My New Watering Hole

For quite a while in my apartment I was drinking filtered tap water, but then it began to taste a bit odd, so I decided to stop using it.

I started buying bottled water, but I don't like contributing to environmental problems.  Also, to go from free water to store-bought clashes with my sometimes frugal self.

Then I remembered that I have seen people on my neighborhood area taking empty water bottles to somewhere and returning with full bottles, so I decided to check it out.

This is what I found:

Apparently this location provides free, safe drinking water.  I would like to get more details on the source of the water, but I decided to give it a try, so I took four empty 2-liter plastic bottles there and filled them up.  The water tastes good, better than that from my kitchen tap . . . so far so good!

For Lunch: Pork Cutlet

Yesterday for lunch several of us from the English academy ate at a small, newish pork cutlet eatery (it's really too small to be called a restaurant).  That's about all that they serve: pork cutlets.

Originally it's a Japanese food, a breaded, fried piece of pork, but it is common in Korea, where it is called donkasu (돈가수) and served with kimchi and some radish slices (for some reason commonly colored yellow):

It was quite good, as was their kimchi, and I plan to eat there again sometime (thought not too often as it's clearly not a health food).  The price is good too--$6.

More on NK from SK News Sources

Here are a couple of articles from English-language Korean newspapers, reporting some things that probably would not show up on CNN or in other mainstream news outlets:

The Korea Herald: "N. Korea-China border remains calm . . ."
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130411000997

The Korea Times: "4 reasons why NK won't start war":
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/04/116_133768.html

Cambodians in Korea

Last Sunday I met another foreign English teacher and his Cambodian wife at a small sports stadium near where I live.  We went there because there was supposed to be a Cambodian New Year's gathering.

I arrived first and was surprised to see several hundred young (20-ish) Cambodian men and women standing  around talking, some of them going in and out of one of the stadium buildings.  I had never seen so many non-western foreigners in one place in Korea before. Since nothing much seemed to be happening outside--no tents, booths, tables, etc.--I went into the building.

Inside there were hundreds more Cambodians, though mostly family groups sitting closely together in the bleacher-style seats.  On the small stage were seated some monks, intoning something, I guessed, of a New Year's ritual.

Since there was barely room to move, and since I was the only Caucasian face in sight, I wandered back out in search of my friends.  I didn't see them, but was approached by one young Cambodian man who wanted to practice his English.

He told me that he lived in Incheon, the city where the international airport is over on the west coast, about 1+ hour by bus/subway.  He said he worked in a factory and thought Korea had bad weather.

I laughed and asked him if he thought it was too cold in Korea (we just now are emerging from a long, very cold winter).  He rapidly agreed.

I then asked how the weather was in Cambodia.  He said it was medium, not hot and not cold.  I didn't reply because I didn't want to be negative, but that's not what I have heard about the weather in Cambodia--"medium".  I think it would be too hot and humid for me, kind of like an endless Korean summer.

While I was chatting with him I spotted my friends so I said goodbye.

Since the Cambodian gathering was clearly not a cultural festival--I had hoped it was going to be--we left to find a Korean restaurant nearby.

Since then I have learned that apparently Korea imports a lot of young people from Cambodia to work in factories here.  They get paid more than they would in Cambodia, but it seems the living and working conditions are not great here, so the gathering of people I saw was maybe a welcome opportunity for them to get away from a limiting life and enjoy some conversation with friends and acquaintances.

Recent Food Pics

This morning I made some mashed potatoes:

They are kind of a strange mix.  After I put the potatoes on to boil--2 regular ones and 3 sweet potatoes (not so sweet in Korea, at least boiled)--I realized that I only had a little margarine and no milk or butter (I seldom use any of the three).  But then I remembered that I had a can of coconut milk, so I used a third of that plus:

   *olive oil   *dijon mustard   *black pepper   *chipotle chili powder   *fresh parsley

   *chopped raw carrots   *chopped mushrooms (boiled with potatoes)

It came out ok, but I'll be interested to see what my fellow teachers think as I made it to take to work.

               *          *          *         *          *         *          *          *          *          *          *

Last weekend I ate lunch with some friends at a Korean soup restaurant (sul lung tang/seolleongtang/설렁탕):

With the soup we had two orders of meat dumplings (고기만두), which were quite large, and the kimchi that was waiting at the table.

Turned out to be quite good and nice variety, as I don't eat that type of meal often.

North Korea: Different Perspectives

Yesterday, when I took a morning trip into Seoul to do a bit of food shopping, I bought an English-language Korean newspaper (The Korea Times) to read on the subway ride.

Several articles in the newspaper offered views on the current series of threats coming out of North Korea, threats which include preemptive nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States, as well as American military bases in Japan and on Guam.  In the last few days NK has closed the industrial park that it shares with SK, has initiated steps to launch one or more missiles  and has warned all foreigners living and working in SK to evacuate.

One Seoul analyst stated that he believes the real audience of all of NK's rhetoric to be North Koreans, since Kim Jong-un apparently wants to maximize a crisis scenario in order to draw attention away from internal problems such as food shortages, economic woes, lack of freedom, etc.

Since next week (April 15th) is the anniversary of Kim's grandfather--Kil Il-sung, NK's founder--it's likely the threats will continue to build up to that pinnacle.

Another NK expert in Seoul said Kim is preparing the foundations for his "kingdom" or regime.  He needs to unite the NK public and military behind him to that he will be able to extend his rule for a long time.  Also, after seeing Libya surrender its nuclear weapons, Kim may feel that he needs nuclear arms in order to survive.

Another view presented in the paper is that while Kim learned the art of brinkmanship from his father, he is not as talented (perhaps because of his young age) at it and has made some geopolitical calculations that may come back to bite him.

When looking at China's role in the current conflict, the paper stated that China has, of course, always propped up the NK regime, but China seems to be growing increasingly frustrated with Kim.  China wants a stable NK; it does not want an exodus of North Koreans flooding into China as might happen in the event of an armed conflict.  China also does not want Kim to fight and lose, which might place a western-style democracy on China's border.

I personally found it interesting that when the focus of much of the international news shifted away from NK due to the death in England of Margaret Thatcher, NK found a way to jump back in the spotlight with its declaration that all foreigners should leave SK and with its continued apparent preparation to fire a missile or two.

There is a general belief everywhere I look or listen that NK is creating this crisis for one other reason: so that it can demand concessions from other countries when it finally--and assuredly "reluctantly"--agrees to talks.  Indeed, some analysts has suggested that Kim--through forcing other countries to mobilize to meet his threats and though warnings to diplomatic staffs in NK and to foreigners in SK--is engaging in a kind of "economic warfare", and this will give him further leverage when peace talks resume.

Or so he thinks.  Many believe that NK has engaged in this type of artificially-created crisis one time too many, and that other countries like the U.S. now understand that NK will never keep its promises, no matter how much aid it is given.

So, the real question, some are wondering, is "What is left to negotiate for?"

A lot will probably happen in the next week, as most believe Kim is not finished making threats in order to escalate his created crisis further.

Berries

Spring is here (mostly), so berries are starting to pop up

I bought a box of these lovelies for $5: