Korea Life Blog - Julie Thinks I'm Funny


Julie thinks I'm funny. She came over a few weeks ago with a few groceries. She wanted to make curry. I told her I don't like it, never did. Realizing that wasn't very considerate (seeing as it took her two hours to get to Nowhere-dong then shopping and carrying the groceries) I quickly rebounded that I wanted to try it again. I sat down to use the computer, click, type, click, click...within ten minutes, surprisingly, Julie was finished cooking. Turns out she bought instant curry from a bag. You boil the bag for 3 minutes: finished. Amazingly it tasted really good. I loved it, genuinely. Now I'm buying it all the time. It's easy to make and gives me something to eat rice with from my bap sot. I've also been trying the other 3-minute instant meals Ottogi makes:



They all taste great and there only about $1 each. To think of the hundreds of times I passed this stuff by, scratching my head wondering what to eat, often times throwing my hands up in despair and running off to the local restaurant to eat Kimchi Chigae for the millionth time, all because I didn't know what this stuff is.


Once again, Julie thinks I'm funny. She was sprawled out one night laying on the hard floor under a blanket for hours watching a movie while I was using the computer. She claimed it was warm and comfortable. Whatever you say, I guffawed. Click click, type, type... Later I laid down to try it. It was hard but warm, of course. Very warm. (If you don't know, in Korea apartments are heated through the floor and there's no carpeting). I didn't like it at first, because it was hard and I felt hot. When I got up though, I was cold. I laid back down. Oh, so warm and nice. Now every time she comes over we hang out on the floor. We laid there for two hours last night watching Magnolia. It won't be long before I turn totally Korean and sleep down there. It really is relaxing once you get adjusted. Try it, if you haven't.

It amazes me the things I find myself doing day in and day out. Things that years ago would seem preposterous, I find myself enjoying. That's one of the great things about living in a new culture for a long time. You cast aside stereotypes you once had and embrace new concepts, new ways of living. You open your mind. And, of course, it's also helpful if you have a girlfriend from the culture to encourage you.