So, I will begin this post with a toilet. Why not? This is one of those squatting toilets that is actually not too common here (at least in my experience) but when I encountered one in the Seoul subway, I had to document it. It was a beautiful and very clean bathroom, by the way, and I would imagine that this is a very convenient way to do one's business, apart from the potential of making a mess of one's shoes. Sorry to be graphic, but it's the nature of things. Anyway, when one thinks "subway bathroom", one thinks, "Oh, at all costs, go somewhere else," but in reality, most things in Korea are well-kept, if not "clean" by American standards. I mean that in the sense that people buy a lot of products to ensure that no germ will ever touch them, and I don't think people care overly much about that here. And it's the strangest thing, but everyone washes their hands, yet there is nothing to dry them off with. I had no idea what to do until I witnessed other women in the bathroom, and they have this sort of brilliant way of shaking their hands mostly dry, and then walking out like doctors about to perform surgery. I can't get used to it, though. And you can't ever rely on there being toilet paper in the bathroom. For whatever reason, that's considered "up to you" to figure out. So at work, I have a stash of toilet paper, and now carry tissues with me. Most restaurants and other public places will give you toilet paper upon request before going to the bathroom. They are very frugal with paper products here. Is it to protect the environment??? I need to ask Gina about that one...

But I have yet to see a trace of vandalism, or of anyone running off somewhere looking guilty. There are actually a lot of free-standing nautilus-type gym devices in the parks all around here, and in America, those things would be vandalised within minutes. Here, in Korea, they're available for anyone to use 24/7, and they're always in beautiful condition. It's very interesting.

Okay, but the rest of this blog is devoted to what happens before the squatting toilet. Yes, I'm referring to food!


This is my gorgeous and very dear friend Gina (whose Korean name I still can't pronounce or remember) who has been the greatest friend to me since I got here. Her English is impeccable, and she's travelled all over the world, so she knows what it feels like to be a stranger in a foreign place. She has been my "culinary sage" and a good friend. She's always game to take me to a eat something new, and she's very good at picking great places. This is a picture of us at one of the least adventurous places we've been to. We're eating what the Chinese call "black noodles", and this is the Korean version. It has some kind of bean paste, and it's mixed with this delicious fat, chewy noodle. It was a very good lunch, and Gina said this is the "Korean McDonald's" because it's so cheap (probably about $2.50 usd) and it's very filling. And it was delicious.



This, is the monolithic, 4 stories of everything you could ever possibly buy, "Home Plus". Apparently it's a British chain, and they're all over South Korea. This shot is taken from the bridge I cross from my apartment to get to "Home Plus". The best way I can describe it is 4 levels of 4 completely different Wal-Marts. I guess Wal-Mart actually tried to get into South Korea, but they were given the big fat "no". Probably because this place is so huge, so convenient, and so ubiquitous, Wal-Mart wouldn't stand a chance. Bottom floor is a food mart, with everything from "Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf" to little dumplings and other Korean things that I don't recognize or understand yet. It's a world of smells down there, let me tell you.

These pictures are from the second floor which is the grocery department. It is massive and stocked with every pre-made thing you can imagine, mostly Korean, but lots of foreign/American things, too, but in the back of the store is all of the fresh stuff, including a bakery, a huge produce section, a huge fish section, a pork section, a beef section, a kimchi section... It's seriously insane. What I tried to capture here (and it was a little embarrassing - imagine going to Albertson's and seeing a tourist taking pictures of the produce) was the stuff that is so unlike a typical American grocery. I took pictures of things that I cannot identify. There are plenty of things in this department that I CAN identify, and those are the things I purchase. The rest I steer clear of out of sheer ignorance, not for lack of curiousity! Obviously I'm curious if I'm taking pictures.

This is something I absolutely adore here (and so does pretty much everyone else!) called "tdock-boh-kee", and I've no doubt killed the pronunciation. Anyway, I was thrilled that she happened to be making a batch when I walked by. You can see the finished product in the tray on the right, and basically what it is is rice finely ground and formed into a long sausage-like form, then sliced into scallop-sized pieces. It's then boiled, you can see her putting those pieces into the water, and possibly seared in a pan, then drenched in this amazingly spicy, incredibly delicious sauce. It's so wonderfully chewy, and the sauce is very hot and thick and flavorful. It's a favorite with adults and kids because it's just flat-out good. You can get it here, but you can also get it at many street vendors.

So, those of you who know me well know that I am a bit of a foodie, and nothing scares me. Though I'm no Anthony Bourdain and have never eaten the eyeballs and brains of a goat's head, I told myself before coming to Korea, "I'll try anything but dog," because in my naivete I thought dog would be sold everywhere and I'd have to do my best to avoid it. I've learned since coming here that although dog is eaten, it's usually in hidden, specialized restaurants, and not everyone does it. Some are staunchly opposed to it, while others have the belief that eating dog, especially during the hottest days of the summer, increases vitality and refreshes the body. It's usually served "family style" and you have to buy the entire dog, so you get the dog soup - which is quite pricey - and everyone eats it together. I've heard more men are "into it" than women are, and so far the only people who've told me they regularly enjoy it are men. I'm still relatively naive on the subject, though, having only been here a little less than a month.


Anyway, in my attempt to be fearless, and out of a desire to make something different than my usual ramen noodles and salad, I purchased a seafood and meat stew which is handpacked by the seafood department. It had clams, mussels, 3 baby octopus with their little round heads attached, 2 shrimp with all body parts attached, some kind of sea-dwelling creature that looked like a snail but wasn't, a little bit of beef, some zucchini, leeks, onions, cabbage, rice noodles, and two different sauces. It was also discounted, so I figured that was a good sign for one as poor as I. It was a monsoon day of rain, and I figured what better day for stew?

This is a picture of my absolute confidence that though I can't read the directions, I can still conquer the stew. How could it be that hard? Throw it all in a pot with the flavorings and see what happens. This next picture shows how incredibly short everything is in my apartment compared to me. Literally, my back hurts after cooking or doing dishes from having to hunch over like quasimodo. It's still worth it, though, to see what I can manage to do with my 2 hotplates, and no microwave. Or oven.


The rest of the pictures show you the stew on the boil, the presentation of my little meal, and the aftermath. The verdict? I don't like eating things with heads. I've always really liked octopus, and I tried one of the heads, but I really didn't enjoy it. The second octopus I decapitated, and the third octopus I threw away. I am ashamed to admit that though a lover of shrimp, I took no joy in removing it's head, antenna and little beady black eyes and all, and it robbed me of some of the joy of eating it. As for the snail-like sea-dweller, it was actually pretty tasty, but I was bothered that I didn't know what it was. The outside meat was white, and then when the rest is pulled out, it's partial brown meat, like the inside of a crab or a lobster. Its brothers are still residing in my refrigerator. I'm still deliberating as to whether I try them again or just be done with them. I was most excited by the mussels, the clams, and the beef. And am now, I find, just another squeamish American. But, I did think the seasonings were pretty drab. So maybe it's not all my fault. Take that, "Home Plus"! And I DID like the pig intestines filled with rice, so I think I'm still at least a little bit Korean.