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Korean vendors have a custom they call "service" (said "service-uh," as most syllables end with a vowel sound in the language) in which they give small gifts to their customers. It's almost like tipping in reverse. Service stations give packs of tissue or bottles of water when you fill up your tank, pharmacists give small bottles of health tonics or vitamin drinks and I usually leave the store where I buy haircare and beauty products with a selection of samples, few of which I understand. Similarly, if you shop at the same market regularly, the employee weighing your produce is likely to throw an extra handful of salad greens or piece of fruit into your bag after it's been weighed and priced, as service-uh.
When I lived on Jeju Island and did my vegetable shopping at the traditional markets, I learned to only buy half the amount I needed, so generous were the grandmothers I returned to buy from every five days. Even the coffee shop I frequent in my office building, in addition to having a frequent drinker plan, packages up a piece of cake for me when the whim strikes. Not having the Korean for, "I don't eat cake, unless it's sinfully decadent chocolate cake," I thank them profusely and give it to a cubicle-mate.
Many Korean-owned restaurants are the same and I, being a light eater, often find myself with more food than I ordered or could possibly eat. There's a reasonable Mexican restaurant close by that I go to about once a week and my serving sizes have been steadily increasing.
Today the staff went one better. Not only was my tostada larger than I could manage and packed with extra beef and avocado, but it came with a shot of tequila. For lunch!
Service-uh.
Showing posts with label South Korea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Korea. Show all posts
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
South Korea, New Zealand celebrate 50 years of friendship . . .
SEOUL, May 4 (Yonhap) -- The suburb of Yeoksam, in Seoul's upmarket Gangnam district, is home to many of the capital's tallest skyscrapers and office towers that headquarter some of South Korea's biggest businesses. The shining metal and steel architecture of Asia's fourth-largest economy was warmed Thursday by a whimsical performance by a New Zealand theater company, as the two countries celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties this year.
The Red Leap Theatre company opened their production, "The Arrival," at the LG Arts Center to a capacity crowd that included New Zealand Ambassador Patrick Rata, a large number of "Kiwi" residents of Seoul and many South Koreans with ties to the Pacific nation. The evocative and imaginative performance featured puppetry, sharply choreographed physical theater, humor and an invented language to tell the story of a migrant in a strange land, based on an illustrated novel by Australian author Shaun Tan.
Speaking at a reception hosted by the New Zealand Embassy following the show, Rata said the relationship between New Zealand and South Korea has grown from being "allies on the battlefield" to a "contemporary relationship with vibrant trading links and strong political connections."
"The migration theme of tonight's performance is one that will be very familiar to many families and individuals from Korea who have chosen to move to New Zealand in the past two decades," he said.
New Zealand, which has a population of just over 4.4 million people, is now home to 28,000 "Korwis," Rata said. "We welcome another 12,000 or so Korean students who study in New Zealand each year and about 60,000 tourists who visit."
South Korea has a strong New Zealand business community, he added, with more than 2,000 New Zealanders living and working here.
"It's a wonderful bilateral relationship and one we must take forward," Rata said, before asking his fellow Kiwis to join him to finish his speech the traditional New Zealand way, by singing a "waiata," or song in the indigenous Maori language. The embassy plans to hold other events throughout the year to celebrate the "Year of Friendship."
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
What lies beneath . . .
I'm not trying to become the voice of the animal rights movement in Korea and, while I see so many things wrong with how animals are treated here, I'd like to see people treated better first. Including the man who sleeps in the subway tunnel near my home and Miss Park, the senior citizen who picks up cigarette butts and overly inebriated U.S servicemen to survive.
But . . .
I was asked to write a feature last week (online tomorrow) on a court case involving some dolphins and found myself incensed at how they were being treated. Then, yesterday, I edited a caption for a picture of a minke whale "accidentally" found dead in a fisherman's net and auctioned off for more than $74,000.
Having just completed the dolphin story (dolphins and whales are both cetaceans and covered by the same legal document here), this seemed odd so I did a little research. I found that selling "bycatch" (accidentally caught in nets) whale meat is completely legal in Korea and the amount of such whale meat sold may equal that which Japan catches in its "research" hunts.
I'm not blaming the fishermen, who mainly make a subsistence income, as $70,000 plus is a lot of money for a mistake, but it seems there's something essentially wrong here. I'm also not inviting the moron who fronts Sea Shepherd to come here and sort it out (as an ocean sailor, I think he should be charged with criminal negligence for his lack of concern for his crew's safety or training).
For the record, I also don't mind Koreans eating dogmeat, when it's bred for that purpose and killed humanely (I don't eat it myself because the killing is usually done by beating it to death in the misguided belief that the subsequent increase in adrenaline tenderizes the meat). I live on a farm at home (organic) and we eat our animals, but we give them a good life beforehand and try to minimize any suffering. (Again for the record, vegans and vegos, I have no issue with anyone needing my flesh for sustenance when I die either - that was a conversation had while becalmed in the Indian Ocean many years ago.)
But I do wonder if the Western world is overly focused on the wrong issue here. (Bait and switch, anyone?) Again, writing as an ocean sailor who knows the freedom of the seas, should we not be more concerned with marine mammals with brains larger than ours?
But . . .
I was asked to write a feature last week (online tomorrow) on a court case involving some dolphins and found myself incensed at how they were being treated. Then, yesterday, I edited a caption for a picture of a minke whale "accidentally" found dead in a fisherman's net and auctioned off for more than $74,000.
Having just completed the dolphin story (dolphins and whales are both cetaceans and covered by the same legal document here), this seemed odd so I did a little research. I found that selling "bycatch" (accidentally caught in nets) whale meat is completely legal in Korea and the amount of such whale meat sold may equal that which Japan catches in its "research" hunts.
I'm not blaming the fishermen, who mainly make a subsistence income, as $70,000 plus is a lot of money for a mistake, but it seems there's something essentially wrong here. I'm also not inviting the moron who fronts Sea Shepherd to come here and sort it out (as an ocean sailor, I think he should be charged with criminal negligence for his lack of concern for his crew's safety or training).
For the record, I also don't mind Koreans eating dogmeat, when it's bred for that purpose and killed humanely (I don't eat it myself because the killing is usually done by beating it to death in the misguided belief that the subsequent increase in adrenaline tenderizes the meat). I live on a farm at home (organic) and we eat our animals, but we give them a good life beforehand and try to minimize any suffering. (Again for the record, vegans and vegos, I have no issue with anyone needing my flesh for sustenance when I die either - that was a conversation had while becalmed in the Indian Ocean many years ago.)
But I do wonder if the Western world is overly focused on the wrong issue here. (Bait and switch, anyone?) Again, writing as an ocean sailor who knows the freedom of the seas, should we not be more concerned with marine mammals with brains larger than ours?
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Musings on the Norks . . .
I was asked to write a piece for Lanterloon this week, thus joining some very good company . . .
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
In Total Agreement, Well, Sorta . . .
The 2012 Nuclear Security Summit ended last night and the Big O and most of the other Big Talking Heads have departed the peninsula after making fresh commitments toward building a safer world without nuclear terrorism. (The full text of the "Seoul Communique" can be found here, if you need to be underwhelmed.) Ukraine has completed the removal of its last highly enriched uranium, sending it back to Russia where it will be totally safe - but hold on, then what's with the "unusual and extraordinary threat" Big O cited when he extended the national emergency over Russian atomic material last year.
Fat Boy, our next-door-neighbor some 30 miles North of Seoul, did his best to spoil the party by announcing a planned rocket launch next month as part of the Norks' "peaceful space program." The Big Talking Heads at the adults' table all chastised the Norks firmly, with even China openly displeased with this latest toddler tantrum. CNN ran the Norks' announcement it would go ahead with the launch as "Breaking News," while those of us who've spent more time than a two-day summit in Korea know it's simply Same Shit, Different Kim. As one journalist friend wrote on Facebook, "the DPRK regime has threatened to make Seoul 'a sea of fire' more times than I can remember." Obama warned the Norks there would be "no rewards for bad behavior" but it's not surprising Fat Boy and Co. don't believe them as Daddy Dearest, Kim Jong-no-longer-ill, was constantly rewarded for such bad behavior.
Here's how it works: The Norks behave badly and threaten or provoke, even going as far as to blow up a South Korean corvette or bomb a border island. Leaders of other countries sit and cajole the Norks into agreeing to accept food aid in turn for suspending nuclear and ballistic missile development, the Norks seek to up the ante and possibly get a better deal by throwing a toddler tantrum. It's unfortunately a lose-lose situation for the South as, although the North would be annihilated in any full-out war, there is enough conventional artillery aimed directly at Seoul (the suburb my office is in has been included in the promised list of first strikes) to blast it back to post-Korean war scorched-earth status. SSDK.
To add some humor to their tired old act, the Norks did provide a superb example of the circularity of their thinking. The Nork's foreign ministry, when announcing they planned to go ahead with the launch, claimed the deal reached with the U.S. just two weeks earlier "specified a moratorium on long-range missile launch, not 'launch of long-range missile including satellite launch' or 'launch with the use of ballistic missile technology.'"
I'm tempted to compare the Nork's tantrum-throwing and unique reading of contracts with the South seeking to change the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement after they'd asked for and agreed to it (including riots and a tear-gas canister release by lawmakers during the pact's passage) but that could be misinterpreted as on-line criticism, which is frowned upon by those in power.
I will point out, however, that contracts are often viewed in Korea as a step in the negotiating process, not a terminus. That's a concept many Westerners don't understand, which can lead to all sorts of cultural misunderstandings. I've lost count of the number of teachers of English here who've felt gyped when asked to do something not specifically noted in their contract, while to their Korean counterparts, that contract is a broad outline only.
Perhaps someone needs to explain that to the Big O . . .
Fat Boy, our next-door-neighbor some 30 miles North of Seoul, did his best to spoil the party by announcing a planned rocket launch next month as part of the Norks' "peaceful space program." The Big Talking Heads at the adults' table all chastised the Norks firmly, with even China openly displeased with this latest toddler tantrum. CNN ran the Norks' announcement it would go ahead with the launch as "Breaking News," while those of us who've spent more time than a two-day summit in Korea know it's simply Same Shit, Different Kim. As one journalist friend wrote on Facebook, "the DPRK regime has threatened to make Seoul 'a sea of fire' more times than I can remember." Obama warned the Norks there would be "no rewards for bad behavior" but it's not surprising Fat Boy and Co. don't believe them as Daddy Dearest, Kim Jong-no-longer-ill, was constantly rewarded for such bad behavior.
Here's how it works: The Norks behave badly and threaten or provoke, even going as far as to blow up a South Korean corvette or bomb a border island. Leaders of other countries sit and cajole the Norks into agreeing to accept food aid in turn for suspending nuclear and ballistic missile development, the Norks seek to up the ante and possibly get a better deal by throwing a toddler tantrum. It's unfortunately a lose-lose situation for the South as, although the North would be annihilated in any full-out war, there is enough conventional artillery aimed directly at Seoul (the suburb my office is in has been included in the promised list of first strikes) to blast it back to post-Korean war scorched-earth status. SSDK.
To add some humor to their tired old act, the Norks did provide a superb example of the circularity of their thinking. The Nork's foreign ministry, when announcing they planned to go ahead with the launch, claimed the deal reached with the U.S. just two weeks earlier "specified a moratorium on long-range missile launch, not 'launch of long-range missile including satellite launch' or 'launch with the use of ballistic missile technology.'"
I'm tempted to compare the Nork's tantrum-throwing and unique reading of contracts with the South seeking to change the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement after they'd asked for and agreed to it (including riots and a tear-gas canister release by lawmakers during the pact's passage) but that could be misinterpreted as on-line criticism, which is frowned upon by those in power.
I will point out, however, that contracts are often viewed in Korea as a step in the negotiating process, not a terminus. That's a concept many Westerners don't understand, which can lead to all sorts of cultural misunderstandings. I've lost count of the number of teachers of English here who've felt gyped when asked to do something not specifically noted in their contract, while to their Korean counterparts, that contract is a broad outline only.
Perhaps someone needs to explain that to the Big O . . .
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Lies, Damn Lies and Rumors . . .
This began as musings on the cult of personality but evolved of its own accord. Words do that to me sometimes.
I arrived at the newsroom yesterday (Saturday, Feb. 11) to find CNN, ABC and Reddit reporting a rash of Weibo (China's version of Twitter) messages saying Kim Jong-un (the Norks' new leader, affectionately known as Fat Boy) had been assassinated in Beijing. These reports were quickly picked up by Doctrine Man and facebook friends interested in the state of the world. Other friends who also live in South Korea were questioning the veracity of the story, particularly one who was due to board a flight from China back to Seoul. I'm not quite sure why he felt less inclined to do so if Fat Boy had been terminated with extreme prejudice (by ninja assassins, no less, according to the ABC report) as he didn't leave the country when Big Daddy (Kim Jong-il of "I'm so ronery" fame) died, but he seemed concerned.
The CNN article said neither the Chinese state media nor Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean national news agency for which I work, were reporting on such a rumor.
Rumors are a constant in the news industry and not reacting to them is often the sign of true professionalism. It's all too easy to try to be first with the news and more difficult to wait for confirmation and accuracy. The U.S. had a classic case of just that situation last month when most media outlets prematurely reported the death of Joe Paterno but AP consciously held off while they sought verification. Interestingly enough, the same thing happened after the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords a year earlier, most outlets reported her death while AP held off for confirmation and ran the truth, without adding unsubstantiated rumors. (The article on how the Paterno story played out is well worth the read. H/T to Isaac Cubillos for that, or was it James Ian Burns?)
I asked the desk head on duty if we were going to address the rumors of Fat Boy's demise and learned we weren't, at that stage anyway. Rumors about the Norks are a constant here next door and no alarm bells were ringing for us, or apparently for the U.S. Embassy or the U.S. military. (Sometimes the mere availability of specific people at the end of a phone gives more information than anything they might say, particularly when it's information they can't disclose.) I informed my friends that the rumor seemed unfounded, with the proviso that the Norks kept the deaths of its last two dear leaders well-hidden for two days.
Then today, Whitney Houston's death was announced, and I watched on facebook as multiple people questioned the truth of the reports, despite confirmation from her publicist and the Beverly Hills police. (This was in part due to one dark-humored friend posting an ABC article from Sept. 13, 2010 denying reports of Houston's death. Many people fell for his joke. Some were also offended, but that belongs in the Cult of Personality post, when I write it.)
Which brings me to what most right-minded people (and myself) hate about the media today, or what my significant other refers to as the "commie-liberal-pinko-hippie-media," as opposed to journalism, which is my current field of employment. Most popular media outlets on both sides of the spectrum, whether they be the rants of Fox (not-)News or the saccharine melodrama of ABC, would rather be the first to break a story, true or not, than risk being scooped in the service of accuracy. In print terms, the shocking headline goes above the fold on page 1, the subsequent correction is usually buried deep inside a day or two later. In Internet terms, the story simply gets rewritten in many cases and no mention of an embarrassing "Oops!" moment needs to even exist.
As someone who has always preferred to be on page three with the truth than page one with a beat-up, a preference that has had me at odds with at least one chief reporter, I wish more media outlets applied AP's diligence and stopped giving journalism a bad name.
Oh, and as far as we yet know, Fat Boy is still undead (and probably drooling) while Houston definitely does have a problem.
I arrived at the newsroom yesterday (Saturday, Feb. 11) to find CNN, ABC and Reddit reporting a rash of Weibo (China's version of Twitter) messages saying Kim Jong-un (the Norks' new leader, affectionately known as Fat Boy) had been assassinated in Beijing. These reports were quickly picked up by Doctrine Man and facebook friends interested in the state of the world. Other friends who also live in South Korea were questioning the veracity of the story, particularly one who was due to board a flight from China back to Seoul. I'm not quite sure why he felt less inclined to do so if Fat Boy had been terminated with extreme prejudice (by ninja assassins, no less, according to the ABC report) as he didn't leave the country when Big Daddy (Kim Jong-il of "I'm so ronery" fame) died, but he seemed concerned.
The CNN article said neither the Chinese state media nor Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean national news agency for which I work, were reporting on such a rumor.
Rumors are a constant in the news industry and not reacting to them is often the sign of true professionalism. It's all too easy to try to be first with the news and more difficult to wait for confirmation and accuracy. The U.S. had a classic case of just that situation last month when most media outlets prematurely reported the death of Joe Paterno but AP consciously held off while they sought verification. Interestingly enough, the same thing happened after the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords a year earlier, most outlets reported her death while AP held off for confirmation and ran the truth, without adding unsubstantiated rumors. (The article on how the Paterno story played out is well worth the read. H/T to Isaac Cubillos for that, or was it James Ian Burns?)
I asked the desk head on duty if we were going to address the rumors of Fat Boy's demise and learned we weren't, at that stage anyway. Rumors about the Norks are a constant here next door and no alarm bells were ringing for us, or apparently for the U.S. Embassy or the U.S. military. (Sometimes the mere availability of specific people at the end of a phone gives more information than anything they might say, particularly when it's information they can't disclose.) I informed my friends that the rumor seemed unfounded, with the proviso that the Norks kept the deaths of its last two dear leaders well-hidden for two days.
Then today, Whitney Houston's death was announced, and I watched on facebook as multiple people questioned the truth of the reports, despite confirmation from her publicist and the Beverly Hills police. (This was in part due to one dark-humored friend posting an ABC article from Sept. 13, 2010 denying reports of Houston's death. Many people fell for his joke. Some were also offended, but that belongs in the Cult of Personality post, when I write it.)
Which brings me to what most right-minded people (and myself) hate about the media today, or what my significant other refers to as the "commie-liberal-pinko-hippie-media," as opposed to journalism, which is my current field of employment. Most popular media outlets on both sides of the spectrum, whether they be the rants of Fox (not-)News or the saccharine melodrama of ABC, would rather be the first to break a story, true or not, than risk being scooped in the service of accuracy. In print terms, the shocking headline goes above the fold on page 1, the subsequent correction is usually buried deep inside a day or two later. In Internet terms, the story simply gets rewritten in many cases and no mention of an embarrassing "Oops!" moment needs to even exist.
As someone who has always preferred to be on page three with the truth than page one with a beat-up, a preference that has had me at odds with at least one chief reporter, I wish more media outlets applied AP's diligence and stopped giving journalism a bad name.
Oh, and as far as we yet know, Fat Boy is still undead (and probably drooling) while Houston definitely does have a problem.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Pairing Kiwi with Wine
And no, the authorities in Aotearoa frown very seriously on the consumption of the Kiwi bird, but this particular Kiwi has an affinity for and appreciation of good wine, preferably from her homeland.
And it has been a good week for the Kiwi and wine, as well as the Kiwi wine of the Kiwi's friends. (Which makes up for leaving a gift bottle of wine behind last week, but I do hope the gifter enjoyed it and thought of me for at least a few sips of the bottle.)
Saturday, while at Yongsan, I noticed banners advertising a wine tasting at the Dragon Hill Lodge so phoned a military buddy to meet me there. For those who have never lived in Korea, the local wines range from atrocious to undrinkable. Koreans have a sweet palate and no history of wine making so the result is usually a cloyingly sweet cordial that has little resemblance to wine. I'm sure they could make spectacular wines as they have wonderful grapes but it would require an excellent winemaker to come over and do so, preferably partnered with knowledgeable vineyard managers who know how to achieve the best grapes for making the best wines.
Side note: The Kiwi is surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject, having grown out of her late-teen affinity for Asti Spumante, a sweet sparkling wine preferred in those days by those with aspirations to elegance but no understanding of class. She has since worked at and managed some of the best bars and wine bars in New Zealand and Australia, learned about wine at the shop of one of New Zealand's foremost experts (who brought in other experts regularly) and spent whenever possible on vineyards, both tasting and tending grapes.
So the nastiness that Koreans mislabel wine just will not do for this gal.
There are other wines available in Korea, and a much larger selection at a much better price each time I return here but, as with anywhere, its those that are produced in huge quantities that are mostly available. So the chance to expand my knowledge and taste some unknown drops was not one to be sneered at. I happily paid $18 for a ticket and another $5 for a perfect tasting glass, and it was time to have fun learning.
And what fun it was! Aside from the wine, I enjoyed time with old friends, reconnected with recently-made friends and made a few new ones while on a roll. (One gentleman sidled up behind me to ask, "Is there an event that involves alcohol in this city that you don't go to?" He'd been on the Craftworks Brewery Tour the previous week and hasn't been in Seoul long enough to know that it would take a few thousand cloned Kiwis to attend every event that has alcohol. Maybe more.)
I talked up those few New Zealand wines that were on the tables, though none of them approach the standard of our best; discussed wine-making and tourism and Seoul and Kim Jong-il; ran out of business cards to hand out and met a vivacious fellow journalist whom I hope to work with in the future. It being the day of the Marine Ball, which was being held in the hotel, I also got to admire some buff, handsome men-in-uniform and thank them for their service. (Offering to buy them a drink didn't really work under the circumstances.) And, of course, drank a little wine, and found a lovely Zinfandel Port. (Port being far more difficult to come by here.)
Then, on Tuesday, I attended the 2011 SIWA and Diplomatic Community Bazaar at the Seoul Grand Hilton. I intend to write a separate post on that but, having heard tales from earlier events, planned to get there as early as possible and head straight for the New Zealand table as I'd heard our Embassy sold good Aotearoa-made wines but they always went quickly.
That event was also improved when I arrived to catch the shuttle to the hotel (about a 30-minute ride) and found my new journalist friend from Saturday also there, along with another friend of hers I'd met at the tasting. Great minds do think alike, as she pointed out.
Once at the bazaar and checked in with the relevant people, I was off to find my compatriots and buy some good wine. I walked away with a Babich Pinot Noir and a Saint Clair Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, both of which await a special occasion or a whim. I was also sorely tempted by the possum/merino scarves and gloves but decided they probably wouldn't survive my vagabond lifestyle too well.
Then this morning, Wednesday, in keeping with the week's wine theme, I was informed that the wines from two vineyards whose owners I know well and have been involved with had won trophies in the Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2011. I'm happy for both pairs of vintners and feel proud to have personally been part of the making of one of the winning wines, or at least the nurturing of the grapes.
During a long-overdue return to Aotearoa from Nov. 2010 through May of this year, I was fortunate to spend time living and working with friends on Tussock Ridge Vineyard in Central Otago. The vineyard's label is 8 Ranges for the eight separate ranges you can see surrounding it.
As you can see from above, it was a magical place to be, and each day I learned more about grapes and vineyard management and all the many factors that must come together to make a great wine. It's a small vineyard with only a small output, but the wines are superb.
The judges at the wine awards obviously agree, and the 2011 Pinot Rose made with the grapes I helped prune and tend took the gold.
I had hoped to help harvest also, but the weather did not cooperate and I had a date with a motorcycle and good friends in the U.S. I had also wanted to work the harvest at another vineyard close by owned by other friends, but again the weather had other ideas. But I was happy to hear that one of the wines from Maori Point Vineyard also won an award.
Well done all involved! I know what a team effort it was and wish I could be there to celebrate with you.
And it has been a good week for the Kiwi and wine, as well as the Kiwi wine of the Kiwi's friends. (Which makes up for leaving a gift bottle of wine behind last week, but I do hope the gifter enjoyed it and thought of me for at least a few sips of the bottle.)
Saturday, while at Yongsan, I noticed banners advertising a wine tasting at the Dragon Hill Lodge so phoned a military buddy to meet me there. For those who have never lived in Korea, the local wines range from atrocious to undrinkable. Koreans have a sweet palate and no history of wine making so the result is usually a cloyingly sweet cordial that has little resemblance to wine. I'm sure they could make spectacular wines as they have wonderful grapes but it would require an excellent winemaker to come over and do so, preferably partnered with knowledgeable vineyard managers who know how to achieve the best grapes for making the best wines.
Side note: The Kiwi is surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject, having grown out of her late-teen affinity for Asti Spumante, a sweet sparkling wine preferred in those days by those with aspirations to elegance but no understanding of class. She has since worked at and managed some of the best bars and wine bars in New Zealand and Australia, learned about wine at the shop of one of New Zealand's foremost experts (who brought in other experts regularly) and spent whenever possible on vineyards, both tasting and tending grapes.
So the nastiness that Koreans mislabel wine just will not do for this gal.
There are other wines available in Korea, and a much larger selection at a much better price each time I return here but, as with anywhere, its those that are produced in huge quantities that are mostly available. So the chance to expand my knowledge and taste some unknown drops was not one to be sneered at. I happily paid $18 for a ticket and another $5 for a perfect tasting glass, and it was time to have fun learning.
And what fun it was! Aside from the wine, I enjoyed time with old friends, reconnected with recently-made friends and made a few new ones while on a roll. (One gentleman sidled up behind me to ask, "Is there an event that involves alcohol in this city that you don't go to?" He'd been on the Craftworks Brewery Tour the previous week and hasn't been in Seoul long enough to know that it would take a few thousand cloned Kiwis to attend every event that has alcohol. Maybe more.)
I talked up those few New Zealand wines that were on the tables, though none of them approach the standard of our best; discussed wine-making and tourism and Seoul and Kim Jong-il; ran out of business cards to hand out and met a vivacious fellow journalist whom I hope to work with in the future. It being the day of the Marine Ball, which was being held in the hotel, I also got to admire some buff, handsome men-in-uniform and thank them for their service. (Offering to buy them a drink didn't really work under the circumstances.) And, of course, drank a little wine, and found a lovely Zinfandel Port. (Port being far more difficult to come by here.)
Then, on Tuesday, I attended the 2011 SIWA and Diplomatic Community Bazaar at the Seoul Grand Hilton. I intend to write a separate post on that but, having heard tales from earlier events, planned to get there as early as possible and head straight for the New Zealand table as I'd heard our Embassy sold good Aotearoa-made wines but they always went quickly.
That event was also improved when I arrived to catch the shuttle to the hotel (about a 30-minute ride) and found my new journalist friend from Saturday also there, along with another friend of hers I'd met at the tasting. Great minds do think alike, as she pointed out.
Once at the bazaar and checked in with the relevant people, I was off to find my compatriots and buy some good wine. I walked away with a Babich Pinot Noir and a Saint Clair Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, both of which await a special occasion or a whim. I was also sorely tempted by the possum/merino scarves and gloves but decided they probably wouldn't survive my vagabond lifestyle too well.
Then this morning, Wednesday, in keeping with the week's wine theme, I was informed that the wines from two vineyards whose owners I know well and have been involved with had won trophies in the Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2011. I'm happy for both pairs of vintners and feel proud to have personally been part of the making of one of the winning wines, or at least the nurturing of the grapes.
During a long-overdue return to Aotearoa from Nov. 2010 through May of this year, I was fortunate to spend time living and working with friends on Tussock Ridge Vineyard in Central Otago. The vineyard's label is 8 Ranges for the eight separate ranges you can see surrounding it.
As you can see from above, it was a magical place to be, and each day I learned more about grapes and vineyard management and all the many factors that must come together to make a great wine. It's a small vineyard with only a small output, but the wines are superb.
The judges at the wine awards obviously agree, and the 2011 Pinot Rose made with the grapes I helped prune and tend took the gold.
I had hoped to help harvest also, but the weather did not cooperate and I had a date with a motorcycle and good friends in the U.S. I had also wanted to work the harvest at another vineyard close by owned by other friends, but again the weather had other ideas. But I was happy to hear that one of the wines from Maori Point Vineyard also won an award.
Well done all involved! I know what a team effort it was and wish I could be there to celebrate with you.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Itaewon Freedom
The following is the original of my latest feature for Yonhap News Agency - the shorter published version can be found here (worth looking at for the photos by Jake Hanus, if nothing else:
Koreans Drawn to Freedom of Foreign Enclave
Situated just outside the concertina-wire topped concrete walls of U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan – home to the headquarters of United States Forces Korea – the suburb of Itaewon has long been known as a foreigner-friendly enclave. U.S. troops roam the streets, monitored in the evenings by Courtesy Patrols of Military and Korean National Police; English-language teachers mingle with international students; Africans of various nations peddle jewelry on street corners; and Pakistani, Indian and Turkish restaurants share street space with Western diners and English-style bars.
Itaewon’s foreign flavor precedes all of these newer immigrants, however. Historian Robert Neff, co-author of “Korea Through Western Eyes,” said the Japanese were based in the area when they occupied South Korea and before the Americans moved in. Neff has also been told that a Chinese presence preceded the Japanese but has no proof of that claim.
The faces on Itaewon’s streets have changed again recently, as Koreans reclaim this most non-Korean of suburbs, which was once considered both unsafe and undesirable.
When Ashley Cheeseman, Executive Assistant Manager of the Grand Hilton Seoul, first visited Seoul
The Englishman was told of the area by another Westerner and visited, finding a home away from home. Cheeseman and his wife subsequently lived one suburb over in Hannam for many years, and he continues to visit Itaewon three or four times a week.
“There wasn’t so much of a mix back then,” he said. “People were very segregated. You had the African community going to one place, Filipinos going to another.
“Now, I see this community where everybody is accepted and nobody is looked down or frowned upon.
“You have this perfect combination of young Koreans being in an environment with a lot of foreigners.”
He believes the change began when Korea Seoul
Kevin Cyr, the Canadian owner of the Chili King burger bar, is another long-time visitor to Itaewon who has watched the area mature along with Korea Korea
In 1996, he said, Itaewon was dominated by young American military and English teachers, he said.
“Most Koreans didn’t come to Itaewon because it was still considered dirty and dangerous.”
He said that perception has changed with promotion of the area by the Korean Government and as Koreans “slowly but surely become more wordly.”
“The late-20s, early-30s generation wants to experience more than Korea Korea
“Itaewon is basically the only place that really offers that.”
Koreans on the Itaewon streets gave similar reasons when asked what brought them to the suburb. Young parents Shim Gyu Sang and his wife Choi Hye Young said they both first came to Itaewon as middle school students and now visit every year or two. Bringing their 10-month old daughter for her first visit, Choi said she had noticed many more Koreans in the area.
Koreans frequented the area, she said, because “there are lots of tasty restaurants and many authentic restaurants.”
Nineteen-year-old Lee Jeong Sun, who was visiting to take photos with two of her friends, said she had been to Itaewon “just a few times.”
“When I was just a high-school student,” she said, “I heard that Itaewon is a beautiful place, similar to Europe , with so many foreigners.
“I think Itaewon is not like Korea
Kang Jeong Moon (26) said that he has visited Itaewon to shop, go to dance clubs and meet friends about 20 times in the past 10 years. He had also noticed a lot more of his fellow citizens in the suburb and said it was the foreign experience that attracted them.
“If you can’t go to America
Another factor that draws Koreans to the area, in a country where social media is an enormous influence on so-called “Netizens,” is a song that became a Facebook and Youtube phenomena in March of this year. “Itaewon Freedom” is an ‘80s-style disco/rap parody that speaks of freedoms unavailable elsewhere in a culture that has rigid expectations of its citizens.
The duo UV, consisting of musicians Yoo Seyoon and Myuji, and rapper JYP donned faux afros to sing lines that include translations of “a world full of youth” and “the world is there.”
Cheeseman said the song and the influence of many more foreigners on Korean television added to the attraction of Itaewon.
“There’s nobody there judging you,” he said.
“Especially with young couples, it’s an ideal location to go. They can be more affectionate with each other without people looking at them and criticizing them with their eyes.”
Cyr agreed that the area offers a freedom not easily found elsewhere in this strictly-regimented society.
“For them it’s like they’re living on the wild side,” he said.
Other long-time foreign residents grumble about the influx of Koreans to what many view as their own small part of the peninsula, though none spoken to wanted to go on record doing so.
Cheeseman said he had heard such complaints.
“But at the end of the day,” he said, “we’re in their country. We are the visitors here so to have Koreans with us and socially accepting us – there can be nothing better.”
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