nanoomi

Dated Nov. 11

Querido, Mr. R.

More than half of October has passed.  It might be after the mid-term there and I’m reminded of when I was in school.  Well, how are you?  I think you’re busy making questions, correcting things, pointing out errors your students made, etc.  Thinking of that I picked up the pen and decided to write.

I’m in a mountain.  My main goal is to protect a “VIP facility” (and I’m pretty sure that you’d know what that means), and then the secondary mission is to protect Seoul.

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By Sarah Clow

In a country where plastic surgery is commonplace, measuring and weighing candidates at interviews is practised and pop stars are revered, it is not an understatement to say that Koreans are image-obsessed. I spent slightly more than a year in Korea and made some interesting observations regarding attitudes toward appearance while I was there.

Arriving in Korea was daunting. Although I am fairly well traveled, I was unprepared for the stares, finger-pointing and jaw-dropping. Being tall and blonde, it is somewhat difficult to blend in and your daily presence in the country never goes unnoticed. An advantage is the near-celebrity status you are granted. One student even told me she thought I was an American movie star.

The disadvantage is not possessing the innate porcelain skin that refuses to age (at least until you’re 70) or 24 – 20 – 24 measurements that the Koreans have been blessed with. As such, it is necessary to put up with the barrage of comments about your age and weight.

“Twenty-five? Oh really? I think Asians is look much younger,” was the response of one charmer who jumped out of his car just to speak to me. Koreans certainly seem to have no qualms about telling you you look pregnant or tired (old) and to put up with such comments can at times become tiring.

“Teacher, you have baby?”

“No, why?”

“Your stomach is out.”

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This past week, I’ve been taking full advantage of one of the things I love the most about Korea, and here it is:

Monday: grilled Mackerel, in a long-standing, well-known restaurant in my neighborhood: crisped brown, perfectly salted, purple rice (healthier) on the side.  4000 won.

Tuesday: hot pot bibimbap: the pot is so hot that the rice scorches against the inside of the bowl in which the bibimbap is served; I mix it, and then press the mixed rice against the sides of the bowl, to maximize the scorched flavor and texture.  Best bibimbap I’ve had in the city (as always, the best bibimbap, hands down, is in those little restaurants at the bottoms of mountain trails, right after climbing a mountain, but short of climbing a mountain, this is great).  The old ladies at this place know me, and know that I don’t eat the “Yakult” cup, so they don’t set it out on my tray.

Wednesday: maybe on Wednesday I’ll go to “Halmoni Kalguksu” near Jongno 3-ga, in a tiny back-alley near subway exit six.

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