Yeah, okay so
I've been a little remiss in updating this thing. Can't say I've been up to too much -- the hours are long enough that I get home and feel like vegging out for a little while or nuking a few million civilians.
Without much further ado:
Korean Love Affairs
No, no that kind.
Fluorescent Lights: man, I am so tired of that high-pitched fly-buzz emanating from every last light fixture I see. Virtually everything here is lit with this horrendous actinic glare that kills my eyes. The only incandescent things I've seen so far have been in Nara's apartment and some Christmas lights at one of my co-workers' place. I think I'm going to have to get a few chains if only to keep my eyesight.
Tiny Useless Dogs: Korea is the home of useless lapdogs. You see them being carted around in baby strollers, wearing designer jackets, and with tye-died ears, if they have the long variety, and most of them do. They're treated better than children in most cases. However, woe unto any dog in the medium category or larger. If it doesn't sleep in a tiny little bed in an apartment somewhere, it's probably sleeping on the ground outside in the rain. Or being eaten, I'm not fucking kidding.
Taekowndo: if you're a male over the age of six, you're taking Taekwondo lessons. Even if it isn't exactly the most useful or functional martial art ever.
Cell Phones: if you're a Korean over the age of six, you probably have one. With pictures and video and internet. It's probably less than six months old. It probably has a whole load of gaudy, shiny charms hanging off the antenna or whatever. You're probably paying way too much. But you have one.
Instant Coffee: I have no idea why.
Well-Being: everything here is 'for your well-being' or some Konglish bastardization thereof. This means you can expect to find cherry tomatoes in your cake, because tomatoes are good for you. Which, of course, entirely misses the point: cake is SUPPOSED to be bad for you. Because it's also supposed to be delicious.
Christianity: this is where the colonial missionaries hit the jackpot. The only other place I've seen with this many churches per unit area was Malta.
Places I Have Been
I'm absolutely terrible. I need to get out and explore more, but it's kind of hard from out here in Ilsan, because of the 1.5 hour subway commute to try and see anything.
Ilsan itself is a reasonably quiet suburb/microcity, with heavy urban planning rather evident in its layout. Tons of the crazy ass warren-highrises, plenty of department stores, but entirely unremarkable. I'm not sure it has any kind of character, in a middle-class bourgeoisie sort of way.
Itaewon is the ugly, crazy, dirty bitch who you hate but go back to anyway because she's the only one who gives you what you want. In my case, that means Indian food, or pretty much anything foreign. It's the one place where you can get any ethnic food in a restaurant, in one convenient centralized area. You also see a lot of foreigners and US army types there, for the same reasons. Burger King, McDonald's, KFC, you name it, they've got it. Also English bookstores, and English speakers. Expect to be accosted by Korean strangers. Highest concentration of crazy religious ajummas anywhere, and also Korean school groups doing interviews for English assignments.
Yongsan is the nerdy pimply dude who won't shut up about his computer but still knows more about the things than anyone else and damn if he can find you a deal. It is the 'largest electronics market in Asia' and I'm willing to bet that means the world, too. It's basically four or five city blocks of buildings that house nothing but gadget dealers. Street stalls provide everything from bootleg DVDs all the way to actual computers complete with fancy designer cases.
Hongdae is the college guy who doesn't have to study because he makes enough money on side projects he doesn't really care and knows how to throw a party. It's got a heavy concentration of bars, and it seems to be where the nightlife is. Also Carne Station, which offers unlimited meat and drink buffet style (for both, you heard me) for about $20. Let me reiterate: there is no bartender. You just walk up with an empty glass, and leave with a full one. Or you just stand at the bar and drink from the bottle, whatever.
I won't comment much on the area around Wolgok station, because Kirsta lives there and is much better qualified, but it seemed sort of quaint, an area caught between eras, with the stacked asian houses with walls and crumbling roof tiles sitting right next to the towering apartment buildings of the modern age.
I'd like to say I've done more exploring, but really? I keep going back to that dirty whore because she has an Indian buffet.
Food Redux Redux
It still sucks.
But unlimited galbi is pretty damn cool.
Without much further ado:
Korean Love Affairs
No, no that kind.
Fluorescent Lights: man, I am so tired of that high-pitched fly-buzz emanating from every last light fixture I see. Virtually everything here is lit with this horrendous actinic glare that kills my eyes. The only incandescent things I've seen so far have been in Nara's apartment and some Christmas lights at one of my co-workers' place. I think I'm going to have to get a few chains if only to keep my eyesight.
Tiny Useless Dogs: Korea is the home of useless lapdogs. You see them being carted around in baby strollers, wearing designer jackets, and with tye-died ears, if they have the long variety, and most of them do. They're treated better than children in most cases. However, woe unto any dog in the medium category or larger. If it doesn't sleep in a tiny little bed in an apartment somewhere, it's probably sleeping on the ground outside in the rain. Or being eaten, I'm not fucking kidding.
Taekowndo: if you're a male over the age of six, you're taking Taekwondo lessons. Even if it isn't exactly the most useful or functional martial art ever.
Cell Phones: if you're a Korean over the age of six, you probably have one. With pictures and video and internet. It's probably less than six months old. It probably has a whole load of gaudy, shiny charms hanging off the antenna or whatever. You're probably paying way too much. But you have one.
Instant Coffee: I have no idea why.
Well-Being: everything here is 'for your well-being' or some Konglish bastardization thereof. This means you can expect to find cherry tomatoes in your cake, because tomatoes are good for you. Which, of course, entirely misses the point: cake is SUPPOSED to be bad for you. Because it's also supposed to be delicious.
Christianity: this is where the colonial missionaries hit the jackpot. The only other place I've seen with this many churches per unit area was Malta.
Places I Have Been
I'm absolutely terrible. I need to get out and explore more, but it's kind of hard from out here in Ilsan, because of the 1.5 hour subway commute to try and see anything.
Ilsan itself is a reasonably quiet suburb/microcity, with heavy urban planning rather evident in its layout. Tons of the crazy ass warren-highrises, plenty of department stores, but entirely unremarkable. I'm not sure it has any kind of character, in a middle-class bourgeoisie sort of way.
Itaewon is the ugly, crazy, dirty bitch who you hate but go back to anyway because she's the only one who gives you what you want. In my case, that means Indian food, or pretty much anything foreign. It's the one place where you can get any ethnic food in a restaurant, in one convenient centralized area. You also see a lot of foreigners and US army types there, for the same reasons. Burger King, McDonald's, KFC, you name it, they've got it. Also English bookstores, and English speakers. Expect to be accosted by Korean strangers. Highest concentration of crazy religious ajummas anywhere, and also Korean school groups doing interviews for English assignments.
Yongsan is the nerdy pimply dude who won't shut up about his computer but still knows more about the things than anyone else and damn if he can find you a deal. It is the 'largest electronics market in Asia' and I'm willing to bet that means the world, too. It's basically four or five city blocks of buildings that house nothing but gadget dealers. Street stalls provide everything from bootleg DVDs all the way to actual computers complete with fancy designer cases.
Hongdae is the college guy who doesn't have to study because he makes enough money on side projects he doesn't really care and knows how to throw a party. It's got a heavy concentration of bars, and it seems to be where the nightlife is. Also Carne Station, which offers unlimited meat and drink buffet style (for both, you heard me) for about $20. Let me reiterate: there is no bartender. You just walk up with an empty glass, and leave with a full one. Or you just stand at the bar and drink from the bottle, whatever.
I won't comment much on the area around Wolgok station, because Kirsta lives there and is much better qualified, but it seemed sort of quaint, an area caught between eras, with the stacked asian houses with walls and crumbling roof tiles sitting right next to the towering apartment buildings of the modern age.
I'd like to say I've done more exploring, but really? I keep going back to that dirty whore because she has an Indian buffet.
Food Redux Redux
It still sucks.
But unlimited galbi is pretty damn cool.