subway stories

I met an old man in Korea. And by met (in this case), I mean watched/stalked on the subway. Everything about him made me so curious...and he reminded me of Mr. Fredricksen...so I kind of couldn't take my eyes off him.


Imagine...

He wears large square glasses and a pouty mouth--one that looks like he'd been fighting a smile his whole life. He wears a neatly pressed gray suit, black shiny shoes, and a blue tie that matches the bright bakery bag that he clutches closely to him.

He takes out what looks like a slender cake box from his bag and looks at it admiringly, examining it and silently praising its perfection. He gently puts it back in the box.

He pulls out a comb out of his jacket pocket and brushes the neatly combed white hair on his tan, slightly freckled bald head.

The subway doors open and people start to fill in. An unsuspecting, elderly lady takes the seat next to him. He scooches over (annoyed), peers suspiciously from the corner of his eye and clutches his blue bag a little bit closer...


I snapped a picture when the moment was right.....

...or maybe not. Looks like he's looking right at me now. ack!

My mind started to wander at that point...whose this man and what's in that bag?

fun summer nails

Korean people love their polish. And these colors are so fun...I'm copying this idea. Happy weekend!

Korean holidays

{variations of Pocky--the Japanese version of Pepero}

Something random I learned in Korea

February 14: Girls treat the boys

March 14: 'White Day' where boys treat the girls

April 15: 'Black Day'--the day when all the single folks (and all those who don't do anything on 2/14 and/or 3/14) go eat 자 장 면 (Jajangmyun), the black noodles mentioned here.

November 11 or 11/11: Pepero Day
People exchange boxes of Pepero, long, thin biscuits dipped in chocolate or yogurt flavoring, on this day. Why 11/11? Pepero's long, stick shape looks like the date--thus a holiday was born.

hello.

{Cheonggyecheon}

One of my favorite things about this Asia trip was learning more about my Korean roots/culture. I never ventured too deep into learning the ins, outs, whats and whys before--maybe it was too close or too familiar for me, or maybe I just identified more with the 'American side' of me. Regardless, being in the place my parents, grandparents, great grandparents grew up felt different this time around. I learned a few things about Korean people (my people!), the country's history (some really sad & painful things), the customs I never understood before--things I hope to be able to share here.

Anyways, I won't be traveling for a little while, so in an attempt to continue my cultural education, I will be practicing my Korean on my parents and random Korean strangers, learning some Korean recipes, and drinking more soju (jk)...I will also be enrolling myself in a djembe class and a French conversation class. Not Korean things, but hey, why not.

I heart Seoul: Reason #354

Delivery Korean style Chinese food--anytime, anywhere. Food is delivered fast and hot (those delivery guys drive with no fear and somehow seem to bypass all traffic laws). They even pick up the dirty dishes afterwards. So green and so efficient! If in the Sadang-dong area, this place is great:
자금성 (Ja Geum Sung)
525-2399
581-2199

It's apparently Korean tradition to have Jajang Myeon (thicker noodles with black soybean sauce, veggies, and usually meat, pictured on the top right corner) when you move to a new place. Fitting for today since we just moved in some new furniture to my sister's place...tasted extra delicious for that reason. If you do order from this place, make sure to get the 깐 자 장 면 (Ggan Jajang Myeon) which gives you the meat peices instead of ground. Yum.