"Natural Habitat"

Pop quiz:

Is this person Chinese, Japanese, or Korean?




Answer: Chinese



Is this person Chinese, Japanese, or Korean?




Answer: Japanese



Is this person Chinese, Japanese, or Korean?



Answer: If you answered Chinese, you're wrong. According to my students, this person is Korean. They swore I was lying to them when I said I was Chinese.



Let me take this opportunity to give a shoutout to Korean markets. Not only do they offer free samples every hour of every day, they have samples in each of the food groups- breads, fruits, vegetables, and meat! The icing on the cake is the man that stands outside each of these supermarkets and bows to me as I leave. Even when I don't buy anything, I feel like he's thanking me for coming to eat samples!

Last weekend, I subwayed over to the Gyeonbokgung area, which is home to the main Chosun palace. This palace served as the main palace except during the times when it was burnt down. There, Janice and I met up with Pauline who I hadn't seen in over a year. The three of us spent some time in Samcheongdong, an area sporting more of a "village" feel and where some traditional dwellings are still preserved as homes.











Once Wonhoe (who I haven't seen in two years) got off work, he came to pick us up. After dropping Pauline off, we bypassed the Gyeonbokgung, as Wonhoe explained that it would be interesting only to "white and black" people.

Instead, we made our way up a steep, windy road to the top of some Korean mountain whose name I cannot remember at all. It was a great place to enjoy the smog. And the view of Seoul, of course.







From the mountain in the north end of Seoul, we made our way over to Gangnam, in the south end of Seoul. Traffic in the city's bad, but I have to say LA still wins the award for most congested roads.

(Samsung headquarters)

Since Janice had already shown me her favorite things about Seoul, Wonhoe wanted to show me (and Janice) "what guys like to do." The first thing on the list was a trip to the batting cages. I never got to find out what the rest of the list was because after the batting cages, Wonhoe had to meet a friend for dinner.

While we waited for Wonhoe, Janice and I hung out and ate at Dr. Fish. At the Dr. Fish cafe, every food or drink purchase gives you access to their extensive library (all in Korean and unfortunately Chon Hangung marul motaeyo) and an all-you-can-eat bread bar.






The piece de resistance, however, is the eponymous Dr. Fish. In actuality, there's not just one, but nearly a hundred Dr. Fish's. For an extra 2000 won, you can receive your very own treatment by these Dr. Fish's.

Just stick your feet into the pool...




And let the fish eat your feet!



It was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had being tortured.

Wonhoe ended up hanging out with us at Dr. Fish after his dinner, so I'll have to wait until next time for the next installment of What Guys Like to Do in Seoul.