This was what I was looking at in deciding whether or not to take the plunge. It’s 14,900 won for take-out before 10pm. The same pizza delivered is 18,900 won. After 10pm, add another 1,000 won late-night surcharge. I was awaiting anxiously.

While I was waiting for my pizza, I thought it might actually end up looking like the disgusting pizza above. It’s actually a Pizza Hut advertisement for one of their premium pizzas. I had my fingers crossed. The typical Korean style pizza has lots of random goodies like shrimp, potatoes, fruit, and corn to name a few.  I really didn’t want any extra goodies on my pizza. I was nervous.

The typical pizza also has lots of colorful sauce (usually bright colors like neon yellow) sprayed all over (I always ask for sauces on the side when I can, an attribute I owe to growing up with my mom). The pizza above was delivered from a Dominos’s pizza in Korea. Yes, that is a Star of David.

That’s what I was looking at 20 minutes later. It was Jun’s Pizza’s 2nd day, and I was his first customer taking advantage of his credit card payment service. He couldn’t use my Korean bank card because he hadn’t finalized the contract with them.  I was on the phone with Eunmi, who was translating for me. She said, “he’s going to come back tomorrow to get payment.” I ended up just using my American card after 5 uncomfortable minutes of looking at a Korean pizza delivery guy at my doorstep struggling to process a payment.

Part of his opening promotion was a oven-baked spaghetti dish for an extra 100 Korean won (about $0.10).  You’re looking at a Korean made Italian dish. Tasted a little weird. Strangely sweet, but not bad.

You’re looking at 45cm of Korean-Italian goodness.

That’s my hand holding the first piece of pizza. I couldn’t eat any more than 2 pieces. It wasn’t bad. It looked similar to the pizza on the flier. It tasted similar to delivery pizza in the states.  It was close enough to get the job done.

For 20,000 Korean won, I got a 45cm supreme pizza, a spaghetti dish, and a free liter of Coke, delivered. Decent value, decent taste, and a decent blog entry.

Traditional Korean dance. Women dancing in circular arrangements.

Really interesting:

This dance originated as a military tactic in the Joseon Dynasty when women and their daughters dressed in hamboks and danced in circles on mountain tops to intimidate Japanese invaders. I suppose when the Japanese were looking up at a mountain-top with a constant stream of women dancing, there was no way for them to gauge the population of their village or city. Hence, the Japanese would be confused in estimating the size of the opposing Korean military force.

Today, masters of traditional Korean dance are considered “national living treasures.” While Korea was occupied by Japan between 1910 and 1945, the knowledge of traditional Korean dance was secretly kept alive despite attempted “cultural genocide.“  The more I learn about Korean history, the more I realize why there’s so much tension between Korea and Japan still today. I wrote a post on the history of Korean pottery a while back, uncovering what was a similar political situation between Korea and Japan during the Pottery Wars.

While I was eating at a Korean restaurant earlier today, I noticed the same patterned dance at a Chuseok festival on the news.

Chuseok is a celebration of harvest and usually brings Korean families to their traditional roots. Family gatherings during this holiday are often in the countryside where their families originate.  Families pay tribute to their ancestors by visiting their graves and holding memorial services.

Some women spend days preparing and cooking traditional foods.  Some Korean food typically served include songpyeon (a rice cake that is most representative and particular to Chuseok), bulgogi, and of course kimchi. Many of the foods originally prepared for Chuseok used newly harvested food such as rice.

Hamboks are traditionally worn. Big payday for kids – the elderly give money to them.

Common Chuseok gifts include:

-Spam and cans of tuna. The most common gift exchanged. An indication of how poor Korea was not too long ago.  Both items are protein sources that require no refrigeration. I was unaware until my arrival in Korea that South Korea was one of the poorest countries in Asia, with North Korea being the economic powerhouse pre-World War 2. A complete reversal of today.

-Bonuses from employers. Eunmi mentioned she received a $1,000 deposit for Chuseok when she was a designer for Cyworld, the Korean equivalent to Facebook or Myspace. Eunmi also mentioned that employee bonuses for Chuseok were originally meant to enable everyone to have enough money to visit their families for the holiday.

-Olive oil. Primary oil used for cooking.

-Expensive Western liquor. Ballantines seems to be the pinnacle of liquor in Korea. If you want to impressive someone, you buy them the oldest bottle of Ballantines whiskey you can find and present it in gold gift-wrap (gold is the most desirable color for gift-wrap in Korea) – that goes for any special occasion.

Typical gift package of Spam and cooking oil. I couldn’t stop laughing when I first saw this, until Eunmi explained to me everything.

A whole array of gift packages with Spam, cooking oil, cans of tuna, and coffee available at your local Home Plus.

This is a photo of me and Ryu Seung Beom, 류승범, a famous actor in Korea. I had no idea who he was until another of Eunmi’s friends at the party mentioned him. He was a really nice guy and very polite. Recently, Ryu Seung-Beom was cast for the movie “29 Years” with Korean actress Kim Ah-joong.

This party was a small get-together with some of Eunmi’s friends, and friends of theirs. Lots of models. Some of the girls must’ve been over 6′ tall. Everybody was dressed down a little bit, but trendy (particular emphasis on trendy). It seemed like everyone there had their own unique style.

I don’t know if Belvedere Vodka sponsored the event, but that’s all they served and there wasn’t any sort of cost associated with the event unless you bought the host Fhifan’s book, Slow Recipe.

It was a rare occasion in that there wasn’t a single other foreigner present at this party.

This is Lee Berre,이베르, a designer on the left, me, Eunmi, and Ashley. Lee Berre is a prominent architect in Korea.

This is Jimin, 지민, Eunmi’s best friend from high school. Her nickname is 쥐, which means “mouse” in Korean. She was really nice and seemed to love her humongous camera. I named this picture “mouse,” so, if you Google “mouse,” this photo might come up. Ha ha.

This is me, Fhifan, and Eunmi. He was the host of the party. Fhifan is Korean, but was born in Japan, just finishing his book titled, Slow Recipe. His book is about his personal journeys and development into modeling. He is a fashion model in Korea and Japan, as well as a DJ, and now an author.

This is me and Eunmi with “Mouse’s” boyfriend, Kim Won Sun, 김원선, a famous graphic designer in Korea. Also a really nice guy. Basically, everyone I met at this party was really nice. I’m trying to use bigger and fancier words than “really,” “nice,” and “very,” but it’s a  struggle for me. English, after all, is a second language for me.

This is Eunmi with her friend Varkjiwon,박지원. He is some sort of stylist or designer, and works with “Mouse’s” boyfriend.

Exterior of the venue called onFriday in Gangnam. Everyone migrated outside since it was such a nice night out and the weather continued to cooperate.

DJ at the party. Solid house music.

Congratulations to Y.E. Yang on his extraordinary accomplishment! The first Asian golfer to win a PGA major.

This was big enough news for the President of South Korea to wake up before dawn to watch the tournament. President Lee Myung-bak personally called Yang to congratulate him. Keeping true to his Korean heritage, he said, “I feel energetic only when I eat soybean paste soup and kimchi soup that my wife cooks.”  In the final round, his wife Park Joo-Yeong came to the golf course to give him an all white outfit to fend off Tiger Woods, who is usually adorned in red. In Korean culture, red is the color of passion.

Y.E. Yang (pronounced like “yawng,” not like “ying-yang”), full name Yang Yong-eun, is a 37 year-old South Korean golfer who currently resides in Dallas, Texas.  Yesterday, he won the PGA Championship finishing -8, while Tiger Woods finished -5. Woods blamed his loss on his lackluster putting.

Asian women (mostly South Korean) dominate the LPGA, but this is the first time a male Asian golfer has won a PGA major.  This was a particularly tremendous feat considering his opponent record, Tiger Woods, was 14-0 leading in the final round of a championship.  Tiger has never before in his professional career lost when leading with at least a one shot lead in an American golf tournament.

Not only that, Yang was nine months fresh out of Q-school before defeating the #1 golfer in the world. Q-school is the PGA Tour qualifying school. The only other golfer to win the PGA Championship within a year of Qualifying School was John Daly in 1991.

For those of you who live in Korea or have visited Korea, or anywhere in Asia for that matter, understand how big golf is. When you visit Korea, especially, every other Korean traveler in the airport is pushing around their suitcase – along with their golf clubs.

Although golf is extremely expensive in Korea it remains popular. Just in my modest neighborhood, there are 3 golf ranges within 4 blocks.  A round of golf in Korea will set you back at least $200 USD, which is why I am limited to hitting balls at Home Plus.

His current sponsor, Taylor-Made, just hit jackpot. Watch the endorsements rolling in. His agent probably has a few calls to return right now.

Behold, the new 50,000 won Korean Note!! Just put into circulation, I exchanged my 600 Chinese Yuan from my trip to Shanghai for two of these babies.

These are the highest denomination notes by five-fold, just put into circulation this week. For almost 40 years, the 10,000 won Korean note has been the highest denomination bill, which is worth less than 8 US dollars.  You basically have to walk around with stacks of bills if you need cash for traveling, or if you want to buy anything over a couple hundred dollars with cash.

Several interesting features about the new 50,000 won note:

-First Korean note to feature a woman – the great Shin Saim-dang from 16th century – famous painter and author, but most notable as the mother of the philosopher Yul-goke

-Heightened security with an anti-counterfeit metallic strip that runs across the top and bottom of the bill (in the photo I took above, notice the metallic strip along the left side of the first bill)

-Slightly larger in size than the 10,000 won note

-Looks very similar to a 5,000 won note which has almost the same colors and almost the same numbers – has already drawn many complaints

-Issues with the security strip separating at the end of the bill – possible problems with ATM machines

-Issues with small shops needing to keep more change for the higher denomination bill

-Current surge in demand for counterfeit note detectors

My opinion of the new 50,000 won note? I think it’s terrific. Much easier to keep count of my cash, and my wallet just got a lot thinner!

source 1, source 2

The picture above is of the JSA, or Joint Security Area. I took the photograph from the South facing North. The blue buildings are always guarded. The buildings were last used this past December for negotiations between the two countries. Prior to that meeting, it had been over 10 years since the blue buildings were used for negotiations.

The gray building is a North Korean building. If you look closely, you can see a North Korean soldier in an olive-colored suit at the doorway. We were instructed by our US Army guide to never under any circumstances point or gesture to the North Korean side. The US Army soldier yelled at me when I tried taking pictures of all the cameras pointing at the North Korean side on top of the South Korean building. The soldiers in the green uniforms are Korean MP’s. When they stand their post, they don’t move an inch. They almost look like wax figures because they stand so still.

The video above is of me inside the JSA (the blue building). After Sam had filmed me, I turned the camera and got up really close to the Korean MP to show you that he is in fact alive. You can see his eyes blinking at the end of the video. Also interesting, I am actually standing on the North Korea half of the building.

In the photo above, you can see Korean soldiers standing in front of the Korean MP, facing the North. Notice the MP’s stance. That is a Tae-Kwon-Do pose.

The picture above is what the JSA looks like with no tourists. It is dead still and dead silent with no movement from the MP’s. At least that’s what we’re told. Maybe they goof off. They must be really good at staring contests.

My security badge for the JSA.

The video above is of a South Korean soldier waiting next to his vehicle.

That’s me walking down to what is called Tunnel 6. This is the sixth tunnel discovered, burrowed by the North Koreans. You can tell all the tunnels are drilled from the North to the South by the markings on the walls.  With information from defectors and South Korean intel, it is estimated that there are 20 tunnels made by the North Koreans, with each successive tunnel being more and more advanced (i.e. issues of flooding in the tunnels being resolved). When North Korea was questioned about this particular tunnel, they responded by saying that they were coal mining. It was discovered that the North Korean’s had simply PAINTED THE WALLS BLACK to make their claim.

The site of the Axe Murder Incident in 1976. Two US soldiers were trimming trees to improve visibility of the area. North Koreans ordered them to stop, but the situation escalated into the deaths of two US soldiers.

The famous Bridge of No Return. The rusty sign reads, “Military Demarcation Line.” Crossing that line would be a mistake.

Thats the best I could focus on some of the buildings in the North Korean side. The large structure is North Korean flagpole. South Korea built a flag polo that was 328 feet tall.  Not to be outdone, almost immediately, the North Koreans responded by constructing  what is now the tallest flagpole in the world, standing at 528ft tall. The flag is so huge it barely moves in the wind.

The buildings above are on the North Korean side. They are merely shells of buildings. We know this because the lights are dimmer in the bottom windows than the top windows. Another clue…… all the buildings lights turn on and off at the same time.

Everyone that showed up made my night a very special one for me including Clayton, JP, Jenny, Joanne, Deborah, Lucy, Brad, Jason, Bruce,  Sam, Nana, Dustin and fiance Seung Yeon, Ashley, Brad, Heather, Diana, Esther, and all of the great staff at Funky Dunky!

Proof that it was a good time? Two people that came to the party missed work the following day!!!

The first video below is a birthday cheer with sparklers….

The video below is one of my favorites. Three minutes into the video is when the real action begins.

At 3:40 into the video, he actually lights his hand on fire to light the drink!
Fun, yes, that is his English nickname, is throwing some crazy moves with fire everywhere as he prepares a tough drink for me. You can hear Dina on the mic getting the entire bar involved while Fun is working his magic. At the end of the video, Fun takes over the camera to film me take the brutal shot.  Usually when someone downs an entire drink in one shot, Koreans chant “one shot!, one shot!, one shot!”

Did you know that kimchi is a low-calorie cancer fighter, with 4x the valuable lactic acid bacteria of yogurt?

I recently visited the Kimchi Museum located at the COEX Mall in Seoul, South Korea.  I didn’t realize there was so much information about kimchi available.  Most of the information I have gathered below is from the museum.

6 Powerful Health Benefits of Kimchi

1) Kimchi contains lots of vitamin A and C, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Antioxidants in kimchi bolsters our immune system in addition to age-delaying and cancer prevention. At one point, kimchi was being considered as a possible cure or treatment for the Asian flu (although this has been disputed).

2) Kimchi is a low calorie food with lots of fiber in the vegetable ingredients. A particular element called “capsicine” in the red pepper of red kimchi helps weight control by burning fat.

3) Kimchi contains loads of lactobacilli(lactic acid bacteria) produced from the fermentation process. Lactobacilli cleans the intestines – helps prevent large intestine cancer.

4) Different agents present in kimchi also are proven to lower LDL-cholestrol.

5) In one part of the Kimchi Museum exhibit, they explain the “Efficacy of Lactobacilli in Kimchi.” Lactobacilli, or commonly known as ‘lactic acid bacteria,’ is a powerful micro-organism that helps our body fight off toxins. The same micro-organisms are found in yogurt and cheese from the fermentation process of producing such foods.  The sourness, which is also found in yogurts and cheeses can also be tasted in kimchi,  contributes to its unique flavor. It is during this fermentation process that harmful bacteria and micro-organisms die off, and health-preserving micro-organisms such as lactic acid bacteria are formed.

6) Kimchi has four times as much lactic acid bacteria as yogurt! Lactobacilli helps clean the colon, prevents other harmful bacteria from growth, prevents cancer cell growth.

Wanna live longer and healthier?

Eat kimchi!!!

Video of the cleaning lady at COEX. Notice the admirable shot she made tossing the bottle into the garbage can without getting out of the scooter (behold, the power of the ajuma). I actually had to run despite a few laughs from strangers to videotape her in action. After noticing she was being taped at the end of her run, she politely greeted me and smiled. What a sweet lady! This has to be one of my favorite moments in Korea thus far.