Korea Life Blog - Jongro Night


I went out to Jongro in Seoul on Saturday night. Jongro is one of the busy downtown areas. There's a lot to do and not so many foreigners.



Jongro at night looks like Las Vegas or somewhere in Japan. The neon lights, the thrill of the night...and a James Dean no rae bang.


Another street. Throngs of young people make their way into DVD rooms, singing rooms, soju bars, western style bars, bulgogi restaurants, night clubs, and the like...

Korea Life Blog - Dong Dae Mun

Dong Dae Mun is the biggest traditional style shopping market still in existence in Seoul. I looked around there for a little while on Saturday afternoon. You can find pretty much anything you can imagine and more: from cucumbers to really cheap imitation brand name clothes like Levis. It looks kind of chaotic, but I think it's really nice and unique to see people shopping in this manner, buying goods from little shops owned by average people rather than at some huge chain like Walmart. Similar to farmers/flea markets in style, most of the hundreds of shops are set up outside or within long stretching arcades.


A cluster of really colorful Korean fans. Looking at this pic, I kind of wish I had purchased a few for gifts or to hang on my wall. As of now, the only thing I have on my wall is a small photo of a cow and a Homer Simpson picture I cut of a comic book.



Just one of many streets where you can find all sorts of good. Sometimes you find groups of shops right next to each other selling the same exact things. Other times, things are spread out radomly. It's fun as you never know what's going to be at the next shop. There could be shoes, deokboki, sunglasses, or Elvis Presely dolls - you just never know.



Here's a really cool collection of Banzai trees for sale. I really wanted one but didn't want to carry it around all day and night, not to mention I haven't clue how to trim or take care of one anyway.

Korea Life Blog - Boiled Bugs and Phony Fries


A bundaegi ajuma hard at work. Bundaegi is boiled silkworm larvae. Yuck! This is one snack I never have and never will try. Ajuma, just what kind of scam are you pulling here anyway? How about cooking up some hotdogs and hamburgers for chrissakes. And you won't fool me again with those phony french fries in the background. Those are bland sweet potatos sticks that have been sitting there all day...huk!

Korea Life Blog - Food Translations (1)

I always get a kick out of the translation of Korean foods into English. Somehow, the translation usually falls short of describing the food in any sort of appetizing way. Check out some of the foods on this list: click me click me.


Now let's have a look at the choices on this menu. What should I eat? The Yellow Pollack Soup W/Soy Bean Sprout sounds wonderful, yet I can't think of a better combination than OX-blood soup W/Winter-grown Cabbage. Mmmm. Seriously, one of my favorites is the third one, Hae Mul Dwen Jang Chigae. The translation, Soy Bean Paste Pot Stew W/Sea Food just doesn't do it justice. You just have to try it for yourself, if you haven't already. Yum!

Korea Life Blog - Don't be Stupid


I may head to the clubs in Hongdae this weekend as we have Friday off for Korean Constitution Day. Hmm, let me review the rules. I've seen people wasted beyond belief almost everywhere in Korea on any given night, so I'm not too sure about that rule. But actually the laws are really serious about drugs here, as anywhere in Asia. If you take extacy or smoke pot or hash, it's not a petty crime like back home. Here you can get arrested and thrown in jail even if you don't actually have drugs on you. All it takes is for one person to get caught and give away names of other users, or even just the names on his/her cell phone will do. If they even suspect you, if they get your name, they'll show up where you work, test you, and haul you away if you test positive, throw you in a dirty Korean jail where you share a cell with hardcore Korean prisoners for a month or more and then deport you. That's right, even if you don't actually have the drugs on you, you will get in that much trouble. If drugs are in your system, you're guilty. I have gotten tested myself sometime ago when they did a major bust in Pusan and Ulsan. Suddenly two officers came to my school and made me pee in a cup. Someone supposedly reported seeing me in a bar where someone was smoking pot. That was it. It was nerve racking, but I had done nothing wrong. Feel free to get drunk out of your mind, but if you do drugs, leave them behind in your home country.