Korea Life Blog - Jongro Cinecore Trip 1

Over the next few days I will show the pictures I took last Sunday when Julie and I went Jongro. We went to see Silmido, a new Korean movie, at Cinecore theater. This theater, to my delight, is experimenting with showing new Korean movies with English subtitles. Overall we had a great time. Grab a cup of coffee and come along with us.



I met Julie in Sadang station, as usual. Amazingly a bus goes right there from Nowhere-dong, the tiny town I live in outside of Suwon. I love the public transportation system in Korea. The bus comes every half-hour and the trip only takes between 45 minutes and an hour. The longer the better - I usually read a book. On this trip I read a few chapters of the classic Blue Highways, by William Least Heat Moon. Julie is looking good and fashionable as usual with her new coat, fresh haircut, and red bag. Too bad she walks away when she sees my camera.




The Korean subway system always amazes me. The trains come every couple of minutes and if you have to wait you can check out advertisements on these flat-panel screens. As if on cue, there's one now showing the movie we're going to see.




Before jumping on the train I whipped out the camera to take a pic. This foreigner snickered at me, as if to say, "Chi, look at this new guy taking pics of the subway." To spite him I'm posting this picture of his bald head. Muhahah! Take that, Mr. Experienced Goonball!





Once in Jongro, we walked around a bit and then stopped off to eat. Here's a shot of the menu.




I bet your just drooling right now. Look at this wonderful dish. It's kimchi U-dong, or kimchi and Japanese style noodle soup. Damn I love Korean food. My eyes practically popped out of their sockets when I saw this, the dish boiling hot, the delicious aroma, the warm steam on a cold day.



And here she is, my gal. She ordered a Japanese styled pork cutlet, don cass. It was delicious; I know this, because we shared our meals. The only thing I don't like about eating with Julie is that she gets full very quickly. When she finishes she sits and watches me, making me feel like a complete pig. Look at her skinny body. Even though I exercise regularly and she doesn't, I just can't compete. And she likes to remind me a little to frequently that my stomach has been getting bigger. Thanks, Julie!

The delicious meal cost a meager 11,000 won. That's just under $10. There's no tax or tipping either, which still amazes me. I hoped you enjoyed the meal as much as I did. Stay tuned for the next part.

Korea Life Blog - BBQ Chicken



Here's a nice combo set from the BBQ Chicken franchise. In my opinion they make the best fast food fried chicken in the world. In Korea pizza is served with pickles and chicken comes with sweet radishes. I guess they take the place of kimchi, which of course is served with most everything. This reminds me of the time my boss took us all out to dinner to a place of my choice. I chose the new fried chicken restaurant nearby. My boss wondered where the kimchi was and near the end of the meal he tried unsuccessfully to order rice. The sweet radishes shown here on the left are delicious and provides a nice balance to the greasy chicken. Notice the convenient refrigerator magnet with the beautiful woman and the BBQ phone number. Can she deliver my food please? By the way, those magnets also double as bottle openers. I just love all this packaging.



OK, enough of the boxes, here's the goods. I ordered the fried chicken and Julie the yang nyeom, barbecue sauce chicken. I prefer the fried dipped in the mustard sauce. The yang nyeom is also good, but that's a lot of sauce and, while delicious, it's messy and makes the chicken slimy. You can ask for the sauce on the side though. This set costs only 11,000 won , about $10, and comes with a free bottle of Pepsi. I love how tax is included and there's no tipping the delivery goonball.




As an added bonus for Christmas (yes, that was my Christmas dinner) the order came with a BBQ sponsored calendar. I have no idea what this garble means on the cover: "west coast call greg at the studio 310 east coast call carol chislosky in newyork"...sounds like some kind of secret message for hiphop gangsters. Then to the right is the Purina symbol and "samstago 20 hermanos patchekos" whatever that means. Who comes up with this stuff? I can do better! My BBQ calendar would read: "number 1 chicken, han guk bbq. dream the chicken. magic chicken."



I need a calendar, but I don't want to look at these cheese puff teeny boppers each month - although the girl band Jewlry is looking pretty damn good for August. I guess I'll put it away in a drawer for reference until August when I'll hang it up.


Stay tuned this week for pics about my exciting trip with Julie to the Cinecore theater in Jongro where we saw Silmido with English subtitles.

Korea Life Blog - Updated Non-update

My Christmas present to myself has been to take 4 days off from everything including going to the health club (I can almost see my stomach getting bigger as I sit here doing nothing), writing, and updating my blog (well, I guess this is technically an update). Check back soon, maybe tomorrow evening. I plan on going to Jongro in Seoul to watch the new Korean movie Silmido after reading this article in the Korea Herald:


Cinecore to screen Korean films with English subtitles


Foreigners residing in Korea who wanted to view Korean films had to wait for the release of a DVD with English subtitles. If an experiment by Cinecore theater and Seoul Selection bookstore is a success, they may no longer have to wait.

Cinecore theater plans to regularly screen Korean films with English subtitles to enable expatriates to enjoy them like Korean audiences do: on the big screen when they are released.

"Silmido," directed by Kang Woo-suk, will kick off the program tomorrow with one English-subtitled screening per day on weekends and holidays until Jan. 11. The screening time will be 4 p.m. on Sundays and holidays, and 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and days immediately preceding holidays.

The theater is also currently in negotiations to bring "Maljukgeori Janhoksa," set for release on Jan. 16, and "Taegukki," set for release on Feb. 6, as the next titles to follow "Silmido."

In the past, Korean films such as "Oasis," "Wonderful Days" and "Untold Scandal" have screened with English subtitles, but this is the first time for a theater to commit to a long-term arrangement.

"Screening Korean films with English subtitles will not only be a good opportunity to introduce Korean culture to foreigners, but also a good chance to gauge the possibility of Korean films venturing overseas by getting an early response," said Hank Kim, owner of Seoul Selection bookstore, which specializes in introducing Korean culture to expatriates through books and multimedia products.

Cinecore theater is located near Jongno 3-ga Subway Station on Line No. 1, 3 or 5, exit No. 15.


This is why I read the newspaper everyday. I always wished they would and wondered why they didn't provide a venue to see new Korean movies with English subtitles. Because there is an extremely limited selection of DVDs at the rental shop in Nowhere-dong, I have seen very few Korean films. I could watch them more often at the DVD bangs, where I did see these three: Classic, The Way Home, And Stray Dog, but usually that's where I catch up on American movies that I missed in the theaters (not to mention I'm not always watching the screen). While I'm not sure exactly what this theater is like, I'm pretty excited. I hope they get a good turnout and continue to screen new titles. If you're reading this and your in Korea, be sure to check it out and show your support.


As for the film, Silmido, it has gotten mixed reviews. The Korea Herald has called it one of the best films of the year (although I'm not sure how much of a compliment this really is) This review in the Korea Times cuts that down a little. However, compared to most Korean movie reviews (I can't remember ever reading a positive one), the movie doesn't sound too bad and the plot is based on a very interesting true story. Click the link if you're curious. There's a little more information on this blog.


What was supposed to be a couple of sentences has now become an official blog update. And as an added bonus here is a picture of what Julie gave me for Christmas:


Ah, a nice striped sky-blue sweater and a bottle of Vaseline moisturizer, the perfect, well thought-out combination. Thanks, Julie, and I especially liked the other "gifts!" :D

Korea Life Blog - Merry Christmas



Saek-Chil Gongbu Santa wishes all Korea Life Blog readers a very merry Christmas.

Korea Life Blog - It's the Check Out My Ass Restaurant and a KFC History Lesson



On this restaurant sign I see Korean men in their underwear. Look closey at those guys - they're pulling down their tighty whiteys. How appetizing. Also, the girl in the back seems a little too happy about that one guy's ass. Does it smell like kalbi tang? And who's the guy on the right next to the Chinese characters? Is that Bruce Lee?


I guess I'll head over to Kentucky Fried Chicken. In case you don't know it, and many Koreans don't, they shortened the original name Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC to eliminate the word "fried" from people's minds. KFC, along with Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, used to be owned by Pepsi Co. until it sold its holdings to Yum! Brands who also owns Long John Silvers (fast and greasy fish/fries) and A&W (old style hamburger restaurant). These are the few fast food places where you can still order Pepsi (except for KFC who later reverted to Coke, at least in Korea).



The enduring Colonel Sanders stands outside greeting Koreans in Sadang, Seoul. I think it's time for a new tie, Colonel.

Korea Life Blog - At the Arcade (2)


After shopping at E-mart we stopped at the arcade.



Here's another shot of a typical row of miscellaneous fighting and sports games. The last time I posted a shot like this I got a lot of e-mail from people who thanked me for bringing back the memory. Back then the games were 100 won each. Now prices have gone up to around 300 won per credit, depending on the arcade. Whenever I play these it just feels that I'm not even controlling the players, especially baseball and tennis.




Here's an odd game. You use a plastic crab to catch small lolli-pops that aren't worth the hassle or the money to play.




Power up, baby hero! I guess you're a Korean caveman baby and you have to win the race. Nothing special except it's got some pretty good retro boombox type speakers.




Another drum game. I wish I knew how to play this. I saw some kid wailing away ringing up perfects left and right, but I just don't get it. Also, the music is pretty lame...I think it was Westlife. Where's the heavy metal?





At last, I got a shot for you of the popular dancing game. You have to step on the right arrows that pop up on the screen. Watching these girls boggled my mind. The arrows were everywhere moving so quickly yet the girls were practically flawless. My mind and body are just not the coordinated. I thought maybe Koreans just naturally understand these kinds of games. However, Julie was equally as clueless.



I tried to get Julie to sing a song with me, but she refused. I thought I would sing one anyway, but sitting there in the small booth so close to Julie watching me, I chickened out.



I tried to get Julie to take some sticker pictures with me, but again she refused. She's really not much fun at the arcade. Oh well.

When I was younger the arcade was my favorite hangout. Perhaps that's why I always feel an urge to go in them. However, every time I do I end up leaving disappointed. It seems every game falls under the same categories: fighting, shooting, sports, or virtual. The machines have gotten so big there's just not enough room for variety. And what happened to the idea of the arcade being a place for kids without much money. Most games now cost from 50 cents to over a dollar to play. In my opinion arcade games have become too big, too flashy, too complicated. While the graphics and sounds have improved, I feel arcade games and arcades themselves have lost their magic. Console and computer games on the other have taken incredible leaps forward. I'm highly addicted to a game called Dungeon Siege and its expansion pack Legends of Aranna. The game is not available for some reason in Korea, despite the fact it puts the dated Diablo 2 to shame. I downloaded the set off Overnet. Check out these two screen shots:

Korea Life Blog - Dongdaemun


The same day we went to Haehwa-dong, we looked around Dongdaemun. The idea was to buy an imitation brand name backpack, but I was unable to find a decent one and ended up getting a real Puma bag later.



Here's Migliore. The bottom floor is totally made up of fake name brand items. There's one of these places in Suwon where I got my new US 55 winter coat for a mere 60,000 Won. However, in Suwon the salespeople seem much more desperate. One lady annoyed me so badly that I pulled out my wallet and said "FBI, imitation Nike!" I swear she almost passed out cold. I'm not sure how a franchise like this can get away with selling so many bogus goods. There must be some payoffs going on.



Ah, Christmas is in the air. Look at all the decorations. Look at all the people!




I'm not sure what all these people are in line for. What, is Iron Maiden getting back together for a reunion tour? I want tickets too!




Across the street is Dongdaemun stadium. I really don't have anything to say about it except that it reminds me of the World Cup. It also makes me think about all the expensive new stadiums they built in 2002 that have no purpose anymore. Do they even use them at all?



People were literally everywhere bumping and pushing. We decided to leave before we got crushed to death by shopping crazy ajummas. I just noticed another Starbucks style coffee shop sign there: Sugar Happy Espresso. No wonder why everyone is moving so quickly.


By the way, Julie is here. We're both to lazy to cook so we ordered pizza again. This happens every time. I think I need to hire a part time ajumma.

Korea Life Blog - The Cook

One of my adult students gave me a cookbook which she stole from her office. I want to learn how to cook more Korean foods so I was thankful.



Here's a shot. The book is all in Korean, but it's not hard with all the photos to figure out most of the recipes. I guess the book is devoted entirely to chigaes, Korean soups. The book is huge. I didn't know there were that many different kinds of chigae.



This simple dish is one of my favorites. I don't know what to call it in English - I guess just bean sprout soup. I don't think I ever ate bean sprouts before I came to Korea. I don't know why not. They are really delicious and now one of my favorite vegetables.


Julie is coming over later tonight. We're supposed to cook kimchi chigae. Hopefully I'll get some pictures for you, but I think she's still a little shocked about the previous ones I posted. At least I should be able to photograph the food...I hope.

Korea Life Blog - Haehwa Conclusion


Here are the last of the pictures I took last weekend in Haehwa-dong:



There are some monstrous coffee shops here. Look at this place. It looks more like a Hollywood mansion than a cafe. I can't believe they could sell enough coffee and "fusion" food to pay for it, considering the sky-high cost of property in Seoul.




I thought that was some kind of weird Osama bin Laden information tent, but I guess that's a drawing of some famous psychic Chinese guy from the past. Check out the hangul written in black. It's called the Psychic Department Store, hahaha. If you look closely you can see someone getting their palm read. "This line here is too short. You will die next year. That'll be 10,000 won, please." I once visited a psychic when I was in Geoje-do. She told me I would travel and have many adventures and then write about them. Man, was she way off. What a scam!




Here's the outside of another booth. It's typical for Koreans to set up identical businesses right next to each other. I guess it's to make it more convenient to get service without waiting, but there was hardly anyone around here. Anyway, this place has a huge poster outlining the various psychic points on the body and what they mean. I guess there's really no point going in now.




There are a few other booths where you can get you portrait drawn. I don't know how anyone can draw this well. I can barely draw stick figures. The picture on top is making me wonder. For some reason I just can't imagine a Korean woman flying an airplane and especially then stopping off for a quick self portrait. Hmm... The women on the bottom however looks more realistic and damn good.




You know, a few years ago this would have surprised me, but nowadays things like this seem to blend into the scenery. I wouldn't have noticed it if Julie hadn't pointed it out. What it is (a toaster van?) and why it's here is anyone's guess.



I thought these people were singing Christmas songs and sharing the joy of the season until I looked closely. It's yet another anti-war demonstration with gory war photos on display.




I guess these are The Christmas Trees United Against the War in Iraq. Apparently if your against the war, you sign a decoration and hang it up. I'm not really sure how that helps anything, but if it makes people feel better then carry on. Ironically I took this picture just a few hours before it was revealed Saddam was captured. I'm not a proponent of the war, I'd rather see all that money used to help the millions of people suffering in our own country, but I must say I am happy that guy won't be putting anymore people feet first through a wood-chipper. By the way, for Christmas I want one of those Captured Saddam Dolls or any of the other overpriced villain dolls for that matter. (Play the Talking Baghdad Bob audio clip, hahaha.) Please feel free to send me one anytime. :D

Korea Life Blog - Busy


I was busy tonight ordering Christmas gifts online for my sister and her darling little girl, my niece, so I didn't have time to update here. I got $30 worth of free stuff when I signed up for the Amazon.com credit card, so I was able to save the shipping costs and a couple of books for free. What did I get Sierra? A Strawberry Shortcake set! And for my sister an Oprah Club best seller, a copy of my favorite book, Quiet Days in Clichy by Henry Miller, and a newbie user guide to Windows XP.



Here she is, my niece, back in NY, being a mischief maker by playing with the computer when she knows better. Her smile says it all.

Korea Life Blog - Plays and Musicals in Haehwa


Julie informed me that Haehwa is famous for its many theaters which feature a variety of plays and musicals. As we walked around many people handed us flyers depicting what was playing that night, a brief synopsis and show times.



Let's see what's playing here. Wow! Grease! I loved that musical as did most American people. It made John Travolta a mega-star. I wonder if here they sing all the songs in Korean? That I'd like to see. I thought the poster was pretty funny until I saw the one next to it. Vagina Monologues. Hmm, maybe I'll skip Grease and check this one out instead. It sounds pretty interesting. Down below there's a poster for Twelfth Night...definitely not going to that.



The other side of the display. Nothing special here. What's going on with this Tupac show? Is Tupac really here? Or is some Korean guy going to play him? Either way, forget it.

We didn't have time to catch a show but I'd like to go back there and see one someday. Anyone been there? Seen a show? What did you see and what was it like?