Seoul Street Art

a random selection of street art, graffiti, wheat paste, posters, etc. seen in the hongdae area of seoul. 

i hate monday

korean socks that manage to be adorable (jin jjah kiawa!) without resorting to the overuse of cartoon animals!  considering that 90% of life in korea takes place minus shoes, i hate monday is a godsend for those who have begun to tire of hello kitty, shin-chan or (heaven forbid!) the rainbow sock wall at uniqlo.  

equally adorable packaging

i picked up a pair at a kitschy design shop in the hongdae area of seoul (more on hongdae coming soon!).  also for sale: plastic men in downward-facing dog position that hold the top of your instant ramen in place, disgruntled stress balls and the occasional item whose purpose was sadly lost in (a lack of) translation.

apparently i hate monday also has a sock vending machine somewhere in seoul, which, it goes without saying, must be tracked down and pillaged.

via Pirate Pixels

Eating Live Octopus

aaron has been vocalizing his desire to try live octopus since we first arrived in korea.  as mokpo is famous for serving live octopus, it was only a matter of time before he got the opportunity to realize his dubious dream.  at a housewarming party several nights ago, our korean co-teachers presented us with the traditional gift of toilet paper (hyu-gee!!), along with an adorable baby octopus, kept alive carnival-goldfish-style in a plastic bag filled with water.  note: live octopi must be properly chewed, otherwise they will attach their still-animated tentacles to the eater's throat...REVENGE!!  the poor octopus was not long for this world, but he put up a good fight before succumbing to aaron's carnivorous penchant for exotic cuisine.  after clinging desperately to the plastic bag he arrived in and attempting numerous daring escapes across the floor, he was doused in a spicy red sauce and summarily consumed.  he left behind a still-wriggling tentacle that i was forced to eat--i'll admit it, i got off easy, but let it be known that said tentacle was still imbued with all its former suction-related powers--i chewed it for at least a minute, just to be safe. 

Eating Live Octopus a video by gonkorrhea on Flickr.

Engrish Update

When you do something like move from the US to South Korea, people inevitably ask why you would do such a thing. I'm not sure about Jessica, but I usually retort with B.S. answers like wanting to explore different cultures, travel here and there, and the such. To be honest, though, the majority of my rationale for moving abroad was based off of nothing more than to find lots of Engrish that I could take pictures of and post in a blog. 

For this initial Engrish update, here are a few examples of strange English usage found around the hagwon Jessica and I work at.  

We will always have fond memories of our small monkey

Korean males are more straight-forward than their American counterparts when it comes to "big truck" syndrome. 

After a good meal, you can forgive anyone but your family.

Washing hands is a daunting task for the children. One or two of the dexterously-inclined students have succeeded in rinsing away germs before snack time with eyes closed, but the others must peep a little to prevent water splashes in embarrassing places. Unfortunately, even the smallest peep reminds the fat children of two things. One, they look fat. Two, the only people that can be blamed for feeding them so well is their family. 

Sides: Do you believe in love at first site or should I walk by again?

Middle: You're so hot you would make the devil sweat

I lost my teddy bear, will you sleep with me?

Anyone who has spent a few minutes at a rest stop or interstate gas station should not question the relevance of pick-up lines on a vocabulary flashcard for an 18-wheeler. However, the reasoning behind pick-up lines on a double decker bus are completely lost on me. 

Chuseok, Part Deux

day 2: mokpo, home sweet home

we couldn’t resist buying bikes—i chose the painfully slow, but oh-so-cute mint green cruiser & aaron opted for a lime green bike with 20” wheels (gangsta, eh?).  mokpo is fairly bike friendly, with lots of sidewalks & bike paths, but every trip is like an obstacle course, replete with omnipresent pedestrians, various makeshift food stalls, and near-collisions with the random cars and motorbikes that seemingly appear out of nowhere.  needless to say, riding on the road is out of the question--traffic laws here are vague, if not practically non-existent.  it only takes about 20 minutes to bike from our apartment to our school, and we can criss-cross the city without any serious effort.  accident-prone as i am, i’ve already managed to fall and scrape up my knee—accomplishing such a feat on a cruiser is no easy matter ;)

exploring mokpo:

foggy mokpo harbor

gatbawi rock & mt. yibamsan:

gatbawi rock

the one on the right kinda looks like darth vader
 

mt. yibamsan in the background

mascots of mokpo!

top of mt. yibamsan

day 3: chuseok!

koreans exchange presents, usually food-related, during chuseok, so we were lucky enough to receive a crate of frozen mackerel & enough dried seaweed (keem) to last us until next august.  all the stores, even the 7-11's, are stuffed to the gills with various gift boxes, containing everything from asian pears to dirt-caked ginseng.  one in particular caught our eye:

yep. it's your garden variety spam, all gussied up and ready to party.  weep, ye people of walmart, for your beloved spiced ham has moved on to bigger and better things!  (no offense to all you secret spam-lovers out there)


WARNING! food porn ahead!


our manager invited us to eat chuseok dinner at her grandparents’ apartment.  they live on the top floor of our school, and her grandma tends to all the nearby gardens.  the food was amazing—sweet beef ribs, the BEST kimchi (perfectly salty and spicy, with that almost carbonated flavor that is characteristic of true kimchi mastery), tofu soup, and raw crab (a mokpo specialty), followed by fresh fruit and a traditional fermented sweet rice drink for dessert.  all the tables except ours were divided up by gender—a remnant of older times, i suppose.  strangely enough, contrary to hallowed american tradition, no one ate themselves into a coma.  as much as i love korean food, i’ve gotta admit, the whole experience left me jonesing for some stuffing.  anyone want to fedex a box of stovetop to korea?  just kidding.  sort of.

tofu soup

raw marinated crab

various veggies--maybe ferns??

sweet beef ribs

tempura crab-stuffed peppers, squid & shrimp