The Korean Cafe

The Korean Café.

This is my new favourite place. I eat here maybe 3 times a week. That’s being shy; I would say it’s more like 4 times a week. The menu is longer than the Calais to Dover crossing and is as plentiful as the tabloids lies surrounding the close season transfer window. It’s reminiscent to that of an English Café. It has the cheap and ever so basic interior furniture. Its chairs are brown plastic and its tables are the cheapest form of artificial style wood (not sure of the technological term for shite, fake wood). It has cheap laminated photos of its meals, with deals of the day, soup of the day etc etc.

It has a small TV hoisted up centre stage, and it plays the daily soaps/dramas and new flashes. The cliental range from lonely middle age businessmen, to entire families. With of course your standard old men and bustling students swinging by for a cheap and cheerful feed. Having pretty much devoured every style of food in the area, and over-indulged in most of them at the same time, this has become a good, decent and trustworthy source of nourishment.

The picture you see below is what I ate about 45 minutes ago. The big bowl is called Bi-Bim-Bap. It’s assorted vegetables and rice with a fried egg slapped on top. The red sauce bottle is a delicious spicy number. With this, you flood the Bi-Bim-Bap and then tuck in. Supporting the main dish are complimentary sides. Some Kimichi, a garlic fried mushroom dish, some scented bean-sprouts, a small vege omelette and a roast nut and cabbage soup. Tantalisingly good from start to finish.

Cost: £1.50 all in.
Waiting Time: 2 Minutes max.
Customer Service: 10/10

So, as mentioned, I recently realised that this is the equivalent to the English Café. It’s the quickest and most standard form of Korean food. There are a few differences. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but will list a few simple differences.

Freshness – Korean Café doesn’t have any tins or packages in sight.

Smell – an obvious difference, but there isn’t much oil in these places, therefore no stench of greasy fat.

Cleanliness – Again with oil absent from this set-up it tends to feel a lot cleaner. No slippery greased up floors.

Tea – It doesn’t have tea. Need I say anymore. Points lost here.

Trashy Newspaper – The third aspect of an English Café (First being the fry up, second being the over-sized mug of tea) is the grease covered tabloid that is floating its way from table to table. Korean Café doesn’t have tabloid!

This time in four weeks I will have been in Balham, South West London, for a couple of hours. To be honest I’ll probably be sat on the couch watching Sky Sports News 24. I’ll probably be feeling a little strange and wondering what to do next. I’ll probably ask Dad to cook me some rice and let me hold some chopsticks or something. It’s going to be strange, very strange. But, I’m currently marinating myself in excitement about my three week vacation to my homelands. I can hardly wait……

Below is a sneak preview at my new apartment. 2nd Floor, window facing the blue van side.

ENGLAND

I must apologise for the slight delay in proceedings. I’m sure you have been waiting with baited breath at my next lexical instalment on life in Korea. The excuse is that so much has happened and that I’ve had some many cunning, enthusiastic ideas, that I have struggled to conjure up the courage to begin the unwinding of it all, onto the keyboard. I cleaned my keyboard last week in pure disgust at the state that it had become, but once I had done so, I then decided that I would let it breath and thrive in its new found happiness for a few days, in the same fashion as one does with an old favourite album. Therefore delaying my latest blog even further.

I’m here now though. So, I have been counting down to my three week adventure back to the UK. I’m currently 37 days away from the 13-15 hour flight. I have been trying to work out what to do, when, where and with whom. I’ve been hesitant to make actual concrete plans, but I soon realised that life would be that little easier if I did. I had flirted outrageously with the idea of a couple of days away in Europe. I first thought that a beach style resort might be what I needed/fancied. I then thought that a bit of European city life might float my boat. After too-ing and throw-ing with a number of options I’ve decided that staying in and around my creature comforts is EXACTLY what I want, need and am REALLY looking forward to.

Other things that have been occupying my mind are finding a new apartment and finding a substitute teacher for my three week vacation. My journey of the new apartment for year two was relatively quick and painless. I had acquired the help of a local Korean friend. She guided me into a local Estate Agency, gave them my wish list and off they went, making phone calls, sending emails and doing things in order to help me with my cause. Two days later I viewed my new home. It comes in the style of an old Korean house. I have no idea how to describe it to you, because I was only in there for around 45 seconds, as the Korean couple in there seemed to be busy doing eating type activities. However, I can say that I have TWO rooms, a kitchen, bathroom, small laundry-esc balcony and a very quiet entourage of tight alleys and walkways surrounding my front door. It’s perched nicely on a small hill and sits about 60 metres back from the 8-lane high street that makes Oryudong tick, pretty much 24/7. Photos will follow, shortly after the 16^th July. This is the moving date.

Finding a substitute teacher wasn’t easy in the slightest. I had begun to panic. I HAD to find someone – I needn’t say anymore. So, off I went, making phone calls, sending emails and doing things in order to help me with my cause. It was painful. SO, many people saying “Would love to, but not for that money” – “I have already found my summer job” – “I’m not a native speaker, is that a problem?” (Yes, it is)…..

Then, Cometh the hour, cometh the (wo)man. Her name is Cindy Wilkins and she is joining the Kids Herald Team in replace of yours truly. She’s my new best friend.

I have taken up a couple of hobbies in Korea. One is learning the language. It’s a slow, but thoroughly exciting, challenge. I picked up the alphabet whilst in China for 5 days. I have now taken up learning all sorts of essential, day to day, phrases. It’s hugely satisfying when you can read words, sentences etc and know what it means. I NEVER thought I would ever be capable of reading, understanding, practicing and above all, executing the Korean language. I’m not counting any chickens yet, my level is still stupidly and pathetically low, but I know the kind of person I am, and I’m doing VERY well…. Haha. See you soon!!!!!!!!!!

Conversation Time

I had a couple of great conversations on Thursday. One of them was with a 12 year old called Cindy, who I've taught since I arrived here, and the other was with a random Korean man on the streets of Hongdae.

Two conversations in chronological order................

Thursday afternoon. Kids Herald School, Green Class.

Toby Teacher: Do you know Lee Hyori?
(she is a very gorgeous and famous Korean lady that appears in numerous advertisements)
All: (they corrected my pronunciation and said yes)
Toby Teacher: Well, I'm seeing her on Friday night. She called me and asked me!!
All: REALLY??? REALLY??
Leena: No, He's joking!
Toby Teacher: Yes, I'm joking. But she did call me and I said I was too busy! (I laughed, they didn't)
Cindy: She is good girl, but..
Toby Teacher: But what?
Cindy: She is good girl, she is gooood girl. But your face, your face is....
Toby Teacher: My face is what?
Cindy: Your face is very good, but your face is (she extends her eyes, rubs her chin) very scary!!

Thursday night. Hongdae. On the street.

Korean Man: Hello. Hi. Nice to meet you.
Toby: Hi, how are you?
Korean Man: I'm student. Where are you from?
Toby and Giovanna: From London.
Korean Man: You, Couple?? (Giovanna and I get this a lot)
Toby and Giovanna: No! Just friends, we went to University together.
Korean man and girlfriend: We looking for English friends.
Toby: We're busy tonight, but what's your name?
Korean Man: Pete.
Toby: Pete?? as in P.E.T.E.
Korean Man: No, Pete. As in P.I.T.T. Do you know Brad Pitt??
Toby: Ahhhh!!! Pitt. Very good name. Giovanna! His name is Pitt, as in Brad Pitt.
Giovanna: hahahahaha.....

We exchanged numbers and walked away. How can anyone take this guy seriously with a name like that?? I mean come on man..... PITT!!??? seriously??

My Weekend

The weekend has passed by. Quite a busy one. Friday night I took myself over to a Korean friend’s house, I won’t mention their name, to save them the embarrassment that this may/will/would cause. We shared food, drink and much more drink. I found a nice little bottle of Chianti, a few weeks back, in my local shop. It costs around £9.00 and it even has the Italian Export stamp on it. It tastes like it should do. So a bottle of that was drunk with our meal. Then we moved onto a Korean drink called Bekseju. It’s a Soju Wine if you like. Soju for the lady. A few bottles of it was drunk at a pace that an ‘Old Irishman’ would be proud to associate himself with. Anyway, we decided it was time to head to a club for some dancing. This was always our plan. Ten minutes into our cab journey it was time to turn around and head home. The unnamed persons comfort zone had been taken over by double (possibly triple) vision and a wave of stomach clenches that ultimately resulted in…….. you know!!!

Saturday arrived and I headed out of my neighbourhood and into Yongsan Electronics market. I recently purchased a BIGGER lens for my camera. I therefore, now, needed to purchase a BIGGER camera bag to fit my new lens, old lens and existing accessories in. I got one, job done.

I walked out of the market and heard the floor tremble. Nothing to worry about though, it was the commencement of the ‘Dance Festival’ just around the corner. I sat for a couple of hours and took some snaps.

NO to US beef...........................

Later, at around 6:31pm, I met Yoori, a newly acquired friend. We met at City Hall, Exit 2. We planned to attend the ‘US Beef’ protest. It was quite over whelming. Thousands upon thousands soon swamped the area, as the streets coming and going from City Hall closed down to traffic, 10, 20, 30 thousand people all sat and chanted, danced, light candles, sung, waved and ceremonially supported the same cause from start to finish. We departed to have some Thai food. I had Chicken and Yoori had seafood.

Sunday arrived and I headed to Yeouido for some cycling and a cold beer. I was meeting fellow teacher/Englishman/Norwich-ite friend Chris and his girlfriend Hyojoo. I arrived early. I again heard the floor tremble. Nothing to worry about though, it was some traditional Korean drums being played by some traditionally dressed Koreans. I sat for 30 minutes, abused the use of my newly acquired zoooooooooooom lens and waited patiently for the arrival of said people. They arrived and we cycled along the impressively wide ‘Han River’. The sun was slowly setting as we made up way up, down and around the rivers banks. I arrived home a short time ago. That was my weekend.