Abracadabra!!

I politely tried to get out of doing exercise at the gym today, not because I didn't want to, but because I had... what shall we call it... my monthly visitor. Or mother nature's gift. Or that time of the month, or just my plain old period. And because Korea is so conservative, I tried to be subtle when explaining this to my trainer. At first I just tried to ask for a different exercise. But that didn't work b/c he thought I was weak or having a lazy day (which was not the case!). So I tried to clarify by saying "every month women..."

"Oh," he said quietly.  "In Korea we call that magic day."

I just started laughing. "Magic day? Well, I don't feel very magical." Although it would be cool if on that day (or more accurately, days) I got like Harry-Potter-magical.  Now that would be magical! I could do all kinds of exercises then.

And just in case my trainer was just using stupid guy lingo,  I verified with a female Korean colleague. She told me, yes, a women's period is called Magic Day in Korea. When I asked why she said, "well, maybe it's because on that day women go from being cranky to being their most beautiful. Their skin is amazing."  I think her day must have more of that Harry-Potter-magic than my day.

American as Apple Pie

I don't really know how people  blog all the time. The only way I can think they do it, is by just writing whatever they want and not really thinking about it. How else would you be able to update so frequently?


So today, I do something very un-VCarr-like. Today, I write without real editing to see if this style of free-flow blogging will actually allow me to write something more frequently. Here goes... Today's topic: apple pie.

Apple pie is one of my favorite desserts. It is very easy to make (in the United States). You get some apples; core and peel them. Then you slice them. Mix them with sugar, etc;  dump in a pre-bought pie crust; bake for an hour and... VOILA! VCarr's favorite dessert! (To mask any imperfection serve a la mode).

So naturally, when my client said it was one of her favorite desserts, I said "OMG! Meee too.  I'll make one. It's super easy!"

And so innocently began a fight to the death between me, VCarr, and all that is Korea. The battle was ruthless: a no holds bars either you make it or you don't type fight. I needed to make apple pie, and Korea was going to make it damn near impossible.

Easypart: went to store. Bought apples. Done. (Mind you they were ridiculously overpriced apples b/c fruit here is insanely expensive).

Hard part: realizing that I don't have access to an oven, or a large mixing bowl, or nutmeg,  or brown sugar or vanilla or pie crust, or pie pans (Let's not even mention that I don't have a vegetable peeler).

Harder part still: realizing that I don't know where to get said things.

After three grocery stores, I had found apples... and the precipice of a nervous breakdown. Why a nervous breakdown, you might ask. Well, because I refuse to quit... anything for that matter (even when it's hopeless and illogical). And Korea was not going to win over on good 'ole american pie!  Not this time!

"Oh, Korea, Your taxi cab drivers might kick me out of cabs, your menus might always be in Korean, your food might be heavy on spicy octopus, and light on desserts, but dammit, you aren't going to stop me this time! I will perservere." And Apple Pie became a symbol of my perseverance in a country that is far from my own.

In the end, all I can say is thank God for Panamajoe and his opera singing aunt. Panamajoe is an old friend from my Panama days, and he just happens to be Korean and American and staying in Seoul for 2 months. And he just happened to be with his aunt after an opera performance. And what did Panamajoe provide? Well, his aunt divulged Seoul's secret location for pie crust (and cottage cheese). And Panama joe not only picked up all the missing ingredients but also provided mixing bowls and(drum roll please) the OVEN. You might be wondering what exactly did I do, if Panamajoe was getting all the key ingredients and providing the necessary equipment. Well, I peeled, cored and sliced 8 apples the old fashion way with a knife. And that is certainly not easy.

In the end, I won. I made not one, but TWO apple pies and served them at a client lunch meeting to many accolades. Korea did not triumph this time. I had my pie, and I ate it too. :)

 VCarr 1
 Korea 16,452

SKCarr: Getting My Seoul Blogging Feet Wet

Blog. Blog. Blog. Why won’t I do it? I don’t know why. I’ve started many blog entries. For some reason I haven’t finished them. I suspect it’s because I am secretly intimated by friends and family who keep asking me about my blogs. And so, like any good perfectionist, I procrastinate….

And frankly speaking I don’t know what to write about. I could tell you about doing military training for a company outing and paddling directionless-ly out to sea. I could explain how the grocery store is unnecessarily overwhelming. Or we could discuss how the millionth day of rain here is proof of global warming and my hair’s intentional rebellion against staying in place. I could talk about a lot of things: Korean food, Korean people, Seoul and its cab drivers. But to get my feet wet after a long hiatus, I will start where I started last time: a list of observations about living and working…in Seoul.

1. Seoul has elevators like in the US. However, when you push the “close door” button, it really closes the doors… like immediately. (Please take note elevator technicians in the US. We know the doors aren’t really closing when we push the button. I think I speak for many when I request that we too would like doors to close when we push the “close door” button). It even works for the "open door" button too!

2. People take dental hygiene here to an Olympic level. We all know we should brush our teeth after we eat, but none of us actually do it, except Koreans. For real. My office bathroom has a dozens of toothbrushes and lots of toothpaste. And if they aren’t in the bathroom, everyone keeps their toothbrushes in little neat cases at their desks.

3. And people don’t brush subtly even though we're in a public bathroom.  They go to town with mouths a' foaming and minute after minute of furious brushing. I doubt my dental hygiene will go beyond amteur levels.

4. Goodbye to SweetnLow, Equal, etc. We are now in the land where only sugar can be found. After thorough searching I carry little packets of Korean nutrisweet with me every where I go. You never know when you'll need quick dissolving sweetner. (You'd be surprised how often that is).

5. Imagine if Disney took over the hip-hop and pop music industry and required that everyone actually sing and dance, but only in single gender groups of 4-8… and that is KPOP (Korean Pop music)!  I am addicted! I have no idea what they're saying, but I love it! Surprisingly, there are some bits of English and a “hard” rap section, which I always appreciate.

6.  People strut around the office in slippers. I am not exactly sure why, but if one feels comfortable enough to brush teeth at work, why not wear slippers.

7. No hording post-its, pens and highlighters like I used to. Office supplies are under lock and key. Literally.  If you wanna pen, you must ask for a pen.  L

8. You wanna know what Korean pizza is like. Well,  you could basically put a whole thanksgiving dinner on pizza dough and have a best seller.  Oh, and don't forget the octopus.

9.  At the movies, there are few snacks besides the traditional popcorn, drink and… dried octopus.

10. Koreans seem to like really like octopus.  In case there was any confusion SKCarr only likes octopus that is deep-fried with a side of marinara.  And I certainly don’t like octopus when it’s in little pieces that move around on the plate.  Apparently, it’s just a funny happening if the octopus crawls back up your throat.  EWW!