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Seoul Public Transportation Guide: For Bus Lovers
2007-04-16 04:03:00
When we first arrived in Seoul to teach English it took us a couple of weeks to familiarize ourselves with the layout of the city and the subway. When you spend all your time traveling underground from station to station, it's hard to get a visual grasp on areas of the city. As for taking the bus, so far we've used it to go to Costco, Joongdong (for BBQ purposes), and City Hall. Why haven't we taken the bus more you ask? Well, for starters all the bus stops are in Korean. My Hangul is mediocre (if you can even call it that) at best so taking a bus will result in us ending up in some far off place.Taking the subway is interesting at times, but when it's jam packed it can be uncomfortable. Unless it's the during the blazing heat in the summer, the air conditioning is not turned on so there is a lack of ventilation. Trust me, it gets extremely hot and stinky when the subway car is packed to the brim and everybody is breathing heavily. That's normal though and you will have to lea...
More About: Public , Transportation , Lovers , Guide , Public Transport

Yeuoido Spring Flower Festival--first attempt
2007-04-15 03:21:00
Spring is here in South Korea...almost. Every year around this time thousands of Koreans and fans of cherry blossoms flock to Yeouido Park to check out the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival , or the Cherry Blossom Festival. Add live entertainment, miscellaneous street vendors, millions of people with their digital cameras, and what will you get? A good time of course!The festival runs from April 1-15 starting on Yunjungno Avenue, right behind the Korean National Assembly. When you have over 1400 cherry blossom trees in full bloom over a 6km stretch, people go crazy and flock here as fast as they can, like it was the first day McDonald's in Korea started breakfast (okay, bad example). Last week we decided to check out the festival in its first weekend at the peak time in the late afternoon--bad decision!When you have everybody and their monkey's uncle flocking down to Yeouido, it can get quite difficult to navigate through the crowds. During one stretch of road leading up to the offici...
More About: Entertainment , Spring , Ring

Will it blend? Berries, bananas, yogurt, and...
2007-04-13 18:24:00
Not so fast. You're going to have to read on to find out...If you're heading over to teach English in Seoul, you're gonna miss a few things from back home. Some people miss the chocolate selection. Some miss the junk food selection (although Seoul has more than enough convenience stores to fill the void). Some miss clean air that involves living on the westcoast of Canada (there's nothing wrong with yellow dust--actually, who am I kidding the stuff hurts your throat, eyes and mouth). What do I miss? I miss the fruit and vegetable selection at a decent price.The price of fruits and vegetables here can be outrageous ($6US for one pear, $2US for one kiwi) compared to the prices we're used to back home. The selection can also be an issue as well. However, we've always tried to make the best of it. Golden kiwis from Costco. Apples, frozen durian, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and pineapple from Homever. Grapes, strawberries, and oranges from the farmer's truck on the side of the r...
More About: Food , Berries , Will , Yogurt , Blend

Blogger's Choice Awards - Best Travel Blog
2007-04-12 18:13:00
The Blog ger's Choice Awards is where is users and bloggers submit their blogs to let the internet public decide if it is blog-worthy. I have seen many notable blogs nominated, such as PerezHilton, Gizmodo, John Chow, and ProBlogger just to name a few. Why let the big guns have all the fun? That's why I just submitted my own blog to enter the races! If you think my blog is worthy enough to receive a vote for the Best Travel Blog, head on over to the Blogger's Choice Awards and support this blog with a vote!This contest is just for fun and maybe some potential bragging rights (it's playoff time in the NHL so I'm craving for some competition), but that's about it. There are some pretty awesome travel blogs out there so it would be interesting to see how The Daily Kimchi fares against such incredible competition. Want some motivation to vote for my site? Have some Green Tea flavored Halls to get you started (it tastes like green tea--I should have gone with fail-safe cherry)!Vote ...
More About: Internet , Blogging

Video tutorial: How to sharpen your pencil with a box cutter
2007-04-12 16:55:00
If you've been following my blog, then you should remember my post about box cutters for kids. A few days ago I was trying to sharpen my pencil with a box cutter. I wasn't doing a very good job. That was until one of my students, John, decided to show his teacher the ropes (you can see John in action from White Day and the Baekdu Mountain debate. He likes to scream when I'm filming him).What a perfect opportunity to whip out the camera for a video op. I was amazed at John's incredible box cutter-pencil-sharpening skills. This guy's a real pro and one day he should strongly consider opening up shop in the box cutter-pencil-sharpening business. Anyways, here is the video. Let me know if you can decipher and understand John's English in the comments:What are the downsides of sharpening your pencil with a box cutter? According to John, it hurts your fingers. Give it some time, young buck, and eventually your skin will develop a nice callus.
More About: Video , Tutorial , Teaching , Sharp , Harp

The paper thin tissue post
2007-04-11 15:48:00
I never realized how important having tissue on you was until I visited Hong Kong in 2004. Most restaurants and bathrooms (the legendary squat-style toilets) did not supply tissue for its patrons, depending on where you ate. Anyways, it was handy to have little tissue packs on hand in case of any dire emergency, such as a sudden trip to the bathroom or drying your hands after washing them (is that an emergency? who knows!).Let's fast forward to present day life in Seoul, South Korea. Tissues are supplied in every Korean eating establishment, with the majority of the time in a square plastic box. What you will need to get accustomed to is the fact that these things put the phrase "paper thin" to shame. It's more like 0.5 ply toilet paper thin, or in other words, SHEER! Okay, so many this will help save the environment and some trees. However, if I need to pull 2-3 tissues to meet my needs, why not just make tissues with a reasonable thickness so that only one is needed? This isn't...
More About: Post , The Paper , Paper , Issue

You know instant noodle snacks are popular when...
2007-04-10 04:00:00
...38.5% of my class has them in their school bags to eat during the break! You might remember when I risked my life and wrote about instant noodle snacks. Anyways, thinking back to that noodle post, I had a magical day a while ago. I had entered my classroom after the break and I saw five kids eating these "noodle snacks". I was surprised so I had to take advantage of this opportunity for some photo ops. Here are the photos, all carefully orchestrated by yours truly:This kid in red (his name rhymes with snot)...he didn't even have a bag of instant noodle snacks. He just wanted to steal some thunder from the others (you'll be seeing more of him soon):Alright children, move to the front of the class and show me the mone...err, show me the noodles (there he is again, the boy whose name rhymes with snot--he's holding up his school bag as if it were a bag of noodles; the funny thing is, I've never seen him before and he's not even in my class)!The aftermath: my poor garbage can has...
More About: Food , Snacks , Teaching , Popular , When

Baekdu Mountain belongs to...
2007-04-09 03:09:00
Korea has had a long history. Part of this included foreign invasions, occupation by the Japanese, and division of the country after the Second World War. Korean children are extremely aware of their history and are very knowledgeable of current issues and conflicts. Not to discredit Canadian students back home, but try asking a handful of students what year Canada became a country and they will give you a confused look. Try it out!Once important issue that lies deep inside the hearts of Koreans is Baekdu Mount ain , which lies on the border between North Korea and China. Known as Changbai Mountain to the Chinese, there has been a long history of disputes over the regional history of the mountain. China and North Korea agreed to share the mountain in the 1960s, but today there has been a rash of events that has reignited the controversy.China has started promoting tourism, building infrastructure, and even tried to declare the mountain as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and even a bid f...
More About: Teaching , Long , Belo

Zune to be a winner!
2007-04-07 17:07:00
Another post, another contest entry. That's right, evil blogger John Chow, who helps you make money on the internet is at it again. Due to his success and his other business ventures with computers and such, he gets lots of freebies. He's giving back to his readers by holding another contest. This time he's giving away a Microsoft Zune to anyone in the blogosphere who mentions his contest post on their blog. I'm in the search for a new mp3 player and if I win this Zune, it will make a great addition to my gadget collection.The last time I posted about John Chow was his Nintendo Wii giveaway contest. I promised you that I was going to win, but unfortunately I did not. I cried myself to sleep that night. It was just horrible. Anyways, if you feel like taking your chances at winning a brand new Microsoft Zune, you are more than welcome to enter the contest. John says he will ship the Zune to any destination in the world, so Korea counts! I'm crossing my fingers this time...as I'm...
More About: Internet , Blogging , Winner

Lost in your dreams? Drink Ceylon Tea
2007-04-07 09:07:00
There are lots of different kinds of beverages here in Seoul. Coffee, instant coffee, tea, barley cola, etc. Now, whenever I'm feeling down and I need a pick me up, the choices I just mentioned pop into my mind. Lately, I've added another drink to that list. What is this drink you ask? It's another incredible product from the enormous Korean conglomerate Lotte, Ceylon Tea.There is a huge market in Korea for iced green tea. Most Koreans drink green tea as a healthy alternative to sugary carbonated sodas. However, I have yet to find sweetened green tea. The next best thing is Lotte's Ceylon tea. It tastes like lemon iced tea with just a right amount of sweetness. It's extremely refreshing and highly addicting. So addicting that we recently bought a case of 30 cans from Costco. If you like this tea, buying it at Costco is the most economical solution. Normally these cans sell for 650-700w (65-70 cents) at convenience stores. However, the price works out to 300w/can (30 cents) by ...
More About: Lost , Dreams , Food , Drink , Dream

The best way to learn Korean
2007-04-06 04:43:00
We have spent nine months in Korea now and along the way we have always told ourselves that we should learn how to speak Korean . Well, here's a little bit of info for everybody out there--it's not easy! Like learning any language, it takes time, dedication, and practice. There are lots of places out there in the city that offer free Korean lessons. The hard part is finding one that will fit your schedule.One of the first steps in learning how to speak Korean, is learning Hangul (hey, if I can do it, anyone can!). Being able to read and identify characters is extremely helpful when you are ordering food or trying to located a destination on a map. Most of the time I've noticed that there are many English words translated into Hangul. For example, Starbucks is written ???? (I'm not that skilled yet to type on a keyboard in Hangul, that was copy and pasted from the Starbucks Korea website)...which sounds like "Shuh-tah-bog-shuh"...say that ten times as fast as you can! What does i...
More About: Teaching , Earn , Best , Learn

Where are you from?
2007-04-05 02:50:00
When I first started this blog last June, my blog traffic was zero. Through some research on the internet on SEO, registering with blog directories, and link exchanges with other blogs, I have managed to create some loyal readers to this blog. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to explore about our journey teaching in Korea and all the blogs out there that link back to me.According to Google Analytics, The Daily Kimchi averages 350+ daily visitors. The majority of my visitors come from the USA, South Korea, and Canada. Others come from Australia, the UK, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Germany, the Netherlands, Thailand, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Turkey, New Zealand, France, Ireland,...etc. The list goes on! I also get a lot of traffic from ZenKimchi Food Journal and My Korean Kitchen (two incredible sites btw).Here are some of the top Google search queries of people stumbling upon my blog:korean fried chickenuso dmz tourcostco koreakorea blogkorean fashionteaching...
More About: Internet , Blogging , Where

How to make the ultimate drying rack
2007-04-03 15:21:00
Living in South Korea, it is rare to have a dryer in your home. Most people dry their clothes on drying racks. This is the most economical way (it's good for the environment as well) to dry your clothes. You will save on the electricity bill and you'll feed good about yourself. Drying racks are dirt cheap and our drying racks were supplied by our employer (and from the previous couple who lived in our officetel; they were gracious enough to donate theirs to us).So you're probably feeling pretty fuzzy right now. But wait, there are some downsides to drying your clothes on a rack. Sometimes, even with the addition of fabric softener, your previously soft cotton towels will dry up into one crusty, sandpaper-like, piece of cardboard. The days of launching your damp clothes into the dryer and walking away are over. Now you have to hang dry each individual piece of clothing which takes time. Also, the feeling of fresh clothes right out of the dryer are long gone. So if you're in Korea...
More About: How To , Mate , Make , Rack , Ultimate

Yellow Dust in Korea...thanks China
2007-04-02 04:15:00
If you're considering coming over to teach English in Korea , you may want to keep the following in mind. It's known as Yell ow Dust (or Asian Dust), or what I like to term "YD" (it reminds me of KD), and it originates from the desertification of the Gobi Desert in Northern China . Intense sandstorms blow the dust over South Korea, conveniently picking up pollutants in the air from an industrializing China. The dust can cause respiratory problems and eye problems (I've been lucky enough to have pink eye twice so far) so it is advised to stay indoors during these storms. So if you have a respiratory problem, YD might not be the best thing for your lungs when you're coming to teach English in Korea.As if living in a city with 12 million people doesn't produce enough pollution and smog already, YD is just the cherry on top. The Korea Times reported that yesterday was the worst yellow dust of the year. Check out this picture taken by the Korea Times (you can barely make out the 63 Bui...
More About: Thanks

Box cutters are for kids
2007-04-01 02:57:00
You will encounter many things teaching English in a Korean classroom. For starters, you'll find out soon enough that your students are spies, they love to give you Korean names, they like to make fun of you, they like to watch TV in class, they sleep late due to studying all night, and they'll remember your birthday.When you're not catching a glimpse of the sunset, you'll also find something very interesting in the pencil cases of many students: box cutters. That's right, instead of a conventional pencil sharpener, most kids use razors to sharpen their pencils or pencil crayons. It's crazy and it caught me off guard when I saw one of my elementary students take one out of his pencil case. That was a long time ago when I first started, so now it's old hat to me. But it is really weird seeing a student hunched over the garbage can, sharpening a pencil by shaving it with a box cutter.Hey, why let the students have all the fun? If they can have UV light pens, I can too. So why n...
More About: Kids

Emeril Lagasse would love this post
2007-03-30 17:17:00
You all should be aware by now that I absolutely love eating barbeque (it's one of the things I'm addicted to and it even tastes good when it's not in Seoul) in Korea. Normally we would stick to galbi but last week we branched out after work for some samgyeopsal. Do you love eating pork? Do you love bacon? If you answered "YES" to both of these questions you will be in food heaven. Last week we went for bbq after work (I have a backlog of things to post about)...one of them was Jessica (remember her with five-time bodybuilding champ, Mr. Seoul?)Samgyeopsal is the bacon cut from the pork belly. When it comes to the table it is basically thick strips of bacon, but not cured. This pork is then grilled up with kimchi (or other vegetables, like garlic and onions) cooking in the juices that run off to the bottom of the pan. The pork gets super crispy and tasty once it starts cooking in its own juices. Wrap a piece of crispy bacon with some samjang in lettuce and holy moses will you be ...
More About: Love , Post , Would , Emeril

Tommy Hilfiger's long lost brother: Tommy Atkins
2007-03-30 05:20:00
So we're in Myeongdong and we're starting to get extremely hungry. I've experienced food in Myeongdong a few times already. Fusion omurice at Omuto Tomato and Shinpo restaurant (the post about the happy clappy employees). We decided to go back to Shinpo for a late lunch because the food was pretty good last time. For those in the Lower Mainland, have you tried the Shinpo in Vancouver?Anyways, let's get down to business. Shinpo is famous for their steamed dumplings, but this time we decided to try them fried. They were just as delicious, crunchy but still juicy in the middle. Served with a cabbage salad topped with gochujang:Devante opted for the Teriyaki Udon noodle dish. This was a massive plate of udon with mixed vegetables and lots of chicken. We barely finished this dish!I am huge fan of naeng myun (ice noodles) but the last time I had some was in the summer. I decided to get some as it would be a refreshing dish after a long day of shopping. The buckwheat noodles at Shinpo ...
More About: Lost , Other , Tommy , Long , Brother

Sugar mamas in Korea...oh so sweet!
2007-03-29 16:10:00
Following our trip to Gangnam, we went to another busy shopping mecca, Myeongdong (home to the world's largest Starbucks). There are hundreds of stores lined along narrow streets (which conveniently allows cars to drive on). Remember this fellow? I snapped that picture of him wandering the crowded streets here. Shopping in Myeongdong shows you a glimpse of the enormous population that inhabits Seoul, one of the most densely populated cities in the world.I'm going to describe some sugar mamas today. These ladies sell caramelized sugar that has been molded into fun shapes. Sugar is melted down in a small tin cup with flames provided by butane bottles. People will buy these random shapes for roughly 1000w ($1USD) each. You will find these ladies (and sometimes men) in Myeongdong and other busy shopping districts, such as Insadong. Now that's what you call profit...selling melted sugar for a buck!Here's a spy shot from inside one of the many stores in Myeongdong. You must visit this...
More About: Korea , Sweet , Mama , N Korea

Beggars in Korea...
2007-03-28 16:25:00
When we first arrived to teach English in Kore a , we immediately noticed something: the absence of homeless and beggars on the streets. Compared to the situation back home in Canada, we were surprised at the lack of homeless people and beggars. However, as we further explored the city we realized that this problem exists but mainly in the busier areas, such as Seoul Station.In Mokdong, you would be hard pressed trying to find people camped out in parks and in the subway stations. Move towards the inner core of City Hall and you will see people sleeping on the lawns of Namdaemun gate (where I bought my digital SLR...right on the lawns, baby) and inside the subway stations.Beggar s can be found in high traffic areas, either roaming from car to car on the subway or wandering the streets of busy markets. It's very common to see handicapped people going from car to car, with a radio hanging around their necks playing a tune, while holding a basket in front of them. Some are partially "bli...
More About: N Korea , Beggars

My Steff Houlberg hot dog experience
2007-03-27 15:47:00
A while back we went back to Gangnam (check out their massive underground shopping arcade), one of the busy financial districts in south eastern Seoul. Devante wanted to go shopping and check out some cosmetic items at a few stores.I've talked about hot dogs in the past (Boston Hot Dog; Costco's notorious $1.99 hot dog & pop) and I've seen Steff HotDogs locations before as they are littered throughout Seoul. Steff HotDog is part of the Steff Houlberg chain that sells the Danish style hot dog. These hot dogs are long, thin red sausages that are steamed and buns that are steamed or toasted as well. I wanted to see what these things were all about. When I'm shopping, I need food. I need energy to keep on going. Hot dogs=energy. Let's get down to business!Here's the inside of the location in Gangnam. Their menus has items such as the BLT hot dog, barbecue hot dog, Viking hot dog, Steff hot dog, or Garlic Onion hot dog:I opted for the Chili dog (chili as in hot sauce, not chili chi...
More About: Experience , Peri , Erie , Berg

It's that time of the month...again
2007-03-26 05:41:00
It's that time of the month again...report card time! Anyways, at the end of every month we have to write progress reports evaluating what my students have been up to for the month. This time instead of filling out forms by hand, they have moved online which is going to be a lot easier. This means new posts will slow down in the next few days as I prepare to do 50+ reports! The internet is my downfall as it's the ultimate procrastinating tool.Here's something to keep you busy in the meantime. It's a waste basket that can be found inside all Family Mart (and many other) convenience stores. What's the purpose? It's a strainer for dumping out the itty bitty leftovers from instant ramyeon (noodle) cups. That food waste will be recycled, as part of Korea's incredible recycling initiative.MMMMmmmm...leftover bits of rehydrated vegetables and MSG-laden noodle bits...
More About: Time , Hat , Again , Month

Jeju Cactus Chocolate
2007-03-25 04:49:00
Jeju is a volcanic island south of Korea known as the "Hawaii of Korea". It has a temperate climate and is most famous for its oranges, which everyone in Korea raves about. We had a chance to visit Jeju-do during the beginning of our time in Korea. You may remember our "wonderful" hotel room in Seogwipo, our trip to Hyeopjae Beach next to Hallim Park, and our visit to Jeju-si, Central Jeju.Anyways, Jeju also makes some famous chocolate, one of them known to many as Jeju cactus chocolate. Cactus in chocolate?? Yeah, you got that right. According to one website, "Jeju cactus chocolate is made with cactus powder through vacuum lyophilization (I didn't know what that meant either) of Jeju cactus. It adds nutritive substance to deep and tender chocolate taste."I've eaten this chocolate a few times now, mostly received as a gift from students and one time a lady from our bank. It's got an interesting flavor that one should give a try. You might not like it, but it's different that's ...
More About: Chocolate , Jeju , Cola , Late

The Mokdong sunset
2007-03-23 16:15:00
My classroom at work is a corner suite with all the amenities: a toilet paper dispenser, white board brush eraser holder, and even enough room for a toilet paper tie (which is now famous--it was recognized as official toilet paper art). The back of my classroom consists of all windows so the transition from day to night can be seen everyday. Some days the sunsets are spectacular. However, they are overlooked when I have the blinds partially drawn sometimes.One day last week during a lesson one of my students had a "TEACHER LOOK!" moment. Everyone turned around and was like "WOOOOWWWW!"...I had no idea what was going on. With the lesson conveniently on hold as everyone rushed to the window, all I hear is "so beautiful" and that's when I clued in they were talking about the sunset. Upon further inspection they were indeed correct. One of the nicest sunsets I've seen in Korea by far. Here a couple pictures to prove that I am not a pathological liar:Luckily I had my camera handy (it'...
More About: Sunset , Dong

The world's largest boy band
2007-03-23 03:48:00
The Backstreet Boys--5 membersNew Kids on the Block--5 membersTake That--5 members'N Sync--5 membersO-Town--5 members98 Degrees--4 membersWestlife--4 membersThe Monkees--4 membersB2K--4 membersSuper Junior--13 members...err...13?!You're probably wondering what's with the list of boy bands. You're also probably excited right now (come on, Take That, Westlife, O-Town--when was the last time you heard those names?) too. Take a look at my compiled list one more time. Do not rub your eyes, do not adjust your LCD monitor, the member numbers are in fact correct. There are in fact 13 members of the Korean K-pop band, Super Junior!According to Wikipedia, Super Junior debuted in late 2005 with 12 members but about seven months later they added another person to the group, making their member count a lucky 13. One of their members is actually Chinese (hand picked from an audition of over 3000 people). Members of Super Junior have had previous roles in the entertainment industry, through v...
More About: Band , World , The World , Largest , Large

The closest thing to sweet and sour pork
2007-03-22 03:09:00
There are days when you just don't feel like cooking. Waking up late, or just being plain lazy is the bane of my existence. Anyways, why create a mess in the kitchen when you can order delivery at work? It's fast, convenient, reasonably priced, and for the most part pretty tasty.I haven't had the chance to eat any sort of Chinese food in a long time. Other than the occasional homemade stir fry, it has been a while since I've experience some Hong Kong style Chinese food or the "Westernized" kind, such as "sweet and sour pork," one of my personal favorites. Hmm...maybe I should get my grandma over here to make me some good ol' home cookin!The Chinese food in Korea resembles some of the fare I experienced in Beijing. I haven't had much experience eating at Chinese restaurants here as it is can be pricey. One day we are going to experience Jackie's Kitchen, the restaurant chain by Jackie Chan. They are littered all over Seoul. The Carrefour food court had a Chinese dish that I en...
More About: Sweet , Pork , Close , Thing

Shopping carts are for kids, not groceries
2007-03-21 03:03:00
When we used to go shopping next door at Carrefour, we would just load up a shopping cart and push it right up to our front door. This was not the best policy as you would find Carrefour shopping carts scattered around Mokdong. There is a 100w (10 cent) deposit for the cart, but come on, 100w for hours of fun is totally worth it.However, with the change to Homever, their shopping cart policy changed. We are no longer allowed to leave the premises with a cart because the parking attendant dude stops us every time. I've managed to outwit him by mumbling random English phrases quickly a few times and running away, and one time I even gave him my watch as a deposit for the shopping cart. Now we just buy groceries in small batches at a time (getting down to the grocery section of Homever involves going underground two levels) to avoid using a cart.Today we will be talking about shopping carts. In Korea, most shopping carts have seats for your little tikes to sit in. But some carts don...
More About: Shopping , Kids , Arts , Shop , Groceries

Cooking hoil for a new toaster oven
2007-03-19 16:42:00
Recently we added a new appliance to our kitchen, a toaster oven from Homever that cost only 14900w ($15USD). Now that we have a toaster oven this opens up many doors that were previously closed. Reheating pizza will be a joy in the oven. We can now bake items, such as chicken fingers, cookies, muffins, even banana bread (you'll have to wait and see if we actually get around to making any of these though).On our search for some cooking foil, I ran into a similar product that I was hesitant to try. Some of you might have heard of this before and some of you might think it's just plain crazy. It's called "Cook ing Hoil" and it's courtesy of our friends at Homever (remember the world's worst goldfish bowl?). Luckily we passed on this unique opportunity and went with the traditional tried, tested, and true product known to many as "cooking foil". Talk about dodging a dodge ball there, huh?Anyways, for those who are interested in my antics in the kitchen, here are my homemade chicken...
More About: Oil , Toast , King

Instant noodles as a REAL snack
2007-03-19 14:30:00
Remember back in the day when eating Mr. Noodles (or any other kind of instant noodles) during recess or lunch was "the thing" to do? Rumors of getting worms by eating raw noodles is what we heard from both friends and family. But the stuff just tasted so darn good, especially the bright yellow, simulated "Chicken" flavor, laden with incredible amounts of salt, MSG, artificial flavors, and colors. What was your favorite flavor? Beef? Oriental? Vegetable? Shrimp?Anyways, in Korea they actually market these instant noodles as a "true" snack, not meant to be cooked in a pot of boiling water. It's found next to bags of chips and not in the ramyeon aisle. I have students eating this stuff like mad, then asking me after if they can drink water. Hmmm, I wonder why they would need water--it's not like this stuff is just full of salt or anything!These instant noodles can be purchased at any convenience store for about 500w or so (50 cents). Look at the cute animated character...how can you...
More About: Real , Snack

Korean musicals: The Last Empress Review
2007-03-19 02:28:00
Musicals are not on my top ten list of things to do. The last musical I saw was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, starring the boyhood idol of millions, Donnie Osmond (who misses his talk show Donnie and Marie?)--I was in the 5th grade at the time. Ever since that life changing experience, I cannot go a day without singing the following excerpt from one of the musical's tracks, Go, Go, Go Joseph:Go, go, go, goGo, go, go, goGo, go, go, goGo, go, go, goGo, go, go, go, go, go, go, goJoseph you know what they sayHang on now Joseph you'll make it some daySha la la Joseph you're doing fineYou and your dreamcoat ahead of your timeGo, go, go, go, go, go, go Joseph you know what they sayHang on now Joseph you'll make it some daySha la la Joseph you're doing fineYou and your dreamcoat ahead of your timeAnyways, to get back on topic, we recently checked out a Korea n musical, The Last Empress, with a couple friends from work. This production started in 1995 as Korea's first or...
More About: Music , Musical , Review , Press

All Korean children are spies
2007-03-17 06:21:00
If you heading over to Korea for a teaching job, you will encounter a variety of pens, pencils and other writing devices in your classroom. Every kid has a zippered pencil case that holds an assortment of pencils and pens. I've encountered huge pencils that are the size of relay baton, pens that have 10 different colors, rainbow colored markers, flexible pens, and even one kid using his finger to write with blood (similar to that Simpsons episode where evil Sideshow Bob was writing his note to Bart in jail).However, out of all the pens I've seen, my personal favorite is the UV light pen. Just what is a UV light pen you ask? You may have seen them in movies or your local spy shop, but these pens have special ink that can only be seen under UV light. What happens when parents supply their children with these things? You have kids writing secret notes and messages in class, most likely about their teacher. It's like having a classroom full of mini spies. How do you combat this? You ...
More About: Children , Korean , Child , Pies