which-tuttle-goes-shopping-for-table.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Found what I needed, a Templer "Metal Battery" with 10,000 mAh; also got a new screen cover and a case that also holds the iPen. Then headed down to the Food Court for lunch:
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You go around all the stalls until you decide what you're looking for--Soup Village for me, on this chilly Saturday. That's 육개장 (yook gae jang) spicy beef soup. Rice in the covered bowl, black beans, pickled turnip, egg custard, sprouts, stewed veg, tiny bottle of drinking yoghurt, and a mini-chocolate bar. 8,000W (~USD 6.50).
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The beans seem to me similar to the little wooden toys you might find at Cracker Barrel or Po Boys: you play the how-many-beans-can-I-get-on-the-chopsticks game until the soup temperature cools from center-of-the-sun to molten lava. But it's delicious.
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Saturday evening, I joined a group of friends for "S@R", Seoul at Random, where a subway station is chosen at random and we congregate for dinner and drinks. Yesterday's station was Yeongeungpo on Line 1.
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We gave a pass to Jurassic Chicken, as we prefer our meat fresh, and opted for beef Korean BBQ style. Awesome!
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As we left, there was a traditional street cart selling a hard Korean candy called 엿 (yeot). "Hard" is an understatement; I have pretty good teeth, but I don't eat it for fear of chipping one! But I am glad to see they are still plying the trade in the middle of a rather upscale eating street in 2022!
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Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-63058030596813058492022-10-29T19:13:00.001+09:002022-10-29T19:14:19.313+09:00Halloween in Seoul 2022When I came to Korea, Lo! these many years ago, Halloween was a phenomenon seen only in Itaewon, the "foreigner district". Times change, so does Korea. Here are two shots I took in my west-of-the-river neighborhood:
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It was difficult to find Halloween decorations, etc, in stores. Not now!
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Yes, that's Halloween-themed hot dogs, at my local HomePlus.
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My CoT took it on herself to decorate the classroom, using stuff I had collected over the years, plus the amazing spiderweb she made herself!
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Happy Halloween!Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-17993264069724942102022-09-08T23:12:00.009+09:002022-09-08T23:16:21.624+09:00New Shopping Phenomenon in SeoulThere is a new way to do your grocery shopping in Korea, and it is self-service. No, I don't mean self-service check-out!
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The whole shop is unmanned! Pick up your basket, select your items, then do the self-service check-out too!
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Obviously, lower manpower keeps prices down, but while there are lots of national and international brands--Tabasco sauce half what it costs in Emart--there are also off-brands, and off tastes. The cheesy linguini microwave dinner was just fine. Yet, the cheapo quesedillas I got were actually cheapo! On the other hand, 7,500 W for a kilo of frozen mango slices, you can't go wrong!
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I got a box of pork ribs for 9,900 W and tried them a couple of days ago--and they were awesome! I'm not saying the best thing I've ever eaten, but for real Western-style ribs at about eight bucks, they can't be beat!
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Went back today and got more, for my it's almost Chuseok dinner. Cooked 'em up in my toaster oven. Look pretty good, right?Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-51164179134373310322022-08-17T13:42:00.001+09:002022-08-17T13:42:07.679+09:00YouTube QuizAs a long-time trivia fan--including a pub trivia host for a time, back in the day--this trivia YT channel I've been following recently is holding a submission contest (random drawing style)m so I thought I'd send in a submission.
Here it is. Let me know how you did.
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<iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="Pcu5JNu7UNw" width="400" height="322" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pcu5JNu7UNw"></iframe>Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-83202939047450802492021-11-04T18:28:00.002+09:002021-11-04T18:28:44.831+09:00Fall ColorsThe weather was fine when leaving work today, which you can see in the blue sky. As I noticed the weather, I also noticed the fall colors, and pulled out my iPhone for a few shots.
First up is the walkway headed to the front gate; the next two are on the sidewalk in front of the school, and the final shot is looking across Airport Highway with the centerlane busstop.
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The bright yellow are ginkos, the others are mostly maple and maybe sycamore.Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-7383593989424309182021-10-30T20:54:00.003+09:002021-10-30T20:54:44.123+09:00Star Time ManduA new mandu pocha--not really restaurant, not actually a covered wagon--opened in my neighborhood about a month ago, and I finally passed by at a time I was hungry and headed home.
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For those unfamiliar, 만두 mandu are Korean stuffed dumplings, steamed usually, but sometimes fried. They come stuffed with a huge variety of ingredients, as you can see from the store sign: beef, pork, squid, fish paste, kimchi, potato salad, vegetables, spicy vegetables, noodles, etc, etc.
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The name means "Star Time" or similar, and that's a cute little mandu offering to cook himself for you. I posted on this topic, suicide food, yonks ago, <a href="https://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/2008/07/martyrdom-in-animal-kingdom.html">here</a> and <a href="https://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/2008/11/suicide-veggies.html">here</a>.)
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I had one order of galbi mandu, rib meat, and one of large shrimp, both quite tasty, as always served with soy sauce and radish kimchi. Remember to pull the tail bit off the shrimp!Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-71817974631492930202021-10-13T19:55:00.004+09:002021-10-13T19:59:00.405+09:00Dinner in Dangsan<center><a href="https://imgur.com/XZeImob"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://imgur.com/XZeImob.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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Had dinner with pal Adam by Dangsan station, junction of lines 2 and 9 that I traverse pretty regularly. As you can see above, the air quality was, um, good, and 0-차 at the CU was immediately outside exit 4.
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The 'four for man won (10,000 W)' has somehow spurred on a myriad of smaller Korean breweries, and gotten the chaebol into the game.
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Here's the excellent spot we selected for dinner, between exits 2 and 3, which serves both pork and beef.
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I've posted a couple hundred pictures of Korean BBQ, but I just love the thick samgyupsal, which gets crispy on the outside but stays juicy inside. And check out the panchan, egg custard out-of-shot:
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Here's the 'Wall of Fame' of celebrity diners, and the outside ashtray, helpfully located just beneath the 'No Smoking' sign:
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And finally a shot of the amazingly well-marbled, melt-in-your-mouth 꽃살 kkotsal, "flower meat", which was a bit pricy at 18,000 W per serving, one serving shown.
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Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-2133637758483671732021-10-01T14:29:00.002+09:002021-10-01T15:04:12.636+09:00My Street MarketSome random pictures of my local street market, just a couple blocks straight out exit #6 Deungchon Sta. on line 9. Fruit and veg, of course, and seafood, lots of seafood:
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The shrimp kept jumping out of the box:
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What got me taking pictures was this machine, which I've never seen before, extruding some kind of sesame seed snack:
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Lots of other snack choices, and foods:
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Coffee shops are everywhere in Seoul nowadays.
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Of course, you can buy just about anything in the street. I have bought several plants from the flower shop over the years:
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Finally, empty stalls, a sad sign of these Covid times:
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Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-91230398349542912062021-09-21T22:05:00.000+09:002021-09-21T22:05:24.368+09:00Old-ish Mural by Guro Digital Complex StationWent to dinner last night with old pal Adam, and he located a good place for 0-차, and sent it to me on Kakao.
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Guro Digital has a wonderful eating street, but this post is not about that.
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No, it's about this:
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<a href="https://imgur.com/qMljkJ9"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://imgur.com/qMljkJ9.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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This mural on a wall across from the CU, which is in a very new building. The wall and the mural, by contrast, not particularly new, and seem to depict life in Seoul in the eighties (?).
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<a href="https://imgur.com/KLapaVu"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://imgur.com/KLapaVu.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
<a href="https://imgur.com/VcRWoSK"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://imgur.com/VcRWoSK.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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This area used to be a grimy manufacturing hub until new government came along and tore everything (well, a lot of things) down to convert it into a high-tech hub, a digital complex. In the background below, you can see one of the big blue-glass office buildings that now dominate the landscape.
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<a href="https://imgur.com/QL8WqLp"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://imgur.com/QL8WqLp.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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Below is a photo of me and the "neon lights of Guro-gu" taken by Tanner back in 2011.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelOjoqN109Q277p6bWfi0OmxoGX6LXQL7gon2-bOOawR0M68mqPxWdKs7RRjoOP7pSiEaUioyfYM1rvX1oZLYtIkD3RhTG4l6EKfakllcxWKM1zmEy6lBx2148wBgAopNWfdqglRMpp4/s1600/IMG_2794"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelOjoqN109Q277p6bWfi0OmxoGX6LXQL7gon2-bOOawR0M68mqPxWdKs7RRjoOP7pSiEaUioyfYM1rvX1oZLYtIkD3RhTG4l6EKfakllcxWKM1zmEy6lBx2148wBgAopNWfdqglRMpp4/s1600/IMG_2794.JPG" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-42945178112866752762021-09-20T15:01:00.002+09:002021-09-20T15:02:12.666+09:00Chuseok at Emart, 2021<a href="https://imgur.com/uC3Rb5z"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://imgur.com/uC3Rb5z.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
<a href="https://imgur.com/0Xkm2G8"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://imgur.com/0Xkm2G8.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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Spam, or other brands of spiced ham processed meat food product like "Ri-cham", are the most popular Chuseok gifts. Chuseok, of course, is the Korean Thanksgiving holiday, the mid-autumn festival, during which time people return to their hometown, and they do so bearing gifts. The center of the second set above flavored Dong Won tuna--olive and grape. Below is a row of "anshim" or rib meat, more tuna, and a variety of cooking oils.
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<a href="https://imgur.com/qvxkTcg"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://imgur.com/qvxkTcg.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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Check out the price of those mushrooms: 13,000 W, about US$12 per 100 grams!
Below, a dried anchovy, sardine and shrimp set, and a variety of red ginsing and garlic sets.
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<a href="https://imgur.com/gAPzFee"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://imgur.com/gAPzFee.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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I was surprised to realize that I have only done one post similar to this during my whole time in the Seoul Patch, <a href="https://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/2009/09/have-very-e-mart-chuseok.html">back in 2009</a>. You can have a look to see how much inflation has occured since then: when it comes to high-priced mushrooms, the answer is, not much.
But gift sets aren't just food. Here's body wash, shampoo and six tubes of toothpaste, and a sanitizing nod to the times we live in:
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<a href="https://imgur.com/mYvXbXy"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://imgur.com/mYvXbXy.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-30130967389340884832021-04-03T21:52:00.000+09:002021-04-03T21:52:42.912+09:00It's that time of year ... Springtime! And election season!
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Starting with election season.
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School elections first.
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March is also the time when flowers start to bloom here in The Big Big City, the earliest barbinger being the kenari, or golden bell, below the first blooms and then in full bloom:
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<a href="https://imgur.com/PSwaZn5"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/PSwaZn5.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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But the cherry blossoms are probably everyone's favorites:
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Next Wednesday is a major by-election, particularly for mayor of Seoul--the previous mayor, Park Won-soon, seoul's longest-serving mayor, committed suicide last July in a sexual harrassment scandal. The dozen or so mayor candidates are identified by number according to party, and use a few means of feet-on-the-ground canvassing:
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Same intersection, different days:
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You see, and mainly hear, a lot of these, too. Trucks with giant video screens and several volunteers singing and dancing while loudspeakers blare--at my intersection from 7 AM to 8 PM, non-stop:
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<a href="https://imgur.com/ToWDX1q"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/ToWDX1q.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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Big, beautiful magnolia blossoms:
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And, as April arrives, the azaleas are just beginning to show off:
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<a href="https://imgur.com/EyltGLR"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/EyltGLR.jpeg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-15845165333661511492020-12-24T18:23:00.000+09:002020-12-24T18:23:05.271+09:00Christmas Cake 2020<center><a href="https://imgur.com/XzHO7AT"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/XzHO7AT.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
I realize Ihave not posted in about eight months, and there is a reason for that, which I may get into later (Oh, I'm fine, no worries, aside from this terrible Covid pandemic), but there are only two traditional annual posts on this blog, and one of them is the annual trip to the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival. That is the post immediately preceding this one.
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And this is the other one. The Korean Christmas cake. I know this one looks a lot like <a href="http://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/2019/12/christmas-cake-2019-and-stuff.html">last year's</a>, but sometimes that can't be helped. To see more, click on the Christmas cake link in the label cloud.
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And Merry Christmas to you all!Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-42922484824154907592020-04-26T22:18:00.002+09:002020-04-26T22:18:57.455+09:00The Post Where the Yeouido Flower Festival Should Be<center><a href="https://imgur.com/zjyDa1Y"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/zjyDa1Y.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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Sadly, this year's Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival was cancelled--not just the tents and shows and activities, access to the street was closed down. Frankly, every year looks pretty similar, as you can see by clicking on "cherry blossom festival" in the Label Cloud on the right, but it has been a highlight of springtime in Seoul for me since 2009.
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So, instead, I'm going to post up a few pictures of flowers I see every day during my ten minute walk to and from school.
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These are literally on the walkway once inside the school grounds.
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The hillside that abuts the campus on the sidewalk is ablaze with azaleas:
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Here's hoping that next year Seoulites will be able to visit the cherry blossoms around Yeouido, and that I will be among them, to share pictures with you then!Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-87579305941877329672020-03-28T21:05:00.000+09:002020-03-28T21:05:27.277+09:00Spring 2020 is coming!As the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted virtually every aspect of life here in Korea and around the world, my annual "first blossoms of spring" post serves this year particularly to remind us that, in the larger sense, life goes on. Korean public schools have been postponed for a total of five weeks so far, baseball and soccer seasons will have a late start, the Tokyo Olympics will be rescheduled, but the flowers are blooming on their regular schedule. Gotta love Nature!
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As the first photo shows, with the <i>Magnolia campbellii</i> in the foreground, spring has even managed to spruce up my school frontage with a nice splash of color.
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On the other corner of the main building at school is a purple variety:
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<center><a href="https://imgur.com/70eCBil"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/70eCBil.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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But the first flowering harbinger of spring is always the "kenari", the Golden Bell, scientifically <i>Forsythia koreana</i>, which is the bush that lines both sides of Airport Highway along my walk to school.
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<center><a href="https://imgur.com/hkIg80W"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/hkIg80W.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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Another of our first bloomers on the peninsula is the azalea, member of the rhododendron family:
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<center><a href="https://imgur.com/NUO8ZrB"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/NUO8ZrB.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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My recently downloaded plant recognition app (PlantSnap), which is really really cool--take a picture, inside or outside the app, and it does a pretty good job telling what plant you're looking at--insists this is <i>Prunus cerasus</i>, or sour cherry, but I think it's the "Chinese apricot"--<i>maehwa</i> in Korean.
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<center><a href="https://imgur.com/rJ4JrLQ"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/rJ4JrLQ.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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And finally, right next to the school, is this fabulous entry, that I think actually is sour cherry:
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<center><a href="https://imgur.com/GvPCmva"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/GvPCmva.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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Caveat, I am not a botanist, I am just a middle aged guy who likes flowers. Regular visitors to my Seoul patch surely know this, but if you didn't click on "flowers" in the label cloud for 41 other posts that have lots of pics of, um, flowers. From Korea, and from my travels around Asia since I came here in 2008.Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-3478152558615165752020-03-12T22:34:00.001+09:002020-03-12T22:34:11.127+09:00Majang Meat Market<center><a href="https://imgur.com/HiHwpk0"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/HiHwpk0.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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I had heard of this place, and was excited that my buddy Adam organized a dinner trip to the eastern side of Seoul, just past Wangsimni sta. on line 5, the Majang Meat Market.
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It was pretty deserted during this outing, since the coronavirus has led many Koreans, quite sensibly, to stay at home. Just an update after my Cambodian vacay, I spent two weeks in "self-quarantine" before coming back to work this week. School has been postponed until (at this writing) March 23rd from the usual opening day of March 2nd, but teachers are expected to periodically come to work for planning.
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A covered arcade of three or four streets, mostly retail customers deal with shops like this, which offer high-quality 'hanu' beef at reasonable prices.
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It is also a wholesale center, with highly photographable offal like intestines, beef hearts, livers and etc.
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We selected two packages of different "modem" or sampler sets, totaling 120,000 W (approx. USD 100) for four guys. They look pretty damn good! There are numerous restaurants, mainly upstairs, where you take your prize to grill up.
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We went to Hanu Town, where they charge a 5000 W plate fee per person, which is pretty reasonable, since that's paying for your real wood charcoal and all the banchan--kimchi, samjang, vegetables, etc. And they get the proceeds from all your beer and soju.
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We ate and drank and conversed delightfully for a good two hours. Each cut of beef, curated by Adam, was better than the one before. Then we finished up at a foreigner-run pub for a couple drafts from Magpie before finally making the long, full-bellied trek home.
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Highly recommended! A great evening out, coronavirus and all!Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-54954121783619682102020-01-26T19:38:00.001+09:002020-01-26T19:38:15.735+09:00Seoul, Uijeongbu Peace Statue, Budae Jjigae Street<center><a href="https://imgur.com/VWg4xVr"><img width="400" height="300" src="https://i.imgur.com/VWg4xVr.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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<b><u>Statue of Peace, Peace Park</b></u><br>
After arriving at Uijeongbu station on Line 1, a full one and a half hours from Gangseo-gu, I came out of the station (exits 4,5 and 6) expecting, based on the maps, that the Statue of Peace that I had come all this way to see would be obvious. Well, there are two separate parks, and as per usual I picked the wrong one. The one to the right, which is a kids' art zone:
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On the left, you will find the Peace Statue, and a variety of other installations relevant to the theme. If you go all the way through the park to the main street, the statue is right on the sidewalk by the bus stop. Here she is, representing a "comfort woman" of WWII, dressed warmly for winter, 2020:
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Nearby, an homage to 70 years of Korean independence from Japan:
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… and celebrating Uijeongbu's elevation to status of "city":
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Following WWII, Korea was split into two parts, and five years later, the Korean War began with Kim Il-sung's attempt by force to reunite the halves under his dictatorial leadership. This became a proxy war, with the US (and allies) fighting on the South's side, and Communist China assisting the North. The movie and TV show MASH are set nearby what was then the village of Uijeongbu. Though the show is fictional, the US military presence in the area was real, and still to be felt to this day--23,500 US servicemen are based in Korea at this writing.
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An homage to their efforts for peace, a section of a wall from nearby Camp Falling Water has been put up in the park:
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With a theme of peace and reunification, the experience of Germany in 1990 was symbolized here with sections of the Berlin Wall and an interesting series of photographs from the time.
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Alas, on this Saturday during Seollal, no one will get to enjoy toast from this pocha ...
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… but hang on tight, because food is on order shortly.
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<b><u>Rodeo Drive</b></u>, which I walked north from the park, after crossing the main road, is a fancy shopping street reminding us of the strong presence of US GIs in the area.
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I strolled up Rodeo Drive to make my way to a street specializing in a particular food. Korea has this in spades: <i>yeonnip-bap</i> is from Buyeo, <i>bibimbap</i> and choco-pies are from Jeon-ju, etc. Uijeongbu's specialty is <i>budae jjigae</i>, or army base stew.
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<b><u>Budae jjigae street</b></u>
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This stew (jjigae) is Korean comfort food which dates only from the Korean War era. Those were tough times for the people, so you scrounged food where you could, including the refuse of US army bases (budae). In a MASH episode, Hawkeye and BJ ridicule Frank Burns's attempt to sell off the camp's trash in lots, but he was right: the average Korean could make good use of our cast-offs. Especially popular were SPAM and hot dogs, which together with seasonal veg, tofu (<i>dubu</i>), red pepper paste (<i>gochujang</i>), and beans, cheese or whatever else you could get, were cooked up in stock and served over rice or noodles. It is a hearty and delicious meal (I <a href="http://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/2009/02/budae-jjigae-in-mok-dong.html">dedicated a post</a> to it back in 2009).
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I have it once or twice a month in my neighborhood, but Budae-jjigae street has grown up to be <i>the</i> place for it. I chose this restaurant, the second busiest one, whose sign means Uijeongbu Specialty Budae Jjigae Main Place (they have an overflow across the street), and was not disappointed:
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Here is the ajumma in charge:
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The version here is heavy on meat, dubu and kimchi, and I love the contrast of sour kimchi and spicy gochujang. Here's what it looks like cooking over a flame at your table:
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Here's what it looks like in a bowl over some rice:
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And here's what I look like stuffing my face!
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Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-16352791436861687682020-01-25T19:59:00.002+09:002020-01-25T20:07:33.271+09:00Seoul, Nat'l Museum of Modern and Contemporary ArtTrying to fit some high culture into my winter vacation/Seollal holiday, I dropped by NMMCA, and spent over two hours there: it is quite large with a about eight galleries, and had several things of interest. Best photo of the day:
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One of the first parts of the first gallery is an exhibit of an art group's working area, including just a bunch of stuff in storage:
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The next exhibit was a two room mixed media presentation (and the green hallway between them which makes odd whispering sounds) was about the nature of identity in a world of passports and DNA; it was quite interesting, but like much of art today relies heavily on video.
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Speaking of video, this artist recording himself building a 1 pyeong (about 3 sq. meter) hut, or trying to, as it kept getting blown over, swept out to sea, etc.
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This artist had images representing her fears on the glass cylinders (which were spinning) and projecting their shadows outward; the next one was about the impossibility of capturing the fluid motion of ocean waves in concrete.
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In the center of this installation "Barefoot", a mechanical thing which makes squeaking noises representing Siddhartha, already in the state of nirvana, extending his feet toward his beloved disciple Gasupjonja. This is surrounded by "Gathering", a series of animals mourning the death of Siddhartha (incl. details).
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A work called Kyon-Woo-JickNyo, which has a model earth suspended between North and South Korea. As sunshine energizes the solar panel, the model moves between the two, inspired by the "Sunshine Policy" of former president Kim Dae-Jung.
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A toy tiger in some leaves and model buildings made of giveaway cards.
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And finally:
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Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-19939033234128373932020-01-25T19:01:00.001+09:002020-01-25T19:01:18.607+09:00Seoul World Cup Stadium Tour<center><a href="https://imgur.com/0leAy83"><img width="300" height="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/0leAy83.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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For years I've wanted to take the World Cup stadium tour, but I generally only get over there on game days, when of course they don't offer the tour. I finally made it, and it cost a minimal 1,000W for an hour--including a not too rah-rah 13 minute video of the 2002 World Cup. In the waiting room, I was thrilled to meet K-Pop sensations and Seoul Tourism ambassadors BTS:
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The field was being prepared for the upcoming ACL game on the 28th. I learned the turf is Kentucky bluegrass, and the import [mumble] square feet of it from the states each year.
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Here is the player tunnel.
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FC Seoul locker rooms, showers (note the fresh soap) and massage room:
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Manager's meeting room, with me managering:
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Warm-up room that visitors are allowed to sign on the wall. And
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The young lady tour guide was very nice, and since I was the only person in attendance, she took lots of photos:
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<br>Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-87895898750964155662020-01-24T21:11:00.001+09:002020-01-24T21:11:49.764+09:00Seoul Lotte Tower<center><a href="https://imgur.com/7q4OWvI"><img width="400" height="250" src="https://i.imgur.com/7q4OWvI.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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I'm spending my winter vacation/Seollal holiday in Seoul, doing some of those things I never seem to get around to. First up was a visit to the recently completed Lotte Tower, world's sixth tallest building, and the observation deck located therein. A foreigner promotion was on, so the ticket was 18,000W, down from the regular price of 27,000. The building was designed by New York firm <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohn_Pedersen_Fox">Kohn Pedersen Fox</a>. They also designed the Shanghai World Finance Center, which I <a href="https://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/2010/10/shanghai-architecture.html">visited in 2010</a>.
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First, inside the elevator on the way up. It was superfast.
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Here are some of the best shots I got.
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There was a rotating art display around the inside walls of one floor of the observation deck, featuring artists' homages to Charles Shultz. This one quite took my fancy:
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Above is my "kitty", two mouse pads at 4,000W each, and the "framed" photo op was a pricey 15,000.
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Next up: World Cup stadium tour, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-44304746610518069252019-12-23T21:23:00.000+09:002020-12-24T18:23:33.422+09:00Christmas Cake 2019 ... and stuffAh, Korea's Christmas cakes! Gotta love 'em, and so I do. This year's iteration harkens back to my first Christmas cake, back in <a href="http://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/2008/12/happy-cake-day.html">2008</a>.
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Today at school, we had an elaborate afternoon snack, which I at first assumed had something to do with Christmas. But it was actually a "workshop" for the school's "educational program". I suppose this is the elementary school version of the semi-to-quite drunken committee meetings we had in the high school.
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Saturday evening, I went to dinner and drinks with some pals in Hongdae. But before any of them showed up, I made a new friend, a blood donation mascot who gave me a cookie:
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After dinner, we went to a bar called <i>Gopchang Jeongol</i>, which means Offal Chowder.
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But it is a bar, a really cool bar, a really <i>packed</i>, really cool bar. It focuses on a retro atmosphere and retro music. Many guests sang (and danced) along, and a good time was had by all.
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Tonight is Christmas Eve eve, and in case I don't post anything else in the next two days, Merry Christmas, Everybody!
Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-7250035412700604122019-12-11T19:46:00.001+09:002019-12-11T21:44:37.214+09:00새로미 who?Regular visitors to my patch of Seoul know I am a sucker for a photo op with a mascot. I have shots with dozens of characters, from sports mascots 턱돌이 (Mr. Stone Jaw) to the Doosan Bear to the FC Seoul 도깨비 (goblin), from a perfume atomizer bottle to a loaf of bread to a frosty mug of Kloud beer, from Pororo to Crong, from … well, you get the idea. So, yesterday, I snagged this beauty:
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(S)he is wearing a chest badge of the official Gangseo-gu (my district of the city) logo, and is therefore, I assumed, the <i>gu</i> mascot. A trip to the website (<a href="https://www.gangseo.seoul.kr/site/english_new/contents/gangseo/symbol.htm">https://www.gangseo.seoul.kr/site/english_new/contents/gangseo/symbol.htm</a>) informed me that the character's name is 새로미, Saeromi, "representing a friendly and warm-hearted image, is a forever friend of the people of Gangseo, and represents perennial glad tidings."
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But not quite. As you can see from the image there, Saeromi is a male bird (?) of some description.
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And, wearing a skirt and a hair bow, my new friend is clearly a <i>chick</i>. I don't know if they are siblings, a married couple, or just friends.
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Furthermore, I wondered, exactly what kind of bird is Saeromi? Not enough bill to be a duck, which was my first thought. Her plumage is mostly black, suggesting a crow, but one with a white face. Looking further down the webpage, I saw that the official bird of Gangseo is the magpie. I would say mystery solved, but magpies don't have white faces either … On the other hand, while magpies symbolize trickery, meaningless chatter and bad luck in the West, Asians see them as bringers of good fortune.
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Indeed, <i>ggachi</i> figures prominently in Korean <i>minhwa</i> folk art and folktales with the tiger, <i>horangi</i> (together ggachi and horangi, 까치와호랑이):
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Stay tuned.
Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-32086927170551891872019-11-17T17:25:00.000+09:002019-12-11T22:17:07.349+09:002019 Seoul Lantern Festival<center><a href="https://imgur.com/2iXr8Gj"><img height="265" width="400" src="https://i.imgur.com/2iXr8Gj.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></center>
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I made my fourth visit to the Seoul Lantern Festival, after a few attempts were delayed by the weather; however, the weather last night was brisk but clear, and I made it up there around six PM while the crowds were quite manageable. The lanterns are in the Cheongyyecheon stream in downtown Seoul. The closest subway stop is Euljiro-3-ga on line 2.
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This year's theme was folk tales, including Western ones like Cinderella, and the Woodcutter. Not sure what the second one below is:
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This one is the Korean tale of Sister Sun and Brother Moon. The tiger (frequent participant in Korean fables) gobbles up the children's mother and puts on her clothes. When the tiger appears at the house, the children recognize him and run away. They climb a rope into a tree, and pray to Heaven for help. The tiger, who followed them, fell to his death, but the children keep going higher and become the sun and moon. At first, the boy is the sun and the girl is the moon, but the girl is afraid of the dark, so they switch roles.
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Tayo is a Korean cartoon character, a playful and mischievous Seoul city bus, who teaches lessons about confidence, friendship and responsibility.
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As you go further downstream, there is a section devoted to Korean history, such as a royal procession, and workmen building a palace:
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Here is the military genius <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Sun-sin">Yi</a> <a href="https://seoulpatch.blogspot.com/2014/08/movie-review-or-roaring-currents.html">Sunsin</a>, with the "Turtle Ship" he devised:
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A 승무 <i>seungmu</i> dancer. This is a traditional folk dance originally performed by Buddhist monks.
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The large detailed face makes me wonder if this is a caricature, but I don't know enough to say.
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And finally, when you leave the stream and come back to street level, there will be plenty of pocha to appease your hunger pangs.
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I mentioned above that this was my fourth lantern festival, and you can see posts about the others (each one has a different theme) by clicking on the label cloud.
Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1125128490848394328.post-59186480053952654152019-09-24T20:35:00.001+09:002019-09-24T20:54:54.751+09:002019 Sinchon Beer FestivalThere isn't really a lot to blog about here, except for readers who might want to keep an eye open for next year's event.
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Breweries (lots) and restaurants (a few) set up tents in the street over a couple of blocks near Yonsei University at Sinchon station on line 2. A typical 330 mL beer runs 5-6,000 W and there are some other activities, including music, boutique merchants and games of chance:
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It looked a little sparse during the daylight hours, but the crowds really grew after dark as the beer started to flow like … um, <strike>wine</strike>beer.
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Sinchon is a pretty trendy area with neat-o dining spots and just about the only tagging I've seen in Korea outside Itaewon:
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Some beer:
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The most outrageous food I saw was (drumroll, please) deep fried chicken skins!
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Not technically a beer, but I topped off the night with a glass of mead:
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Finally, the best photo op of the day:
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Tuttlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06492955225793619768noreply@blogger.com0