Kyu, the Korean American

2011-11-12T23:01:00.001+09:00

Gotta' love the hot sauce packaging at Taco Bell.

taco bell :: itaewon

2010-08-17T18:01:00.000+09:00

Finally, the long awaited journey to the border. And I don't mean the 38th parallel.

Yes, you too can eat Taco Bell in Korea/

street carts :: pojang macha

2010-08-17T17:47:00.001+09:00

This is a typical "pojang macha" or street vendor, of in this case, food.

Here's another, this one selling luggage bags.

Baro Goods... Barrel of Goods? Bar'O Goods?!

A lot tidier looking than traditional street carts.

The Q Show

2010-05-28T00:18:00.001+09:00

Okay... which one of you Googlers did this...? ^^

Rent-a-Bicycle

2010-05-11T01:42:00.000+09:00

To the north-west of Seoul lays a growing city in-itself called Goyang. It is my understanding that the largest sub-city in Goyang is Ilsan. This is where MBC has moved its main HQ in addition to there being a very large lake park. For those somewhat familiar with Seoul, Ilsan is similar to Bundang. It's sort of an urban suburb if such a term even makes sense. Subway lines from greater Seoul run to these urband suburbs, but in reality, it's not Seoul, and the feel of these places is different. Slightly more quiet, less traffic, new families, nicer parks, etc...

While visiting my grandmother and uncle out in Ilsan this past weekend (happy parent's and mother's day!), I came across this bright green sign.

As a part of an ongoing Goyang city sponsored event, the bicycle rental program is being called "F I F TEEN" for reasons none other (at least from what I could find) than the average speed of a bicycle, 15 kph.

For those with membership, bikes can be rented for the 30 minutes free, plus KRW 1,000 for every 30 minutes thereafter, while non-members can pay through their cell phones at KRW 500 for the first half hour plus KRW 1,000 every half hour thereafter. I believe you can also return bicycles to any other F I F TEEN location.

중무로 [chungmuro]

2010-04-28T00:22:00.001+09:00

I tend to pass through Chungmuro subway station quite a bit these days...

aka 'the bat cave'

i missed taking a snapshot of the best part, when the men were pushing the women on the cart as they wiping the ceiling and light fixtures.

there's something about these telephone booths...

there are these sweet digital signs going up at all the subway stations. they give you a quick read of the top headlines, hot search items, satellite and street views of seoul, etc... including free phone calls (while still in beta testing)

Taco Bell [revised]

2010-04-23T11:54:00.001+09:00

One thing I used to find hilarious but no longer very funny, is the discussion of one of America's fast food joints that has regained its popularity most recently with the success of the movie, "The Blind Side."

Yes, Taco Bell.

So what's the big deal? Though McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Popeyes, and countless other fastfood eateries have been introduced to Korea, Koreans and those living in Korea have always had to "think inside the bun..."

There has only been one Taco Bell in Korea. One. This one Taco Bell has been sheltered and isolated to the majority of the Korean public only to be found inside the U.S. Military Base. Most Kyopos or those with military friends have had the "privilege" of being escorted into the base to enjoy Taco Bell, or up until recently, strawberry frappuccinos from Starbucks, but to the rest of us who don't desperately need a our fix of Taco Bell, it was sort of, "whatevers."

However! A public and quite large Taco Bell will be opening to the public soon. Located in Itaewon, nicely situated outside of the Itaewon subway station and somewhat across the street from the Hamilton Hotel, this apparently multi-story Taco Bell is scheduled to open its doors "soon." From my little understanding of architecture and construction, my guess would be that it opens its doors in mid-to-late May.
--------------------------

So I have been told by a friend, legend has it that Taco Bell was introduced to Korea's public in the 90's but perhaps too early for people to appreciate sour cream out of caulking guns.

Rumor has it Yeoksam could be getting one as well...

--------------------------
I can't finish this post any other way: "Yo quiero Taco Bell."

The Everything Truck

2010-04-20T10:02:00.000+09:00

In Korea, you'll find many trucks that roll around at 10 kph hollering messages over a make-shift speaker system advertising their products. I remember the first time I heard one of these at work and I thought maybe there was a firetruck outside. There are all sorts of trucks that sell anything from crabs, peanuts, socks, and some even advertise their recycling services of old computer parts. Yesterday in Itaewon, I came across a truck that beats all the rest. A truck that sells, well, everything.

The recorded audio message said, "everything! everything! pots and pans, brooms and clothes hangers, bath products, saws to screws, etc... EVERYTHING.

A Trip to the Arcade

2010-04-19T11:19:00.000+09:00

Separating the 100 KRW coins from the 500 KRW coins one by one can be a pain in the butt. Why the machine doesn't separate them for you is out of my mind, but here's a manual way of sorting in a short amount of time.

Mario Botta inside the Leeum

2010-04-16T12:12:00.000+09:00

Itaewon, an international neighborhood in Seoul, is home to the art museum and collection of Samsung's President, called the Leeum.

The Leeum is actually a complex of three buildings by three different world renown architects: Rem Koolhaas, Jean Nouvel, and Mario Botta.

This was my fourth time at the Leeum. Here is a sneak peek at the interior spiral space in Mario Botta's building:

Korean Folk Museum

2010-04-16T12:07:00.000+09:00

After living in Seoul for nearly two years, this was my first time getting as close as I did to the Folk Museum situated just east of 경북궁 [Gyeongbuk Palace]. It looks like a gargantuan pagoda of sorts sitting on top of an enormous stone pedestal.

This was the closest I got. I didn't go inside the museum. My friend had to use the bathroom, then we left. ^^

수타면 - Hand made noodles

2010-04-14T11:33:00.000+09:00

Several Koreanized Chinese restaurants that serve 자장면 [jajangmyun, zazang, etc...] advertise themselves as making 수타면, or hand made noodles. After passing a place with these claims near Jongno, I had to go try for myself.

This place is legit. They have the noodle master throwing noodles in the front window for all people to see. The process consists of taking a long donut-like piece of dough and stretching it, slapping it on the table to pick up flower and while maintaining its consistency and overall noodle thickness, doing a figure-8 to essentially double the noodle count, then repeating the process over and over again to create handmade noodles, 수타면.

My overall impression of these noodles was that they are noticeably chewier than machine processed noodles. The "natural" sense of the noodles in ever so slightly differentiating thicknesses was also a pleasant textural experience, thought thicker than what I'm used to. Yum.

White Therapy

2010-04-12T19:41:00.000+09:00

Having recently gotten into radio, I've been hearing a commercial for 비/Rain's brand of cosmetic products, 'Nature Republic.'

I used to like Rain, or at least thought the guy was respectable. He's got such a crazy testimony: his mom passed away when he was in high school, he started as a back-dancer for Park Jin Young, he's known to be an incredibly hard working person, etc... The drama "Full House" is pretty high up on my list of favorites, and his early music under JYP was pretty decent.

But ever since he branched off on his own, I shake my head more and more and am really disgusted by him. His latest publicity images are very ris-kay and even his song lyrics focus on I have no idea how he or his crew came up with this name 'Nature Republic,' but the color are much too similar to another existing cosmetics brand, and the logo looks too much like Banana Republic's.

Anyways, there's been a recent commercial for the line "white therapy." Now what does "white therapy" mean? It means using products to whiten your skin, especially your face! He goes onto say in this very commercial that darker skin tones can be okay since they're a little more "mysteriously sexy," but that whiter skin tones are much more appealing and to his own liking and "clean." Uhm... does this not bother anyone else? I'm not even a girl nor do I wish to please Rain and this really bothers me!

Yes, "feel the nature"...

2010-04-12T11:58:00.002+09:00

2010-04-12T11:38:00.003+09:00

Royal Pudding

2010-04-09T11:35:00.000+09:00

A few weeks ago I went into the new Paris Baguette at Gangnam with my friend Alice (famous author of Mental Poo) and saw her friend buy a small bottle of pudding. I had never seen these cute little bottles of colorful pudding at the older Paris Baguette in my 'hood. Then finally...

They're quite tasty, though I'd have to say that I prefer the chocolate over strawberry. Each flavor starts out with a thin layer of that flavor's creme, followed by the real pudding which lies on a bed of normal vanilla pudding yogurt, finished by the bottom-most layer of jelly. The lid of each glass jar claims: "Hand-made drip method thick and smooth [enter flavor here] pudding." Royal indeed.

Bring in the Boats

2010-04-07T10:34:00.000+09:00

At around 4pm, the street vendors roll in all at once. It's actually a pretty cool site to see like 20 people pushing 20 carts covered in tarps down Myeong Dong and pull up to a stop where they will be positioned for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

In other non-significant Myeong-dong news, I finally saw the new H&M:

Dunkin, I mean Double Donuts

2010-04-06T18:10:00.001+09:00

Saw this man selling donuts on my way to the radio station this afternoon near Myeong Dong.

"Same donuts, just half price!"

English > Korean > English

2010-04-06T10:58:00.000+09:00

The following are pictures from a rest stop along a Korean highway.

Beware: this is what happens when you take English words, write them phonetically, then write that phonetically back into English again.

Hot dog > 핫도그 > Hatdogue ; 'Fried goods' > 튀김 (pure Korean) > Twigim (phonetic of Korean)

Waffle > 와플 > Wapeul

This one's a bit hard to see, but the very last one is:

Donut > 도넛 > Doneos

And for the ones I haven't explained, they are native Korean words that have been phonetically written in English. What non-Korean speaking person is going to be able to understand those words? Hahaha. Good effort nontheless!

Laughable Laundry

2010-04-05T17:09:00.000+09:00

I present to you my drying machine:

While as before at my old place I really didn't have have a dryer, my new place actually has a washer+dryer all-in-one. But because I prefer to naturally dry my clothes (as preferred by mama Kim), I have no place to hang my clothes but on the ceiling fan.

Anyways, after hanging up my wet laundry last night before going to sleep (isn't that lovely? naturally humidified room via means of drying laundry!), I woke up this morning and tried to wake myself up by taking down my clothes and folding my laundry. Alas, I ended up putting ON my laundry and not realizing how ridiculous I looked in 4 t-shirts until I was ready to head out the door on my way to the palace.

2010-04-02T16:32:00.001+09:00

3 musketeers

2010-03-30T19:25:00.003+09:00

Three Jongno street cleaning mobiles.

Battle of the Battery Bunnies

2010-03-29T22:35:00.000+09:00

I was reminded while watching some Saturday night television of the epic 'battery bunny.'

Coming from the U.S., I was very confused when I first saw a Duracell commercial here in Korea. In the states, we only have one battery bunny: the Energizer Battery Bunny - an ugly looking bright pink bunny who beats his drum and wears a pair of Men in Black shades.

Now I nearly jumped out of my chair when I saw this:

Turns out, the Duracell Battery Bunny actually is the OG (original) and precursor to any battery associated with bunnies. I much rather prefer the Duracell pink compared to the Energizer pink (yes, they are different!) and the rabbit itself it much cuter. In fact, the Energizer battery is actually supposed to be "mocking" the Durcall battery bunny. To make things a tad more interesting, most people in Korea are not familiar with the Energizer battery bunny at all, as is the case in most countries other than the U.S.

Speaking of batteries, here's a bous. Some have asked about a frequently flashed logo I like to use:

He's the old logo for the Korean brand of batteries known as "Rocket."

Palace Pass

2010-03-25T23:38:00.000+09:00

So instead of paying 20,000~30,000KRW for gym membership, I paid 10,000KRW for a Palace Pass at Chang-gyeong Palace. I've been making it a regular regiment to go at 9am when the open and exercise with the old folk. It's been awesome.

Hahahaha I took this picture on Monday early in the morning and have been pestering the admission ticket lady about when my pass was coming out since then. She was so excited to give it to me today laughing her head off saying I looked like I was homeless puhahahahaha. I agree.

old folk, pt I

2010-03-25T11:16:00.000+09:00

I have this strange fascination with old folk in Korea. My grandparents were around more than most families' growing up in the states - this meaning my grandparents flew over and stayed with us 6 months at a time. Every morning, I exercise with old folk at the palace. The older generation dresses differently and smell funny. The ends of subway cars and best seats on the bus are reserved for old people. There are bunch of crazy and mentally ill old people in Jongno every afternoon.

Then there are the the old folk that play the asian game of "go" or in Korean, "바둑" pronounced 'baduk,' in front of Jongmyo Park. If you're never seen this, then imagine old folk in Central Park playing chess, but totally Asianized. They sit on the ground cross-legged typically on top of flattened cardboard boxes, and carefully lay white and black stone pieces on a square wooden board.

There are spectators too. People simply roaming around observing intense matches, and even police officers to quell any fights or disruptions. My undercover pictures were only able to capture men, but I did see a few women around as well.

Yellow Dust [황사]

2010-03-25T11:01:00.000+09:00

Every year in Korea around this time of year, just as winter is wrapping up and spring is rolling in, there is a huge kick dust from China that carries down into Korea. Seoul, being located near the western edge of Korea, gets a large amount of Yellow Dust.

Those people really ought to be wearing masks.

Now I'm disappointed by my pictures because it was really somewhat of a scary sight. I got out my camera much too late in the evening but the sky in afternoon was literally orangish-yellow. I was advised by my friends to clean out my nose and hack up some mucus to get the dust and grime out of my system upon going home.

Intentional Smiley Faces

2010-03-23T12:11:00.002+09:00

Not Done Yet

2010-03-22T21:11:00.000+09:00

I guess winter is not done yet. Though I expected rain, I never thought it could snow so late in March.

Supposedly another slight dose of sleet is in the forecast for Thursday.

Ghost Palace

2010-03-22T10:31:00.001+09:00

I took these on the way home one night. I am very blessed to live right in front of Chang-gyeong Palace. I found out it has a very interesting and sad history - perhaps the reason why it's the least visited palace in Seoul. This is not to say that it deserves to be. Inside, it's perhaps one of the most intimate palaces I've been to very closely attached with what once used to be its natural surroundings. I highly recommend anyone to visit it not for the sake of visiting a palace, but in order to enjoy moments of palace life as it may have been.

This is what you call, "shooting without a tripod."

2010-03-22T10:20:00.000+09:00

ok, this is kind of off topic and random, but i had on a korean variety show the other night and saw this actor who reminded me of...

hahahaha wow.

food discoveries.

2010-03-18T19:38:00.000+09:00

Please don't let the pictures fool you. These are not your ordinary run-of-the-mill lunch plates.

More spectacular Seoul discoveries, everyday.

Secrets of Korea Revealed pt.I

2010-03-17T14:47:00.000+09:00

Seoul is home to an army base that isn't even for their own... You read that right, the metropolitan heart of Korea, Seoul, hosts the American army straight in the middle of Seoul's center. My personal opinion on this matter set aside (as I am quite conflicted remember... Korean? American? Korean American?), I made quite an interesting find looking through maps online. Check it out for yourselves:

This is on Naver... green... looks very "natural"

This is on Daum... okay, so winter time does come and go...

And now this is on Google... where the heck did all those buildings come from?!

Truth be told, those buildings you see in the Google version are all really there. The 9' high opaque barricade around Itaewon/Yongsan army base doesn't make it go away when you're going through that part of Seoul.

On another note, I realized how far we've come. Do you remember the days before online maps? Before GPS navigation systems in cars? Folding paper maps are nearly extinct now-a-days. Wow.

Horror Tunnel

2010-03-16T17:47:00.000+09:00

Hahaha. Riding the 143 through Namsan tunnel.

Sun Tower.

2010-03-15T21:49:00.000+09:00

Guess the architect yet? It's an early project by Morphosis finished in 1997. Rumor has it the wedge as seen in the last picture was "inspired" by a dispute amongst the two property owners. The overall form is also said to be reminiscent of folded paper or origami.

I still remember being shocked that Morphosis had a project in Seoul when I first discovered them in school. Upon arriving to Korea, I was told by peers that the building was in shambles and that it was no longer something Tom Mayne was proud of. However, upon my personal discovery of the building (near Ewha university), I actually kind of like it. Despite being plastered in sign and gritted in dirt, it's got a certain sense of architectural presence and character that differentiates it from its neighboring buildings while somehow still fitting in.

More information on this building can be found here.

Rainy Weather.

2010-03-15T13:54:00.000+09:00

It's been an unusual year weather-wise in Seoul. After getting the most snow in nearly a century, then the late snowfall in the first week of March, it's been raining and somewhat stormy weather in the city. Hopefully the end of the rain will signal the beginning of much warmer weather.

But the rain doesn't mean the city workers stop working. You have to love the mini-truck crane and the weather-protectant cover.

Mr. Neon Orange Pants

2010-03-15T13:20:00.000+09:00

Wow. This picture does not come even close to how much this guy's pants stuck out. I couldn't believe there weren't others on the street with me to recognize the man's confidence. Maybe they were all hiding.

The Hole in the Ground.

2010-03-12T10:50:00.000+09:00

They started doing some construction outside in the street.

Hard to make out in the picture due to high contrast, but there's either a small creek or a sewer main running directly under the street!

I should have predicted this whenever I head the 'clu-clunk' from cars going by but I thought maybe it was an expansion joint.

Though it looks like the hole's been framed, the hole is actually cut directly in the concrete road slab. Check out that section!

Hang River Park @ Night

2010-03-12T10:29:00.000+09:00

The Han River has gotten a massive upgrade with their river-side parks in the past two years. It still amazes me just how many people are out in public so late at night even in the freezing temperatures and snow. I love it.

The tunnel under Olympic Freeway out to the river.

I present to you the Han River.

There are even outdoor amphitheaters and performing spaces.

And even couples making out.

The tunnel back home.

On the walk back home. Night life doesn't stop at a certain hour.

only in korea: snowbrellas

2010-01-04T23:45:00.001+09:00

umbrella |ˌəmˈbrelə|
noun
1 a device consisting of a circular canopy of cloth on a folding metal frame supported by a central rod, used as protection against rain or sometimes sun.

While I know the 'prefix' um is not for water or rain (actually it's the prefix umbra or ombra which means 'shade'), it always makes me laugh to see people carrying umbrellas on snowy days. It actually makes a lot of sense and I have to admit I've done it too, but for some reason you don't see a lot of this back in the states. Only in Korea... ^^

public encouragement

2010-01-04T23:41:00.000+09:00

The other morning on my way out, I came across this new banner hung up by Seocho-gu neighborhood authority in the back entrance to my apartment complex.

rough translation: "be the first to smile, be the first to say hello"

Now there used to be a period of time in my immature life when I thought stuff like this was dull, stupid, and lame, but now that I'm more adult, I can't help but appreciate the message and smile every time I pass the banner and read its message. I was wondering if I had ever seen anything like this the states as I was hoping to have one of those "only in Korea" moments. While I guess I do remember the bright pink D.A.R.E. program and other billboard messages, it was definitely something nice to come across.

oh the irony and a possible discovery

2010-01-04T23:29:00.003+09:00

I recently came across an entry on boingboing about a possibly photoshopped cover image of Demi Moore for W magazine. The key here is that they were comparing the cover images for the U.S. version of W to the Korean version. The irony is that the "fuller" version of Demi Moore appears on the cover for the Korean version, in a country that is sometimes overly obsessed about weight and figure (ie: s-lines and such). Please don't get me wrong, Mrs. Kutcher looks absolutely beautiful, if not stunning in either photo. Personally, I prefer her in the Korean version since her hip/thy looks much more natural.

Upon further inspection of the two covers and a full reading of the entry, I couldn't help but realize one more difference from a Korean American's point of view. Is it just me, or does Demi Moore look lighter in skin tone in the Korean version of W magazine? Are you feeling my point here? Now, I'm sure it could have been a difference in color reading by the scanner or just a hap-hazard difference in magazines (the 'W' and orange text in the Korean version both do look lighter...), but after having lived in Korea for nearly a year and a half now, it's definitely obvious that Koreans are almost obsessed with having 'white' skin, especially facial complexion. Korean females especially pound cake that foundation and/or BB cream, not to mention more and more men who do the same. I've seen children get teased or scolded for coming back from summer vacation more tan. It's sometimes seen as being 'Korean-hick' when you're darker in skin tone, it means you've been working the fields in the country-side. Umbrellas in Korea are not just for the rain, or even just for the snow, they're for the summer too, to help block the UV rays. They double as parasols. Could it be that they turned up the brightness on Demi's skin complexion for the Korean version of W magazine? Maybe I'm pushing it, but something to think about, no?

image via BoingBoing

my daughter speaks better korean than you.

2009-12-11T19:03:00.000+09:00

last night i caught the end of "socializing time" after a poetry slam of sorts outside of seoul. i was introduced as a Korean American who left Korea when I was one. after the introduction, i corrected my intro saying that actually i left when i was four (Korean age), saying all of this in Korean mind you. there was an elderly Korean woman (close to 70 years old i think) and writer who spoke very good English and promptly dissed me saying her daughter also left when she was four and speaks much better Korean than i. i took this as a "neener neener poo poo, my daughter speaks better Korean than you" type of comment.

this reminded me of several things. korean parents love bragging about their children. koreans judge people much too quickly. i probably fall more into the category of the second myself as i don't have children yet, but this old woman thought i didn't speak very good Korean saying that i stuttered. i'm pretty sure i don't stutter and if i did, maybe i was nervous speaking in front of a crowd of fairly well known Korean poets knowing nothing about poetry myself.

i can confidently say that i made her feel sorry about her comments because at the end of the affair, i helped walk her down to her car in the rain carrying an umbrella for her and all this while carrying a nonsensical conversation while speaking fluent Korean. i had to quickly forgive her. she's old. her 50 year old daughter isn't married yet. she twisted her ankle (before i came). it was raining. she's old.