Tag Archives: Seoul

Demonstrations, Dragon Hill and dinner in a tent.

  Soo and I strolled out of our hotel last night and into the middle of what looked for all the world to be a war zone. We were surrounded by thousands of police, fully armored in their riot gear and ready for battle. We hadn’t the slightest clue what was going on. Soo, a sensible woman, was in favor of getting ourselves elsewhere – any elsewhere would do – but that seemed like so much less fun then wading into the troops deployed right in front of us. I mean, how often does somebody deposit an army on your doorstep? We wound our way around and through ... [Read More]

Occupy Pyongyang!

You think income inequality in America is bad? Come visit North Korea. Yes, we have some significant issues with the concentration of wealth in America. But the North Korean 99% would kill to have our problems. America’s poor get excited over things like McDonald’s adding the McRibb back to the menu and the iPod coming in sparkly new colors. In North Korea 33% of the population is undernourished, and few have ever seen an iPod. In America citizens can come together in massive protests, demanding change and equality, generally unmolested by the police. Those few protesters who, from time to time, are arrested, are generally released within 24 hours In ... [Read More]

Lost in translation

  “Do you eet da pussy?” With this question my colleague stopped me in my tracks, and ruined what was about to have been a successful attempt at conveying food to my mouth with the hated slippery metal chopsticks. Koreans are known for being extraordinarily direct, and very willing to ask what to a westerner would be inappropriate and personal questions. Most relate to your social status, income, etc, but this one had me flummoxed. “Beg pardon?” I managed to stammer, dropping my food in the process. “In Korea, you eet da pussy?” I was knocked speechless (a rarity for me.) I’m pretty open, but this line of questioning was really ... [Read More]

Understanding Seoul

  I hate chopsticks. Mostly because they hate me, too. And those in Korea hate me more than most. In Korea they traditionally eat with thin, slick, metal chopsticks, no-doubt designed purely to torment Western guests. Soo and I were famished when, after 24 hours of travel, we arrived in Seoul late Sunday. So, after dropping our bags at our hotel we headed straight out for a bite. By sheer luck we stumbled into Gomsotzid, a traditional Korean barbeque joint, and one of the best meals we’ve ever had. The food was extraordinary, and the staff gracious and helpful. At least when they weren’t laughing at my often feeble ... [Read More]