The Korean Art of Apple Cracking

About a month ago, I went to one of three convenience stores where I have a good rapport with the owners, all women. One woman, after I had purchased a few things, took a Granny Smith apple and before my eyes, cracked it open with her own bare hands! I was in awe! She then offered me one of the halves and sent me on my way. I've been wanting to "crack" the mystery ever since.
Below is my first attempt at doing it. We all tried it on our way back from Busan a couple of weeks ago.

Here is my second attempt.

Finally, last Sunday I was with John and Keith and I wanted to show them this amazing woman. We asked her if she could demonstrate her amazing talent and she insisted I could do it too, ignoring my protests. Here we are attempting it together.

Oh my God! I can't believe it! I rock! The art and mystery of Korean apple cracking has been mastered.

Lamb skewers, Noraebang boogie, A night in Soondae Town, Wine Degustation

Chinese-Style Lamb Skewers in Hongdae; a popular hang out since lamb is not readily eaten in Korea.


Seung- Ah, who got married in February, is pregnant and misses her beer!


The old YBM gang, save John, enjoying our alcohol! Poor Seung- Ah! She's taking the picture because she can't drink!


These cool cats, former students of mine, Bill and Jude, took me out for Soondae as a going-away meal.


Here I am in my silly bib. Tired from this past month of packing and arranging for my departure.

Soondae and Kop Chang (blood sausage and Tripe with a spicy veggie accompaniment)

My favorite wine bar in the world: Grandmother, located in Sinsa-Dong.

Grandmother: the owner is an interior designer who has very eclectic tastes. I love her style!

Entrance to Grandmother with John, MinJong and Keith standing under the umbrellas.

A noraebang night in Sillim. It was awesome!

Afterwards we enjoyed Pineapple soju in a real pineapple! The white stuff is crushed ice. Pretty nice presentation, if you ask me!

A Trippy Taste of Busan

Above is the morning sky after the storm had passed

A couple of weeks ago I persuaded John, Keith and MinJong to accompany me to Busan for a long weekend of fun. We headed down on the midnight bus Thursday night. When we arrived on Friday morning, at 5:30am, we were assaulted by a heavy downpour chockfull of wind. We hailed a cab, all of us in varying stages of fatigue (me being the grumpiest, I admit) and headed out to SeongJong beach. The cab driver was crazy! We hydroplaned all the way to the beach, a harrowing 15 minutes of pure terror. I would keep asking him to slow down, which he would do for about 30 seconds and then proceed to speed up just as the highway was drowned in several inches of water. I still can't believe we arrived there without being killed.

We stayed in this Minbak, a one-room apartment complete with kitchen for us to share.

After a two-hour nap, in the early afternoon, we headed off for some food. We found a quaint restaurant on the beach with tables set out beneath a pine tree, over-looking the bay. We had fantastic raw fish and enjoyed our soju-coke cocktails as well. Deee-lish!

After lunch we walked over to a beautiful oceanside temple called Yong Gung Sa. This Buddha's belly is black from all the rubbing!

Yong means dragon, so how fitting that there was one greeting us upon arrival!

That night we had a barbeque on the rooftop of the Minbak. We bought all the ingredients and here is MinJong posing for a glamorous shot of our dinner!

The next day, on Jong In's recommendation (she is from Busan), we went to a famous Mul Hwe restaurant. It's a spicy raw fish dish served cold.

This is how it looks after you've mixed in the spicy sauce. It was really good!

After our lunch we headed out to TaeJongDae, a cliff famous for its views. On the bus ride over, we spotted a shipbuilding yard. Korea has the most advanced and successful shipbuilding business in the world, and Busan is it's capital; appropriate because it's on the South-East coast of Korea.

On the way up, we spotted a tree with a "Caution" sign posted in red. I attempted to look as though I hit myself against it.

One perspective from the lookout at TaeJongDae

On our way back to the city, we stopped by a Bondeggi stand. Being a fairly curious person, I have seen this dish all over Korea and having been wanting to try it for two years. The problem is the smell! It's horrendous! Bondeggi is silkworm larvae, enjoyed by children, most particularly. I've been too chicken to eat it in the past and without any people around me to encourage. But time was running out on my stay in Korea, so I resolved to finally try it.

Bondeggi in all its glory



Here is an image of myself, after the taste had permeated my mouth.


 Intrigued? You want to see the video? Scroll down.

Beware, this image may disturb you!

After this experience, I had everyone smell it to try to assess how to describe it to you. I usually think I'm pretty good with describing things, but this time I was at a loss for words. The best I can say is it is salty and bitter. It's quite juicy and I could feel the legs as I was crunching down on the one worm I had. A foul-tasting delicacy? Who knows. I just know it wasn't for me.

John described the smell as funky socks.

Keith did pretty well and said it smelled like mushrooms growing in rotten wood as well as wet dog.

MinJong, the only one who likes Bondeggi

(and incidentally ate the rest of it for me) probably hit the nail on the head with the description of cat pee.

Try this at your own risk ladies and gentlemen!

Whale meat food stands

Later on that evening we headed to Jagalchi Fish Market, a gorgeous modern building full of every kind of seafood you can imagine. Out front, we spotted all of these stands selling whale meat. I hesitated, interested in what it could possibly taste like, but reason set in. I've made a promise to myself that I would not eat endangered species.

John and I had four king prawns (the man is holding it in his arm) and they were so awesome! Grilled to perfection and dipped in a sweet and spicy sauce. Heaven!

That night we headed off to Gwangalli beach, a place my friend Steve had recommended. The pictures didn't come out great but it was beautiful. Tons of restaurants and bars were right on the boardwalk and they had blocked off the street and put tables and chairs out. We could see the ocean from our seats. In the distance, a large bridge was lit and changed into the colors of the rainbow every few seconds.

Unfortunately, the picture was not a success, but I hope you will go there one day. It was wonderful!

We stayed out both nights, testing out some night clubs and bars, the guys proving to be much more the party animals than us girls, who left earlier. All in all, though, it was a great trip. Relaxing, flavorful and exciting.

Goodbye Busan! Til next time!

Lotus Lantern International Meditation Center

In keeping with my need to experience as much of Korea before leaving it, I decided to partake in a Templestay, an element of Korean culture that is thriving. People of all backgrounds, religions and cultures go to temples across the country and spend a weekend among monks learning about Buddhism, meditation and quietude.

I didn't want to go to a temple in Seoul, wanting to head out of the city for some fresh air. I didn't want to go too far either. Some temples provide English instruction so I decided to go to GangHwa Island, about 1 1/2 hours by bus outside of Seoul on the west coast.

Lotus Lantern International Meditation Center is located in the countryside, removed from the road so that no cars, horns or other unnatural sounds can be heard. I arrived a day early, on my own, wanting an extra night of rest, exhausted by my job, the grueling and unnatural schedules and the difficulties of life in general.

Main Temple

I was shown to my room and, there, spent the rest of the night reading and sleeping. The next day, other people arrived and there were a good 40 people ready to partake in the adventure to come. I was lucky enough to get my own room (the three adjumas who were initially supposed to share my room aware of my fatigue and letting me have the room only to bunk in the library). I felt slightly guilty, but grateful for their senstitivity. Saturday afternoon was pretty relaxed. It was a weekend of torrential rains so we didn't venture out too much.

Apart from me, the other foreigners included one British/Australian man and two American GIs from a nearby base. They were nice enough, though I hadn't gone there to meet new people. We were shown the vicinities, an old temple and fairly new buildings amongst a gorgeously manicured garden. Two small ponds housed coi fish and small green frogs and the trees were chockfull of cicadas singing their hearts out. It was just what I needed.

Our "English" speaker was a Russian monk who, with very broken English, informed us that he had come to Korea 8 years earlier to immerse himself in the world of Buddhism. He was very nervous but I had tons of questions and it was nice to get some direct answers.

We attempted meditation that evening, a feat I have still not been able to master or even perform correctly. I can sit still, pain radiating through my back and legs, for 15 minutes, but during the process I'm just trying to get through the time hoping the gong will ring indicating the end of the meditation period. We were informed to count our breathing as that would help us clear our minds of other distractions. But I'm a multi-tasker, capable of counting, cursing the pain and thinking of other thoughts, all the while waiting for it all to end.

The closest I've ever gotten to what people describe as a meditative state was while doing tai chi. The breathing in and out, in conjunction with the complex and slow movements, enabled me to focus on just that. The only other time that I approached that experience was when I used to go to the gym in Montreal. I would run on the treadmill with music in my ears, focusing on my breathing and forgetting about anything else besides the movements of my body, the feel of my heart beating in my chest and the rhythm of my breathing. This allowed me to run without looking at the time. But that was years ago. Over the past 5 years or so, I have been unable to reach that level, though I continue to seek it.

After our meditative session, we had dinner. As you may well know, devout Buddhists are vegetarian and I was afraid that the food would be bland. I was knocked off my feet. It was absolutely delicious! Roots, vegetables and rice all prepared with the perfect ingredients to bring out flavors that exploded in my mouth. What a truly decadant surprise.

We had a free evening with lights out at 9pm. The next morning the gong rang at 3:30am heralding the morning prayer and 108 prostrations. I readied myself and headed out to the big meditation center, a log cabin stretched long with an altar at the head and statues of Buddha in different positions.

30+ people assembled, rubbing sleep from their eyes. Now, prostrations are a complicated matter. First you kneel then bend over until your head touches the mat, your hands around your head, palms facing up. You cross your feet (the dorsal of one foot placed over the other) and then you return to your kneeling position, put your hands together in prayer and propel yourself onto your feet without the help of your hands. About 5 years ago, I broke my right toe and it has hurt ever since. The pressure exerted in this action strains every little toe you have on each foot. Not the most pleasant of sensations when your feet are not in top shape.

We did about 10 of these prostrations as a morning prayer and I managed to keep up, gritting through the shots of pain in my toe. This was just the beginning! After the morning prayer, we were to do 108 prostrations, the idea being that they would help up balance "the scales of our ongoing accumulated karma". It was hell! After about twenty, my thighs were screaming. Pushing yourself up without the help of your hands is really difficult! I looked around me and noticed that a lot of Koreans were using their hands to help them up. I felt no shame in following their example. That would have been the only way I could finish up the punishing rhythm that the monks performed with incredible ease.

When I later spoke to my students about this experience, they gawked at me, impressed that I had done it. None of them had even attempted it and the resounding question was "what went through your head as you were doing it?" In theory, the prostrations, as repetitive actions, are known to be a meditative action, clearing your mind and body of negativity etc... They all looked at me in anticipation of my answer. I said, " I was just thinking, don't give up! Don't give up! You can do this!!!" The room exploded in laughter and everytime I got up from my chair to write something on the board, I winced with pain, the lactid acid doing a number on my legs. Giggles would erupt as they watched me and I would smile too. It was pretty darn funny.

After the prostrations, we had breakfast which was to be followed by a walk which I forced myself to do. I was not in the mood! But the sky had cleared enough for us to have a nice walk and check out some really old buildings, and structures hundreds of years old.

We were then treated to a calligraphy lesson, albeit one where we only copied words written in Chinese, Korean and English as to the precepts of Buddhism. It was still fun. Free for another little while, I asked whether I could take some pictures of the location. As you can see, they were more than happy to oblige.

We were then invited to have tea with the head monk of the temple. He was an amazing man; calm, with pretty decent English, who I was surprised to find had a really great sense of humor. I was told by the English/Australian that Buddhism was full of humor. It was nice. I asked a few hundred more questions and we were then free to roam around again until the next activity. This man had entered Buddhism after university. He had encountered a lot of death in his youth and had at that time first been drawn to the quietude and study of Buddhism. After his mandatory military service and university studies, he decided to pursue Buddhism as his calling and has been with the Jogye order for over 20 years.

Me and the head monk

Around noon, we had another prayer and several more prostrations in the original temple, had lunch and were free to go. The templestay was over. I was offered a free ride back to the city on a bus but opted for the city bus back. I had come alone, I explained to them in Korean, I needed to leave alone.



Me and one of the American GIs with the temple's dog Yon Gun (Lotus Root)



Sokcho and Soraksan Hone Ja-Style (혼자 =Alone)

Last weekend, I headed off to Sokcho, on the East coast of South Korea, for a beach/mountain experience. It was a journey in more ways than one.

I had heard about amazing Soraksan, one of Korea's most famous mountains. Though I had no intention of climbing it (the trek to the top of the highest peak takes 11 hours!), I wanted to walk around and see the beauty of these craggy mountains.

So I set off on Thursday night, after work, and arrived in Sokcho at 3am. I immediately located Samsung Motel (a fairytale, castle-like building) sticking out like one of two sore thumbs

(there's another castle motel closeby), and secured a room into which I collapsed. I didn't sleep well, though the room was clean and comfortable.

Samsung Motel

The next day, exhausted from my restless sleep, I stayed in bed for a while before forcing myself to take a shower and head out to the beach. It was a hazy but warm day and as I walked down the boardwalk towards the beach, I couldn't help but remember a similar walk, in 2005, when I was in Gold Coast on a free afternoon from my business trip.

Sokcho boardwalk

There weren't too many people around, which was restful and the ocean was quite nice. Nothing can compare with Caribbean waters, but this is the East Sea; it's a whole different ballgame. The smell of the salty air was refreshing and after looking around at the people and the sea, I settled down with my back against a low wall, in the sand, and read for several hours. The sand was quite coarse and chunky, as though it were a new beach. It was nice, though, like little crystals shining beneath your feet.

The water was a multicolored jewel. At times, bluemarine (where the seaweed floats below the surface), at times dark turquoise.

It was a very relaxing afternoon.

After a while I figured it was time to do some more exploring. I decided to walk from Sokcho beach to Daepo Port. I didn't know how long it would take, but I was up for the challenge and headed off. It took about 30 minutes. When I arrived...it was a whole other world.

Daepo Port

Noise, color, the smell of grilled seafood, everything was alive and I was instantly charmed. As I walked along the tiny street, I was assailed by the sights of dried, fresh and cooking fish. People were sitting down at street-side tables waiting for their food to cook as they drank their soju. Fish swam around in tanks along the asphalted ground.

Small boats had been converted into restaurants where people sat eating raw fish. I walked to the end of the road where the batter-fried shrimp was kept. I wanted to try everything. I wanted the raw fish, and the battered shrimp, I wanted grilled shrimp and grilled shellfish. How could I have them all? Impossible. I walked back along the road, looking for a boat restaurant that served grilled shrimp. None of them did. They only had fish and one woman directed me towards the open tables on the road. I settled myself down at one and ordered a 5,000won plate of shrimp. There were 8 shrimp. The woman serving me separated the heads and then told me to eat the heads too. I wasn't sure how to do that, but tried it anyway. I sucked out the juices from the head. Delicious! Nothing beats freshly grilled shrimp!

I also went for an order of grilled shellfish, 10,000won. A little cocktail of onions, shallots and sweet/hot sauce were added to some of the bigger shells and I was in heaven.



Jo Gae Gu Ee- grilled shellfish



In the meantime, I had ordered a bottle of soju and some coke. I'm not a shotter, I prefer to sip my alcohol, so I made a mixed drink; pretty good, all things considered. Like a rum and coke. I sat there for at least an hour: eating, drinking, reading and smoking. It was a wonderful time. Koreans looked at me with curiosity. What was I doing there alone? Kids gawked at the foreigner, but I just smiled and enjoyed my meal. I still had a little space left inside me and so decided to try a local delicacy: squid soondae 4,000won. I've since come to the conclusion that the word soondae doesn't actually mean blood sausage. I think it actually refers to the encasing of food in some kind of tube-like product. For regular soondae, this means a pig's intestines. In that case, the intestines are stuffed with glass noodles, onions and other delicious spices and vegetables. Not at all like the French blood sausage. There is actually no blood to speak of.

With squid soondae, the same ingredients are used, but instead of using the pig's intestines as an encasing agent, they use squid. It's ingenious! And absolutely delicious! They fry it and serve it to you steaming.

Squid Soondae

Unfortunately I couldn't finish it all; I had already stuffed myself to the brink. By that time, I had gone through a whole bottle of soju and two cokes. I was rightfully tipsy and in my inebriated state, I decided to walk back to the hotel along a different route, so that I would see more. As you know, with alcohol in your system, you tend to relax and feel less stressed about your surroundings. I felt more comfortable asking people if I could take pictures of them working. They were all very gracious. I got some good shots. I walked up to a shrimp stand. There were two women there, frying up loads of shrimp. They looked like a mother and daughter team. I asked the older woman if I could take a picture. "Take it! Take it!" she said and went about her business. Her daughter laughed and I did too as I took the picture, thanked them and walked away.

Fried Shrimp

I took the main boulevard back to downtown Sokcho, but after what seems like a long while, I wasn't sure I was heading in the right direction. There was a police officer at an intersection, guiding the traffic. As he took a break, I asked him, in what I think was pretty good Korean, where the bus station was. He tried to answer me in English. We both laughed. It was an adorable scene: here is the foreigner, speaking in Korean and the Korean speaking in English. We were both trying hard. I thanked him and walked on. My instincts had been right. I found my way back and ended my first day in a happy, dazed state.

The next day, I had planned to go to Soraksan early in the morning. I didn't know how long it would take to do the things I wanted to do, but as per usual, I lingered in bed and had to remind myself not to feel guilty for staying in bed on my holiday. It's a constant struggle between my body and my mind.

I finally arrived in Sorak-dong around 12pm and decided to have lunch there before heading back on the bus to the entrance of Sorak National Park. I ordered some kind of Hae Jang Guk, expecting what I had had in Seoul in the past. Hae Jang Guk is usually made with the backbone of the beef and seasoned with sesame and other vegetables. It's a hearty, meaty meal: delicious. I was expecting the same here, but instead I received a seafood version in a clear broth. I was quite confused. The main ingredient was actually cod and it wasn't bad, but not as delicious as the original Hae Jang Guk.

Seafood Hae Jang Guk

After lunch I took the bus to the entrance of Soraksan National Park. I could see the peaks rising up in the sky, reaching for the clouds. There was green everywhere, the forests healthy, promising a great day ahead.

I wanted to go see the waterfalls. I had heard that there were two of them and that the walk, in total would take about 1 1/2 hours. Okay, I could handle that! It was actually a really easy walk. The path was well indicated and easy to follow, but regardless, I would not suggest people wear anything but tennis shoes to go there. There were women in heeled sandals! I mean, are you serious!!! I couldn't believe it. We had to walk in puddles of mud at times, at other times, manoeuver around rocks and over bridges made of planked wood. These women were stepping daintily, one hand held by their significant others for balance, as they tried to pick their way through. It was pretty ridiculous, but I guess there will always be women in this world who think appearance is more important than comfort. What can you do? :)

By the time I reached Biryeong Falls, I was covered in a light sheen of sweat. There were several people there already, dipping into the water. I decided to dip my feet in myself and do a little writing. I was not prepared for the insanely cold water! Oh my God! How in the world were the other people able to be in there waist deep?! It's crazy. I had to laugh out loud. I could barely put my toes in!

The waterfalls were nice, but I was a bit underwhelmed. I had had the impression that they were going to be more impressive. No big deal, it was still a nice walk through the forest and the trees were beautiful. It was quite peaceful, unlike hiking up Halla mountain last year, when there were often human traffic jams up the mountain and the exhaustion threatened to stop you ever 100 meters or so.



Guess how the water was able to stay up!

 Afterwards, I headed for the famous cable-car. I didn't expect there to be a waiting line. Me and my naive ways...It was 3pm and the earliest time to take the cable car up the mountain was 4:10. I had to find other things to do with my time so I wandered around, looking for something to drink and a quiet spot to sit down and relax.

I noticed a man who was obviously some kind of artist, drawing onto small pieces of wood or seeds from trees. He used a type of electrical gadget to actual burn images onto the wood. It was beautiful!

Though I would have liked to have posed for a portrait, it would have been too expensive and too much of a burden to transport so I opted instead for a few small phone accessories to give out as gifts. He did an excellent job.

Eventually it was time to board the cable car. I had taken a cable car last year in Seoul, on my way down Namsan Tower on the night of Solal. It had provided us with a beautiful view of the city line. It was fun last year as it was, too, last weekend. You feel like you're floating above the earth and everything is spread out for you to admire. We live on such a wonderful earth and we too often forget to appreciate it.

I followed a path up to the peak of the mountain where there is a legend of two kings who built a fortress in one night atop this peak to guard against his enemies. Another story indicates that it was built in 1253 to defend against Mongolian invasion. Regardless of the story, I saw no indication of a fortress or any ruins there. So, with reason, I was quite confused. Nonetheless, the view was spectacular.


I scrambled up to the top of this peak for a spectacular view


Unfortunately, it was another hazy day and the pictures were not as clear as I would have liked them to have been. Having noticed that I hadn't any pictures of myself, I asked a foreign couple to take a couple. They were quite nice about it. I always feel awkward asking Koreans because most of the time, they don't seem to want to talk to me. Unlike in Australia or France, here people don't offer to take pictures of people. As a result, I feel discouraged from asking. Perhaps these are just my perceptions...

Earlier, when I had taken the cable car up the mountain, I spotted a gigantic seated Buddha on the ground beyond the forest. I decided to head there before returning to Sokcho. And what a masterpiece it is! What graceful lines, what a peaceful face. I think I could have stayed there, watching it for hours had I not been quite as tired.

Seated Buddha

Beautiful drinking fountain

I returned to Sokcho and my castle home where I relaxed for a few hours before deciding to have dinner at the Dong Myeong Fish Market. I wanted to eat raw fish but didn't want to return to Daepo. Though I loved Daepo, I wanted a new experience.

The owners of the motel were very helpful and suggested I take a taxi. I must say that the taxi drivers there were really nice people. We had a broken conversation during our 10 minute ride to the port. Was I here alone? Why was I here alone? I explained that I liked to travel alone and that my friends were busy, anyhow. I asked him if he thought that was strange. I knew he did, but I was curious to see how he would answer. "No!" He gave me a thumbs up. I guess he was trying to be encouraging. It was sweet of him.

As I walked towards the fish market I saw a group of fishermen working with the nets they had brought in for the night, wriggling with silver fish. I mustered up the courage to ask whether I could take pictures and was rewarded with a nod and a smile.

Next, I headed over to the main building; it was teaming with tanks of fish, shellfish, squid etc...I walked through, wondering how to go about ordering something for myself. I finally found a woman who looked me in the eye and so told her that I wanted to order some fish. You're alone, she asked. I nodded. She put a couple of fish, a couple of squid and this strange looking bright red and orange ball into a basket. She ushered me inside the building where she handed over the seafood to the women who prepared the food. I paid her 10,000won and watched the women cut, gut and skin my food. It was fascinating. As they they talked in low, serious voices their hands worked with incredible speed and precision, something they could have done with their eyes closed. There was a hardened element to them. I could only imagine being holed up in these little cubicles day after day, gutting fish and returning home with the smells of the ocean clinging to every pore of your skin.

My dinner in progress

The squid they cut by hand, but the fish was passed through a contraption that was like a paper shredder. It was quite interesting. I realized afterward that the fish hadn't been deboned. To my surprise I had to pay these women too. 1,000 won for the lettuce and sauce and 4,000won for the gut and cut.

My prepared meal

I paid and went up to the second floor. There was a restaurant there that served Mae Une Tang, a spicy fishbone soup. Out on the balcony were some tables with an excellent view of the harbour and multicolored lights skipping along the water.
 

This was where I wanted to sit and I was lucky enough to find a table for myself. I settled down, ordered some soju and coke and proceeded to eat my meal. It was quite good, especially the raw squid, but I didn't care for the orange/red thing. It tasted only of the ocean, very strong salt and not much else. I think the raw fish would have been excellent if it hadn't been for the bones. Granted, the bones were so small you just crunched through them, but the fact that I had to crunch raw fish bones was quite bothersome. I ate it anyway. Korean raw fish is eaten in the following way: you take a leaf of lettuce and put some sweet chili sauce on the leaf. You then add the seafood of your choice, wrap the leaf up in a little ball and then pop it in your mouth. It's such a simple combination of things, but surprisingly good. Korean cuisine is fabulous. I don't understand why it hasn't taken over the world with its wonderful flavors.

Before arriving in Korea, I had eaten at two "Korean" restaurants. One in Montreal (Canada), and one in Strasbourg (France). Though they were both good, none of them represented Korean cuisine for what it is. They had adjusted it so much to western sensibilities that they had bastardized it beyond recognition. I believe that if a real Korean-style restaurant was opened in Montreal, it would be an incredible success. I have seen no other cuisine where you can cook your own food - actually participate in creating your meal. It is such a rewarding experience and I really think westerners would love to have such a unique experience. Maybe I should open a Korean restaurant....hmmm. The only problem is that I'm an ideas person. I would need a detail person to work out all the rest (business terms I used in my Level 3 class this week. Forgive me, work always creeps its way in).

Back to the subject at hand. I was having a great time. Granted, I was stared at, but I had gotten use to it. I had a moment where I felt like the moment would have been perfect had Seung Ah and Jong In been there with me. I think we would have spent the whole night laughing at the beauty of where we were and what we were doing, but alone was good too. I decided to have the Mae Une Tang. I had seen a sign that said it cost 3,000won per person and I was pysched. I ordered one and emphasized that I was alone and that I wanted one. The young man nodded and came back 5 minutes later with the soup which you are to cook on an individual burner on your table. He told me that I owed him 6,000won. What?! Why? I had asked for one soup. He saw that I was alone and I had emphasized that fact in case he hadn't noticed. He told me that they only sold the soup for a minimum of two people.

The sign had said for one person, he had heard me say for one person. Why hadn't he explained that to me? I felt...completely drained. I was really upset. Though I love many things about Korea and I'm truly happy to have come here, this is one aspect of Korean culture I will not miss when I leave. No one does anything alone here. If you are alone, you are relegated to either eating at home, or eating at fastfood Korean restaurants. It is as though you don't deserve to eat at regular restaurants. You are punished for being alone in Korea. It is unnatural and therefore not indulged. You are the strange outsider, you shouldn't treat yourself.

The nice little bubble I had been in, burst and I felt utterly deflated.

All I wanted to do at that point was leave. I ate as much of the soup as I could, knowing I would never be able to finish it and then headed back to the hotel. As the cab driver had said, "You're alone? Why?" Why indeed.

The next day was Sunday and I would be leaving at 2:30p.m. I had read that the original Soondubu (soft tofu soup) came from Sokcho so I wanted to try it out. I had had Soondubu in Jeonju last year and it was really good so I was expecting something even greater since this was the home of Soondubu. I found a cab and asked how far it was. I had only managed to leave the motel at 11:30am so I didn't want to go somewhere too far. It would take only 15minutes and about 8,000won.

We headed out there. We were both silent, I guess language was a barrier. When we arrived at a restaurant, I realized that we were quite far away from the city and that it would be difficult to find a taxi back to the city. I asked him about that and he told me that when I finished eating he would come back to pick me up. I was very grateful for his generosity. He gave his cellphone number to the restaurant and they helped me inside. "Are you alone?" they asked. I smiled, "Yes, I'm alone."

I settled down at a large table that could fit 15 people and they brought out the side dishes and the Soondubu. I was really surprised. Where was the soup I had expected? I asked them whether this was the Soondubu. I pointed to a bowl of what looked like cottage cheese. They assured me this was the real thing. There was a little bowl of sauce on the side that I was to add into it for flavor. So I ate it. I was to realize later, from my students, that what I had had in Jeonju was Soondubu stew, whereas what I had in Sokcho was the original Soondubu, pure soft tofu. It was okay. Nothing special.

Original Soondubu

As I think back now, I had two surprises over the weekend with food. Things I thought I knew, I realized I didn't know at all. There are so many variations of food and names in Korea. There is just so much to Korean cuisine. You never run out of choices. I think back to Bangladesh and the curry we had daily, as well as the Dhal. It rarely varied. I don't think Bangla cuisine is very varied. I lived there for almost three months and most of the food had the same taste. They might have used different fish or different meat, but the spices were always the same and therefore the food always tasted the same. Korean food is so incredibly diverse that even after almost 2 years here, I'm still discovering new things. Granted, I'm not in love with everything, but the majority of what I have eaten I love. I will truly miss this food when I leave.

After lunch the taxi driver returned to pick me up. I fully intended for him to charge me double for coming to pick me up and driving me off. He asked me what I thought about my lunch. I tried to explain to him that it was okay, but different from what I expected. I'm not sure he understood. Opening up, he asked me if I was alone.

"Yes, I'm alone."

"Do you not have friends?" he asked with characteristic bluntness that Koreans can have at times. I'm used to it by now.

"I do have friends, but they couldn't come. They had to work." I didn't bother explaining that I wanted to come alone. I don't think he would have understood.

"Are you married?"

"No."

"How old are you?"

"29."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Why not? You're pretty."

"I had a boyfriend, but not anymore. I was going to come here with him, but..." I joined my hands and then separated them to indicate we had broken up.

"I love him," I added, "but he doesn't love me."

"Why?"

"I don't know," I said and gave him a half smile. He had been looking at me from the rearview mirror. And to my horror, tears began to well up in my eyes and my chin began to tremble. I bit down hard to try to stop the movement and thanked God for having my sunglasses on. Perhaps he hadn't seen.

"Well, you will find another boyfriend." He had decided.

"Right now, I don't want one. My heart hurts."

He nodded and rephrased "It hurts" he put his hand on his heart, "doesn't it? It's hard."

I couldn't speak, overcome by emotion in front of this empathic stranger. As the tears slipped down my cheeks, I nodded.

We had arrived at the bus station, but it was only 1:30. He asked me what I wanted to do. I suggested he drop me off at the beach. He nodded and took me there. When he stopped, he indicated that I was to pay only 7,500won. I was touched. He had only charged me for a one-way trip. I gave him a 10,000won bill and asked him to keep it for helping me out. He thanked me and held out his hand. I took it in mine and we shook. I thanked him and walked out.

I went over to the same bench I had sat on earlier that morning before taking the cab to lunch and looked out on the ocean, my tears mixing with the wind. It would soon be time for me to return to my real life.