By the time the game was finished, I was ready to go out no matter what. Ami still didn't want to go, but as the rain had let up and as I suggested that we simply walk over to the large mall called COEX so that I could explore the bookstore, she agreed--after I promised to buy her lunch, of course.
So we walked over and I was pleased to find that they have a pretty good selection of books in English. My favorite section was the three or four shelves on which they had various books about Korea and its history and/or culture. I bought three small books about one subject each related to Korea: Hangul, food, and the DMZ. I am currently reading the one about Hangul and learning a bit.
The great thing about the books I found in the Korea section was that they were not the kind you'd find in American bookstores like Barnes & Noble. And searching on Amazon for something like "Korea" or "Korean history" also doesn't tend to yield the books I found in this store. Before I came over, I went to a B&N and looked in the history section for something to read on the plane over. I found the Asian section and found quite a few books on China and Japan but absolutely nothing on Korea. That's not to say that other bookstores might not have anything, but Korea doesn't seem to be on the American radar when it comes to curiosity. I dare any of you to name five things you know about Korea. "Hmmmm.....kimchi, the DMZ, and........?" And don't take that personally. That's about all I knew a few years ago too--before I got the job in San Jose and started teaching the small Korean village that is Cupertino. And, hey, I'm not without my ignorances either. I don't know crap about Eritrea (that's a country in Africa in case you are wondering). All I'm trying to say is that when we Americans think of the Far East, we think of China and Japan and that's about it.
After the bookstore and in my mood to discover and experience more about the land that is Korea, I asked Ami to pick a restaurant for us to eat at. "Any restaurant," I said thinking that she'd been good enough to brave the slight sprinkles and mild temperatures and that I should let her choose her favorite Korean food. "Spaghetti!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "Great," I thought, "All the way to Korea and I get to have Italian food."
I do like spaghetti, though, and even make it from time to time and the dish I had was quite good. One thing I've already noticed about Seoul is that I don't really think I'll be missing much in the way of food. I've seen pizza places, fried chicken places, sushi places, sandwich places. I've seen McDonalds, Burger King, Domino's, Papa John's, one TGI Friday's, and even a Mexican place called On The Border. I love Korean food, but if I didn't, I think I'd be ok here.
So, that was Sunday. I woke up in Korea and got to watch American football and eat Italian food. Just another day in Seoul.
The great thing about the books I found in the Korea section was that they were not the kind you'd find in American bookstores like Barnes & Noble. And searching on Amazon for something like "Korea" or "Korean history" also doesn't tend to yield the books I found in this store. Before I came over, I went to a B&N and looked in the history section for something to read on the plane over. I found the Asian section and found quite a few books on China and Japan but absolutely nothing on Korea. That's not to say that other bookstores might not have anything, but Korea doesn't seem to be on the American radar when it comes to curiosity. I dare any of you to name five things you know about Korea. "Hmmmm.....kimchi, the DMZ, and........?" And don't take that personally. That's about all I knew a few years ago too--before I got the job in San Jose and started teaching the small Korean village that is Cupertino. And, hey, I'm not without my ignorances either. I don't know crap about Eritrea (that's a country in Africa in case you are wondering). All I'm trying to say is that when we Americans think of the Far East, we think of China and Japan and that's about it.
After the bookstore and in my mood to discover and experience more about the land that is Korea, I asked Ami to pick a restaurant for us to eat at. "Any restaurant," I said thinking that she'd been good enough to brave the slight sprinkles and mild temperatures and that I should let her choose her favorite Korean food. "Spaghetti!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "Great," I thought, "All the way to Korea and I get to have Italian food."
I do like spaghetti, though, and even make it from time to time and the dish I had was quite good. One thing I've already noticed about Seoul is that I don't really think I'll be missing much in the way of food. I've seen pizza places, fried chicken places, sushi places, sandwich places. I've seen McDonalds, Burger King, Domino's, Papa John's, one TGI Friday's, and even a Mexican place called On The Border. I love Korean food, but if I didn't, I think I'd be ok here.
So, that was Sunday. I woke up in Korea and got to watch American football and eat Italian food. Just another day in Seoul.
No comments:
Post a Comment