Korean Folk Village

So I took the mad American to the Korean Folk Village on the last Sunday in May - a wonderful sunny day where the sun shone and we could really say 'nalshiga chosumnida' (weather good).

Here he is - above dressed up as a policeman from the historical period of the Joseon dynasty, and below getting in some quiet time next to the river.

As for me, here I get into posing match with a very symbolic piece of sculpture. It's supposed to represent knowledge!

One of the intricately carved roofs which, luckily, are still a feature of temples in South Korea and so is still practiced by craftsmen.

One of the typical traditional dwellings.

To anyone wanting to visit South Korea, walking around this place is great - very serene and with a lot of memorable stopping places.

...and I'm the one who...

My good friend Scot, shown above during our trip to Paju for the braai, has mastered enough Hangul to have confident conversations with quite a number of Koreans.

Being a warrior and knight, he came to rescue of a Korean damsel in distress by tongue lashing a group of servicemen (?) who were making rather rude comments and catcalling her.

'So who are you to tell us to stop?'

'I'm the guy that will kick your ass and, I'm the only one who'll be able to talk to the cops when they turn up, buddy!'

Chosumnida!

Weird food

Isn't it strange how we regard certain foods as 'weird'.

And it doesn't have anything to do with nutritional values, either. Instead we have little quirks of taste or texture or, more usually appearance and smell.

For me, anything that has a soft yet rubbery texture is weird - I don't eat bananas for that reason, nor pumpkin, and I also stay away from the jelly and aspic side of life. Yet, there are exceptions - a nice trifle layered with cake, jelly, custard and cream is a delight! I also don't like eating any of the molluscs - I like the flavour they give to a soup, but let me bite into one of those rubbery, frondy little critters and the nausea starts.

For most of my Korean friends and students, the smell of lamb, the taste of it and the appearance is weird.

So I was wondering - what is your pet peeve in the food world? What do you eat that others consider disgusting?

What have you learnt to eat that you wouldn't consider when you were younger?

I've added prawns and mushrooms to my palette, while my daughter will, these days, eat an egg occasionally. My son still refuses ginger, but has embraced the world of hurts locked up in chili peppers! 

Suicide...

Of course the biggest news in South Korea right now is the death by suicide of former President Roh. He and his family were under investigation for bribery, corruption etc. stemming from his time in office and his campaigns before that.

I've had a couple of experiences with suicides, and while it may take the person doing it out of whatever problems they are having, it leaves behind a lot more. But then, they are taking care of present and future problems in this very final way, so the argument that you are leaving behind more problems for those who love you will hardly count.

The worst one I experienced was a colleague at the Boksburg works of ELB who hung himself from the crane in the store, and at such a time that it was almost sure to be his family who would find him, not his colleagues. He was going through a bitter divorce, and I'm sure, expected his wife to walk in to find him. Instead, she sent in their daughter of six. You can imagine the rest.

So, Roh Moo-hyun, you felt that the whole situation was too much, and so you climbed the hill, found a cliff, and jumped. I hope your family copes with their problems. And I hope they forgive you the pain of your death.

Paju bound

A view of Paju from the Geumchon train station - it is very much like any other Korean city, with one exception - a lot more construction work going on everywhere.

Dax, in the middle with the wild hair, one of my former students from the BLC days, who is also now teaching here in South Korea.

Some 'sakkie-sakkie', or basic two-step shuffle to the strains of a concertina and a guitar.

On Saturday a whole slew of South Africans converged on Paju to take part in that tradition known as the braai! Shown here are Taryn (in front on the left) and Scot, standing at right, who accompanied me to the event.

Taryn was in her element - able to catch up and see she is not the only person from SA here in South Korea, and Scot had a great time confusing people - he is American, looks South African, and spoke to those who addressed him in Afrikaans in Korean!

We ate some lamb chops and sosaties and boerewors - shown here sizzling on the braai! We danced, we sang the national anthem, we met new people and old friends and had a great time!

Eating out in Korea

Judging by the number of restaurants in any area I've been in so far in Korea, it amazes me that Koreans still eat and cook at home. Especially in smaller restaurants you can get a bowl of noodle soup (guksu) in various flavours for as little as 3000 won per person.

Another thing is that the portions served are invariably very generous - despite being a big eater I have yet to finish everything a Korean restaurant places on my table! Shown here, from the top, are an al fresco restaurant at Gimpo International Airport and the tempting (plastic) dishes on display to show off the menu, and a typical roadside stall selling dried squid.