So here's an excerpt from one of my emails to Alexandra. I had to be lazy and just cut and paste it into the blog, because it really sums up a handful of my experiences. Also, Alex emailed me pictures of Deets and his boys down there in sunny Texas, so I'm putting them up here, too.
"I've definitely been avoiding the beef here, but you don't have to work too hard to do that. They seem to eat more pork, chicken and seafood than anything else. Of course that could be attributed to the fact that the beef has been causing issues lately. I will tell you the only thing that's truly freaked me out is some of the fish dishes they lay out in front of you. I've been a trooper and at least taste-tested everything, but I've made sure to try each food BEFORE I learn what it is. Then, minutes after consuming a bite of whatever it may be, you can tell me WHAT it was. Excluding of course all chicken and pork dishes. Those don't bother me. Then again, I'd be disturbed if I found out it wasn't a standard part of the chicken or pig I was munching on. No eyeballs and brains for me, please! It's really funny, too, because there are quite a few fast food places around here which try to emulate American fastfood chains. But they don't use the same exact name - only the identical layout and design of the company. For example, there is a fantastic little coffee shop (which also happens to sell booze) near the school I'm teaching at. It looks like a Starbucks, feels like a Starbucks (except for the liquor license), so it must be a Starbucks, right? Wrong! It's called "Bucks". Yep "Bucks". The guys like to refer to it as DAK-Bucks. There's also a place that looks like a Dunkin' Donuts. Again, same as Starbucks. But, it's called MS Donuts. I don't even TRY to understand that one.
The best one is probably the place that looks JUST LIKE a Baskin Robbins. They even boast 31 flavors. Wanna take a guess at the name? DAIRY QUEEN!!! Talk about the land of backwards over here! I've gotta tell you, a day doesn't go by that I don't get my daily dose of laughter. And as much as I make fun of these places, it's really all in good humor. The Korean people are trying really hard and they are sooooooooo nice. I feel like a rockstar. A rockstar in a big freakin fishbowl, but a celebrity nonetheless. They (the Koreans) love coming up to you and getting waaaaay into your personal space and just staring. "
"I've definitely been avoiding the beef here, but you don't have to work too hard to do that. They seem to eat more pork, chicken and seafood than anything else. Of course that could be attributed to the fact that the beef has been causing issues lately. I will tell you the only thing that's truly freaked me out is some of the fish dishes they lay out in front of you. I've been a trooper and at least taste-tested everything, but I've made sure to try each food BEFORE I learn what it is. Then, minutes after consuming a bite of whatever it may be, you can tell me WHAT it was. Excluding of course all chicken and pork dishes. Those don't bother me. Then again, I'd be disturbed if I found out it wasn't a standard part of the chicken or pig I was munching on. No eyeballs and brains for me, please! It's really funny, too, because there are quite a few fast food places around here which try to emulate American fastfood chains. But they don't use the same exact name - only the identical layout and design of the company. For example, there is a fantastic little coffee shop (which also happens to sell booze) near the school I'm teaching at. It looks like a Starbucks, feels like a Starbucks (except for the liquor license), so it must be a Starbucks, right? Wrong! It's called "Bucks". Yep "Bucks". The guys like to refer to it as DAK-Bucks. There's also a place that looks like a Dunkin' Donuts. Again, same as Starbucks. But, it's called MS Donuts. I don't even TRY to understand that one.
The best one is probably the place that looks JUST LIKE a Baskin Robbins. They even boast 31 flavors. Wanna take a guess at the name? DAIRY QUEEN!!! Talk about the land of backwards over here! I've gotta tell you, a day doesn't go by that I don't get my daily dose of laughter. And as much as I make fun of these places, it's really all in good humor. The Korean people are trying really hard and they are sooooooooo nice. I feel like a rockstar. A rockstar in a big freakin fishbowl, but a celebrity nonetheless. They (the Koreans) love coming up to you and getting waaaaay into your personal space and just staring. "
Hope to hear from everyone soon! Miss you all!
4 comments:
Hey, Becca! Which one is Deets?
This is about the third time I've tried to post to your blog. Hope it works. Had to sign up. Anyway, you are too brave to eat the food when you don't even know what it is! I know I couldn't do it.
We love you to bits! Roxie says hey, too.
Mom
Pig-spine soup....yum!
I totally identify with the fish thing. When I went to Japan, they served me things with, like, five eyeballs. Just eat and don't ask questions, is my motto. (It helps to drink a lot of sake or whatever first.)
I ate some roasted marrow bones at a French bistro a few weeks ago. Won't be doing that again anytime soon.
Deets is the one hiking his leg, right? No, wait a minute...he pees like a girl, doesn't he? Hee hee.
haha. yes deets tends to be more in touch w/his feminine side. oh well. maybe all this man time will influence him for the better. deets is the one furthest from the camera, kind of to the right. :) i could spot him a mile away.
in the pic of them in the truck, if that's still showing up, he's the one closest to the cab of the truck and the camera.
as Jake works at a Korean company, we've learned all about the whole "Koreans in your personal space" thing. And also, Jake's had fish spine stew at a Korean restaurant here in Knoxville. You and he are much braver than I would ever be. I can't even stomach kimchi!
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