Yeongtong Yummies

The Big Biscuit, Springfield, MO

2019-06-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while. I really should post more often regardless of if anybody reads my blog or not. This is the only bit of creative writing (or creative anything really) I have in my life. Alrighty, let's see if I can remember how to do this.

So I went to Springfield, MO last weekend to see my bro and sis for my brother's birthday (ha ha, you're old!). Before I left on Monday, my brother and I decided to try out a new place in Springfield called The Big Biscuit. This is the first location in Springfield, and it has only been open a few weeks; the other locations are in the Kansas City area.

This location is at 2920 S. Glenstone Avenue in the Brentwood South shopping center (across from the Battlefield Mall near Vintage Stock).

Hello, map, my old friend
I only took a few pictures of food, so I'll just have to describe the location. The Big Biscuit is a breakfast/lunch place that is only open in the morning and early afternoon: 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. It was busy when we got there at lunch time, but we only had to wait about 10 minutes or so. There is an outdoor patio where you can wait and also probably eat if you so desire. There is quite a bit of seating inside, and while you aren't in your neighbor's lap, they are close together. The decor is reminiscent of most American restaurants: local memorabilia, historic pictures of the restaurant/location, random items.

So, food. the menu is pretty robust: omelets, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, burgers, chicken...I decided on a breakfast bowl (scram-bowl) called the "Midwest." It's scrambled eggs with bacon, sausage, cheddar cheese, and country-fried potatoes.

That's a big bowl of food...

It was really good. I also got a side of sausage gravy to go along with it to mix in. When I have scrambled eggs, I like them a little brown, which is how these eggs are done. The bacon was also crispy enough for me. There can always be more cheese, but it was sufficient. :-) The bowl is really quite large. I only ate maybe a third of mine and took the rest to go. The bowls also come with a biscuit.

Now THAT'S a biscuit

The biscuits are HUGE. I'm not quite sure how to describe it other than really good even just by itself. The consistency is just right and it has a good flavor. The sausage gravy goes really well with it, too. The gravy is really good, too: just the right amount of pepper. A side of gravy will run you about $2.49.

Mmmm...gravy...

My brother got the "Ranch Hand" scram-bowl, which is grilled steak, scrambled eggs, jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, and jack & cheddar cheese. He said the steak was really tender and the jalapenos had some kick to them.

Howdy, pardner

So, both of us enjoyed our food quite a bit and want to try other menu items, so we'll definitely be back. The Haymaker looks particularly intriguing (chicken strips on a bed of fries, topped with cheddar cheese and covered with gravy plus it comes with a biscuit) and the pancakes sound good and are massive. The prices are comparable to other restaurants with similar food: it's about an average of $10 for each entree. However, it is a lot of food considering that I got lunch and dinner out of mine. I don't know if my brother ate anything else for the rest of the day, but he was pretty full afterwards, too. You could probably order an entree and a side and split it with someone if you're both wanting the same thing. I think this restaurant will do really well in the area, and they seem to think so, too, since they're opening a second location on Campbell in the Kickapoo Corners shopping center.

So, if you're in the Springfield area and want a filling, yummy breakfast or lunch, check out The Big Biscuit: you won't be disappointed.

Does Having Trolls Mean You've Succeeded?

2015-11-11T17:53:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone!

It's been a while since I've posted a blog post. I really need to get back to it since I've found some new restaurants and places that I should post about. However, this post is not about food. Nope. It's about the *gasp* Starbucks cup crap. So, being the smart ass that I am, I posted the following status update on FB to amuse my friends and myself:

At the time of writing this post, my status update had inexplicably been shared 343 times. Suffice to say that this is the most times any post of mine has ever been shared. I noticed at around 80 shares that I had about 5 friend requests on FB. Of the 5, I accepted 1 since he seemed like a decent fellow. I also received some private messages from people, and I checked some of the shares to see what idiocy people were posting about it. I will share these amusing exchanges or posts below.

The first private message I received was this:

After being called stupid by this complete stranger, I went to the bathroom at work and cried a little. Oh wait, no, I laughed. A lot. Later that night, I replied to this stranger (the profile pic was of a much older lady).

I haven't heard back from Alda, so I can only assume that my new cup design is so good it has rendered her speechless.
The next amusement I noticed was a comment on a share of my post.

The irony is strong with this one.

I don't know if Bertha was talking to the person that shared my post or me, but I'm obviously an above-average-intelligence t-rex.

The next message I received turned quite into the entertainment.

Name not blocked on purpose - feel free to troll the douche nugget.

This one decided that insulting me over nothing was best. He clearly doesn't know me but feels the need to make himself feel like a big, bad man by trying to insult a woman that has an opinion by calling me a "cunt" twice. I decided to not stoop to his level when responding to his messages and took the high road.
A FB friend found this gem, which is now my profile picture.

Not sure who to credit as the original artist of this.

The next thing I spotted was someone shared my post and apparently tried to directly address me:

I...uh...what?! This made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. I just had to message this person and try to figure out what the hell she was talking about.

Oh, yeah, that clears things up...
I tried to get more clarity from this woman...

Sure...sure...
This was just going downhill...I think she meant "weed" country...

So apparently we're friends now?
That's all for now! I'll update with a bit more tomorrow!

Happy China, O'Fallon, MO

2015-06-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

Happy China (http://happychinafood.com/) has become one of my favorite Chinese places to grab a bite to eat. It's located in Dardenne Square near Target. I think I feel the need to draw one of my lovely maps...

Ahhh, how I've missed my maps...
So, Happy China, yeah. Really good Chinese food (even if their Web site looks like it was designed by a 13-year-old kid in the mid-90s). And I'm pretty picky about my Chinese food. One of the best things about Happy China is they deliver, but you need a $15 minimum order. I still feel kind of bad for having the little Chinese lady deliver food to me in the middle of winter, but, hell, I didn't want to go out and I wanted some black pepper chicken. I tipped her well, though. Speaking of the black pepper chicken, it isn't listed on the menu, but you can order it. I don't know why it doesn't appear anymore, but it's pretty much the only dish I order unless I decide to get a lunch special. So, they're open every day also. Monday - Thursday: 10:30 am to 10:00 pm; Friday and Saturday: 10:30 am to 11:00 pm; Sunday: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Black pepper deliciousness

I love the black pepper chicken, and the regular portions of their food is enough for 2 meals. Even the lunch portions are pushing it and could be a light lunch and a light dinner, especially if you get some wontons, crab rangoons, or egg rolls. Oh, the wontons. Mmmmmm. I'm not really a fan of wontons, but I now have to order them every time I get food here. They are just really good. I don't like pork, but I freaking love these wontons with a bit of soy sauce on them.

Fuzzy wontons (will get a better picture next time I order them). The crack that must be in them gives that extra bit of flavor.
So, the prices are pretty reasonable at Happy China, too, considering you can get two meals out of the regular portions or share it with someone. Lunch specials will run about 6 bucks and come with either fried or sticky rice and either an egg roll or a crab rangoon. The regular meals will vary from about $6 - $9.50 depending on what the ingredients are.

Happy China's menu
So if you live in the O'Fallon area, definitely give Happy China a shot: You won't be disappointed.

Tom & Chee - O'Fallon, MO

2015-06-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a while! I really need to get back into my new-food-spot blogging. I'll start getting back into it with Tom & Chee. Tom & Chee a gourmet grilled cheese and tomato soup place! Tom & Chee is located on Hwy K near I-70 in O'Fallon, MO.

When I was in Korea, a grilled cheese and tomato soup was the ultimate comfort food for me. And tomato soup was REALLY hard to find, so it had to only be when I was really missing home. Now I can get a gourmet grilled cheese whenever I want for just a short drive. I know I could make my own, but these are REALLY good.

If you watch Shark Tank, you may have seen the owners on the show. I do not watch the show, so that's about all I can tell you about that. What I can tell you, though, is the grilled cheese sandwiches are very good. The prices aren't too bad either. You can get a half sandwich for about $2.50, a regular for about $5, or a double for about $8. Of course this will vary depending on the ingredients. The soup will range from $1 for a dipping cup to about $4.50 for a bowl. They also offer salads and a kids menu.

Grilled mac & cheese with a dipping cup of creamy tomato basil

This is the only picture I have at the moment. I'll eat here again soon, and get more pictures. The sandwich was very good. Grilled just perfectly and not messy at all.

Something that sets Tom & Chee apart from other grilled cheese places are the fancy grilled cheese donut sandwiches. I have yet to try one of these, but I think The King is calling my name. These are glazed donuts cut in half and filled with a variety of ingredients then grilled like a grilled cheese sandwich. They were even featured on Man vs. Food for this little delight. These will run you about $6.

Something else that I really like about Tom & Chee is that I can place my order online and go pick it up. This is really handy for lunch during work. You can also customize or build your own grilled cheese sandwich.

So, if you're in the O'Fallon area and want some comfort food, I highly recommend stopping in and checking it out. let me know how the grilled cheese donuts are. ;)

Updated June 28th, 2015
I have some new photos for Tom & Chee :)

The swiss & shroom grilled cheese sandwich on hardy white with a bowl of chunky tomato basil soup
>

The bananarama grilled cheese donut!

I was a little unsure of the grilled cheese donut since I'm not a big fan of glazed donuts to begin with. I was worried the glaze would be too sweet. The donut is cut in half and the cut side is grilled with the toppings being place on the glazed side. The Bananarama consists of caramelized bananas, Gouda cheese, and the donut. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was! It wasn't too sweet, and the Gouda cheese ...I can't describe how it was mixed with the banana, but it was really good.

Bessie: Goodbye Sweet Kitty

2014-09-03T11:12:00.001-07:00

So, as probably all of you know, I have an awesome cat named Bessie.

She likes to sleep a lot.

She's an amazing cat with a lot of personality. She's been my constant companion for the better part of 14 years. When I didn't feel well, she was there to curl up next to me until I felt better. When my mom passed away, she let me cuddle with her and cry on her little fuzzy head. Bessie has never been much of a cuddler unless she knew I needed her.

Sometimes she would be creepy...

And sometimes she would be sweet...

But she's always been the best kitten I could ever ask for.

And now, unfortunately, the time has come for me to say goodbye to my little fuzzybutt.

I noticed in late July that Bessie was having trouble chewing on the left side of her mouth. I figured she had hurt a tooth, and I made a vet appointment. She had lost a couple of pounds: down to 8.6 from her usual 10 - 11 pounds. A week later, Bessie was having a cracked tooth extracted and that went very well. Unfortunately, the vet noticed a growth in the back of her mouth that I gave them permission to biopsy and send off for testing. The vet called me on August 18th and told me that it was squamous cell carcinoma, and very aggressive. It's also the most common oral tumor in cats. It can't be removed surgically and chemo or radiation treatment is a crap shoot. The cancer itself isn't what ends up killing the critters but the inability to eat and/or breath after the tumor reaches a certain size.

Bessie had been eating and drinking ok up until the weekend of the 15th of August. I took her back to the vet and they gave her a shot of an anti-inflammatory, some pain meds, and re-hydrated her. I was giving her liquid food and she was eating/drinking it. After that, she was eating more and more energetic. She was even so desperate for some treats that she tried her best to get the door open to the cabinet where I keep them.

By this time I had made an appointment with the Mizzou Animal Cancer Care Center in Wentzville to take her in for an evaluation. By time the appointment came on the following Friday, she wasn't eating again, and was barely drinking. At the evaluation, the oncologist did a CT scan to get an idea of the size and location of the tumor so we can could determine if there were any treatment options. The tumor was very large and close to her larynx and tongue, and was almost closing off her airway. They couldn't even get the tube down her throat to intubate her for the scan and had to use only a mask. The oncologist said he couldn't in good faith recommend radiation with the tumor being so close to her larynx and tongue since they would be damaged in the process. The only really chance we had of it working was if we could shrink the tumor with steroids and anti-inflammatory meds. So, over Labor Day weekend, I fought with a surprisingly energetic cat to get meds in her mouth and had Julia help me give her the steroid shots. They didn't seem to be working as she still wasn't eating. She definitely wanted to eat and tried valiantly to have an itty bitty piece of grilled burger and chicken, but just couldn't.

I called the oncologist on Tuesday morning to give an update on Bessie. She wasn't doing well. I decided that I didn't want her to suffer anymore. I couldn't be selfish and put her through chemo treatments that had a very, very slim chance of working, especially since she was already weakened from not being able to eat much. Later that day, I called At Peace In-Home Pet Euthanasia and scheduled an appointment for Tuesday, Sept. 9th at 4:15 to have Bessie put to sleep.

I have a few more days with Her Royal Fuzziness until I have to say goodbye. Until then she's going to be the most hugged and cuddled kitty in the world. To some, she may just be a cat, but to me, she's been the best friend and companion I could've ever asked for.

2013: A Year of Change

2014-01-11T07:02:00.002-08:00

Wow. 2013 was a pretty big year for me.

While talking to a friend last week, I said something that pretty much sums up the entire year:
"Sometimes what you're not expecting is what you need."

This last year involved a lot of change and lot of new things for me.

Moved back to the U.S. to a new area
Started a job as a contract employee
Became a full-time employee of company I was contracted to
Started taking over the supervisor position of my team
Started a new relationship

The first and biggest change was deciding to leave South Korea and accept a contract position in O'Fallon, MO. I jumped on this opportunity for several reasons:

It was in Missouri, so I'd be closer to family and friends.
It was in a completely different industry, so it'd be a chance to learn new things and get out of my comfort zone.
The people I'd be working with seemed nice.

I knew I had to just put on my my big-girl panties and make the decision to leave Korea after 5 years and come home. I do sometimes miss South Korea and Samsung along with all of the people I grew to care about there, but life moves on and I will see them again.

Finding a place to live and getting settled in a new area was a challenge, but I did it and I like where I've ended up. It's a nice area and it's very close to work. I'm close to several major highways and can be in downtown St. Louis in about 30 minutes.

The next biggest change was the job. The new company was in a completely different industry, and that required a lot of learning for me to catch up and learn about the products I'd be writing about. The good thing is that I was working with a lot of really nice people that were more than willing to help and provide information. I'm always up for learning new things and trying to increase my skill set, so I was up for the challenge.

Around the middle of September, I was actually offered a full-time position in Jefferson City doing what I was more comfortable with as far as documentation, but I didn't know if I wanted to move to Jeff. City and I really didn't want to leave the company that I was already working for. Luckily, the company I was already contracting for made me a counter-offer that I accepted, so I was able to stay put and become a full-time employee. Shortly after that, my manager left for a new position, so I, on a whim, applied for his position and was offered it on a trial-run basis since I had been managing the team already in his absence.

The next big change, and probably most unexpected, was starting to date someone. This was an unexpected and pleasant change. The most unexpected part is that she's someone that I had never anticipated seeing myself with. We have a few things in common but are pretty opposite on just about everything. We somehow just seem to "click" though and I can be more myself with her than with any relationship in the past. It's a surprising yet happy realization.

So, 2014. Here we go. A new year and lots of newish journeys to embark on. Lots of people make New Year's Resolutions every year that fall by the wayside around the end of February after the novelty has worn off. We set these grand goals for the year and then give up because they take too much effort. I think starting off small is the way to go about this - add new goals every month so you're not trying to change so much all at once and too quickly. So what are my goals for 2014?

Be healthier
Foster a positive and healthy relationship with my partner
Grow in my new position at work and do the best I can
Start saving to buy a house eventually
Just be a good person

Most of those are pretty broad and general, but that's really all that I can think of to accomplish this year at the moment. I'm sure that as the year progresses I will find more things that I want to accomplish. But until then, these few items will do.

Best of luck to everyone in the new year and I hope that 2014 brings you happiness!

Sushi Ai, O'Fallon, MO

2013-07-10T13:43:00.001-07:00

Post number 100!! Woohoo!!

Alrighty, enough of that.

Next up is Sushi Ai. Sushi Ai has several locations in the area, but the only one I've been to is the one on Hwy K in O'Fallon, MO (so I can't attest to the quality of the others). More specifically, it's located next to Dierbergs at 2981 Hwy K, O'Fallon, MO 63368. Their website offers the menu, ordering online for pick-up or a quick dine-in, and the ability to make reservations.

In addition to a full menu of Japanese food, they offer an all-you-eat sushi special for lunch and dinner. The all-you-can-eat lunch special is just $12.99 while the dinner version is $17.99. Also, it's available 7 days a week. Now, you may be thinking that your selections are fairly limited and it's not very good, but that isn't the case here. You're given a pretty robust sheet to fill out with how many of an item you want. The options include some appetizer items, like miso soup and vegetable tempura, a selection of 7 or 8 sushi items, and a wide variety of rolls to choose from (I'm partial to the California roll and avocado roll).

The all-you-can-eat menu
Here are some shots of some of the food that either I or my dining mates have ordered.

Greg's selection. I don't remember what he ordered, but that's a Missouri roll on the end closest to the camera.

Matt's selection. I don't remember what he ordered, either.

My noms: a cucumber roll, California roll, avocado roll, and avocado sushi.
After we received our order, we put in another for our second round. It took forever and a day to get our second order, so if you're going during the week on lunch break from work, put in everything on your first order. Now, I'll warn you that on the menu they say that if you don't eat all of what you order, they will charge you extra for what you didn't eat. I'm not sure of the truthfulness of this, but we finished all of our orders so it wasn't an issue. Now, I don't eat a lot of rolls or sushi since I don't eat fish, but what I ordered was really good. So good in fact that I made my brother, Wes, and Doug go back with me on the following Saturday so I could gorge myself on sushi-goodness again. The guys ordered off of the menu and I ordered a buttload of sushi.

Why yes, that is seven rolls of deliciousness. And I ate them ALL, bwahaha!

Doug ordered the chicken yaki soba, I think.

Wes ordered the teriyaki chicken.

My brother watching the teriyaki chicken sizzle.
My brother had ordered the Missouri roll and gyoza (dumplings), but I didn't take a picture of them. I think I was too busy eyeing my plate of rolls. Anyway, everyone said their food was really good so I didn't feel as bad for railroading them into going here with me so I could fulfill my avocado roll fantasies. As for my grub, the avocado has always tasted really fresh and creamy, the seaweed doesn't taste fishy, and the rice is, well, sticky :)

The servers here are friendly enough, but I'd watch the floor. The floor is very slippery for some reason. It feels like they've polished it too much or maybe they have too much soap in their mop buckets and it dries with a soapy film. It may also be from humidity, I don't know, but just watch your step when you're walking.

So, if you're looking for some good Japanese food at a reasonable price, definitely check out Sushi Ai. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the selection, quality, and price.

Bonus pic from today's lunch (7/16/2013):

Avocado sushi, avocado rolls, California rolls, and a honey roll.

Apartment Hunting in O'Fallon, MO

2013-07-03T11:47:00.002-07:00

So, upon coming back to the U.S. in January, I needed a place to live. I had the apartment in Springfield with a roommate still, but driving 3.5 hours to work from there everyday just wasn't feasible. I needed a place in or near O'Fallon, MO. In the interim, I was staying in a hotel. And oh what a joy that was.

Since my new job was in O'Fallon, I wanted to live reasonably close to the workplace (within a 20 - 30 min drive maximum). Unfortunately, a lot of the apartments in the area are crazy expensive and nickel and dime you to death for everything.

"You want to flush your toilet? That'll be 50 cents per flush."

So I made a list in my mind of requirements for the apartment:

Pet friendly
Two bedrooms
First floor
Under $800/mth preferably
Clean, quiet neighborhood

I found that this list was workable, but the price point was going to be higher. Every complex that I looked at in the O'Fallon area between Hwy 64 and Hwy 70 was nice and in a good neighborhood, but finding a two bedroom under $800/mth was impossible with my salary. I did find several complexes that were based on income that had 2 bedrooms available for around $600 or $700, but my salary was too high for those. Most of the 2 bedroom/1 bath places I found ranged from $850 - $1000 as the base cost. You may be asking why I would want a 2 bedroom apt since I'm single and just live with my cat. That is reasonable. I wanted a place with 2 bedrooms so I could have some storage space and have an extra bedroom if anybody wanted to come visit. I looked online for places in St. Peters and St. Charles, but the prices were about the same if you figure in how much I'd spend in gas each day going to and from work, so I stuck to O'Fallon.

It also seems that the few companies that own the apartment complexes are about even on the prices for extra amenities and deposits. An odd thing that I found was that some complexes would quote you a price for rent, but that rent amount would only be locked in for a few days: they adjusted rent based on supply and demand. I don't know if other places do this, but it's the first time I had ever heard of apartment complexes doing that and was very surprised. Every complex that I looked at also had a crazy-high, non-refundable pet deposit ($250 - $400) in addition to the regular deposit. They also have application fees when you apply to live there and will run background checks at most of the places. Due to this (yet another) extra fee, I only applied to one place. If I was rejected, I would've applied to another, of course.

As far as the nickel-and-diming you to death that I mentioned earlier, tons of things cost extra. Want a car port to park under? That'll cost extra each month. Have a pet? That'll raise your rent a bit each month. Want a garage to park in? That'll be more. Want a storage place? Well, that's not free. Need a washer and dryer but don't want to buy a set? We have some available, but that'll cost ya. By time it's all said and done, you could potentially raise your rent by $200/month if you have a pet, want to rent a washer and dryer, and want a covered place of some sort to park your car. Not to mention that this doesn't include any utilities or cable/internet.

So, did I finally settle on a place, or did I decide that Bessie and I should just live out of a tent along the river? Well, I'm horrible at fishing and don't eat fish, so we finally found an apartment. It met most of my criteria: it's pet friendly, has 2 bedrooms, and is in a good neighborhood. Unfortunately, I'm on the third floor (ooohh, my poor bad knee) and not exactly close to any of the parking areas, and it's definitely not under $800/month. But, I suppose the good outweighs the bad: friendly staff, nice clubhouse (gym, pool table, business center, and a movie theater room), swimming pool, tennis court, sand volleyball court, a trash compactor instead of open dumpsters, gated community (granted, the gates aren't working), package holding at the office, large bathroom, spacious other rooms, easy access to the highways and to work, and it's in a nice subdivision (Winghaven).

The bad would be that ants are horrible (but I've heard they're bad everywhere this year for some reason), stairs kill my knees, a parking spot is difficult to find near my apartment, sidewalks by my apartment flood when it rains, I can hear everything going on outside as if I'm on the first floor with my windows open, and the trash compactor is on the back side of the complex, so I have to chauffeur my trash there. I suppose the "bad" things would be a problem at most places in general, so eh.

Overall, the apartment hunting experience in this area was eye-opening and very different from apartment hunting in Springfield, MO. The extra fees and much higher rent were probably my first major shocks. If you're looking in the area for an apartment (or anywhere), here are my recommendations:

research online first to try to weed out some places.
Check www.apartmentfinder.com, www.apartments.com, or Google apartments in X city to get a starting list of potential places.
Have a list of must-haves to narrow down the search.
Read reviews.
The apartment websites and Google will both have review sections from people that have lived there. It's been my experience that the majority of the reviews are negative reviews, so check those out for any potential red flags. It just seems that most people that are happy with their apartment complex don't take the time to post a review.
Scope out the neighborhood.
Do a drive around the area to check it out, look at crime maps available online, and check the school ratings (if that's important for you.
Finally, go look at the apartment and talk to the staff of the complex.

Farmhouse Sandwiches, O'Fallon, MO

2013-06-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, one of the first places I want to blog about is Farmhouse Sandwiches. Farmhouse Sandwiches is located in a shopping center on Technology Drive just off of Hwy K (1120 Technology Drive, Suite 113A, O'Fallon, Missouri 63368 is the address).

I've tried a couple of different sandwiches here and thought they were both really good. They use Boar's Head meats and fresh bread. They also sell soups, salads, and freshly made cupcakes. They aren't exactly cheap, but all of the food is of excellent quality. A full sandwich w/ a bag of chips or fruit will run you about $8.50 depending on the meat you choose. You can also do a combo thing with a half sandwich and a cupcake for about the same price. They even have vegetarian options and a few kids' items, too. You can also purchase the variety of meats by the pound to take home with you, and they're cheaper than the local grocery stores on that.

According to their website, they're open from 10am - 7pm during the week, 10am - 4pm on Saturday, and closed on Sunday. However, the last time I went there (in May, I think), their hours were 7am - 1pm during the week for breakfast and lunch. I'll have to go back by sometime soon and check on that.

The employees were always friendly when I would go in and make a point to try to get to know what you like on your sandwich and remember you for next time. The service is also always quick. While it's more expensive that Subway, Quizno's, or other sub shops, I think the quality of the food more than makes up for it.

A Farmer Joe's Italian sandwich (half of it). It also comes with their homemade banana pepper mustard, which is tangy, a bit spicy, and a bit sweet. It's a bit strong and can be overpowering, so I ask for it on the side so I can apply just a bit.

Pastrami on marble rye bread. I think this is the only place around here where I can get a pastrami sandwich.

Turkey on wheat. Delicious.
I'm fairly picky about the meat I eat on sandwiches and otherwise, but all of these were absolutely delicious. It might be a bit pricier than your average sandwich shop, but it's totally worth it for good quality!

Future of Yeongtong Yummies

2013-06-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

So, I’ve been taking a bit of a hiatus from blogging for the past few months while I was getting settled into the new job, city, and apartment. I also didn’t know what I wanted to do with the blog since I had left Korea. I still have some things rolling around in my head about Korea as far as information for expats and places that I visited that I hadn’t got around to blogging about before I left.

I think I’ve decided that I will keep the blog going: it will just have a different focus now. I’m back in the U.S. now living in a city that I had never been to before, so there are plenty of new places to explore and visit. I also had to go through the process of re-furnishing a new apartment, searching for that apartment in O’Fallon, and learning a new area.

I will also keep the blog name Yeongtong Yummies since I like it and it’s become part of me in a way after a few years.

So! Expect some new blog posts very soon!

Goodbye, Korea.

2013-02-18T10:29:00.002-08:00

Oh, Korea.

I think that is one of the phrases I uttered most during my 5 years living there.

Wow. Five years. I can’t believe that I lived in Korea for five years.

I finished graduate school and zipped to the other side of the world to teach English while still looking for a job in my chosen profession (technical writing). I taught some brilliant and amazing kids at Avalon. I met and worked with some amazing people: Korean and foreigners. I miss every single one of them. I also loved Korea – I loved the people, I loved the culture, I loved the history. I embraced everything about it. I also spent a lot of time with Koreans, so that helped.

I loved the pride that the Korean people have in their culture and history. I loved seeing the old buildings mixed in with the new, modern architecture. I loved how they preserved their architecture and other cultural artifacts. I was just as sad as everyone else while watching Namdaemun burn down during Lunar New Year in 2008. Koreans are intensely proud of their country and their heritage. I believe this is because over the course of their history, other people kept trying to take it away from them.

However, it is that intense pride and homogeneousness of the culture that began to irritate me the last few years. Many Koreans very much have the mindset to follow whatever the masses are doing or whatever is "Korean" and refuse to think for themselves or outside of the box. I have a friend whose parents would complain to her that she needed to "act more Korean." Another friend would get upset with me if I ever said anything remotely negative or critical about Korea even if Korean media had said the exact same thing I expressed just because I was a foreigner. Another friend still believes that "fan-death" is a thing because it's been so ingrained in the culture even if it's wrong. Yet another friend had been told that the grandchildren of mixed couples (Korean and non-Korean) would be mentally handicapped.

I know foreigners that have been spat at, yelled at, cursed at, or just given the stink eye by older Koreans because they are out with a Korean of the opposite sex (friends or dating). I have friends that have refused to teach lessons in Korean schools because they blatantly promote racism or racial stereotypes. I have a friend that was told by a 5-year-old student that she (my friend) "lived on the street because foreigners couldn't have apartments, couldn't cook or anything because foreigners are stupid and can't do anything" (paraphrasing from a rusty memory). I have been shoved out of the way while standing in line for something, I have been cut in front of in line, and I've had rude little Korean children just shove past me simply because I'm a foreigner and, therefore, non-existent. Even though Korea may tout itself as a modern, hip, and progressive country, in many ways it is just like America in the 1950s and still has a long way to go before it actually has the face that it shows to the world.

When little things began to irritate the crap out of me (see earlier blog postings), I knew it was time to leave and go back to the US - plus I missed my family and friends. Despite all of the things that bugged me, I will still miss all of my friends (Korean and foreign), Korean BBQ, Suwon, and many other things about the country.

So I leave a little over five years later more jaded and cynical, but I do still love Korea: Suwon was my home for so long, how can I not love it?

And I still can’t believe I'm gone.

Treasure Island Hotel & Casino; Canter's Delicatessen - Las Vegas, Nevada

2013-02-13T10:29:00.002-08:00

So, when I go to Las Vegas, I like to stay at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino. It's not very expensive and I like the location - towards one end of The Strip. You can get some great deals on Expedia including this hotel, or you can sign up on their website for some great specials.

Probably the biggest reason that I stay here is the beds. Oh my god. Best sleep ever. The beds are apparently so popular here that they even mention them on their web site. The casino itself has a nice variety of games and is a good place to pass time. I'm partial to PengWins since I won on that game quite a bit. I liked the cows.

The resident shows at Treasure Island are Mystere by Cirque du Soleil and Sirens of TI. Mystere is absolutely amazing and a definite must see if you're in Vegas. I've never seen the Sirens of TI show, but it seems to get good reviews.

There are also a nice variety of restaurants inside Treasure Island, too. I'm a big fan of The Coffee Shop. The name can be misleading - it's a full restaurant open 24 hours. I think I've eaten the majority of my meals in Vegas here. The servings are huge, so bring your appetite. The morning of the day that I was going to pick up Dougie at the airport, I decided to get a light breakfast of oatmeal and toast.

Ha! "Light". Foolish mortal.
Yeah. I don't think "small portions" is in their vocabulary. The bowl of oatmeal was huge. I chose bananas as my topping, so it came with a whole banana sliced up in a bowl along with some brown sugar and milk. The wheat toast was two slices of buttered toast. I don't know what it is, but buttered toast at a diner always taste better than at home...

There is also a deli called Canter's Delicatessen. I ate here twice and wasn't disappointed at all. The prices are a bit steep, but everything in Vegas is.

This is half of my pastrami sandwich

My takeout for dinner one night: patty melt
The Buffet is the buffet inside TI. The name isn't very creative, but eh. I ate here twice since I received some coupons for free buffets when I checked in. There's a decent variety of food for lunch and dinner - I don't feel I ate enough really to make it worth paying for a buffet, so I'm glad they were free. The food was good, though, but I recommend sitting at a table instead of a booth. The tables in the booths are really high and really close to the seats - I asked to move to a standalone table so my food wouldn't be at armpit level while I was trying to eat.

Also inside TI are The Seafood Shack, Senor Frog's and Gilley's. I haven't been to any of these, but they seemed to always be packed when I would wander by them.

This is one of my favorite places to stay and I definitely recommend checking it out at least for the food in the restaurants.

Goodbye, Samsung.

2013-02-13T09:57:00.001-08:00

So, my last day working for Samsung was Friday, January 4th. To my credit, I did not cry when people left work on Friday and I saw them for the last time: it helped that I was busy working on something, too. I had lunch with my teammates on the Thursday before for the last time. After lunch, we went to a photo studio to have a group picture taken as a gift from my team to me. The posing that we had to do and rearranging of people had me laughing non-stop.

They aren’t all that white – they were photoshopped to match my pasty skin tone. I wanted to wear bunny ears, but the guy said that were for babies :( I have a small head…they would’ve fit.

I absolutely adore all of my teammates and the ones that we left behind when our team split the week before, especially Yoon. Yoon was my one teammate that had been with me my entire four years at Samsung. I think it’s good timing that I left Samsung when everything was rearranged.

There are good and bad things about every company. Most of the problems that I personally had with Samsung involved being a Westerner working for a very large, very Korean company at their HQ in Korea. Communication, culture, procedures…I never felt like I truly knew what was happening around me. While that allowed me to avoid nearly all of the politics that were going on around me, I only knew what people felt I needed to know, which wasn’t much.

My colleagues, foreign and Korean, were accepting, though, and made efforts to get to know me. But, I know that I was thought of as the “weird American” on my team…maybe in the whole division even – who knows.

Everything must come to an end, though, and it was just time for me to leave Samsung (and Korea). I think I had learned all that I could there and I felt stagnant in my job. I wasn’t growing anymore, I didn’t feel like I was contributing much anymore, and I was getting bored frankly. Now, most of that more than likely has to do with an uninvolved manager. I leave Samsung happy with my team, happy with myself, and happy with the contributions I was able to make. I would like to think that during my time with the Printing Division/IT Solutions that I helped improve the English quality and overall usability of the projects that I worked on. I wish nothing but the best for the future for my former teammates and other colleagues. I will always cherish the time that I spent with them.

Korean National Pension Info

2013-02-06T08:59:00.001-08:00

So, as some of you know, I have left Korea permanently (blog post on that coming soon). One of the many things that you need to do is apply for your pension...if you've been paying in to it. Some nationalities don't pay into the pension because of agreements between countries - you'll have to check the NPS website to see if your country has an agreement with Korea (the US does). Also note that some hakwons will screw the teachers over and not sign them up for the National Pension. I won't give a lot of information about the pension itself and such because you can find that information on the NPS website, but I will say that most nationalities can apply for a lump-sum refund, which means that you will receive all of your pension funds in one big deposit.

The process to apply for your pension is actually pretty easy if you do it before you leave the country. The earliest that you can apply for your pension is one month before your leave date. You will just simply go to the pension office that is most convenient for you - they have a list of locations on their website. You'll need to take these items with you:

Passport
Alien card
Proof that you're leaving (like a one-way ticket or release letter from your employer)
Bank information
Application (or you can fill it out there - it doesn't take very long)

You can get more information and the form here (link to the form is at the very bottom). Looking at that form there, though, I don't see bank info provided. If you want the money transferred to your bank in the US, you'll need the same information that you need for a transfer: the ABA number, routing number, account number, and the bank's information (address, name, etc.). If you want it deposited to your Korean bank account, you'll need your Korean bank book and be able to assure them you'll be able to access it (I have internet banking, so I did this) or have someone in Korea that will access it for you. It will take about a month for all of the processing to occur and for you to receive your pension.

Now, the office in Suwon has moved. Any address you find online will probably be wrong. The NPS office used to be in Ingyedong across from the New Core Outlet, now it's in Ingyedong across the street from the Gyeonngi Arts Center. Here's a link to a map for the Arts Center. Where it says "kyeongin ilbo" on the map is right next to the NPS building: there's a big NPS logo at the top of the building.

Here's one of my lovely maps to give you an idea of where it is located:

Gimme mah money!!
I believe the 13-1 bus (from Yeongtong) stops at the Arts Center - I know it stops at the Yeongtong-Gu Office, which is a block or two closer to Samsung. I think the offices are on the 3rd or 5th floor - I can't remember, but the guy at the desk will tell you when you walk in.

So, if you decide to leave Korea, best of luck with the pension paperwork!

Here, Have a Blanket

2013-01-02T05:47:00.003-08:00

Expect buildings in Korea to get colder for the rest of the winter.

From what I understand, Korea is shutting down a nuclear power plant or has shut one down. I'm not exactly sure - the details in English from a colleague were a bit fuzzy. However, I found an article from November that may shed some light on the situation.

As is such, the government is encouraging businesses to lower the thermostats to lessen the demand for energy. Samsung is going to do its part by lowering the heat in buildings in the complex. If you're friends with me on Facebook, you've already heard me whine about how cold the building my team got moved to already is - we'll popsicles if it gets any colder at work.

But, never fear, Samsung is thinking of its employees and has provided us all with blankets.

In its very own monogrammed bag

Plain blue blanket, but it is soft
So, for all of my friends in Korea who don't have employers that care enough to give them blankets to keep warm, I am sorry: I guess you all will be freezing your asses off while wearing your winter coats inside until the power issues get sorted out.

Reading the Subway Display or How to Not Get on the Wrong Train

2012-12-30T22:11:00.002-08:00

So, I've been surprised to learn recently from some people I know here in Korea that they didn't know you can tell which train is coming at the subway stop by looking at the display screen.

First off, here's a link to an interactive subway map. And here's a link to a blog I posted previously with general subway information.

If you can't read Korean, I would definitely recommend learning enough to be able to read, or at least recognize, stop names on subway displays. "Why?" you may be asking. Well, here's why: some subway lines split and sometimes trains won't be going to the end of the subway line. Here's the best example of this: Line 1, the dark blue line.

Just waiting to take you to the wrong place
Let's say in this example that you are in Yongsan shopping for some cheap electronics (green circle) and now you want to go meet your military friend in Osan (red circle) to get some foreign goods from the Air Force base there. However, if you're not paying attention, you could end up in any number of places that aren't Osan. The 3 places that I've circled in yellow are where Line 1 splits. You need to be able to recognize a destination on the display that will get you on the right train going to your destination.

So, here is the display that you will see in the subway stations that have trains stopping that may be going to a variety of final stops.

You are so screwed if you can't read me, bwahaha!
The orange column (number 1) tells you the last stop of the train; the green column (number 2) tells you the current location of that train; the red column (number 3) just tells you the train's motion status. This is the display in Jeongja Station on the Bundang line. As you know, I live in Yeongtong: specifically, at the Cheongmyung Station stop. If I'm coming home from Seoul, I need to make sure I get on the right train to get home so I'm not waiting in the cold for 15 minutes for the right train after I have to get off at the last stop, which happened earlier this weekend when I wasn't paying attention. For reference, here's the part of the Bundang line being referred to in this sign.

Yay! The subway is open!
So, the top row is the train that is going to be at the station next. The last stop for it is Jukjeon (죽전 - you can ignore the "행": it just means "line"), and it is currently approaching (접근) Seohyeon (서현). Since the last stop for this train is Jukjeon and I want to go to Cheongmyung, I don't want to take this train. The second train (row 2) is going to Mangpo (망포), and it is currently at (도착)- or arriving at - Taepyeong (태평). Since Mangpo is past where I want to go, this is the train I'll wait for and take. The third train is also stopping its run at Jukjeon (죽전), and it is currently departing from (출발) Suseo (수서).

So, that's how you read the display and can tell if you're getting on the right train. If nothing else, being able to read the stop names in the subway should be good motivation to at least learn to read Hangul.

Happy subway riding and Happy New Year!!

Worst Taxi Ride Ever

2012-12-18T21:18:00.003-08:00

So, since I'm avoiding going back home and cleaning my apartment so I can start packing soon, I'll tell you a little story. Gather round, boys and girls, for the tale of The Shittiest Taxi Driver in Korea.

'Twas a cold and icy Saturday afternoon in the little hamlet of Suwon City in South Korea. Two young *cough* ladies, we'll call them Arizona and Missouri, had a craving for some Indian food, so they decided to meet at Ayesha by the train station for lunch. After some good food and general hanging out, they decided to leave and go back to their own neighborhood across town.

They left the restaurant and went in search of a taxi to dash them away back home. Now, they could've crossed the street, but Missouri was wearing YakTrax on her shoes so she wouldn't bust her ass on the snow/ice and wasn't up to climbing the stairs and crossing the road to catch a taxi that would've been more convenient. So, she made things more difficult and took her friend around the corner to catch a taxi without having to climb stairs.

They catch a taxi with minimal effort and no ass-busting on the ice, amazingly, since both of them are like a newborn Bambi on ice: one is from the desert and the other can barely walk on dry ground let alone ice. So, they get in the taxi and Arizona tells the driver, "Kyunghee-De kajuseyo." The driver says, "Gyonggi-de?" Arizona replies, "Aneeyo, Kyunghee-de." The driver shakes his head and says, "Gyonggi-de," and starts driving. Arizona and Missouri then both yell to the driver, "No! No 'Gyonggi-de', 'Kyunghee-de'!" The drive seems to understand and nods. Ok, good. Then the driver turns where he probably shouldn't turn. Arizona starts to get a bit worried, but Missouri used to live near the direction they are heading and tells Arizona that sometimes the taxi drivers will turn there and go around the major intersection to avoid traffic jams. But then, where the driver should turn right to head back to the main road, he keeps going straight. Arizona then pulls out her phone and has the driver pull over so she can show him the name of the place in Korean. This takes 4 attempts since he keeps touching the damn screen and flipping the page instead of just reading it. They even tell him "Yeongtong Gu" several times so he'll know for sure which area of Suwon to go to.

Finally! It seems they might finally have gotten through to the old man (and he was old). They continue on their merry way, but where the driver should have turned to go around the fortress to head to the right part of town, he turns the other way. Arizona and Missouri begin to get very angry when they arrive at the entrance to Gyonggi-de. Arizona then yells very angrily at the driver, "NO! NOT GYONGGI_DE!!! KYUNGHEE DE!! KYUNGHEE DE!! YEONGTONG!!" The driver turns around and starts to head in what seems to be the right direction. Now, if you're familiar with Korean body language and could see the driver, which Missouri could, you would see the driver doing the little head tilt/shake and muttering to himself that means he thinks the passengers don't know where they want to go and are stupid foreigners. Meanwhile, the passengers just want to strangle him.

Finally, the angry taxi ride ends at Arizona's apartment by Kyunghee-de - the driver took the ladies directly to the right place once he got his head out of his ass - and Missouri and Arizona have a much needed drink.

THE END

Moral of the story: Some people are just fucking assholes and think foreigners in Korea are stupid and don't know anything - even where the hell they want to go in a taxi when they show the address IN KOREAN. Asshole.

Mother's Grill - Chinatown, Las Vegas

2012-12-18T20:30:00.001-08:00

Yes, Las Vegas has a Chinatown. And they have a website. So, if you know me, you know that I absofuckinglutely looooove Chinese food. Especially Springfield-style cashew chicken. Yeah, that's right, we created that deliciousness in SW Missouri. But, I digress. So, when I'm in the US, I have to try to have American Chinese food at least once. So, while taking a taxi back to my hotel one afternoon, I asked my taxi driver, who was Asian incidentally, "So, can you recommend any good Chinese restaurants around here?" And because I didn't want to seem racist, I hastily added, "Or Mexican restaurants?" The nice fella informed me that there was a Chinatown located maybe a mile behind my hotel, recommended a restaurant to check out there, and told me they had a website I could look up to get directions and such.

So, I browsed around the web site and decided that I would take Doug there after he arrived one night for dinner. Who would've thought we'd have a Chinatown nearby? Now, our getting there was an adventure, which I will tell you about now. Apparently I'm shit at telling directions outside of Missouri. I think Korea has broken my internal compass. So, my directions from the hotel to Chinatown said to turn 'x' direction on Spring Mountain Rd...Spring Mountain Rd curves around my hotel, so I had no clue which direction was which, so I panicked and turned the wrong way. Of course. So, we drove the wrong way for a bit looking for a place to turn around and head back the other way with the idea to take a cross road back over to Spring Mountain Rd. Nope. We end up on a highway type road. Shit. I pull us off on a road name that I recognize and kind of head towards what I hope will be a road that can take us back to where we want to be. If not, we'd just stop somewhere random and eat since we had tickets to see Penn & Teller later that evening. Finally, I say to Doug, "Ok, the next light we'll turn left and see where it takes us." We turn left, and I see Hangul (Korean) on a building, then Chinese characters. Doug and I look at each other in startled disbelief - I had somehow bungled us directly into Chinatown! Moral of the story - buy a damn compass.

This is the only non-blurry pic...
We look around at our options, and I inform Doug that we're having Korean BBQ. Since he won't visit me in Korea, I'll bring a bit of Korea to him.

Yes, he is using a fork. The boy can't use chopsticks to save his life.
We ended up going to a place called Mother's Grill. It wasn't bad and it was reasonably priced, I think.

A few of the meat options
There were a few issues I had while trying to order our food. We waited for several minutes for the guy to bring the meat out for us to cook, but apparently since we only ordered 1 order of meat, they were going to cook it in the back and bring it out. A minute later, he comes out with the raw meat and tells me that they hadn't started it yet and turns on our grill so we can cook it ourselves - very nice of him :)

The meaty meat
So, then, since I'm apparently the demanding kind, I asked him if we can have some sesame leaves for the meat. He said that for the type of meat we ordered, the salad was the base for it. I wasn't happy with that since a lot of the leaves in the "salad" were bitter and I wanted sesame leaves, dammit. So I then asked him, "Well, can I purchase some sesame leaves on the side?" He looked kind of surprised and said, "Oh, well, yes. Give me a second." A few minutes later he comes back out carrying a small plate and looking kind of sheepish, "I'm sorry, the leaves are very small, so I'm not going to charge you for them." They were tiny. It was pretty comical to hold up a leaf half the size of my palm - I didn't take pictures of them, my bad. I think I ended up kind of sandwiching the meat between two leaves for most of it.

So, that was our Korean BBQ adventure in Las Vegas. It was no Hwasarang and not as good as the BBQ in Korea, but if you've never been to Korea, then you won't know the difference :) There are a lot of restaurants in Chinatown to choose from: Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese... So if you want to get off The Strip for a bit, I definitely recommend checking the area out!

Aces & Ales, Las Vegas, NV

2012-12-14T20:04:00.001-08:00

So, I haven't found a lot of my pics from last year, but I do have my pics from this year's trip. I'm finally going to write a post about Aces & Ales. This is a bar located a few miles off the strip. It's known more as a craft beer bar and people go there to try lesser-known beers. You can get the address and see their full food and beer menu on their website that I've linked to above. It takes about 15 - 20 minutes to get to the place from the strip, but it's worth it. The prices seem fairly reasonable to me, but then again it's Vegas and I've been living overseas for 5 years, so what the hell do I know.

Aces & Ales
Now, I'm not a big beer fan, but I had been watching Brew Masters on Discovery Channel and was intrigued by the different flavors that Dogfish Head brewery uses (we're a bit behind on TV shows in Korea). So I did a search for what places in Vegas sell their beers and found Aces & Ales. It didn't hurt that they also have a full menu so we could have dinner there as well.

As at any bar, you'll see the regulars there sitting at the bar playing the video poker machines embedded in the counter. The people working are friendly, though, and try to be attentive. We were there fairly earlyish on a Saturday evening and it was pretty busy.

My Dougie and I tried the Black & Blue from Dogfish Head first.

Big bottle o' beer

Nice looking beer
It wasn't bad, but I sadly am just not meant to be a beer drinker - guess I'll stick to my mixed drinks and my hard ciders.

For dinner, I ordered the buffalo chicken macaroni & cheese. It was, really, really good. It also came with some toast. It was very cheesy and the buffalo chicken wasn't overly spicy, but added just the right amount of kick.

Mac & cheesey goodness
I think Doug ordered the chicken cheese steak sandwich with sweet potato fries. If I remember correctly, he said it was really good. Both of us were super stuffed after grub.

Doug and his sammich
To finish up our dinner at Aces & Ales, Doug had a glass of 120 Minutes from Dogfish Head (I think) and I had an appletini :D

He wasn't drunk - he just looks it

Don't judge me - it was delicious
So that wrapped up our evening at Aces & Ales before we headed back to The Strip. I definitely recommend checking this place out if you want to get off The Strip for a bit for something different.

Foreigner Bus Ride in Korea

2012-11-30T04:48:00.000-08:00

Buses in Korea are extremely convenient ways to get around the area. However, if you're a foreigner, riding a bus can make you feel like a leper. For some reason, whenever I'm on a bus (even the Samsung shuttle buses), the seat next to me is always the last one left and sometimes people will stand instead of sitting by me. I swear that I shower...

Anybody else have these experiences? Or am I just a smelly foreigner?

Jester's Pies

2012-11-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

I’ve been meaning to post about Jester’s for quite a while. Jester’s is an Australian meat pie chain that has several locations here in Korea. Here’s a link to their locations in Seoul. The only location that I’ve been to in Seoul is the Itaewon branch.

It's Paint - whattaya expect?

The first time I had Jester’s, my friend Eunyoung brought me a pie at work – very sweet of her. I don’t recall what kind it was, but it was quite good. I do have to say, though, that Jester’s isn’t vegetarian friendly – nearly all of the pies have meat in them. I think the only ones that don’t are the apple & cinnamon pie and the apple & blueberry pie. The pies are also fairly inexpensive as far as foreign food in Korea goes - they're in the 3000 - 4000 won price range.

Mmm, pies.

Mmm...plastic pies

I happened to be in Seoul for Eunyoung’s wedding in August and went to Itaewon afterwards with Marianne and Justin to hang out for a bit. Justin, being an Aussie, wanted some Jester’s.

The happy couple before Marianne started eating Justin's food

She's lucky she survived - you don't come between an Aussie and his meat pie in Korea

I don't recall what kind of pie this was, but Marianne seemed to enjoy it.

The meat pies aren't very large, so if you expect to have it for a meal, you might want to get two. Unless you're Korean. Then you might eat half of one and start saying how full you are.

At any rate, the location in Itaewon is open super late, so stop in and try a meat pie if you're near one of the locations. You definitely won't regret it.

Might I recommend the aptly named for being in Asia "Curry butter chinken" ? Oooh, a racist joke.

Korean Superstitions

2012-11-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this around Halloween, but I've been busy and other stuff. Oh well. This post is about Korean superstitions in S. Korea that I've learned about during my time here.

Fan Death

This is probably one of the very first superstitions I heard when I arrived in Korea...like as soon as I met the academic director of the hakwon and saw my apartment. He told me to not sleep with my air conditioner on or a fan on. Mind you, this was the middle of August in Korea, so that wasn't happening.

It is apparently believed that sleeping with the fan on in a room without ventilation will cause hypothermia or asphyxiation. And yes, people still believe this in Korea.

I'm not sure if this is related, but I've also encountered the heat being cranked up full blast in the winter and then windows being opened. The people by the windows were freezing while everyone else was boiling. I'm not sure of their reasoning behind doing this, but I've seen lots of people do this in places where the thermostats are separate for floors or rooms.

Red Ink
This one also came to my attention while I was teaching courtesy of my students. If you write someone's (a living person's) name in red ink, they're going to die.

This origin of this one is more historical. Koreans only write names of deceased people in red ink in the family register and on the funeral name banner.

4

The number 4 in Asian cultures is similar to the number 13 in Western cultures. The Chinese word for '4' is very similar to the Chinese word for "death," so it's considered bad luck. Some buildings will skip the 4th floor altogether, or they'll use the letter 'F' instead. So if you get in an elevator in Korea, you'll often see '1', '2', '3', 'F', '5' on the buttons. The building that I work in at Samsung has 38 floors and we skip the 4th and 13th floors completely. If you watch the screen that displays the floor number, 3 and 12 stay on the screen for an unusually long time.

Hair Washing and Seaweed Soup

On the day of an important event, like taking an important test or something, you're not supposed to wash your hair or eat seaweed soup.

If you wash your hair, you'll wash away all of your knowledge. Seaweed is slippery, so if you eat seaweed soup, everything you've learned will just slip away.

Birds

In Korea, different birds have different meanings. The two that I've heard the most about are crows or ravens and magpies. If you see a crow or raven in the morning, you'll have bad luck, but if you see a magpie in the morning, you'll have good luck.

Nail Clipping

I have no idea about the origin of this one, but you're not supposed to clip your finger or toe nails at night. If the clippings fall on the floor, a mouse could eat them during the night and become your doppleganger.

Poop

Yup, poop. When I first came to Korea, stuffed toys shaped like little piles of poo were popular and I'm beginning to wonder if this superstition is why. If you dream of poop, you'll have good luck. I actually had a Korean friend tell me about a dream she had about rabbits pooping all over her apartment - and she was happy about this dream since it meant good luck. I told her it meant she was going to have a shitty year :). I'm such a good friend. I believe the origin of this one goes back to when there were more farmers in Korea. Animal poo is used as fertilizer, so the more poo you have, the more you can fertilize your crops. Ergo, better crops, better harvest, more money.

Wedding Bouquets

Ah, the wedding bouquet. You knew they'd have to have one considering the importance that the culture places on getting married. This one goes that if you catch bouquet when the bride tosses it, you need to get married within 3 months or else risk not getting married for X number of years or something. You can catch another bouquet in that 3-month period to extend your marriage time frame, though. Another one with the wedding bouquet is that whoever catches it has to burn it 100 days after the wedding to ensure that the couple will live happily ever after.

Well, that's all I've got for Korean superstitions. I'm sure I've missed some. Let me know of any I've missed or any superstitions from your own culture in the comments :)

Taxi Driver Randomness

2012-10-28T21:04:00.001-07:00

So, just a random little story for y'all today really quick.

One day last week after getting my morning...well, ok, let's be honest..my noon coffee at Starbucks before work I went out to flag down a taxi to go to work. I catch one, hop in, and say hello.

Driver: Ososehyo!
Me: Hi, um, Samsung Jeonja Jeong Mun.
Driver: Samsung Jeonja Jeong Mun?
Me: Nay.
Driver: Ok, buddy! Hahaha! Ok, buddy!!
Me: o_O

So off we go to Samsung.

This morning, I go to Starbucks to get my...noon coffee before heading to work. I head out to catch a taxi, but I get distracted by the caramel that has wrapped itself around my straw at the top of my iced coffee and miss 2 taxis as they go by. I do catch the third taxi I see and hop in.

Driver: Ososehyo!! Samsung Jeoja Jeong Mun?
Me: Um, yes. Jeong mun.
Driver: Ok, buddy!!
me: o_O

It's the same freaking taxi driver I had last week! What are the odds that he would happen to be driving by again and be the taxi that I happen to catch after messing with my straw in my coffee?! So, not only do all of the taxi drivers behind Samsung recognize me and know where I live, some random driver in Yeongtong recognizes me and knows where I work.

I guess all I have to say about it is "Oh, Korea."

Kim's Club - Ingyedong New Core Outlet

2012-10-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

So, I was going to Ingyedong yesterday (Saturday) to pick up a few groceries even though I live 2 blocks from a Homeplus. The problem with living so close to Homeplus is that you feel weird taking a taxi home even if you have a lot of stuff - at least I feel weird doing that. So when I go to Homeplus, I only grab a few things that I stick in my backpack. I don't like carrying bags in my hands for very long since it starts to hurt quite a bit - carpal tunnel issues. So I will take a taxi over to the Ingyedong New Core outlet and go to the Kim's Club in the basement.

If you're not familiar with Ingyedong, it's a nice area - I used to spend a lot of time there. I'll try to give a rough map (I'm on my netbook using MS Paint so....yeah...) with some landmarks that people might be familiar with in the area. Kim's Clubs can typically be found in the basements of New Core Outlets or sometimes as small stand alone neighborhood markets.

Yup...that's all ya get
To get to this area from Yeongtong, you can take a taxi and tell the driver "Ingyedong New Core," but pronounce "core" like "co-ah." In Korean, I believe it's written as 뉴코어, so pronounce it this to keep the drivers from looking at you like you've grown a second head. There are also two buses that go by the outlet - the 2-1 and and 13-1. It takes about 30 minutes or so on either one (catch them going away from the Homeplus in Yeongtong).

So why do I come all the way over here to pick up a few groceries? Several reasons, really, and I don't have pictures because I didn't feel like juggling my camera along with my shopping basket to take them. One reason is that they are never packed with people like Homeplus and E-Mart. One reason that I avoid Homeplus is there are just waaaay too many people. Kim's Club is never packed like that, so I'm not fighting my way through people to look at vegetables. They also have a broad enough selection of products and a few things you can't find at Homeplus. It's a smaller store, but they have enough stuff that it doesn't matter - a nice mix of local and imported goods. I picked up some frozen raspberries for a friend while I was there because they can't really be found anywhere else. They also have frozen blueberries, mangoes, cherries, and strawberries. The frozen food section is really quite nice: frozen pizza, tater tots, french fries, mandu, and other stuff. The dairy and cheese section isn't as full as Homeplus, but you can still get a nice variety of items. They also have a small selection of household goods like towels, bathroom stuff, pots and pans, etc. They also have a nice, but small, wine and beer selection.

So if you need to pick up a few groceries or other items and don't want to deal with crowds, you should give Kim's Club a shot - you might find your new market :)

Pho Mein - Everywhere

2012-10-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! Just a quickie post about a Vietnamese/Thai chain. I'm starting to get a bit cranky about not being able to find my pics from Vegas from last year. It's very frustrating. Anywho, you'll spot little "Pho" chains all around Korea: Pho Bay, Pho Mein, Pho King (no I'm not kidding), among others. While hanging out with a couple of friends on Saturday, we went to the Pho Mein in the I'park Mall in Yongsan Station. I didn't take a lot of pics - sorry!

So, Pho Mein has a selection of pho as well as some Thai dishes, like Pad Thai. I believe dishes have an average price of around 10000 won, which is fairly typical. I wouldn't say this place is very vegetarian friendly, though. The spring rolls here, which are usually filled with only vegetables, have seafood or pork in them. The branch we were at also offered a pot of jasmine tea on the table for free, which is nice. The service was also very quick.

I had the chicken fried rice, which was really very good. It was a bit oily, so if you don't like that sort of thing, you shouldn't eat here.

Denise and Marianne both ordered the chicken pad thai. It looked really good and they both said it was good, so I'll take their words for it :).

I forgot to take more pics of the place, but oh well. You can spot Pho Meins all over the place. If you're in a hurry for a quick lunch or dinner, it's not too bad of a place to stop in and grab a bite. Remember, though, that a lot of the dishes will have meat or some sort of seafood in them. Enjoy!