Octopus > Bacon

Although my life seems uneventful at times, the combination of horrible sleep patterns and work everyday actually keeps me busy. This is my sad excuse for the delayed post: so sorry. So now it’s time to catch you up on the past two fabulous weekends:

Kimchi Festival in Gwangju:

Last weekend, Gwangju hosted a Kimchi Festival. Kimchi is the ultimate staple of the Korean diet. Kimchi, spicy fermented cabbage, is served with any meal in Korea. Koreans are often surprised when a foreigner says that they actually enjoy eating kimchi. Rightly so, some foreigners are a little disturbed by the idea of eating this fermented cabbage; but for me, I can’t deny the great flavor it adds to any meal. In Korea, kimchi is the ultimate condiment.

The festival enlightened me on all the different types of kimchi, food that is made with kimchi, and other Korean staple ingredients. A group of teachers and I took this opportunity to learn more about the heart of Korean culture. Upon arrival, we made kimchi pancakes. Koreans have a dish that is similar to pancakes, but a lot less breaded than most traditional pancakes. Pancakes in Korea are often filled with veggies and seafood. This time, I made kimchi pancakes. After scarfing this down, we actually made our own kimchi! We were among many foreigners jumping at the opportunity to actually make kimchi. We geared up in our official kimchi making apron, bandana, and gloves. The pan was filled with the head of already fermented cabbage, spicy red pepper paste, spices, and select veggies. First you mix together the spices and sauce, then you lather up the cabbage with the sauce. You must be sure to get under each leaf of cabbage and to use all of your sauce evenly throughout the cabbage.

After successful kimchi making, we enjoyed the perfectly crisp fall weather and did some people watching. The audience for the kimchi festival was mostly older men and women, foreigners, and then families with young kids. This meant that there was an overwhelming amout of adorable Korean children. It is official: Korean kids are the cutest damn kids. Ever. Oh, not to brag or anything, but my friends and I made a rockin' human pyramid at the Kimchi Fest. I'll let the picture above speak for itself.

We soaked up as much Korean culture as possible: kimchi, a Korean traditional drum concert, and matching couples. That’s right! Couples in Korea like to match their outfits. I would say the average age of the couples I see matching is about 25 or 26 (even though it’s hard to guess the age because most Koreans look ten years younger than their actual age). One of the other teachers has started a game similar to the once-popular “punch buggy” game: You see a Volkswagon Beetle, you punch the person by you and say “punch bug.” Similarly, if you see a matching couple, you punch the person near you and usually scream, “Couple Set!” I have posted a picture of the couple set I witnessed at the Kimchi festival, to give you an example of the detail to which these couples match. It is not just a matching hoodie. Sometimes we are talking full on shirt, pants, shoes. Every single time I see a matching couple, I always think, “No American guy would ever do that.” Oh, to make it better, there are even certain shops downtown that are specifically for matching couples to buy their matching outfits!

After the Kimchi Festival, the good times continued to roll. We took a cab to Bong-seon Dong, which is my neighborhood. Our neighborhood is stacked with seafood restaurants. So after finding that our intended restaurant was closed, we blindly chose one of the many that were lined up on the same block. The seafood restaurants here are decorated with glowing fish tanks out front. So we sat down in the restaurant, pointed to a fish tank, and pointed to the menu to indicate we wanted soup. Koreans love side dishes. The side dishes vary among each restaurant, but most serve kimchi and pickled radish as a side dish. This place brought out spicy crab, spicy cooked octopus, rice with seaweed, seaweed soup, eggs, and snail. Finally, out came the main dish: Octopus soup. The server first brought over the burners and lit them, then put the soup pan on top so the soup stays warm. Then she brought over the scissors and tongs. Leading by example, she pulled out one of the four octopuses and started snipping away at the tentacles. The octopus from top to bottom was about 10-12 inches long. Bottoms up, right?

The octopus was accompanied by mushrooms and other veggies, and was surprisingly delicious! My two friends braved eating the head/ body of the octopus. One friend kind of just tossed it back and swallowed it. Another unfortunately took a few bites in and couldn’t keep it in his mouth. He said the questionable contents inside the body had a very grimy texture. Although the concept of the soup probably doesn’t follow most vegetarian guidelines, it was a good experience. And hey, shortly before being in my belly, the octopus had been swimming around in a tank two feet from my table. While the logic may not make sense to you, it somehow seems better than eating bacon.

One more thing about my time at that restaurant: So across from our table, there was a table of five Koreans, probably in their late 20’s, enjoying a family style meal together. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something jump on their table. Jump. Jump. Again and again something was jumping up and down on their table. Sure enough, it was live shrimp, hopping around. The Koreans were laughing and the owner came over and was helping the group capture these shrimp. Lucky for me, I accepted that I have a staring problem years ago, so I continued to watch, eyes glued. What did the future hold for these little shrimp? Moments later….chomp! The Koreans ate the head/ body of the shrimp- still wiggling around! Yes. Then they disposed of the shrimp tale into their pot of stew boiling on a burner at the other end of the table. My face must have accurately portrayed by shock and confusion, because one of the guys at the table turned to me, gave a thumbs up, and said “BRAVO!”

Sunday, I had one of the strangest experiences yet in Korea. My friend Frances and I met up downtown to do some shopping. Frances suggested after shopping, we stop in at the pet café for a drink. Little did I know, the emphasis is definitely put on the pet part, more than the café. So here’s the concept of the pet café: You go to enjoy the company of cats, dogs, and a rabbit while sipping on coffee, juice, or tea. You pay $5 and the drink is on the house. You relax on leather couches, and the animals wander around. When you walk in, all the dogs are all over you. These aren’t just your average cats and dogs though. These animals have been completely ‘pimped out’ if you will. They are all in costume, hats and all, with their names spray painted on their backs. They have braids, bows, painted toenails, and spray painted spots. All the animals were extremely friendly. One woman runs the shop and there was another woman in the back grooming. The cats were meandering around, and of course the most fuzzy, furry cat wanted to plop down on all of my belongings. One of the dogs, who my friends named ‘Lil Sister’ took a liking to my lap. After a deep friendship formed, I wanted to match my girl Lil Sister, so Frances convinced me to give myself matching braids. See picture for details. Overall, the pet café rocked. Points for Korea.

As for this past weekend, it was also filled with a great day downtown and a fun adventure with great friends. Saturday I spent downtown with my Korean friend Haejin. That’s right, proud moment: I have a Korean friend. A real one. A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop and had just finished writing my last blog post actually. Two Korean girls came over to my table and nervously asked if they could sit down. I said ofcourse! They were really nervous and giddy, asking me in broken English if we could be friends. We talked for about an hour, getting to know one another. While it seemed a bit odd, the girls were nurses. My logic told me that nurses are good people at heart, and the chances of this ended horribly were low. So we made a date to get lunch and coffee the next day! I practically skipped home that night.

Since then, I meet with Haejin twice a week! We get coffee or lunch during the week and try to hang out at least once on the weekends. Haejin and her friend Suyeon are 23, live in my neighborhood, and are nurses. I was hesitant at first about being able to communicate fully with their English, but our friendship has surpassed all my expectations. Haejin and I have a lot to talk about. I recently drew her a map on a napkin in a restaurant, explaining different types of relationships between girls and guys in the United States. We get creative, but we definitely understand each other. Saturday night I showed Haejin off to my fellow foreign teachers. We spent the night at German Bar, enjoying great beer and better company!

Sunday: We took and adventure to Costco. You read that right, Costco. There is a Costco in Daejon, which is another big city about an hour and a half train ride away from Gwangju. Empty backpacks and all, the boys and I made the trek all the way to Costco. It was an exhausting day, but definitely a fun experience. First of all, the Costco is two stories. The place is gigantic and was insanely crowded with Koreans. We all managed to do some decent damage to the wallets, however our purchases seem well worth it. Items most commonly purchased by our group of foreigners: Cheese, Deli Sandwich Meat, Dijon Mustard, Muffins, Pumpkin pie, Peanut Butter, Salsa, and Tortillas. My purchases: Salsa, tortillas, a Brita (too many painful mornings with no water in the house), tortilla chips, a blanket, and toothbrushes. Our Korean co-workers thought it was hilarious that we went all the way to Daejon to go to Costco. However, us foreigners understand that ‘American’ products are really expensive and hard to come by at the regular grocery stores. For example, peanut butter at the regular grocery store is about $7 for a small jar. At Costco, you can buy two jumbo jars for $16: Definitely a steal. Overall, the Costco adventure was a fun way to spend a Sunday with good friends.

Hope all is well in the States. Until next time…