보신탕 (Bosintang)

Another threshold was crossed in the consumption of this meal. I had psyched myself up for this days in advanced. Even as I walked to the restaurant, I knew what I was doing and at that stage I was okay with it. I sat down with an air of fake confidence and ordered the dish. The lovely Korean lady that served me checked my order a couple of times with a surprised look on her face. I affirmed.

After she hurried off to make the dish I sat there and the full weight of what was about to transpire got me. And it got me good. My appetite vanished. My stomach turned into a knot. My pulse quickened. I searched the room longingly for an easy exit; they’ve run out of stock, I’m feeling sick, a big group needs my table. But alas nothing gave me respite from my situation.
I distracted myself with the B-grade 80’s action flick Broken Arrow on the TV nearby, and whoever the main actor is. I’ve seen him so many times but for the life of me I couldn’t remember where or in what films, let alone his name.

Then it arrived.

I’ve heard the smell is strong and off putting, but not to me, I didn’t notice it.

I wasn’t hungry but I begrudgingly started my meal as I had come too far to chicken out. I slowly ate the boiling hot slightly spicey soup.
Over the next hour I slowly ate most of the meal and a few sides, plus another soup offered as ‘service’. Pausing every now and again to remember exactly what I was eating and why I would do such a horrible thing. Also to watch some more Broken Arrow – John Travolta was the bad guy.

It wasn’t bad at all, I’ll even say it was tasty. The meat was akin to beef except much more tender and succulent. The color and taste I found very similar to beef and it only looked marginally different. You could easily be tricked into eating this thinking it’s beef, but it’s not.

Once I felt like I had laboured enough as to not offend my hosts I slowly stood up and left.

Maybe it was the combination of too much soup, not being hungry, too many 80’s cliches and my mind working overtime but I felt queasy on the walk home. However that quickly subsided and so did the mental pang of what I had done.

Maybe you will hate what I have done (again) but I sleep just fine at night. I can justify it in every same way I did when I ate whale meat refer to that post if you have questions. This practice also has a long history dating back to as early as 400 AD – research it yourself. Right or wrong, good or bad, who is to say?

I don’t think I will eat it again unless I have to. Once is enough, I can now say I’ve eaten dog meat.

Bosintang 8/10 – no jokes here

Getting fed fruit by your girlfriends mother.

Have you ever had to do a hard math test that you only studied a little for? How about if you did it in a foreign setting with your girlfriends family watching you? That’s kind of how I felt.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect and wow was it a real Korean experience for me. The 1st birthday of my girlfriend’s nephew.

There was a grand buffet feast laid out. Small steaks delivered to us. A huge hall decorated nicely. A mini photo collage of Amin the birthday boy. Most people were dressed nicely, the birthday boy and his mother and father were dressed in full hanbok, traditional korean clothing. It was a big deal, much more fuss than we would make in NZ with our fizzy, Big-Uns (or burger rings), fairy bread, and ice-cream cake.

Alice told me later that the 1st birthday is a huge deal in Korea. It owes its beginnings to a dark part of Korea’s past. When Korea as a country was struggling and poor (unsure of the exact date) infant mortality was extremely high. It wasn’t common for children to live past their first birthday. Therefore it was a big deal for parents and family if they had any children that did live past that age. Of course now that is different but the tradition remains.

At one point the lights were dimmed and a slideshow was started. It was 8 minutes (or two poorly chosen English songs) long. I’ve seen and made a few slideshows in my time and this was one of the strangest for me. At a 21st birthday it’s common to see a slideshow of photos to show off/embarrass the birthday boy/girl. To show what they have done and achieved  in their life. I personally made a slideshow about my grandfather at his funeral, showing again what he had achieved and done. But what has a 1 year old boy done? There weren’t a shortage of photos believe me. But as for achievements, pooping his pants, eating and dribbling were about the extent of it. I don’t mean to poo-poo (excuse the pun) Amin’s party or his moment to shine but I found it peculiar that 60 people were engrossed in this slideshow of a one year old.

The charismatic host was about to face his biggest challenge of the day. Calling out number “92” of the prize draw I was more relieved than disappointed to find out I didn’t win. However my girlfriend won with number 92. With that she trust the ticket into my hand and told me to go up and claim my prize. After a bit of back and forth I reluctantly went up.
I will never forget the share look of terror in the hosts face as we stood only a meter apart, face-to-face with 60 other people looking on.
He said something in Korean.

I said I had a little Korean.

He said something in Korean.

I said nothing.

He said something more in Korean.

I again said nothing.

He said “message”.

I said “Happy Birthday” into the microphone in a loud and slightly awkward way.

A few people started to clap.

I hurried home to the safety of my seat.

A few more people clapped.

 

Happy birthday Amin!

김아민 생일축하합니다!

 

The Plastic Bag Moments

As I hit six months since moving to Korea I want to pause and look back on my time. It has been AMAZING! I’ve said before and I will say it again  it was the best choice I have made in a long time and I stick by that. It’s been really tough at times but I’ve loved every minute of it.

With all this introspection and reflection about my time in Korea I kind of feel like the boy who filmed the plastic bag from American Beauty. Sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world … I feel like I can’t take it… and my heart is just going to cave in. It is in the snow that falls onto the streets of Muju, the crooked smiles of the elderly Koreans who with bent backs still walk delicately by the river and in the laughs and faces of the Korean children who still have their innocence in this ever more chaotic and demanding world.

This is all sitting in the corner and rocking to myself or fetal position material but I’ve held it at bay, for now.

Just before I left I was offered a job in New Zealand. It would be easy for me to sit here in South Korea wallowing in regret and wonder what life would have been like if I stayed. But I’ve chosen to focus my time and energy on the here and now.

It hasn’t all been easy. I’ve really been put out of my comfort zone many, many times and I’ve failed more than have succeeded but I’ve learnt so much in doing so. I’m a firm believer in learning from experience and I’ve had more than my fair share this last six months. And that’s how I would summarize my time here. Is that everything is an experience. A simple trip to the grocery store in New Zealand involved buying well known, tried and tested products, a predetermined path through the isles, remembering if I have milk left at home  (I don’t) and small talk with the checkout operator usually to the tune of the weather or if I’m ‘good’. Now I pick up products and stare at the picture to determine the contents, try in vain to decipher the Hangul, go on a wild goose chase for listed items, remembering if I have milk at home (I do), and engage in awkward smiles and misinterpreted conversation before leaving. And that’s just the supermarket, there’s so many more experiences like that everyday. It may sound a bit scary but once you get used to it and embrace the not knowing it’s fine, in fact it’s good, it’s a challenge. I love challenges.

Now I give you my top 6 experiences of the last six months (in no particular order).

• I found a girlfriend or 여자친구 (Yeojachingu).
• I went to the DMZ.
• I went to China and saw the Great Wall.
• I bought a pet snake.
• I had a total overall of my diet in a yum way.
• I’m learning Taekwondo IN South Korea.

Obviously there are many more but these stand out for their own specific reasons to me.

All bar the first one could happen nowhere else but Korea. What would be on my list if I had of stayed?

This only gives me further proof that I made the right choice which always helps me sleep a little better.

Thank you to those of you still reading. My blog says there’s around 600 people who have subscribed. I find that very humbling. Thank you for spending your most valuable commodity (time) reading and interacting with my blog I hope it’s helped in some way.

May the next six months be as eventful and beautiful as the first.

마석훈.

Slightly chubby New Zealander in South Korea feels the height of his position in the food chain.

Our mafia man

Different cuts and pricing

I haven’t been so morally conflicted as I am now for putting something in my mouth since O’Week 2008.

I heard there is a certain delicacy enjoyed by many Koreans and Japanese alike. It’s a part of their culture despite the public outcry and backlash they received from the rest of the world. .

I had seen and heard of whale meat in South Korea a couple of weeks ago and decided to try it myself after much mental and moral arm wrestling.

On one side is the fact most whale species are endangered and near extinction. If I was to buy and consume the meat I would be in a way condoning the slaughter of some endangered species. There are people willing to put their lives on the line to defend these creatures who am I to simply eat one. There’s the questionable conditions under which whales are caught and slaughtered.

The other side of the coin is this is going on regardless. How does my onetime purchase of whale result in the direct death of a creature? There’s the old “you eat (insert common meat or insect foodstuff here) why not whale?” argument. Also there was sheer human curiosity or ‘scientific research’ as the whalers would say in trying this meat.

In the end the latter side one out, love me or hate me for it. It’s done. I can sleep at night.

So I asked my girlfriend, to find us a place in Busan as a quick Google revealed it’s the place (apart from Ulsan) to go for whale.

We found a lovely little place only a quick walk from our base in Busan. We came upon the tiny little restaurant nestled among many other similar looking ones. The only thing that indicated this one was different were the words 고래 고기 (Gorae Gogi) whale meat and a cute cartoon of a friendly, smiling, some wearing a sailors hats -which I’m still suspicious about.

Unfortunately the place we chose was closed at the particular time we went but a quick phone call and the owner was happy to open shop slightly early on our account.

The owner arrived a short time later in a new model Bentley giving me the impression he was part of some kind of whale meat mafia. He turned out to be an awesome and more than accommodating host, forthcoming with information on our meal.

So let’s get to the nitty gritty what did it taste like and do I feel like a terrible human now?

We first off this was the priciest food item pound-for-pound I’ve bought in Korea. You can see the tiny slithers of meat we were served. The entire meal came to 50,000 won our about NZ$50. Previous I usually payed NZ $6-10 For a much more wholesome meal.

The taste was different, much different and not for the faint hearted. As you can see in the photos there’s a lot of fat. The actual flesh tastes and has the same texture as beef, if with a slight fishy taste. The fat is a different story. It’s super oily, it searches out every nook and cranny of your face and fills it with its distinctive whale flavour. It’s different. Words fail to describe it. You also have to consider all the different cuts of meat too. We were served four different cuts each from a different part of the whale and each with a slightly differing taste.

In truth I actually enjoyed the unique flavour it had to offer. I expected having to grit my teeth and persevere through sweat and possible gagging to finish the meal but I completed it with relative ease. Even after my girlfriend opted out, she didn’t enjoy it.

Now I sit here debriefing on the way home struggling to decide if I’ve reached a moral low point or an adventurous high point. I’m not sure.

Anyway it’s done now. Curiosity satisfied. I don’t need to eat it again and I probably won’t.

I suspect this won’t be topped until I try other Korean morally questionable meals such as k9 variety.

4.5/5 for taste.

5/5 for making you question everything about yourself after consumption.

And do I feel like a terrible human? Of course. But that’s not whale meat related.

 

 

TED Talks and Breakfast Cereals

As I look back on this blog, this ‘thing’ I have created I notice it’s rather light on teaching content. Considering teaching is the reason for my existence here I thought I should shed some light on it, I mean it is the second half of my ‘Living and Teaching in South Korea’ tagline.

All in all I’ve had a wonderful teaching experience here. But be warned. I have heard first hand some absolute horror stories such as; withholding pay, forced overtime without pay, seemingly unprovoked firing (especially in your 11th month), broken promises, turning up in Korea to your school being closed permanently, rude bosses, lack of basic accommodation and much more. These stories I’ve heard aren’t without merit, but it’s not everywhere. I mean you have to understand a lot of these 학원 (Hagwon) schools are private, for profit. Some bad people are prepared to pull you in, take you for a ride then spit you out all in the name of money. Remember you only have a one year contract, there’s no investment, they can get rid of you on a whim and replace you, easy.
A lot of people are happy with their schools and situations. They may not be the best, but no job ever is. It’s worth mentioning there are also as many amazing stories as horrendous ones; school flights to Japan, heaps of camps, relaxed working conditions, basically supervising kids in a classroom (if “teaching” isn’t your cup of tea), lots of free time, super easy work (i.e going through a textbook with the students), cool staff, no weekend work, good pay vs expenses etc.
I’m happy to say I have the latter. I’ve been lucky I think. Things could be a lot worse for me but they’re not. I enjoy my job. I enjoy the people.
If I’m being honest the work is fairly easy but that’s because I’m a trained teacher. I can imagine for an Arts Major or a General Science Major this would be a bit of work, but not impossible. I’ve been put through the crucible when it comes to teaching thanks to my degree so this by comparison is a walk in the cake. Not to say isn’t doesn’t have its challenges. I try challenge myself by pushing students and myself for more and better work, that’s how I am but you can get away with a lot less, if you can have that on your conscience.
The beauty of my job is it’s different every day. Others will have the exact same classes everyday for the entire 12 months. In one day I can teach kindergarten in the morning, primary/elementary at lunch, high school in the evening and adults at night. It’s fantastic!
Also sometimes we have camps. This could mean 10, 11, 12, even 13 hour days. Sometimes we have time in the office creating our lessons for the next year. So while sometimes hectic and confusing it is also a good challenge and chance to learn.
But mostly it’s the people that make it for me. My gut instinct told me to go for this job after I talked to the head teacher and he won me over with discussions about TED talks and Weetbix (a New Zealand breakfast cereal) this was a stark contrast to the bland, repetitive, generic nature of basically every other school I talked to.
My advice for those looking at teaching overseas is:

1) Definitely do it! At least give it a go.

2) Research as much as you can for lots of different sources.

3) Go with your gut.

4) Better pay doesn’t mean better situation.

5) Ask lots of questions before signing anything.

6) READ AND UNDERSTAND YOUR CONTRACT.

7) Look at the schools website (even if you can’t read Korean), ask for photos, try speak to a current teacher all to create a full picture of the school and it’s people.

8) Facebook is invaluable for finding information.
I hope this helps anyone looking at EFL or ESOL teaching overseas. Feel free to contact me if need be.

mattyjrcole@gmail.com