nanoomi

Create. Collaborate. Reimagine. Inspire.

Those are the driving forces behind Laughing Tree gallery. Located in Haebanchon area of Itaewon the brainchild of Adam  and Jessica Lofbomm has provided a much needed outlet of artisic expression for the expatriate community in Korea.

Laughing Tree opens a door usually tightly locked to artists in the expat community. Showing in a Korean gallery presents a host of challenges such as language, lack of connections, and exorbitant fees that leave artists frustrated  at the very thought of taking on such an endeavor. Enter the Lofboms whose idea of creating an expat friendly space to give artists who may be in the country for only weeks or months the opportunity to showcase their work to the public.

The Lofbomm’s interests lay in the human condition as it’s expressed in music, photography, fine art, installation art, on-screen and voice acting as well as other creative mediums. Contact the gallery if you have a proposal or interest in collaborating.

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Two years ago I discovered a fantastic little Italian restaurant in Itaewon called Bombomb. I went back again and again, but in 2010 I stopped visiting (life got a little busy last year). So yesterday I decided to go back to one of my favourite places for a cheap lunch. Unfortunately things have changed…

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Bao in Itaewon is  a welcome addition to the ever growing restaurant scene in the HBC/Gyeonidan scene. If you haven’t spotted this hidden treasure then make your way over to Gyeonidan. It’s just across the street from Lazy Sue and next door to Noxa.

First you can choose the Bao basic and decide between noodles or rice. If you do go with the noodle then you can pick between egg noodles, wheat noodles, thin rice noodles or wide rice noodles. A rice based dish comes either with brown or white rice.

No matter the choice you also get a ton of vegetables like brocoli, carrots, brown and green onions, garlic, ginger, bean sprouts, and mushrooms as well egg. Next up is picking your sauce. The five distinct flavors of sauce include Chinese, Thai, Singapore, Malay, and Korean.  I chose the pea-nutty spiciness of the Malay and didn’t regret it for an instant.

Finally you can add extras to your dish like tofu, chicken, squid, pork, prawns, or beef. If meat just doesn’t sound appealing then add lime, coriander, lemongrass, cashews, or basil.  There is a charge for the extra additions to the dish depending on how many you choose to add.

Bao is perfect for a date. It’s got ample amounts of ambiance. The dim lighting and warm colors make for an intimate experience any guy or gal would appreciate. The few tables also means you won’t feel overcrowded or overwhelmed by other patrons. It’s like a quiet peaceful nook mostly filled with locals out for a relaxed evening.

The Good:

The simple but tasty menu. The relaxed but chic atmosphere.

The Bad:

If you need dozens of dishes then it may not be for you. During the evening you may be waiting for a table.

The Weird:

Desserts are all Deep Fried life threatening goodness! Oreos and Snickers are just the beginning. Also try ice cream fireballs and deep fried bananas.

Prices:

7,000 KRW for regular, 9,000 KRW for large plates

Extras 500 KRW to 4,000 KRW regular or 500 to 6,000 for large

Drinks 4,000 to 9,000 for teas, coffees, beer and wine

From Exit 2 of Noksapyeong station walk straight until the underground passage. Go under and come up the other side. It will be across from Lazy Sue and next door to Noxa.

You can read the original post here

Beer lovers rejoice! There’s a new tap house in the Itaewon neighborhood. Craftworks Tap House may have just opened it’s door barely over a week ago, but already word is spreading.

Craftworks stands out from the crowd of pubs in Itaewon by brewing up their very own signature beers: Geumgang Mountain Dark Ale, Namsan Pure Pilsner, Baekdusan Hefeweizen, and Halla Mountain Golden Ale. Their beers are brewed by Kapa brewery in Gapyeong from fresh spring water. The Halla Mountain Golden Ale I tried proved to be smooth, light and refreshing and this is coming from someone who usually dislikes beer.

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By Melissa Schumacher, Ewha Womans University journalist student

http://koreancage.blogspot.com/

When I enter the gloomy rock-pub Woodstock in Itaewon, I immediately hear a band playing rock ballads. While drinking a Cass I get lost in the pitch-black eyes of the Korean singer.

The band, Like a Fox, performs a song from the Korean band Crying Nut. The singer, Kim Doo-hwan, who simply goes by Doo, looks so focused. His eyes always seem serious. It seems like he isn’t on stage in that moment. When you watch the original video clip of this song, you see a funky performer rocking on stage. What I see during his performance is more than rock. It is an attempt to work out his past. In the refrain, he shouts out of his soul: “Don’t go”. His voice is so rough and full of feeling that I get goose bumps. It seems as if he is feeling and living the lyrics behind this song. His fingers glide over the guitar strings so intensely and his voice seems to become more and more of a desperate cry trying to stop somebody.

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Gil, at the HBC Cafe.

The good news about the Haebangchon Fest: if you’ve gone once, you know exactly what to expect. The bad news about the Haebangchon Fest: If you’ve gone once, you know exactly what to expect. Excellent local musicians – both expat and Korean alike. More than adequate supplies of beverages, both caffeinated and alcoholic. More foreigners in one place than anywhere else in Korea, save perhaps for the Boryeong Mud Festival. These are all the reasons to check out this wonderful event. With nine venues spanning Itaewon and Haebangchon, there were more than enough chances to check out the music scene – and all for free.

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So Hi Expat continues to pull out interesting stuff: this time it’s a video of someone who seems to be an American GI (“I fought in Iraq for six years!”), punching an old Korean man in the head.  Warning: the video includes swearing and violence.  It’s pretty shocking.

It’s up on Naver, blurred and stuff, and collecting hits.  (see also daum TV)

This video, and the old lady attacking the young girl earlier this week (see here)

These two videos, in the same week, make me think:

1. Holy COW!  What the hell is happening?  Why is violence breaking out on video, all over Korea?

2. I hope other Korean seniors planning on picking on youngsters see these two videos, and choose to pick on a younger Korean instead of a younger foreigner…” because many foreigners haven’t been trained from birth that abuse from a senior must be borne silently.

3. The young guy throwing punches at a senior citizen’s head: this guy shouts that he has been in Iraq for six years, so he may be dealing with much bigger things, personally, than an annoying old guy who won’t back off — I don’t know the story about the old guy, or what led up to this incident…

However, I’d like to take this moment to address any of my Korean readers, who finds this blog post after getting upset about foreign soldiers punching Korean seniors in the head:

Important Message:

Hey everybody.  In the comments about this video, a lot of people will say a lot of nasty things about foreigners, Americans, and especially American GI’s.  I hope that somebody out there puts in a word for us foreigners living in Korea.  Many of us can’t speak or write Korean, so we can’t speak for ourselves very well in the Korean internet.

See, there’s a stereotype of foreigners who criticize or mock Korea, who live here, but talk as if we hate it, but really, most of the foreigners who hate Korea leave.  The foreigners who DO live here?  Most of us like Korea a lot.  Most of us are shocked and upset by a video like this young GI or ex-GI, punching an old Korean man in the head.  Most of us are peaceful people who like and respect Korea, and who find healthier ways to deal with our frustrations.

Moreover: we are not responsible for this guy’s behavior, and we don’t approve of it.  We wish this guy would have stayed home and gotten drunk with his friends at home, instead of going out and making an ass of himself in public, and around strangers.

So please do not think that “all foreigners are like this guy” — all the rest of the foreigners in Korea would like you to know that almost all of us are not like this guy.

And finally, think of the worst night of your life.  Think of the night when you did something really stupid: something you regretted for a long time.  Now imagine that stupid mistake you once made when you were young, and imagine that someone filmed you having your ugliest moment, and put the video on the internet.  Now imagine that everyone in America is watching that video and saying, “All Koreans are exactly like this person in the video.  All Koreans have the same ugly character as this person in the video.”

That judgement of YOUR character would be wrong, wouldn’t it?  After all, it was the worst night of your life, and the worst mistake of your life.  And judging EVERY person in Korea by that one video would be even more wrong, wouldn’t it?

Please don’t judge all foreigners, all Americans, or all GI’s by this one video.  That would be wrong.

Sincerely
Roboseyo

I was asked yesterday in the comments here by Daeguowl if the ‘Itaewon is a paradise for losers’ article had been amended, and a quick check revealed it had. It originally read:

The founder of the “citizen’s group”, Mr. Lee (40) is an English teacher who received a TESOL certificate/diploma in Canada. During a two day interview he explained in detail the truth about Itaewon. Contacting him after a long time, I asked him what the situation was like in Itaewon, and he answered, “Still the same.”

It now reads:

Jasminhyang,” who was active in the “citizen’s group” in the past under that ID, is an English teacher who received a TESOL certificate/diploma in Canada. During a two day interview he explained in detail the truth about Itaewon. He said he left the group in 2007. Contacting him after a long time, I asked him what the situation was like in Itaewon, and he answered, “Still the same.”

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On the 23rd, the New Daily posted a long article by reporter Jeon Gyeong-ung purporting to tell the truth about Itaewon. Robert already posted about it at the Marmot’s Hole today, but as I translated the first third or so of it, I thought I’d post it here.

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“The Republic of Korea’s hidden center, Yongsan’s Itaewon”

Itaewon – ‘a loser’s paradise’ where Korean women are ruined?
A pack of black people looking only for sex
Fantastic clubs? Frequent crimes of drugs, fraud, perverted marriage
Government, media glorify ‘multiculturalism’ ahead of purification

Until now, only Itaewon’s spectacular side and its unexposed great power have been closely examined. However tall mountains always have deep valleys. That the national media and government ignore this for reasons such as policy is a serious problem.

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