Places that Really (and Thankfully) Exist: The CupNoodles Museum

For those who don't already know, I re-signed my contract and will be staying in Korea until the end of February 2014. That means another year of fun filled blog posts for you!

Between contracts I was able to take a two week vacation in the US and an amazing trip to Japan with my friend Deanne. To be honest we spent most of the week in Tokyo gorging on ramen and sushi, but I thought it was time very well spent. In between eating sessions (needless to say the food in Japan is amazing) we managed to fit in some shopping and visits to the main tourist attractions. Though the Shinto shrines and shopping were incredible we agreed that our greatest discovery by and far was the CupNoodles Museum in Yokohama (located in the outskirts of Tokyo).

That's right. There is an entire museum dedicated to the sodium filled joy that is Cup Noodles. Though some might be quick to write it off as an over the top marketing ploy, it actually has some cool art installations, and you can make your own custom Cup Noodles! You can even learn how to make the noodles from scratch and learn the hot oil drying process used to harden them. Unfortunately we didn't get to the museum early enough to make our own noodles, but it certainly looked like fun.

The custom Cup Noodles making experience begins with decorating your own personal cup. Then once you finish and the noodles are put in place, you can chose your powder flavor and four little dried vegetables and/or meat additions. Then you watch as they shrink wrap the container and voila! Your own custom Cup Noodles is complete. Perhaps I am easily entertained, or perhaps it was actually really awesome.

You can see my sad attempt to draw a bowl of ramen above the "S"...I blame the lack the fine tipped markers.
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Here you can see the machine they use to press the noodles in the container, and they allow you to...wait for it...crank the machine yourself.

The awesome custom noodle factory people.

The gentleman working at the counter was kind enough to pose my custom noodles for the camera.

Afterwards you could wander through the exhibits, including a massive display of Cup Noodles throughout the years, starting from its inception in 1958. According to the historical information provided it took Ando Momofuku, the inventor of Cup Noodles, an entire year of sleepless nights and weekend-less work weeks to perfect the hot oil drying process that preserved the noodles for future consumption. The additional exhibits were about creativity and pursuing your passions (in case your custom Cup Noodles wasn't inspiring enough already).

The great man himself.

I thought the most amusing part (aside from the above statue) was the ramen bazaar, a labyrinth of mock cheap noodle stands modeled after their counterparts in various countries. It serves as the museum's restaurant where you can buy and eat noodles as they are made in different cuisines, from Chinese to American to Vietnamese.

I like how they purposely made the stand on the right look particularly dingy, though it didn't do much to wet my appetite. Not that it mattered much since I was able to enjoy this ramen the day before (if you are bored, at work, and very hungry, I suggest you skip the next photo):

 This is some out of this world authentic Japanese ramen we ate at Kyushu Jangara Ramen in Harajuku. The restaurant right near the Harajuku subway station and I highly highly recommend eating there if you are in Tokyo!

Overall, I'd say it was a very very positive day:

The Wedding Dress Story

I am the cupcake bunny, hear me roar.

Contrary to what this photo might lead you to believe, I'm not one of those girls with a Pinterest account dedicated to my dream wedding. So how did this happen?

Well, in addition to the seemingly inescapable "Gangnam Style", Seoul is also becoming known for its abundance of cute and over the top themed cafes. Back in October I wrote about my experience at one of Seoul's many Cat Cafes, where you can mingle with cats and coffee. Last weekend I finally took a long awaited trip to the Princess Diary Cafe, where one can spend the afternoon reliving their childhood days playing dress up in their mother's closet.

So how does the Princess Diary Cafe work? Here's a breakdown:

Step 1: Enter the cafe, attempt to speak with the hostess in broken Korean.
Step 2: Order coffee and/or food.
Step 3: Put on your make-up, do your hair, and use the restroom if necessary.
Step 4: Pick a wedding dress to wear. Dresses range from 10,000 to 30,000 won to put on.
Step 5: Get pinned into said wedding dress by an assistant. Watch out for the dress needles! No safety pins here. Then add accessories, like a tiara or animal ears.
Step 6: Be surprised and thrilled at how fun it is to have your own personal, fake wedding photo shoot with your friends.
Step 7: Try not to be bewildered and/or giggle at the couple that just walked in. Yes, that guy is going to take fake wedding photos with his girlfriend and genuinely enjoy it. In fact, it might even have been his idea to come here.
Step 8: Take off wedding dress.
Step 9: Enjoy delicious coffee and food.

Me and my friend Nadia saying yes to the dress.

They had a corner with special lighting to make your skin look flawless.

Some might find it absurd to pay $30 to try on a wedding dress for an hour, but culturally it make sense. As young adults Korean don't have opportunities like prom or formal school functions to play dress up. And for their weddings, dresses are usually custom made, so there is no "Say Yes to the Dress" style dress selection sessions for women. In general it's difficult to find many stores where you can just go in and try on fancy dresses like you might at a department store in the States.

Considering how much people spend on things like prom and other one night events, $30 to wear a fancy dress for an hour actually doesn't seem so bad. The most surprising thing for me is how common it is for couples to come to the cafe. When I imagine asking a boyfriend in the States to join me for a fake wedding photo shoot and coffee, I imagine the back of his head becoming a spec of dust on the horizon as he runs for the hills. I'm sure there are Korean guys who go just to please their girlfriends and don't genuinely enjoy the experience, but believe it or not I think there also are many that do enjoy it.

While most would jump to the go-to-conclusion that Korean men tend to be more effeminate, I think their willingness to play dress up is actually due more to cultural differences in dating and relationships. First it's true, in Korean dating culture, men are definitely expected to go the extra mile for their girlfriends. Chivalry is without a doubt alive and kicking (if I had a dollar for every time I saw a guy holding their girlfriend's purse...).

Therefore doing something like taking fake wedding photos with your girlfriend doesn't seem as extreme here as it might in the States. You can see this high expectation for romance played out in Korean films and TV dramas (something that has no doubt attributed to their popularity in the US and abroad). I think as a culture, romance in Korea is something desired equally by men and women, it's not a "girl thing."

Second, I think this can be further attributed to the fact that the general attitude toward marriage is different. At least in some social circles, marriage among young couples in America is treated as a far off distant prospect, something that is difficult to imagine yourself doing. People get into relationships to "see where it goes" or relationships that "aren't serious."

My experience dating in Korea is limited but I get the sense that relationships aren't usually treated so flippantly, or at least the prospect of marriage isn't something to be feared. Korea has very community oriented society, the idea of being married to someone for life doesn't signify giving up a part of one's self the way I think it does in the States.

When it comes to marriage for American men, I think the idea of getting married and having a family signifies giving up valued personal freedom and in no small part, some of one's manhood. On the other hand, for Korean men, it seems that having a wife and children makes you a man. When asking my male high school students what they want to be when they grow up, several have replied "a good father".  Most foreign girls who've dated Korean men will tell you that they aren't shy about dropping "L" word or discussing marriage. This isn't to say all Korean men want to be married and all American men don't, but the general attitude and dating culture feel pretty different.

It can be seen even in my own writing of the subject that Americans tend to treat love and marriage as taboo subjects within a relationship until the proverbial question has been popped. While I'm sure saying "I love you" is still a big deal in Korea, I don't think you'll hear any Korean girls harping on the difference between "love" and being "in love." For Koreans, these things are just part of the relationship deal. You can talk about love without "dropping the L bomb" and take jokey wedding photos because that's what couples do, they get married. At least some of them do eventually. And if you don't, your fake wedding photos will just be another thing to burn, along with his old t-shirt and that teddy bear he gave you.

Still Alive: Adventures with Eastern Medicine

WARNING: if you are squeamish and don't like needles...avoid the first picture in this post. I debated leaving out the picture but...hey why not?

I apologize if any of the following is TMI but I suppose a blog that is meant to chronicle my adventures in Korea can't always avoid the unpleasant things. During November I came down with a nasty cold that lasted a couple of weeks, and just when I thought I was in the clear I sprained my ankle!

I came into school limping and all my students asked what happened, the most popular guess was..."soccer"? I sheepishly replied, "no...just walking." I stepped off a curb the wrong way and that was pretty much the end of it.  Fortunately I should have all the pep in my step back for New Year's, though I've yet to solidify any plans.

Spraining my ankle did lead to one interesting adventure...acupuncture. My Korean friends and co-workers insisted that I try it. I did it twice and the swelling did go down, but I don't know if it was the acupuncture as much as the natural healing process. From what I've heard from its advocates, acupuncture is more effective for chronic pain, so maybe I'll try it again once my ankle has healed a bit more. I did some research and according to some recent studies, it apparently does have positive effects for people with chronic pain, more statistically significant than the placebo effect.

If you're traveling in Korea and have the time I would try it! It doesn't hurt when they put the needles in (maybe you will feel a tiny tiiinnnnyy pinch) and once they are in you don't feel them at all. As they say, you can't knock it til' you've tried it...and if you are working in Korea...it's partially covered by your insurance (?!?!)  So...sorry if you're squeamish...here's me with my acupuncture (it's mostly blurred out by the light from the heat lamp anyway).

Since my students had exams this past week, I've been spending most of time at work with my feet propped on in the office. Keeping warm with my awesome ramen socks. 

And to end on a pleasant note, we received lots of snow the past two weeks. Here are some pretty pictures of the wintry Korean countryside.

The drive to school.

My school's little hang out area.

The view from my apartment.

The Cat Cafe...with real cats!

I knew I had to write a post dedicated the cat cafe photos which everyone on Facebook seemed to love. Yes, there are actually cat and dog cafes in Seoul where you can go have a coffee while you pet/feed the animals (the cat and dog cafes are separate of course).  Next weekend I want to try a dog cafe since the cat cafe is lacking in unconditional love, i.e. they won't even come near you to pet them if you don't buy treats for them to eat. Note the most popular man at the cat cafe, with his plethora of treats:

And how awesome is that grey and black cat?!

Of course there are rules. Don't grab, tease, or squeeze the cats. No human food either. These are princess cats and they must be treated as such...they have "requirement."

Lots of people had iPads to help them engage with the fluffy felines.

Including that kid in the back who actually had a cat toy application on his iPad....I'm 100% serious...I'm also 100% sure the cat wasn't having it. 

And don't forget the cat themed coffees! Pretty impressive coffee/ latte art considering people clearly don't come here for the coffee. My friend and I we're trying to imagine a group of American guys hitting up the cat cafe (*in frat boy voice*): "Yeah man I've just had a rough day. We should just go to the cat cafe...get some drinks and like, pet some cats."

I thought this cat was the cutest, but he was a total jerk. I unsuccessfully tried to pet him, so the nice Korean boy sitting next to me (his hands are pictured here) gave me some of his cat treats. What does that cat do when I held out my hand with the food? Knocks it out of my hand, onto the floor, eats it, and runs away...rude. If you're a cat lover, be aware, you better come prepared with some serious cat treats if you want any lovin' from these guys.

And in case you weren't totally overwhelmed being surrounded by cats on the floor, tables, and chairs, they can also run around on the ceiling! Overall it was an amusing experience...but I think I still prefer dogs. Will definitely be taking a trip to a dog cafe in the near future.

Baseball (and Cheering) in Korea

A few weeks ago I went to my first baseball game in Korea. While the game is the same, the experience is quite different. First the cost is much less prohibitive, as tickets (albeit in the nosebleed section) were only 10,000 won, or about 10 dollars. The stadium is on the small side though, so the view was still good. Best part? Once you're in, the prices of food and drinks (alcohol included) are the same prices as outside the stadium! No paying $9 for a beer that's worth $2.

We watched the Doosan Bears play the LG Twins. This was exciting because they are both Seoul teams who share the stadium. Usually one team plays their home game there while the other is away. One could say it was like watching the Seoul version of the subway series (Yankees vs. Mets for you non- New York area-ers). As you can tell however, unlike American teams, Korean teams are named for the companies that own them, not the state or city they represent. There are eight teams in the professional league, including the Kia Tigers and Samsung Lions. Also sound familiar?

I find it interesting that the teams only have English names. but I think it's meant to help them gain more international recognition. I'm under the impression that Korea has generally performed well in international baseball competitions. One area where Korean baseball undoubtedly surpasses American baseball is cheering. The fans participate in organized cheers and dances for the entire game, even when players are up at bat. Perhaps I'm remembering incorrectly, but I feel like at American games fans usually quiet down at least while the pitcher is throwing.

I didn't know what I wanted to watch more, the game, or the incredible displays of fan-dom taking place up in the stands. For your entertainment, here's a video of the cheering. You can see how fans sat on either side of the stadium depending on which team they were rooting for. I believe the far sides of the stadium are actually special "cheering sections" which require you to at least hold on to a pair of those inflatable noise maker things (that's the scientific term). The middle of the stadium where we sat had fans for both teams, sprinkled with indifferent spectators like myself, who generally did not partake in the organized singing and dancing.

What You Actually Eat in Korea, Part 1

 Part 1: At the Supermarket

I'm always taken aback when Koreans ask me, "You actually like Korean food?" This question comes up a surprising amount and of course the answer is yes! I can't tell if they are genuinely incredulous at my tastes or if they just think they are supposed to act that way with foreigners. For example, the following is an almost exact transcript of a conversation that took place between me and a random Korean guy on the subway:

Guy: So do you like Korean food?
Me: Yeah I really like it! Gamgyetang* is my favorite!
Guy: Oh wow, really? Do you eat Chinese food?
Me: Yeah all the time. I eat pretty much all Asian cuisines. Chinese, Japanese, Thai...
Guy: You eat sushi?
Me: I love sushi! Actually I would love to eat some sushi right now.
Guy: You eat sushi?! You must be Asian...

*Yes...I was just trying to impress him.

Granted, I eat the Americanized version of these foods, but I explained that I couldn't think of anything more American than eating Chinese food out of the carton, or going out to a sushi dinner with friends. Koreans don't usually eat sushi rolls though, just fish and rice, but I eat that too.

Point being, I considered writing about my favorite traditional Korean cuisine, but since there are enough foodies out there with blogs espousing the beauty and wonder of every new dish, complete with flowery descriptions and D-SLR quality photos, I've decided to write about the other food...the on-the-go, I'm broke, or don't-have-enough-time-to-get-a-real-meal food. Personally I find this stuff much more interesting, especially when you see familiar brands touting products that wouldn't go over so well in the United States.

I'm going to skip a lengthy discussion of ramen (ramyeon in Korean) since the answer is yes, there is ramen for days and it comes of a variety of unfamiliar flavors. Though I'm not the world's healthiest eater, in general I try to stay away from it since it's very high in sodium and mystery ingredients.

One of the things most foreigners notice when they first enter Korean supermarkets are gift sets like these:

 

Tuna? Spam? I think most people would prefer an ugly sweater, so I shall enlighten you on two cultural notes. First, Spam is popular in Korea not because of some weird genetic affinity to synthetic meat, but because the Americans distributed it in high quantities as part of food rations during the Korean War and the rebuilding period afterwards.

I think some people have moved on from Spam due to current economic prosperity (my co-teacher has acknowledged that it isn't good for you), but it's also deeply ingrained in modern Korean food culture. My school cafeteria occasionally serves rice with vegetables and small cubes of spam. I've even heard of restaurants that still serve "army soup", soup containing Spam and other foods you probably wouldn't choose to eat during times of peace...or an armistice.

Okay, so Koreans like Spam, but why in such large gift sets? The second note is that in Korean culture, gifts are supposed to be practical. Things like food, vitamins, toothpaste, etc, are perfectly acceptable gifts. For my birthday I received two boxes of these guys which I love:

These little packaged cakes probably have a similar shelf life to Twinkies and would be right at home with an array of Hostess products (assuming Hostess hasn't gone under yet). For the most part Koreans really love sweets. How much you ask? My current public enemy no.1 in Korea is sugared garlic bread, the travesty that it is...but we'll get that in Part 2: Food On the Go, and on the Cheap.

Moving to the chip aisle. Chip flavors have gotten pretty wacky in the States, but in Korea  chips come in flavors of food that you can hardly find here. For example: these taco flavored chips advertise two large pieces of cheese...do you know how hard it is to find a legitimate taco in Korea? Let alone one with cheese? Even in Seoul it's hard to come by a decent taco. So you can't get the real thing, but you can eat the chip flavor! Makes Taco Bell look gourmet.

Although we typically associate chips with salty foods in America, chips in Korea also come in a wide variety of sweet flavors. Yesterday my co-teacher handed me what I thought was a cheese puff (silly), but it tasted like pineapple...broke my taste buds' little tiny hearts (note: I much prefer salty snacks to sweet ones...and I LOVE cheese puffs...please send some).

Sweet and Delicious...I'm mildly curious as to what "Delicious" tastes like in chip form...a lot like honey it seems.

The one thing most foreigners would agree Korea flavors well is milk. I'm not a huge fan of these things, but many foreigners go crazy for these banana and strawberry flavored milk drinks (I going to go ahead and say  "milk drink" since I think the percentage of actual milk in there is a little questionable).

Foreigners however are in disagreement over a drink called Pocari Sweat. Some people love it, some people hate it. It's like the Korean Gatorade...except the flavor has been described to me as "actually tasting like sweat"...or even less flattering, "tastes like urine." Truthfully I haven't been brave enough to try it. Apparently it's pretty good for you and can actually be helpful if you're dehydrated (or hung over). I'll try to work up the courage some day soon and report back on the taste (still in recovery from the beondegi episode).

In terms of healthy snacks, outside of nuts, fruit, and vegetables (which can get rather pricey) the options feel pretty limited. I love granola bars at home, but the only brand I've seen here that makes them is Dr. You. They satisfy the craving, but just barely. I've grown to love Dr. You's flaxseed cookies (though I think they are more like sugar cookies with flaxseed). In the past cashews and almonds have been my go to healthy, yet filling snack, but they are very expensive here!

 

This little container cost me the equivalent of $6! I also eat a lot of yogurt at home, but here most of it comes in liquid form. You drink rather than spoon it, which for some reason does not wet my appetite. If you go to Costco in Seoul you can get almost anything you're missing from home, but it might be expensive and for me it is quite the trek for weekly groceries. Since I've only been here three months my cravings haven't been dire, but we'll see how long I can go without Kraft Mac n' Cheese and avocados before things get dicey...

For your entertainment, here's what they think of American food at Emart, a Target type chain with a full grocery section:

 

Actually America and Mexico are grouped together in this aisle, so I guess it's really "North American food"...apparently we subsist mostly on tomato based condiments and marshmallow Fluff. 

Muuido Island: Mud, Huts, and Walking on Water

Last weekend I took a scenic trip to Muuido Island, a two minute ferry ride off of Korea's west coast. Seriously, the island is so close to the mainland they could easily build a bridge, or give visitors inflatable row boats to drift on over, but nope, gotta take the ferry. I suppose it keeps the small island from being completely overrun with fishermen and tourists. I myself went with the Seoul Hiking Group (kind of like Climbing in Korea...with less climbing).

I was bummed when I left Yeoju Saturday morning since the weather wasn't so great, but it turned out that the low temperatures were perfect for Muuido since its beaches aren't really for swimming.

From the edge of the water, looking at the island. There's a small sandy beach then it's all mud. Mmmm squishy.

Though beautiful, the tide drifts in and out over a kilometer, revealing a muddy, snail infested coast, perfect for squishy barefoot treks and clam digging, but not so great for swimming. By the time you hit the ocean when the tide is out, you'd probably have to wade another half a kilometer to reach waist deep water. When the tide does come in, it's up to you whether or not you want to enter the opaque shallow waters and swim with hoards of -insert crustacean and/or slimy sea creature-. In spite of my oh-so-sincere love of crabs, I decided to pass on that experience.

Even if you don't want to swim there's still plenty to do on Muuido: ziplining, ATV riding, hiking, horse back riding, and eating seafood. Or you could really indulge your adventurous side and do what I did: nothing. I spent a blissful 48-ish hours just sitting, relaxing, and taking occasional walks on the beach. The only real variation was Saturday night, when I joined the group to warm up with a bonfire, some wine, and a pair of iPod speakers.

There were a few different sleeping accommodations. I opted for the "beach hut", though "beach box" might be a more appropriate term. When looking to travel cheaply in Korea, most people stay in pensions, which are like hostels, except the rooms have no beds, just blankets and pillows. The hut/box was like a much smaller pension room, sans bathroom (there were relatively decent public bathrooms a few paces away).

Pick a hut, any hut.

My size.

Sleeping on the floor isn't so bad unless you're like me and like to sleep on your side. Then you get to spend a lovely evening with your shoulder jammed awkwardly into your chin. Had it not been so cold out, I probably would have just piled up some sand and slept on the beach. Guess that brings me to Muuido travel tips: bring a sleeping bag and snacks (there is a small convenient store, but it has a limited selection with jacked prices since it's an island).

Sunday morning I took advantage of the low tide and took a quite literal walk around the island. You can walk where there used to be water and get great pictures of the Island's rocky cliffs and shores. When there are no people around the effect is surreal. I'm sure James Cameron could put these rocks to work as some distant planet movie set.

Welcome to planet Muuido. The Muuidians are expecting you.

For extra fun, bring a friend along and have them take a picture of you out on the shore; from far away it looks like you're walking on water:

No man is an island...except this guy. I wasn't exaggerating when I said you have to walk really far to hit water of any actual depth. On another note, there's been no shortage of inspirational scenery lately. Due to a wave of typhoons (unintentional pun, now intended), we've been experiencing some amazing sunsets. Unfortunately I didn't have a real camera on me, just my iPhone, so the color/picture quality isn't great, but I was able to catch this sunset by the river in Yeoju:

I wish this photo captured the atmosphere better, it was like someone plugged in an electric pink light bulb behind the clouds. Speaking of light bulbs, the classy, glowing building to the right is a love motel...can't win them all I suppose. Then this weekend I lucked out when I caught this sunset while riding the subway in Seoul. Who needs Instagram filters when you've got a phone camera that's useless in low light and a tinted train window? Not me:

Keep in mind that's a very, very very small portion of Seoul you're looking at right there.

Well, that's all for FlyLikeaSegal, the sunset addition. Sorry for the delay, I'll try to get out my next post by earlier next week! Stay tuned for baseball in Korea...I hope you like cheering.