Spicy Lunch

I ate a spicy octopus dish for lunch (jjukkumi gui;쭈꾸미구이)--that's it on the grill in the middle of the table.

To the right, set on top of a small portable burner, is a pot of mussels.

On the far left are sesame leaves topped with minced garlic, waiting to wrap up the octopus, mushrooms, and onion.

Fish for Sale

Here are a few pics from the Friday market, specifically the fish/seafood seller's tent (there is also a vegetable tent, a dried foods tent, and assorted other tents):

Tofu + Spaghetti Sauce: Part 2

On Friday, I served up two more classes with tofu + spaghetti sauce.

One class had it coming since their Let's Go 5 book includes tofu in the foods unit.

All the students liked the combination.

The students in the first class said that they had all eaten it before.

However, none of the students in the second class had experienced such a combination.

The interesting thing for me, however,  was not the reaction to the food, but rather how they used the cups that I gave them for water.

The first class all went to the water 'fountain' to fill the paper coffee cups with water.

The second class, on the other hand, ate all of the tofu and then poured the remaining spaghetti sauce into their cups in order to drink it.

Wow!  I didn't see that one coming.

But then that's why I like doing food 'experiments' . . . 

Another $7 Lunch

A spicy octopus platter with soup, rice, and side dishes:

Healthy and quite tasty! ($7 per person)

Class Snack Surprise!

One of my classes told me last week that they were hungry, and, as I had been waiting for the opportunity to experiment with a new class snack, I put the plan into motion.

I like eating tofu, or dubu (두부) as it is called in Korea where it is a common food, and I sometimes put some pesto on it and microwave it for an easy snack/meal.

Sometimes I use spaghetti sauce.

Since I had a jar of spaghetti sauce waiting for the right moment, and a block of fresh tofu (I can easily buy the fresh kind, one of the nice things about it being popular here in Korea), I quickly went to our teachers' room with one student and fixed up 4 coffee cups full of hot tofu with spaghetti sauce.

Back in class, the 4 students looked at me warily.

"What is that?" they asked.

I told them; they looked uncertain.

One boy refused outright. (They are 1st-2nd grade students and advanced speakers.)

I asked, "Do you like dubu?"

"Yes."

Then, "Do you like spaghetti sauce?"

"Yes."

In conclusion (A+B=C), "You will like this!"

Silence.

One student looked at another and mimed eating, with a raised eyebrow for a question mark (the world's universal language in motion).

Out of four, 3 gave it an ok.  1 was a never-ever.

Sigh.

However, that is better than my experiences with dill pickles or cinnamon candy.

Another Good Lunch

This is a sushi buffet place:

Great $7 lunch

My new favorite place is this Boribap (보리밥) restaurant.

I ate there before and had the full set meal, but this time I went for the simple set ($7 per person).

You get a large bowl with half white rice and half barley rice, along with a platter of prepared vegetables (나물):

It's a make-it-yourself bibimbap kind of thing.

Put an assortment of the vegetables into the rice bowl, add sesame oil and hot pepper sauce, and mix.

Delicious, healthy, and inexpensive!

Also served is a choice of two soups; I opted for fermented soybean soup (청국장) . . . a bit smelly but it tastes good.

North Korea Article

This article has some interesting perspectives/information that I haven't read before:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30812237

Salmon-Vegetable Soup

Delicious + healthy:

Building Site

These pictures span about 6 months, and show the beginning of a vast earth-removal project to its near-end.  The speculation is that this building site (in Sanbon, Gyeonggido) will be a new Lotte Mart (kind of like a Super Target in the U.S.), a department store + grocery + parking (probably underground) + maybe a cinema.

And . . . in 2016 . . .

. . . . a Popeye movie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1FNL_iIp5c

Christmas 2015

Snoopy Movie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XmV3zGifOE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1FNL_iIp5c

Article: Chinese Cram Schools/Tests

An interesting read:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/magazine/inside-a-chinese-test-prep-factory.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0