Korean Food Innovations

There's a lot of street food vendors in Busan, and you can find some pretty tasty and creative treats. I'm not sure if these clever concoctions have made it to America yet but they really make eating fun!

First up is the corn dog/french fries combo on a stick. It's really quite brilliant. Why order a corn dog and a side of french fries when you can just fry them up together and eat it all in one bite? I've enjoyed this snack a time or two myself.

There's also the "Col-Pop." It's a way to eat your chicken and drink your soda all with one hand. Here's a review from a food buyers and suppliers website:

"Proving yet again that South Korea is light years ahead of everyone else in fast food technology is The Col-Pop. The nation that brought the world the spiral-cut potato on a stick and hot-dog-stuffed pizza ushers in a new era of snack portability with this mash-up of drink cup and food container that holds popcorn chicken up top and a cold drink in the bottom."

I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to sample the hot-dog-stuffed pizza!

***Bob & Lindsey***

Next Stop, Thailand!

We'll be back home in a little more than 7 weeks (July 8 at 7:20pm to be exact). But before we head back to Omaha we're making a trip to Thailand for a week-long vacation.We're very anxious to get home but we wanted to take advantage of being on this side of the world. Who knows if or when we'll ever be back!

From June 30-July 7 we'll be on the beaches of Phuket, Thailand. We're still researching and planning activities, and our wish list is getting longer and longer. On the proposed schedule:

-elephant safari ride
-SCUBA diving (mostly Bob's request)
-snorkeling
-jet-skiing
-para sailing
-sea cave canoeing
-shopping (me)
-relaxing on the beach

We can't wait!

***Bob & Lindsey***

Koreans Eating McDonalds

Koreans are very communal eaters. When eating traditional Korean cuisine, large portions of food are set in the middle of the table and everyone grabs a pair of chopsticks and picks away at it. This is why we had hepatitis shots before we left to come here.

Koreans put these practices to use even when food comes in individual servings, such as at McDonald's. French fries come in single serving cardboard holders, just like anywhere else, but the Koreans still like to make it a group thing. Look around the restaurant and you'll see everyone has dumped all of their fries in a big pile on the tray and are sharing them.

On the tray in the background of this picture you can see how it's done. It's interesting to see their collectivist mentality apparent even in the way they eat McDonald's.

***Bob & Lindsey***

Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

It's rained here every day for the past week! The rain's best friend is the wind, and the two never seem to go anywhere without each other. Check out what a recent wind/rain storm did to my umbrella!

Luckily the weather forecast is showing sun and warm temperatures for the next few days. Today especially is a gorgeous day.

***Bob & Lindsey***

The Start of Our Second Year...

Sorry it's been so long! A lot has happened in the six weeks since I last posted. The most significant thing was that Bob and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on April 9, 2011. It's hard to believe a year has already come and gone!

The real celebration started (at least for me) the day before, on April 8. During his lunch break that day, Bob surprised me by cleaning the apartment (scrubbed the bathroom, washed dishes, did laundry and swept the floors). To top it off there was a bouquet of red roses waiting for me on the desk!

Our anniversary was on a Saturday, and it also coincided with the arrival of the cherry blossoms in Korea. We made it a cherry blossom weekend! On our actual anniversary we went to an area called Dalmaji Hill. The hill overlooks the ocean and there are lots of little cafes and coffee shops lining the streets, along with thousands of pale pink cherry blossom trees. It was gorgeous!

Then on Sunday we attended a cherry blossom festival in nearby Jinhae, which is about an hour away by bus. The other teachers from our school came along too. There was more romance that day as our co-worker Will announced that he and his girlfriend Anastasia are engaged! They are planning on a wedding this summer, but aren't sure if they'll get married in Korea, her native Russia or perhaps somewhere else all together. (My vote is for a tropical destination wedding!)

There were some carnival games, music, food and shopping at the cherry blossom festival. It was a beautiful sunny day, so mostly we just took in the scenery and relaxed.

So now it's on to year two!

***Bob & Lindsey***