Makgeoli in the Midwest?

I love this story! They are going to start brewing makgeoli (Korean rice wine) in the US! Soju is definitely the more popular drink in Korea, but it tastes like death. Makgeoli is smooth and low-alcohol content and fun to drink with fried foods and fish. Hell, it is fun to drink with everything. The brewery is going to open in Chicago, so hopefully that means it will be easy to get my hands on some makgeoli back in the US? It will probably go for a pretty penny though... one bottle here is about two dollars, which is similar to soju. But a bottle of soju back home costs about twelve dollars; I should probably just stay here to enjoy my makgeoli.
For the whole news story, click here.

How are these different?

Two advertisements, one political and the other touristic, but both with huge stereotypes bordering on racism. Do you see any difference?
This first one is from an American politician. A Chinese woman is in a rice paddy thanking the US, in broken English, for giving her jobs. Pointing our fingers at Asians for the problems we face at home. Right ...

Then there is this advertisement from the Korean tourism board. Featuring a plethora of national stereotypes this ad, if anything, points out how little the Korean ad agency knows about the world (or how people communicate... would you ever ask someone if their country was really the world's 7th largest exporter?)

So what is the difference? Well, in the US the first video has already started a dialogue. It is in the blogosphere, on Facebook and being reprimanded for using peoples fears and xenophobia as a political tool. On the other hand, this silly ad from Korea was shown to a test market and when the foreign audience responded that it wasn't the best crafted ad and that it didn't sit well they aired it anyways.
Now I need to find myself some bibimbap. 

Jeongdongjin and Tongil Park

After waking up in our cute little hanok, we spent the morning walking around the beautiful, and natural, lake in Gangneung and then taking a taxi to Tongil Park (Unification Park) . I'm not really sure how the sights at this park can lead to reunification, but they were sure fun to see. The first thing we explored was an American-built ship from the Korean war. Unfortunately, most of the information was in English, but they did have some very patriotic Korean war hymns playing in the background. At Tongil Park there is also a North Korean submarine that washed ashore with 26 sailors into it back in 1966. Eleven of the non-military crew-members were killed when the submarine became stuck on rocks for fear that they would leak classified information. The other fifteen soldiers tried to escape back to the North overland but were intercepted by South Korean forces. Thirteen soldiers were killed, one captured, and it is unknown what happened to the last. 17 South Korean soldiers also lost their lives in the chase. The new addition to Tongil Park is a wooden refugee boat that landed near Gangneung in the 2000s. It was too cold to really dwell on the boat, but could you imagine fleeing from a country across the Sea of Japan in a tiny wooden boat? Probably crammed to the brim with other refugees?

Catie in front of the refugee boat

We finished our travels in the Gangneung area by going to Jeongdongjin. Right on the coast, we had ample time to see the sea and enjoy another of the area's specialties: sundubu. The soup was delicious! Jeongdongjin's main claim to fame is the huge ship-shaped hotel overlooking the sea. After a long climb up the hill, and a rather steep fee to get into the hotel, we were on the viewing platform. There was a great view of the sea and the surrounding mountains. The entire area of Jeongdongjin has this very odd aura, but it is definitely a place to go to. I am planning to go back in the summer to play on the beach. Even though the weather was freezing, it was a great weekend trip to Gangwon-do. Our train back from Jeongdonjin to Gangneung even ran right along the water! Supposedly, it is the closest train station to the sea.

Shit that Korean Girls Say

Hilarious. And so true.

Shin Ramyeon!

Today is a desk-warming day for me. Awful. It is freezing cold, so I just have been huddled up at my desk with a blanket, some tea, and watching movie trailers on youtube. I'm not really excited for any films this year except for the Hobbit, but I was watching this trailer for Jeff Who Lives at Home and got super excited to see him running through rows of ramen at a store right before the two-minute mark. It really was just a split second, but I saw the Shin Ramyeon, my favorite ramen, and got ever so excited. Also, it probably proves I'm eating too much of this snack if I could notice it so easily in such a short time frame.

Gangwon Do~ Gangreung 강릉

Pumpkin Duck: Amazing

One of the other Lindstromites in Korea, Ashley, has invited me to her city in western Korea plenty of times but I never made it. The other day she mentioned duck cooked in pumpkin, so of course I needed to come! Her place was out in Gangwon Do in the city of Gangleung- about three hours by bus. Small by Korean standards ㅡ 150,000 ㅡ the downtown area itself was nothing to write home about. The duck we had for dinner, on the other hand, was phenomenal. My gourmand friend, Catie, said it was the best duck she ever had and I agree that the two flavors blend perfectly. Of course the group needed some alcohol to go with the meal, so we ordered corn-based dongjuju which was served in a large bowl with a gourd-shaped spoon.
Dinner was followed by a walk along the East Sea. Although the weather in Gangwon Do is far from pleasant at this time of year, the fresh air and sound of the waves breaking on the shore made for a refreshing break from chaotic Seoul. We finished our walk with a coffee at one of the ubiquitous cafes along NamHangJin Beach. Taxis, though hard to find, are quite cheap in Gangneung so we traveled to our lodging, kindly arranged by Ashley, and were shocked to see the beauty of the accomodations that we were only paying some ten dollars for. I have visited Korean traditional villages but never slept in a traditional house, or hanok, during my year and a half in Korea. With sliding paper doors and beautiful inkbrush designs, the hanok would satisfy anyone`s love of the orient. The sleeping pads were just as comfortable as a bed and my only complaint is the distance to the bathrooms. Definitely a place to take your family.

BHs birthday

Happy birthday BH! For his thirty third birth day ㅡ man he is old ㅡ I made him an American breakfast. Eggs, bacon, and pancakes!
I tried to throw him a surprise birthday but I accidentally left my facebook open. I am such a 바보 (fool). I still prepared for the party in a very teenager way with bowls of chips and cookies and bottles of soda and beer. In order to get a surprise out of BH all of his friends hid in the bathroom when he got home. When he came home to a room full of my friends you could see the disappointment in his face. When his friends popped out of the bathroom with ice cream cake the party really started!
I was being quite the host(ess) at the party so I didn't take much pictures. Will and Katrina look great though and I love the sleeping arrangement made by those that  spent the night