Dog ain't that crazy !!

DOG - poor little fifi (Gaegogi 개고기)

In Korea you can find dog meat for sale in most areas, it's a delicacy. In fact, most restaurants that serve dog meat are considered high class and the price of dog meat is pretty steep. Some Westerners turn their nose up to the dish immediately - thinking of their beloved childhood pet. Some could argue that we Westeners are missing the point... what is the difference between a dog and a pig (pork)? Both animals are of reasonable intelligence and both can be had as pets. 

The only difference between dogs and other animals (such as a pig) is westerners have a connotation with dogs as being mans best friend. . . but surely almost any animal on earth would love to be mates with us.... We're great!!!! We provide warmth, food, water, give them attention and provide them with stability and companionship. Sometimes we even scratch their balls for them. 

When talking dog meat, there are five types of people in this world:

• The people who don't give it a second chance and tuck into dog meat without any thought - the adventurous sort 
• The people who have mental connections to a childhood dog pet but decide to eat the meat - usually these people draw the conclusion that it is the emotional connection with the individual creature that would stop us from eating 'our friend' (and thus keep human kind from being savages) - the thinkers
• The kind of people who reject the offer of dog completely, feeling that dog is somewhat of a sacred or special creature - the loyal
• The people who would like to try dog but can't force themselves. This is okay; know thy self - the inbetweeners 
• The people who refuse to eat any type of meat - vegetarians, the compassionate (or 'pansies' - as my Grandfather and much of his generation call people of this sentiment). Once again, no big deal; know thyself. 

Regardless, as this blog is discussing strange food, we will move on. Dog ain't that crazy. 

Street Bugs (beondegi 번데기)

These are most usually sold on the street in small tubs and the smell is very... er.... distinctive. They are pretty cheap and taste like they smell. To a large portion of westerners in Korea they taste disgusting but, Korean's or other foreigners must dig them as they are ubiquitous in Korea - you can't walk 5 minutes in most urban areas without seeing them for sale. In fact, it is loved so much that it is even sold in cans at supermarkets. 

With regards to the strangeness - they ain't that strange. We all ate a bug or worm when we were growing up. 

To categorise people by this food:

• The people who jump at the challenge and 'chug' the entire tub of bugs in one - the adventurous type that want to do everything they get the opportunity to do. 
• The people who eat one or two of the bugs and throw the rest away - people who either want to prove to themselves that they are adventurous; or the type of gal/guy who just wants to experience the taste. 
• The half chewers - people who will put half of a bug in their mouth and chew it to see if they like the taste. More often than not westerners do not like the taste so the half eaten bug is spat out and the rest of the tub thrown away. 
• The nay sayers - people who just say no. They have nothing to prove and do not want to revert back to misspent youth. 

Octopus - (nakgi 낙지)

Most westerners find this food alarming when they first witness it being eaten. The octopus is kept alive right until consumption. It's legs are cut off in front of you and then you eat the legs, whilst they are still moving (the legs are still moving due to electronic spasm - similar to when a chicken has its head cut off.)  You can, if you want, as then chef (if you can call the person that - they don't really cook anything though) to give you the octopus alive and you can devour the whole thing alive. This was done in Korea's famous movie 'Old Boy' - see video below. 

To cast people by Octopus eating:

• The people who ask the chef to leave the octopus whole, they eat the octopus alive - the kind of person who loves to live on the extreme side.
• The eat the legs and sometimes the head (eye balls included), but they ask for it to be killed first. Bearing in mind, the legs are still twisting all over the place - these people are still extreme, just not as extreme as the ones above. 
• The people who place a tentacle in their mouth and eat it slowly - they enjoy the feeling of the leg moving in their mouth. They too are adventurous, but eating this food is more about ticking it off their list of things to do. 
• The people who will sample one leg only and will make several strong compressions of their mouth - to minimise the feeling of the moving tentacle. 
• The people who will try a little bit - usually these people will spit the leg out after two or three chews as the it doesn't stop moving. These people want to experience the 'live octopus tentacle', but aren't wholly committed. 
• The people who say no - sorry to use this line again but.... this is fine, know thy self. 

 This food is the craziest food in all of Korea. 

Corean (Korean) Couple Culture...

A current trend in South Korea is to wear matching clothes to your partner, or for your partner to wear matching clothes to you. . . I’m not yet sure whether it is a female led, male led; dominant led or passive led phenomenon. A conclusion that can be drawn is that it is on the rise.

Within Korea’s capital city, Seoul, it is relatively common to see guys carrying their girlfriend’s handbag on their arm whilst wearing an identical pink matching t-shirt that has a giant heart embodied in the centre. Additionally, the masculine side of the yin-yang that is fused together, arm in arm, walking down the street seems to obey every word of the female’s orders.

This is what is known as ‘The Corean Couple Culture’ and it is much deeper entrenched in the Corean nation than first meets the eye.

Before we get onto the topic further, here is some food for thought...
You may have noticed that I have been spelling Korea with a ‘C’. Yes, you’re right, it is a poetic device.. alliteration (making the letter of each word the same). But, it is also because Korea used to be spelt with a ‘C’. In fact, some Latin-European languages such as Italian and Spanish still spell it Corea. The change came around the beginning of the twentieth century . There are numerous cited reasons for why it stopped being spelt with a ‘C’. One of my favourites was told to me in a bar in Seoul. It went a little something like this:

“F***ing Japan, after conquering Korea and raping all it's women, they decided that it hated the fact that Corea came before Japan when alphabetised. So, it changed it from Corea with a ‘C’ to Korea with a 'K’.”

This could, for all I know, be true. However, it is easy to find faults in this theory purely on the basis that Japan, although very powerful at the time, did not have much influence in the English speaking western world. Further, Japan has its own language’s which beggars the question “why would they have cared how a colony’s name was spelt in a language that was not used by them?”

It is an amusing story regardless, made more so considering how much the Korean nation hates Japan for the brutal and ruthless occupation it held over Korea. Of course, that is what I’ve learnt from the Korean museums... it would be interesting to see how the Japanese museums interpret their occupation.

And back to the Corean Couple Culture in Three. Two. One. Couple’s are not only wearing the same t-shirts as their other half’s, they are matching from tip to toe: hat, glasses, gloves, trousers, socks, shoes, watches, rings... you get the picture.

On my walk to work (which takes me approximately 5 minutes) I pass six shops that sell matching Corean Couple underwear. If this blog lets me upload photo’s I will do so. The matching sets have some of the most imaginative, but usually incorrectly interpreted, messages on them: ‘Matching it Fighting’, ‘Owning Lady Sexy’, ‘Honey Honey Not Time’, ‘Down Lady Pleasure’. However, there are more sets of matching undies that do not have text on them, they are simply matching aesthetically – matching leopard skin G-String and Jock strap. Mmmmmmm.

The great thing about this phenomenon is that it is not age discriminating. Although it is more common to see youngish love (early 20’s) wearing matching t-shirts, trousers, hats, shoes and glasses – the elder generation in Korea are as equally game to don corresponding garments. I regularly see Ajuma ( 아주머 middle-aged women) and elderly Korean ladies buying matching thongs and I have bumped into countless twin elders on mountain trails that are wearing identical outfits – in fact one of my favourite Corean Couple experiences was when I was in Yeong Pyang (a Korean ski resort) and saw three consecutive sets of matching couples on the chair-lifts in from of me.

Although the Corean Couple Culture is surprising to westerners, who enjoy celebrating their individuality within partnerships, it becomes rather endearing the more that you see it. For a nation that is against hugging and cheek kissing (this will be my next blog) they are willing to express themselves in the wearing of indistinguishable clothing.

What stage does a couple start wearing the same clothing... I have no idea. After asking colleagues, friends and language exchange partners here in Korea, I seem to get the same answer “when they become a real couple”. And every time I hear it all I can think about is that damn Spice Girl song “When Two Become One”. So, any thoughts on this matter would be appreciated. . .

Very sex, I think you all agree

There are more..... lots lots more......

One of my western friends expressing her love for the Corean Couple Culture

Din-dong - a Corean Couple Orgy

My Favourite