The magic of cooking

Food has been something that we all strive for and cannot live without. I'll admit that for many years I took the process and preparation of food for granted. I didn't really consider the work or effort that needs to be put into it and when I did, it confused me so I went for the easier options. It was lazy, I know, but I didn't really know what I was doing and when I looked at a kitchen..I just didn't know where to begin.

Even through college, I got by on the main idea that I could just go to a restaurant and get what I wanted and be done with it. But the lesson learned there came after college, when I was graduated and thus in the working market, that little thing called money. Where does it come from? How do I get it? What do I do with it? These questions ran through my head once I was out in the world and needing to provide for myself. I finally learned how to fry an egg and low and behold the doors opened. I quickly realized that frying anything else is just as easy as the egg; and for the easiest thing to make in the world, all I needed was boiling water. Gaining these two things in my cooking experience, gave me the slow confidence I needed to expand my cooking trials.

I was slow at the beginning, there's no question about that. But it was through my wonderful girlfriend, that taught me many different things of how to prepare and how to cook multiple things! If it wasn't for her I would have never even thought about doing some of the things that I can now cook in the kitchen. And because of all that, the kitchen is no longer a scary place! So much so that she and I have taken on some of the more challenging culinary feats. Among some the common dishes are chicken (cooked in cajon seasoning), green beans (my speciality are the beans fried in a cajun butter), rice (cooked in a rice cooker then lightly fried in a pan and mixed with seasonings) mac&cheese (cheese is grated with garlic and then stirred into the pasta), couscous, salmon (cooked the same as the chicken), and hamburger (cooked with crushed garlic).

From those we have opened the door further and tried some of the more tasking challenges. The first one was a Turkey.

There is a foreign mart here in Gwangju and with its growing supply of food has made it easier to be able to get some of the western foods that we miss. And every year they order Turkeys, so this past year we decided to try our hand at cooking one. It was a great success! As you can see it came out golden and cut like butter! It was a real confidence booster and defined that I was no longer an amateur in the kitchen. Not to say that I'm a professional, far from it.

But cooking the turkey and having turn out as well as it did, really made the kitchen a home for me. Since then cooking everything else became seemingly easy. So we decided that we were going to try something else. Something that we've been thinking about for along time and finally had an occasion worth it. This past weekend was my girlfriend's birthday and a very good Korean friend of ours, so I decided to treat them to that something that we've been thinking about cooking; a King Crab.


Now, it was as easy as boiling water and then putting him into it. But that was just the prep work. The real task came afterwards when it was done and I had to separate the legs from the body. Not something for a weak stomach. But the end result were succulent crab legs that rival the taste of a lobster. The treats of the night did not end with the crab, we also oven roasted french fries and cocktail shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce. Amazing! As seen here:
What a table spread! haha!

It's been a great 2 years of learning and I'm looking forward to the other tests that we can try out and add to the lists of success. And on that next test, it would be great if you could all join! Cooking is really an amazing experience!
What would all like for dinner?

Why Korea is awesome

Despite the tone of my last blog, I'm not at all unhappy or enraged by my life here. It's actually amazing! That one was more of a rant inspired by perceptions of myself and my progression as a teacher and person.

Now I would like to share something pretty amazing; which is the epitome of why Korea is an awesome place.

While I was eating dinner durning my break today, I went to my normal 킴밥 (kimbab - the Korean fastfood), to get some dinner. I've been going there for a while now, off and on, depending on schedules and occasionally I talk to the owners. But today, I guess I went at the right time or it was just my lucky day, but while there a group of about 8 high school boys walked in. At first they went about their business, ordering what they wanted to eat and talking amongst themselves. As I sat eating and watching TV, I could hear the boys talking and encouraging each other to be brave enough to talk to me. Finally one boy swallowed his pride and choked out "Hi". When I responded with a kind, but strong "Hello", I washed away a nervousness that was filling the room and I was bombarded by the two stronger English speaking boys.

The first question was the one that is always on the front of the minds here, "Where are you from?" Normally, after some time here, that question gets redundant and irritating. But when used in proper context and when asked if its okay to be asked that question, its not so bad. Upon telling them "America" I was again bombarded with shouts of "OBAMA!" "NEW YORK CITY!!" "MICHAEL JACKSON!!" and so on. But it was all in good fun. We talked for a while about different things, but the majority of it was them asking if Korean companies were popular in America and how their Japanese competition compared. I let them know that Samsung was losing to Sony for electronics, at which they were sad and expressed it with elaborate hand gestures. When I told them that Korea was becoming better in the car industry, namely Hyundai and Kia, they went apeshit. It was hilarious.

One of the bigger, shyer boys brought me water three times in the midst of all this.

Turns out that they are about to head to America in a few short months time and were wanting to know about things to look for and what not to do. The "middle finger" was the main one, I told them that they wouldn't die from it, but it would draw unnecessary attention. These two boys were like the comedians that you can see here. They played off each other perfectly, making fun of each other and correcting each others sentences as we talked. Sometimes I threw in some advice for them, mostly when they neglected the verb. In the meantime of these two boys talking up a storm there was third quietly eating. At one lull in the comedy, he leans over and in perfect English asks "Are umbrella's gay in America?" When I told him that "no, they weren't", he nodded silently and went back to his meal not to say a word again. But one of the first two boys caught some of it and went on to ask about wearing pink shirts and white pants. I sadly had to leave to go back to work but they quickly jumped up and asked it was okay to take my picture, when I said "sure" they surrounded me and took multiple pictures changing between their cellphones every shot.

Whenever I spoke they would practically jump the table in order to get closer and listened with the utmost intent. I just wish that my own students cared as much as they did. They cared so much about their English that any little piece of advice that I gave them they quickly absorbed it and practically learned it right then and there. It's these little rare occasions that can make the stay here worth all the time and stress.

No hesitation: Thoughts after 2 years of teaching

Being a teacher is definitely a difficult job. There's a lot of things that one has to think about and be careful of so that one doesn't look bad or erase the student's respect. Most of the time it can be as simple as trying to think of what to assign for homework. But every now and then there are moments that define the role of being the 'Teacher' and set how the students view you. It's an important thing because if you come across as lenient too early then the students can be more likely to take advantage of it and getting control of the classroom thus becomes difficult. But the opposite is coming across as overly strict, so much so that you are branded "dictator" by some of the more clever students and then the only reason they do their homework and listen is out of fear.

I have spent the past two years trying to find the middle ground and often finding myself asking the question, "is there a middle ground?" I believe that there is but it doesn't come miraculously or suddenly. It comes after a fuckload of work and stress. It comes after months of routine and information pounding so that the students can at least retain some of it. As teachers one has to set side personal self-esteem and expectations of how students "should" act. A teacher needs to have a firm foot on the rules of the classroom and really set the line of Teacher - student. When that line becomes skewed or absent, that is when the students start thinking that they can get away with being punks or shitheads. Once that happens, its difficult to reestablish yourself and get the 'respect' back.

Respect, is probably one of the most important things a teacher demands and the most difficult thing a student can give. It's not something that should be assumed will automatically be given, it's something earned. Earned through perseverance of your lesson plan, no deviations and ultimately - no hesitation. An absence of these is when you start to see attitude shifts and/or slacking. The most important thing that I've learned after two years of teaching and standing infront of that classroom is that one cannot hesitate to do what needs to be done to set the record straight of who they are and who you are. It can be as simple as raising your voice to let the students know that its time to be serious or it can be as extreme as taking whatever they are playing with away. The damned important thing is that you cannot show remorse or regret of doing it.

A raised voice does not have to be anger, but it has to be loud and firm enough to not be yelling but a bellow. It lets the students know that play time is over. If you have unruly students that push the envelope behavior wise, then a slap on the wrist won't cut it; it may the first time, but the second, third, fourth and fifth, is them taking advantage of your unwillingness to do what needs to be done. There shouldn't be a second time at all. The first time they make a behavior mistake, fucking end it. Do not hesitate to make them understand that it was wrong and make the regret that action or attitude. Yes, they may cry or get upset, but that is what it takes and they will respect you as a teacher for being firm.

It's not about being their friend, it's about making sure they understand where the line is.

Burger deliciousness

Upon coming to Korea I didn't think that burgers would be something one could get easily. I was surprised to find out that the idea of a burger rested in the realm of fast food. Burger King, McDonalds and Lotteria hold the monopoly as the Korean burger. Disappointing to say the least and for a long time I went without even eating or thinking of a burger.

Then one night, a few months back, my girlfriend mentioned Kraze Burger to me. My whole world changed. I could now get a real burger! Our first adventure to Sangmu was an adventure to say the least, it was our second time to use the subway here in Gwangju and thus it took some figuring out. But we got to Sangmu but we still didn't know exactly where Kraze Burgers was hiding. We eventually stopped into a Starbucks to ask for directions and the people there were really helpful, they directed us across the street and right to it!

On our way across a foot bridge and down the street we found numerous other little restaurants and stores. Then we found the shining beacon that is Kraze Burgers. It's right at the end of the street in the same building as a VIPS, and across the street from a Megabox. It is a magical place that has a great menu; a variety of burger styles and even a 'create our own' as well as different styles of french fries and Sprite. I was very excited when we got there, it had been a long time since I had a real burger and I wasn't disappointed.

After a few months of going to Kraze we started looking for other restaurants. One main place is TGIF that is located at U-Square Bus Terminal. But it is still a trek to get there. So with Kraze way over in Sangmu and TGIF at U-Square, it was starting to get to be an expensive trip. Then through the awesomeness of blogs we found another restaurant here in Gwangju that serves burgers: The Lemon Table.

Lemon Table is located downtown next to Geumnamro Park. If you are walking around in the middle of downtown, head to the street where Zara and ABC are located and there is an alley way next to ABC that will take you down and on the side there is a series of dry-cleaners and when you come to the end of the alley you will be next to a park, Lemon Table will on your right.

This restaurant is small, quaint, and awesome. The burgers there are equally delicious, grilled to perfection and served in four different ways. Like many Korean dishes though, they tend to drown their meat in sauce, so it is best to order the sauce on the side.

Along with great burgers, Lemon Table also has really good tea and also serves something rare to Korea, Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew.

For those that like cooking and are adventurous enough, you can take a two hour train ride to Daejeon which is the home of a Costco. For a cheap 35,000 won you get a Costco card which then gives you free reign to all that this wondrous Warehouse has to offer. It is a mere 3 minute walk from the SeoDaejeon train station to Costco and once inside you will be surprised by the grand scale compared to that of E-mart or Homeplus.

Here in Gwangju we have a foreign market that gets the majority of their food from Costco, so we decided to go check it out for ourselves one weekend.

One thing that drew me in was the rumor of hamburger meat. After scouring the vastness of Costco, we finally found the food and there was A LOT of food. It was all food from the west that we had gone near a year without seeing. We finally found the meat section and there it was, ground beef for a cheap 6,000 won. I jumped on that like a nerd on a math puzzle.

As awesome as Kraze and Lemon Table are, nothing beats a homemade burger. If you are here in Gwangju, South Korea, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to Kraze Burger or Lemon Table. You will be glad that you did.

Japanese Ramen in Korea

Being the traveler that I am, I have tried many varieties of food. I also have traveled the lands of Japan and Korea and thus know the importance of one main Asian staple: ramen.

However there is one thing very different about real Japanese ramen that puts it on a whole other level: the noodles used are real noodles.

These are not the packaged kind that you find so much of in America, which is high in sodium and calories. Even still, it is a staple that many Asians love and in Korea it is a very popular favorite. After exploring many parts of Japan, I grew accustomed to the awesomeness of Japanese ramen and its many different advantages. It could function as a midday snack, a high-calorie lunch and even a late night drunken snack. (The best one).

So when I chose to come to Korea, I was excited to be somewhere that would have ramen in abundance. Much to my disappointment it was the packaged kind. Throughout the months I slowly became to it and forgot about the Japanese style. Then on a fateful trip back to Japan with my girlfriend, I rediscovered the greatness of Japanese ramen (and she discovered it). We were then

disappointed when we came back to Korea and had to suffice with packaged ramen.

Then just this past week, Heather (my girlfriend) was looking online at some blogs from people that are here in Korea or have lived here. Through one blog she found a place in my neighborhood (Bong Seon Dong) that served Japanese style

ramen! We discussed it and that same night we talked to a good Korean friend of ours about it and found out that it was closer to my apartment than originally thought and it is called "Izakaya".

This place was such a great find! It was a real difference from the normal Korean venue of restaurants. The man there, JJ speaks English and is used to a foreigner crowd. He welcomes you with a smile and helpful information about the food. This is definitely a place that we will go back to and one that I really recommend to anyone reading this and is in Gwangju. It is a great place, reasonably priced and friendly.

To get there, you can take the 59 away from downtown to its last stop (near EMart in Bong Seon Dong). Across the street should be a large complex with a Gran Piatto. Take a left at the light past the Gran Piatto and walk down this street (should take about 10 minutes). The Izakaya will be on your left at the end of this street, in a round building next a cell phone store. There is a Tour Le Jours across the street from it. The restaurant is called Ramen Mandang (라맨 만땅)

Hope to see you there!

Michael Phelps

This is probably one of the oldest stories I have, and probably one of the best.

A co-worker, her boyfriend at the time, myself and Heather are downtown winter shopping. It's our first real time to go explore the many different stores that downtown has to offer, so we're following Simon (our Chinese friend) as he took us to several places. A shop called "The Bazaar" which is completely dedicated to jeans. IFU (or as I call it: the I F-U) mall, which is many floors of different clothing brands. Ben Sherman (RIP - This store and it's glory burned down one night). And then the "Chinese character store" as I've dubbed it.

Here's where the story gets interesting. Because this store is great, lots of stuff and for cheap. It's a great men's store with a sister store just down the street. However, the men's store is special. Because it has an obstacle. This obstacle is "THE CREEPY LADY". I have no idea who she is, but she looks like a ghost because of the ass load of make-up that she wears. You can ask any foreigner here that has gone into that store and just say, "the creepy lady" and they'll automatically know who you are talking about.

The first time we go into the store she greets us and seems friendly, but she sees my shaved head and immediately asks if I know Michael Phelps. I say I know of him, but she takes it that I am him. Thus starts the creepiness. At first it seemed innocent and kinda cute in a Korean association kinda way. But she won't go away! And now she's excited so she can't form her thoughts properly and was stuttering the entire time. We finally break away and go upstairs. We spent some time up there and when we came back down I was distracted by some cool looking jackets so I branched off to check them out. MISTAKE. Because, like a ninja, she appeared out of nowhere, still muttering and stuttering about Phelps. (This was after the last summer olympics so he was big news at the time). I tried to remain cool and calm but she got uncomfortably close and tried whispering something into my ear and when she realized that I didn't understand I saw her hands motion to her crotch.

When that didn't fly, because the expression on my face was more of panic than it was excitement or joy. She reached for my crotch! I knocked her hand away and quickly pushed my way past the numerous Koreans blocking me from my group and we high-tailed it out of there.

I'm still gun-shy to go into that store alone....