Fish coma...

Due to the recent heat, humidity, and our school being too cheap to use the AC, I really wanted to find some good sashimi for dinner. While I have been a little shy to go to the sashimi restaurants, as I have no idea how to order anything there, I decided just to wait until a little later in the evening when all the patrons would be too drunk off soju to notice me...and well it worked, sort of. I asked the waiter what he suggested (in Korean), he said something I didn't understand (in Korean), and I said yes (in Korean). And so the adventure began... The waiter first brought about 10 dishes. In a total amateur move (I really should know better by now) I assumed this was the meal. Just as I was polishing off the salad (so good) and beginning to feel pleasantly full out comes a behemoth wooden blank piled with literally about 50 pieces of sashimi. I don't know if I've ever been quite so overwhelmed by a quantity of food. Sashimi's not exactly something you save for later nor do I know "doggie bag" in korean so I dug deep and did a pretty respectable job . But of course, the night would not be over without the arrival of more dishes. Out came this crazy looking possible crustacean (or possibly dinosaur?). It had a flexible shell that was orange-red with spikes...it was odd. Anyways it kind of tasted like a salty mix between an oyster and raw squid doused in iodine. Like I said, odd. At this point, I literally could feel fish in my lungs but of course what would a dinner be without something sweet. I really need to get a boyfriend or something because meals here are just too big...

Things my dad would like/ directly benefit from...

In what I am sure will be a recurring post category and is probably only funny to my dad, but he's really the only one reading anyway, I give you: "Things my dad would like and/or directly benefit from...".

1. The aprons they give you at restaurants.

Nearly every restaurant has aprons they give you that you can wear over your clothes to avoid spills. Particularly useful because it seems that about 90% of all Korean food is red. If anyone has seen my dad at an Italian restaurant, you understand.

2. The rotisserie chicken truck.

Saying that my father LOVES rotisserie chicken is an understatement. In Korea they take an ice-cream truck approach to roasted poultry and bring the bird to you. A truck with large rotisserie ovens in the bed drives around the neighborhood in the evening selling hot chickens. All you have to do is follow the scent of crackling chicken skin.

Don't be offended father...this is really an ode to you.

I haven't had a cellphone in so long that I actually screamed (in fear) when it rang...

I finally got a cellphone...I have no idea what plan I have (do I have a plan? I signed something...) or how much it costs (we had some communication issues) but that's not so important. What is important is that I have a phone and that it is is pink, sparkly, has several glittery keychains hanging from it, and a snappy K POP ring tone, bringing me to my much bigger point-- "K-Pop" (Korean pop music). Korean pop girl groups are fun. They pretty much just dance around in hot pants with toy guns or pom poms or something and for the most part can't really sing but Korean boy groups are AMAZING! There's this group that wears crystallized bullet proof vests. Seems like a bit of an oxymoron.

Wonder Girls 2 Different Tears English

Wondergirls "2 Different Tears" Korean

In the name of research...

So I'd heard Koreans don't sleep and decided that I must investigate this claim. I've come to my conclusion--it's true. As I was making my way home around 6am this morning, I fully expected to be the only one in the streets--the silly foreigner dragging her bedraggled self home in last night's clothes and smeared makeup as portly garbage men shout less than savory things in my direction as they fling garbage sacks (flashback: Buenos Aires). But no...much to my amazement the streets were full with so many other people schlepping their tired bodies home or eating at one of the many 24 hr drunk food spots or in many cases still partying. I have to admit though, doing this for a weekend is kind of exhausting. We'll have to see if I can keep this lifestyle up...or maybe I'll just start passing out on the subway benches like all the Korean business men.

Photo of the day...

"Better"? or simply an ode to dairy fat?