What wondrous and envy-inspiring things the author has been up to lately and if you weren't lucky enough to be his skype-enabled parents you would have very little knowledge of any of it. The writer sits here in his office trying to find any amount of time that he isn't tired from adventuring or adventuring while not tired to hammer out a paragraph or two, while you, now are able to sink your teeth into the juicy kimchi that is this, your favorite blog on the internet. The humble writer understands that it is indeed your favorite blog, is it not? For if it is not then he will take another 3 week long vacation from these forthcoming accounts which are to run the gamut from awe to awful, better to benign, and spicy to sweet. He now takes you on a three week run from Thanksgiving to Hanukkah. One of aforementioned holidays he will be teaching about in a few hours to 6 year old Korean children who barely have a concept of Jesus so really, how are they going to know what the festival of lights is all about?
Major Jewish holidays aside, for now we begin our journey into the recent past with Thanksgiving-- turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie to boot! My college friends, who many of you may know at least through their presence on my blog, hosted a Thanksgiving celebration at their apartment in the "suburb" of Anyang where an ample number of people (including several of my coworkers) became plump and merry on an American style feast to satiate our kimchi-coated stomachs. I say "suburb" because it's just as giant and high rise feeling as any smaller area of Seoul. I’ve yet to see any rural area of this country. I’m hoping to do that soon enough.
Highlights included a turkey that was cooked in a crock pot and a mega rice cooker since most small apartments like the ones we live in do not have ovens (the rice cooker totally worked). We asked my friend Minha, who had come down for the beginning, to see if that might work, he called a friend and they said go for it, which turned out to be a gamble that paid off. Minha had to leave early due to “ancestor worship” that I don’t quite understand and won’t attempt to act like I do but from what I know he had to leave to remember the day that his grandfather had died.
We also had pumpkin pie from Korean Costco, Stove Top stuffing sent to us by Abby’s mom, I made deviled eggs-- using kimchi powder instead of paprika, and North Korean beer that I picked up at the border (which wasn’t bad) apart from other libations that were on hand. Minha was possibly the most excited to try North Korean beer. He had never seen it before.
On a run down to the convenience store to find more “maekju” I found a young Korean couple (?) and invited them up (using my underdeveloped Korean skills) for an American style Chuseok (Thanksgiving) thinking they wouldn’t come. Proving me wrong they came and consumed copious cups of “maekju” with us and even ran and got some fried chicken for everyone to share. I think they had a good time and will tell the tale of their experience of an American Thanksgiving…
Anyway, I ended up sleeping over and had eggs and American style bacon for breakfast with a slice of pumpkin pie. Not a bad way to spend the day after thanksgiving.
More updates to come… Seriously if I’m not busy I’m tired from being busy. The updates shall come, oh yes, they shall come.
And a side note, I ended up playing the “Hanukkah Song” by Adam Sandler, twice, while my kindergartners colored menorahs. I like this job…
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