Lasek (not a typo)

Okay, I'm giving up on trying to provide a comprehensive view on Korea. I'm also giving up on having a photojournalistic approach. That takes too much time and I'd rather be "in the moment" than worrying about capturing the moment for posterity's sake.

So, about 16 days ago I got Lasek. Wavefront M-Lasek, to be exact.

I've had glasses since junior high, and it's been one of those minor inconveniences of live that I've dealt with. In college I would buy contacts with a prescription update from time to time, but I never felt comfortable.

Why now, in Korea?
- It's sick cheap. I'm not gonna give specifics here, but in general medical procedures are much much cheaper in this country.
- The eye doctors here have a lot of experience. Think about it. In a room full of Asians, how many of them have glasses/contacts? I'd venture to say over 90% of them. They get a lot of practice here.
- I was really really really sick of wearing glasses. I felt like they were shackles on my face, and I hated having to constantly clean them and yet still see them get scratched up.
- The latest (I think) technology. This is the sketchiest reason, because I'm not well-informed about America, but they certainly explained things well. =)
- It's a time for reinvention. It's been a liberating experience to have a fresh start in a completely different country.

Next: How was the procedure?!

The Little Differences: Coffee

*It's been awhile since I've posted. I've lived in Korea for about two months, and one problem is that much of what was new and trivial is now mundane. So if there's something you want to know about Korea or about my life, leave me a comment here or on facebook. =) *

As a general rule of thumb, there is a serious lack of good coffee here.

I don't mean you can't get a venti-frappucino-type of drink. I mean coffee. Real coffee. Black coffee. You're pretty much limited to:
- "Cafe Americano", where you pay $3 for a really small and bad americano.
- Overpriced sugary drinks like fraps, mochas, etc.

I had heard about this before coming here, so in a panic I bought a big bag of Starbucks Via. I thought, Hey, it's better than nothing, right?

Two months later and I still have a whole lot of via left. What's changed?
Well, for one thing, I'm drinking a lot less coffee. Maybe one or two mini-cups a week. The other reason is that my work has a coffee machine, where I can get a decent espresso, mix it with hot water, and have a decent (free) cup of coffee when I need it most.

There is one huge caveat to all of this: You CAN find good coffee in Korea. You just need to know where to look!
1. Dunkin Donuts. Serves DD coffee ( so I'm told - I actually haven't gone to one yet, not with all of these awesome pastries at other places to draw me in)
2. Expensive Drip coffee. At places like Paris Croissant. While it is decent, it's also about $5. Not exactly screaming for repeat business.
3. McDonald's. Serves McD's coffee. I'm not nearly as big of a fan of it here as I was a supporter in America.
4. Onnuri Church's cafe. Good, solid, black coffee for $1. Best value by far. Drawback: You can only get it in Seobingo.
5. Caribou Coffee. Last and most prominent. I literally yelped when I saw this. Unfortunately, there are only a few locations in Seoul, as far as I know. But the one in Sinchon was excellent. Even though it was late afternoon, I had to get a cup and it was everything that I could hope for. (Caribou is my favorite coffee place in America, too).

Mostly, though, I'm drinking a LOT of water these days. =)

Food Summary

It's sad but true: The fact that I've fallen behind in cataloging my "good eats" has made me procrastinate in my blog. And the fact that I've been here for over a month means that I'd like to settle down and tell more stories. I also feel a little embarrassed sometimes when I take pictures of my meals. I honestly think, "But I'll need this for my blog!" And that's no way to live.

With that said, here's a quick summary of what I've enjoyed. (I'll be sharing non-food related stories in the future):

Cost key:
W1,000 = ~$0.92
W1,500 = ~$1.40


"Ice Cream Waffle Pie". Waffles are big, from fancy dessert places to this lovely thing I got at one of the subway stations. Cost? W1,500. It's cheap and delicious. You can also get a regular "waffle pie" for W1,000.



Ho dduk. Basically rice cake with a nutmeg/brown sugar filling, with extra goodies thrown in, depending on the vendor. This was my best one so far. Compared to ho dduk I had in LA, I'd say this was just as good but different. In LA the ho dduk was thinner. This one is like the deep dish pizza of ho dduk's. Cost: W1,000



Just one sample of the amaaaaazing pastries in Korea. The most common bakery in Korea is Paris Baguette. You can easily find several within a few minutes of walking distance from each other. And of course, like a lot of food in Korea, it's sooo cheap compared to American prices!



I only had this once, but this shabu-shabu (I don't know the Korean word for it) was delicious. Buuut I have to say, Shabu House in Des Plaines, Illinois still stands as my best shabu shabu meal.



A small sampling of the street food that is available right around the corner (I plated it for effect). Three pieces of tempura (twee-gim in Korean), a cup of sweet chicken (ddak jahng juhng), and three breaded dumplings (something something mandoo) for about $3.75. I'm tempted to eat this every other day, but have gotten my intake down to 1-2 times a week.



Green tea/Vanilla swirl, W1,000. These machines are everywhere, too. Love it, especially in summer weather!



Deeeelicious soba and donkatsu in Seobingo. This is a chain known for their soba, apparently, and their reputation is well-deserved. I forget how much I paid for it, but it was reasonable and totally worth it.



I've had jjah jjah myung a few times here, but to be honest, I haven't been wowed by any of them. Maybe I was expecting too much?



Tied for best ramen I've ever had. My ramen at that Mitsuwa in Arlington Heights, IL was a few years ago but that's up there as well. Anyway, this was delicious, and only cost me W5,000.



A "home-cooked" meal. At the local market (not the chain stores) they only sell kimchi by the kilo. So I bought 2.2 pounds of cucumber kimchi and 2.2 pounds of cabbage kimchi, all for W10,000. Of course, you have the lightly toasted spam and some beans soaked in soy sauce, and some rice at the bottom.



Last but not least, three different types of instant noodles. The jjah jjah myung tastes like what I expected. The big surprises were the instant jjam pohng and instant suhl lung tang. I haven't had the jjam pohng yet but the suhl lung tang is actually pretty good.

Other notes:
"HOF" chicken is every where (cut up, deep fried chicken)

Budaejigae. "Army stew." Spam, hot dogs, bacon, ground beef (depending on the restaurant), instant ramen noodles, assorted veggies, and rice cake cooked in one pot. I'm surprised I don't have any pictures of the several that I've had, but I think that's because I was so excited to eat it when it came out. They cook it from the very beginning right in front of you, and I have never tasted budaejigae this good. Oh my goodness, the flavors that develop are incredible. I always felt obligated to enjoy this in the States because it has so much meat, but here it's something I genuinely look forward to.

Basically all kimchi. Maybe it's the fact that I'm in Korea, but all the kimchi seems to have an extra flavor that makes it extra-enjoyable.

Lastly,
I still think about my week in LA. I'm convinced LA has at least food as good as Korea, but with Western twists (cheaper and higher quality beef, more meat in each serving)

I have one more post to do on Galbi, and food posts will be on break for awhile. =)

What I Ate: Bulgogi Burgers and Pizza

I wondered what the deal was with some americanized foods here. Namely, the bulgogi burger and pizza. The first couple of weeks, I managed to hit up several bulgogi variants:

Not a bulgogi burger, but this is from a place called Krazee Burger (pronounced "krah-zeh buh-guh). It tastes okay but way overpriced.


Burger King bulgogi burger. Hey, I had to try it at least once.


McDonald's bulgogi burger.


Lotteria's bulgogi burger. Lotteria is almost as common as McD's, and it's a straight-up imitation of it. Owned by Lotte. (By the way, Lotte owns a quarter of Korea. Half belongs to Samsung, and the other quarter is owned by Hyundai).


Bulgogi Pizza from Pizza Etang (chain store).


Bulgogi Pizza from good old Papa John's. The best pizza I've had here.

The conclusion?

Bulgogi burgers are as tasty as a generic American hamburger slathered in corn syrup “bar-b-que” sauce. You can taste the artificiality. Nothing worth getting excited about.

Bulgogi pizza is legitimately good. But it's also pretty pricey, and with all of the other amazing food here, I'd say it's worth it every month or two.

So much food eaten, but I'm not sure how many posts I want to do about them. Much of life in Korea has already become a bit mundane (not necessarily a bad thing). And for health reasons I'm trying to stay away from them (i.e. Tempura, pastries). I figure I have a few more posts in me, though.

Korean Myth #1: Saying "Hi" to Strangers Is For Crazy People

Welcome to a mini-series, "Korean Myth". Here I will address things I heard about Korea before moving here.

Korean Myth #1: Saying "Hi" to Strangers Is For Crazy People
"Peter, don't say 'Hi' to people on the street in Korea. Don't even make eye-contact. Only crazy people do that there." In Chicago, you say "Good morning" or "Hi" or simply nod in acknowledgment to people. What's the harm in being friendly, right? Open doors for people, do simple little courtesies for others. What's the harm? But in Korea, I was told, you ignore people. Do NOT say 'hi' to people, I was told. In Korea, only crazy people do that.

Verdict: True
Yes, generally speaking, you don't say "Hi" to people. And I have in fact seen several mentally unstable people talk to strangers.

BUT
I'd like to point out a few caveats:
1. I don't know if this is a Korea thing or a big city thing. My few trips to downtown Chicago have been similar. Big city = A lot of people. People are busy, moving from one thing to the next.
2. Relationships in Korea are more structured than in America. There are many rules on how you greet others, depending on context (that's for a future post). The default tone of relationships is formal and polite, but those kinds of greetings are simply not possible in a crowded subway with hundreds of people around you.
3. When I first arrived in Korea and I had gotten some of my money exchanged, I was a bit disorganized. I had dollars and won in my pockets, and I was still getting the denominations figured out. I pulled out my wallet and a sizeable chunk of cash fell out but I didn't notice it. A woman kindly told me and I hurriedly picked it up, thanking her. Just because people don't say "hi" to each other doesn't mean they're not nice. =)

My New Home

So, I've been in this country for two weeks, and I need to pick up the pace to get more current on this blog.

Welcome to my home. You see here my bedroom, living room, entertainment center (which is now under my desk)

Next, my kitchen, dining room, laundry room, closet/dryer, and storage area. What can I say, I live in luxury. =D

And here is the all-important bathroom. Notice the showerhead on the wall? That's right, to the uninformed, the entire bathroom is the shower area. I have my routine now, but it's still a very conscious thing to shower.

You can't beat the view.

One very important detail that was left out is that hot water needs to be turned on before you use it. I took two cold showers and assumed that hot water wasn't available until someone told me the function of this:

The right side is the water, the left side is the heating.

It's a simple set-up, but it's clean. And actually I like the simplicity. I'm slowly getting to know my neighborhood, I've been so focused on knowing Seoul the City that it took me one and a half weeks to walk around the block in the direction away from the station.

It's the Little Differences: Airport Bathrooms

Vincent: You know what the funniest thing about Europe is?
Jules: What?
Vincent: It's the little differences. I mean, they got the same sh*t over there that we got here, but it's just...it's just there it's a little different.

- Pulp Fiction

This is the greatest adjustment here. In Korea they have all the same things that we have in America, but it's just...different. Since I'm working here, my more "exotic" adventures will happen on the weekends, but it's the day-to-day stuff that makes living in Korea unique.

Case in point, the airport bathrooms. Yes, they're clean. Yes, it's an airport so it's not representative of the country, but I was washing my hands when I saw this sign. Not just the custodian's name. But his picture...AND his phone number to call him if anything is wrong!

I hope it's his work number and not his cell phone.

The Arrival

I was dropped off at O'Hare to be greeted with signs of the Motherland.

Korean Air, the mythical airline with pretty stewardesses, great food, and a free Hwa-Tu cards. I was as excited about flying KA as I was about any part of my trip.

Having gotten to the airport appropriately early, I had some time to kill. I made good use of my time studying my Korean. I have a long way to go before I'm fluent:

I also checked out the duty free shops. Now, keep in mind that I was still in O'Hare, still in Chicago; I got very nostalgic when I saw these sweatshirts hanging as a final goodbye.

Korean Air was everything I thought it would be, minus the Hwa-Tu cards. Every seat has a screen:

Granted, this is my first international flight so I don't know if other carriers have that as well. I partially watched a whole bunch of movies. Saw bits of Amadeus for the first time in years, I need to finish watching True Grit, and confirmed that I Am Number Four is indeed a kid's movie not intended for adults.

The bibimbop was close to being the tastiest I've ever had:

And the takgim (chicken stew), not pictured, was delicious as well. Overall as pleasant of a flight as one could hope for.

But I wasn't here for the flight, I wanted to get to Korea. The wheels touched down, and my life here began...

Saying Good-Bye to Chicago Food

Anyone who's known me for more than 5 minutes knows that I love food. I've often wondered why. Honestly, I think there are at least 3 reasons.
1. I'm a live-to-eat kind of person. Good food just tastes so darn good!
2. I like experiencing things, and what is more experiential than consuming something?
3. Food is safe. No one gets mad at you for enjoying food. =) It's sometimes my go-to topic of conversation because food is universal.
4. Food = Comfort

So this is my final post on pre-Korea. These are actual pictures of the food I ate in the last week I was in Chicago. I only gained 2 pounds, but I think my waistline expanded about 2 inches.

Walker Brothers Apple Pancake. The only place where I look forward to the buttermilk pancakes. Thanks, Adelaide!


Pequods in Des Plaines. Great pan pizza that I tried for the first time. That's roasted basil, bringing a nice color to the pie.

Popeyes. Don't underestimate good fried chicken.


Oysters Rockfeller at Buckinghams in Elgin. First time, but hopefully not my last. Perfectly creamy and delicious.

Probably the best burger I've ever eaten, at Prime Burgerhouse in Elgin. Kobe beef, shredded bacon (the real bacon, not cheap bacon strips), perfect amount of cheddar cheese, and even the fries were great. Plus without a doubt the richest most creamy and nuanced milkshake I've ever had, with Pistachios, Honey, and I don't know what else. Thanks, Tom!


Again, courtesy of my brother. The Tomahawk Steak at Buckinghams. Perfectly charred, perfectly medium rare on the inside. The ridiculous and awesome bone made me feel like a Flinstone.

Lou Malnati's. I just cried a little. Thanks, Dave!

Buffalo Joe's and Gino's East in one awesome combination. The wings have really shrunk in size over the years, but the sauce is as amazing as ever. Thanks Roy and Tom!

Paradise Pup. *sob* I miss you already. Oddly enough, I've only gone here three times but every time I go it delivers. My hands down favorite hole-in-the-wall burger joint. Thank you, Young Sook Emo! (I didn't go with her, but she offered to pay for my lunch). Great time, Patrick!


Last and certainly not least, Smoque. What can I say? The fact that this place gets 5 pictures says it all. I went twice in three weeks, and I would have gone more if I could.

They don't give you a lot of mac n'cheese, but boy it sure is good.

The best beans, ever. If other places in Chicago smoke their beans and add brisket to it, I'd like to know.

St. Louis-cut dry rub ribs. 12 hours smoked. Tender, smokey, amazing.

The money shot. The brisket in all of its tender goodness, the barbeque sauce mixing in with the fat and other juices, the meat wrapping itself around my fork. Good-bye, my friend...

Honorable mention goes to Pita Inn. I didn't think to take a picture when I went there over a week before I left.

Next up: Korea, here I come!

Saying Good-Bye to Family and Friends

I'm already a bit behind on posting, especially as my arrival here in Korea is so time-sensitive. Expect updates on my arrival next week. For now, I'd like to give a shoutout to those I've said goodbye to for the next year.

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend several meals with the family my last week in the States. Gotta show them the love here. And in one of my last days, I went shooting for the first time (don't mess with the Kim brothers!) and had some incredible food. I also had a last meal or coffee with as many friends as I could meet up with. I wish I had another week to say good-bye. =)

I'm a one-on-one hanger out of people. Large groups tend to drain my energy as few things do. So my times with my loved ones was especially bittersweet as I enjoyed great conversation and connecting as well as preparing for a temporary separation. I already miss you guys! It can too easily be a one-way communication street, but please give me unsolicited updates on your lives. I'll do my best to pray for you.

By the way, the last shot was a 9mm at 40 feet. Boom, done!

Next up: Saying Good-Bye to Food

What?!

I'm leaving for Korea this Friday. For my friends whom I haven't kept in the loop, this has been in process since November but has come together quickly in the last week.

What: Teaching English in Seoul
For how long: One year
When do I leave: this Friday

Why?!?: The reasons are many. But one thing is certain: This is going to be an interesting journey. Hence, this blog. I'll be updating my trip here and link to this from facebook for those interested in knowing what I've been up to. If my previous blog is any indication, I'm going to have a hard time posting regularly but you never know.

The adventure continues...