Paul Ajosshi

Beautiful Books In Itaewon

2012-01-21T17:17:00.001+09:00

Good news for Yongsan based book worms - The Beautiful Store have opened up a used book shop in Itaewon!

There's a whole wall dedicated to English language books, plus small French, German and Japanese sections.

And with a little careful browsing you could end up with some interesting tomes for your shelves...

If you fancy picking up a few secondhand books or perhaps donating a few of your own then you'll find the book shop in the building in-between the IP Boutique Hotel and the Itaewon Global Village Centre. Head east out of Itaewon station and if you reach High Street Market then you've gone too far. The shop is on the third floor of the Ansung Tower building.

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T02:20:00.001+09:00

Happy New Year to all and sundry. May your pots be filled with kimchi, your pockets filled with won and your fridge filled with Andong Soju.

Goodbye 2011

2012-01-01T01:28:00.001+09:00

And so we come to the end of another year. As I write this it is already 2012 in Korea, but back in good old Blighty we are stuck firmly in the past waiting for the last few hours of 2011 to waste away into nothingness and for the brand new year to take us into the future.

It has been a rather odd twelve months filled with much happiness, much strangeness and many different jobs. I've bounced around from performer to translator to writer to director and it has been fun to find myself in all sorts of new places doing jobs that I never managed I would be doing just a year ago.

2012 will bring many more challenges and plenty of uncertainty, but I'm looking forward to stretching myself into many different shapes and seeing whether I bend or break.

Thanks to all who have stopped by here to stare at photos or read my rumblings, you are all very welcome and I thank you for taking the time to visit.

Here's to endings and beginnings, and to the hope that 2012 will bring many exciting adventures to all of us.

Goodbye 2011, hello future...

Party, Party, Party!

2011-12-14T13:38:00.001+09:00

It's December and my end of year party schedule is in full swing...

Last night I headed down to a Wedding Hall in Yeoksam-dong to celebrate the ending of 2011 with a bunch of bloggers and the lovely folks at Nanoomi and TNM.

There was a great spread put on to feed the hungry netizens who attended, plus live music from Magic Donkey and a number of "interesting" interpretations of various songs by some of the bloggers present.

It was great fun to meet up with the various Nanoomi bloggers who attended, and it provided a wonderful opportunity to come together to produce our own animal themed Christmas poses.

I've chosen the "startled badger", Joe from ZenKimchi has settled for "worried mongoose", whereas Martina and Simon from Eat Your Kimchi have settled for "rabid hamster" and "confused giraffe". Thanks to the lovely Shanna from Hanguk Drama for the photo.

A great night spent with genuinely lovely people. Plus I won a strange looking plastic ball and an adobe mug and mousepad for being able to spell the word "reader". A good end to 2011!

Ranger Ajosshi

2011-11-30T15:25:00.001+09:00

Earlier this month I had a chance to meet up with the one and only Qi Ranger for his Your Neck Of The Woods video series. We spent a very pleasant afternoon gorging ourselves at the OKitchen and then wandering around the neighbourhood. Watch it if you dare (WARNING - contains me).

Busy

2011-11-30T15:09:00.001+09:00

I've been a little lax on posting this month. Too many things to do and not enough energy to blog about them. Then again I'm not quite sure how interesting my ramblings on the finer points of subtitle formatting and children's theatre would be to you all.

It has been a funny old year. I've gone from being a full time performer to a freelance writer/director in the past eight months. The children's book series I've been writing is into the illustration stage, so I get to marvel with delight at how my ideas are being transformed on the page and in the next couple of months I'll be working with a composer on the songs for the books. It's all very, very new and all very, very exciting. I've got other projects lined up for next year, but they're still under wraps, at least until contracts are signed and announcements are made.

In other news I should be filming a documentary with KBS in the coming weeks. They want to bring together a group of foreigners to eat Korean food around the peninsula. I'm not quite sure what to expect or where exactly we'll be going, but it'll be fun exploring the country with a few fellow foreign foodies.

As the year winds down I'm looking forward to some robust Korean cuisine. Soups, stews and teas to warm the stomach and the spirit.

UPDATE: Looks like I'm dropping out of the KBS documentary. Too many schedule clashes and not enough money to turn my life upside down... Ah well, it gives me more time for Christmas shopping and watching Tintin.

Blurry Heavenly Goodness

2011-11-19T18:23:00.001+09:00

I've been rushed off my feet these past couple of weeks doing many things paid and unpaid that allow me to survive. The rest of my adventures in Jeju are coming, but first a short detour into deliciousness.

Dinner at the OKitchen in Itaewon is always a delight and with my father arriving in Seoul for a few days was a good excuse to pay a visit...

The Seafood Plate:

Top row left to right - herring, mackerel, flatfish ceviche (with lime and coriander).
Centre row left to right - crispy gizzard shad skin, oyster, sea squirt.
Bottom row left to right - flatfish, pacific saury with seaweed, grey mullet with schezuan pepper.

The seafood plate at the OKitchen is always a delight. There are old favourites that often appear alongside exciting seasonal oddities. The flatfish ceviche and the crispy gizzard shad skin are my favourites, though the oyster was highly praised by my dining companions.

Beef tongue with assorted pickles and a jeotgal dressing.

The thin strip of tongue mixed with the radishy fermented dressing was tasty, but nothing compared to the small circle of confit tongue topped with mustard seeds. Heavenly mustardy fatty goodness.

Goat cheese and sweet pumpkin tart with three citrus dressing.

Garnished with a gorgeous radish from the OKitchen farm, this cinnamon scented slice of tart was perfectly pared with a lemon, orange and grapefruit dressing.

Potato gnocchi with pesto.

Simple, tasty, chewy parcels of potato goodness lathered in pesto and sprinkled with cheese. Perfect for a cold November night.

Bayleaf sorbet.

The OKitchen refuses to rest on its laurels, producing a light and sweet palate cleanser.

Pork belly confit with persimmon (half dried, grilled and gastric), parsnip purée.

The star of the show. I'm not sure why more people aren't doing this. Pork and persimmon are a match made in heaven. Plus the OKitchen is possibly the only place in Korea that offers parsnip in any way, shape or form.

A trio of desserts.

All magnificent, with special praise going to the omija sorbet.These photos may be blurry, but the food, as always, was heavenly. OKitchen remains my favourite restaurant in Seoul and gives incredible quality and variety for ridiculously cheap prices. Visit their website here.

Too Much To Bear

2011-10-28T06:08:00.002+09:00

To finish off our first day of Jeju exploration, we headed to the Teddy Bear Museum on the south side of the island. A chance to dry off, warm up and enjoy the thousands of bears and bear related exhibits at this quirky yet adorable place.

The museum has plenty of antique bears and a huge number of plush ursines from the last 100 years, but the stand out exhibits are the bear related art works...

Whether you're in the mood for a little Van Gogh.

Celebrating a royal wedding.

Reliving The Seven Year Itch.

Or celebrating the fashion industry.

They also have a couple of traditional Korean tableaux, including a wedding scene...

And the famous women divers of Jeju.

It's still good to see old friends on display and the museum is well worth checking out if you want to see a furry Mona Lisa or a Louis Vuitton clad teddy.

Plus in recent years they've installed their own special theatre so that you too can experience Elvis Bearsly live in concert. He's a class act!

In the interests of transparency I should tell you that my trip to Jeju was kindly paid for and provided by Korea.net and KOCIS, but all views expressed in this post are entirely my own. Much more to come...

Happy Trails?

2011-10-27T10:29:00.003+09:00

We made our way out into the wet and windy Jeju afternoon weather, boarded our minibus and headed off to one of the Olleh trails on the north of the island. I'd heard a lot about the trails over the past few years and had built certain romantic images in my head - a beautiful solitary trail, with birds singing and crabs scurrying, with the mountains on my left and the sea on my right I would wander along marveling at nature's bounty.

What I didn't expect was a little red pavement bordering an occasionally busy road. Disappointed? Just a little...Still the view of the rocky beaches and the ocean waves was pleasant enough, as long as I didn't look on the other side at the cars, gaudy restaurants, pensions and building sites.

50% romance, 50% disappointment.

Still I did enjoy walking past Jeju's miles and miles of dry stone walls. I love a good dry stone wall. I really do. They're far nicer than brick or concrete, they blend in with the landscape and they remind me of walking through some parts of the English countryside (as do the thatched cottages on Jeju). It was also good to hear from our tour guide that it's not just the elderly keeping the traditions alive, that young islanders are also learning the dry stone wall craft enabling this elegant segregation solution to survive.

And we saw a dead snake.

As we walked along the trail we kept seeing these two little cartoon characters. A stone grandfather and a diver - who looked like she'd stepped straight out of a Miyazaki cartoon. Very cute.I've been assured that there are prettier trails than the one we walked on, but I have to say I was a touch disappointed by our Olleh experience. As the wind blew harder and the rain pitter pattered on our heads, we decided to head somewhere warmer and drier on the south side of the island...

In the interests of transparency I should tell you that my trip to Jeju was kindly paid for and provided by Korea.net and KOCIS, but all views expressed in this post are entirely my own. Next up - Elvis lives!

Voting For Jeju

2011-10-26T08:09:00.001+09:00

Next up was a stop at a government building to hear about the campaign for Jeju to be voted as one of the "New 7 Wonders of Nature". We headed down to a basement conference hall, vitamin c drinks were thrust into our greasy little hands and we met 강성후 - head of the task force for the Jeju New 7 Wonders campaign.

강성후 (in the green jacket) and our fabulous translator 지은

November 11th is decision day (voting ends November 10th), so if you want to vote for Jeju, then you don't have long to do it. You can find all the details on how to vote by phone or on the web on the above link.

Why vote for Jeju? Well, it's a bloody beautiful island that deserves recognition for how gorgeous it is. Let's get one thing straight - it's not Korea's Hawaii. That's an insult to Jeju's own particular features (though I must say I also love Hawaii, especially Hanauma Bay). The Jeju committee offers five reasons as to why Jeju should be one of the final seven:

"1. Jeju is the only candidate boasting a harmonious coexistence of people, nature, culture and a prehistoric heritage in a single location. (Jeju is the world's first and the only area that received a triple crown as a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2002, a World Natural Heritage in 2007 and a Global Geopark in 2010.)
2. Jeju is the only candidate boasting all seven key factors for tourism. (Scenery, an island, a volcano, beaches, caves, waterfall, sand, forests.)
3. Jeju is the only East Asian candidate among the 28 finalists. Its selection will boost the image of East Asia in the World.
4. If selected, Jeju will contribute greatly to the preservation of the environment as a capital of Environmental Protection.
5. Selection will lead to an increase in global tourists to Jeju and neighboring East Asian tourism sites."

It was interesting to hear 강성후 talk about Jeju, he and his team are obviously passionate about the island and about winning votes for Jeju to make sure it comes within the top seven. I really hope it does, as it could give Korea and Jeju a boost in tourism and recognition (Plus they've promised to make me an honorary citizen of Jeju if they win!).

You can vote on the web or by phone, but if you live in Korea you can also text your vote. Send a text message with the word "Jeju" to 001 1588 7715. It costs about 150 won per vote (at least that's what they told us).

Obligatory team picture (remember to enter 7715 for Jeju after a beeper sound?)

I asked 강성후 what he thought was the most beautiful part of Jeju. He chose the Yongcheon cave, unfortunately that wasn't on our schedule... We left him and his team to keep on campaigning and made our way outside into the wet and windy Jeju weather for the next part of our trip.

In the interests of transparency I should tell you that my trip to Jeju was kindly paid for and provided by Korea.net and KOCIS, but all views expressed in this post are entirely my own. Vote for Jeju! Go on, you know you want to!

The Joys Of Jin Air

2011-10-25T09:49:00.001+09:00

Our trip to Jeju started on Friday morning...

After meeting at the KOCIS building near Gwanghwamun we were whisked off by bus to glamorous Gimpo airport. It seems so small compared to its younger, bigger brother in Incheon, but that plays to its advantage - no treks searching for the right gate, no long waits and a mercifully short security check.

We had flights booked on Jin Air, a budget airline that is a subsidiary of Korean Air. There's no seat reservation and so boarding becomes very much like trying to get on a subway or bus in Seoul (you've got to fight hard if you want to get a window seat). The chairs are compact, the choice of drinks is limited and the flight attendants all wear peculiar lime green polo shirts and caps that make them look more like fast food restaurant cashiers than airline employees. It certainly has a budget feel to it, but the staff were friendly and the flight is very, very short. Not quite as swanky as its parent company, Jin Air still does the job (though they might want to splash out on some new uniforms).

Our first meal in Jeju was at the airport's fourth floor "gourmet avenue" at a pleasant enough Korean restaurant.

I opted for a spicy cabbage and beef rib soup, which was tasty, but perhaps not a Jeju delicacy. With lunch out of the way it was time to leave Jeju airport and head to the city...

In the interests of transparency I should tell you that my trip to Jeju was kindly paid for and provided by Korea.net and KOCIS, but all views expressed in this post are entirely my own. More posts to come.

I Love Jeju

2011-10-24T15:28:00.000+09:00

I'm just back from a fantastic three days on Jeju island thanks to the lovely people at Korea.net and KOCIS. A small group of bloggers was given the opportunity to explore the island, eat some great food and learn a little more about Korea. I'll be blogging about our trip over the next few days, but if you fancy getting a head start on things then you can go here to see some photos from our adventure.

If you have a spare moment then you may want to visit here for info on how to vote for Jeju in the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition. I'll be talking about the competition in another post, but it's a good opportunity to give Jeju a boost and let the world know about this beautiful island.

In the interests of transparency I should tell you that my trip to Jeju was kindly paid for and provided by Korea.net and KOCIS, but all views expressed in this post are entirely my own. Jeju is a bloody marvelous place and I'll be heading back there as soon as I can to explore some more. Stay tuned for updates on the teddy bear Elvis tribute, a sneak peak into the Pheonix Island resort, the truth about Hallabong and how I learned to stop worrying and love Kpop...

A Weekend Of Jeju And Kpop

2011-10-21T04:19:00.003+09:00

Thanks to the generosity of KOCIS and Korea.net I'm off to Jeju for the weekend to experience the joys of the Olleh Trail and to see if I can get my hands on some roast pork, pheasant dumplings, abalone porridge or raw horse.

I haven't been to Jeju for about seven years, so I'm looking forward to exploring the island again (though the weather forecast is decidedly wet), plus on Sunday afternoon we get to go and see SBS Inkigayo being filmed...

I'm hoping against hope that Dal Sherbet won't be singing this monstrosity whilst I'm there.

Night Fishing

2011-10-20T04:35:00.001+09:00

iPhone Film Festival - Paranmanjang from iPhone Film Festival on Vimeo.

If you have a spare half hour, then sit down and feast your eyes on this slightly fuzzy copy of 파란만장 (Night Fishing), a short film directed by Park Chan-wook (Thirst, Oldboy, JSA) and his brother Park Chan-kyong (Anyang Paradise City).Shot on an iPhone 4 (though spruced up with various lenses), this odd story of a man and his lakeside misadventure offers a glimpse into the minds of both directors.

It's very much a film of two halves - with Chan-wook giving us a haunting first fifteen minutes in which a middle aged man goes night fishing and finds himself entangled with a mysterious spirit, then Chan-kyong allows us to witness a shaman ritual in his honour where his family seek some sort of closure after his death.

There are no subtitles here, but it's still a good watch without them and a chance to see these two brothers working together. While many of you have probably heard of Park Chan-wook and perhaps seen one or two of his relatively well known films, I'd also urge you to seek out Park Chan-kyong's Anyang Paradise City (다시 태어나고 싶어요, 안양에). The glimpses of shaman ritual in Night Fishing are explored further in his first feature length film, where he mixes his own footage of traditional ceremonies with moments of drama. It's an astonishing piece of work that may not charm every viewer, but will reward those with a little patience.

Best K-pop Medley Ever

2011-10-17T08:29:00.001+09:00

I popped into a dumpling restaurant for lunch yesterday and saw this playing on the tv. Quite possibly the best K-pop medley ever sung. I'm a sucker for relatively elderly choirs singing pop songs...

It's from a show called 남자의 자격 - 청춘 합창단 which features aging rocker 김태원 conducting an amateur choir. It's not quite Glee, but it has its moments. Still it's not a patch on the documentary Young@Heart. Their version of Coldplay's Fix You remains one of my favourite covers.

Seek out Young@Heart if you can. One of the most beautiful documentaries you'll see.

New Cheap Eats In Itaewon

2011-10-03T20:00:00.001+09:00

New restaurants and cafes seem to be springing up all over Itaewon at the moment. As I wander down alleys and side streets I keep spotting new places to try; and right out on the main strip, sandwiched between Panchos and the KB Bank, I discovered a new take out noodle place that offers a box of South Asian goodies for far less cash than most other eateries.

Noodle Box franchises have popped up in Hongdae, Shinchon, Gangnam and Itaewon, offering a small selection of noodle and rice dishes starting at 5,700 won. To celebrate the grand opening of the Itaewon branch every main course on the menu has been brought down to 5,000 won, I'm not sure how long the discount will last, but it certainly offers a thrifty alternative to Buddha's Belly, Wang Thai or Pattaya. I opted for the Pho Xao, described as "Vietnamese Pad Thai. Fried flat rice noodles served with pork, mussel, plus vegetable combination."

Low prices also mean self service down at Noodle Box, but for 5,000 won I was happy to make the short trek to the counter. My noodles arrived promptly in their own special box (how appropriate!) and when I opened up my small cardboard parcel of delight I was greeted with a burst of fragrant steam. So far, so good. It turned out to be a tasty little package and worth the price - choice morsels of pork, a few mussels and plenty of beansprouts, but my only complaint would be that the noodles were a tad too chewy.

Noodle Box offers a decent meal at very low cost and adds a touch of asian flair to the row of kebab shops that adorn the strip between the subway and the fire station. Certainly a good option for those on a budget or in a hurry, and may well offer a little nostalgia for those who used to get their noodles in boxes... To get to Noodle Box, head out of Itaewon station past KB Bank and this cheap little eatery will be on the right hand side. If you hit Mr. Kebab, you've gone too far. Visit their website here.

Freaky Firestation Flashmob Filming

2011-09-25T20:16:00.000+09:00

First Itaewon Freedom, now this:

Itaewon can be a very odd place at times and today was no exception.

I'm not quite sure what happened or why, but outside the firestation on the main strip, there was some sort of flashmob/photoshoot/music video/mass hysteria involving a decrepit popstar, three firemen and a group of youngsters dressed like rejects from a Grease audition.

I stayed for only a few minutes, but the memory has been seared into my brain and will haunt me for decades to come.

And now a glimpse of the dancing, lip syncing, k-pop horror itself...

Greek Tragedy?

2011-09-24T08:55:00.000+09:00

This photo accurately reflects my feelings about this plate of food.

Last night I met up with some old friends for a glass of wine, a bite to eat and a natter about the comings and goings of 2011. We decided that the Santorini's new restaurant on the main street might be a good place to try. I'd been to the Santorini behind the Hamilton hotel a couple of years ago and not had a wonderful experience, but I was willing to give them another go, especially in their new location.

Unfortunately... more of the same.

Our waiter, when asked for salads with no dressing explained that all salads were pre-dressed; and after being informed that I had an egg allergy and couldn't eat mayonaise, she brought me a plate of food with a big dollop of mayonaise rich coleslaw...

I ordered the mixed grill for 25,000 won: A chicken kebab, some lamb gyros, a "meatball" which looked and tasted suspiciously like a burger, fried potatoes and pitta bread. The meats weren't bad, perhaps a little too salty, the fried potatoes were passable, but the pitta bread was so tough that I feared for my teeth.

Then there's the price... A little steep considering that the Turks are selling good quality kebabs and other bits and pieces round the corner for much less. As @mrpfisher said on twitter last night:
"Tried it last weekend. Wasn't massively impressed, certainly at those prices. Hope it's better for you!"

I had kept my hopes up for Santorini, but I fear I won't be darkening their door again. Perhaps not a Greek tragedy, but certainly a disappointment.

Seoul Is Changing

2011-09-20T20:49:00.000+09:00

Something strange is happening to this city...

At the start of August I left rain soaked Seoul for ten days in rain soaked Edinburgh and when I came back I found myself in what felt like a different place.

As we flew into Incheon, everything seemed so clear. I could see every boat, every road, every nook and cranny of this crowded and chaotic peninsula, and as we drove into Seoul the skies were blue and I could see for miles and miles.

How odd.

This may not be so noticeable for relative newcomers, but after a decade living under the yellow haze of pollution, looking up at the sky and seeing rather indistinct shadows and a blurred sun, this past month has come as a revelation. We've had our good days and bad days, but late August into mid-September has given us some stunning skies and some gorgeous clouds. I don't remember enjoying the heavens so much in the last eleven years and I'm thankful that I can look out across the Han river every morning on my way to work and enjoy the view.

Maybe it was the ridiculously long and ridiculously heavy monsoon season, maybe Seoul is getting cleaner, maybe the sky gods are smiling down on us... Whatever the cause may be, it makes me happy.

Long may these clear skies reign, before Seoul changes its mind and the smog comes back again.

Wine Gift Time

2011-09-06T20:08:00.001+09:00

One of Korea's big two holidays is coming up this weekend, and with the arrival of Chuseok (the Korean Harvest Festival) comes the arrival of the annual Chuseok gift from my present employer. In previous years I've received frozen fish, frozen steaks, seafood powder, olive oil, and a set of soaps, body-washes and toothpaste that still hasn't been used up entirely...

This year it was pretty easy to guess what I'd received from the box.

Sure enough, a quick peek inside revealed two bottles of rioja, plus a fancy schmancy corkscrew and pourer. Often we share gifts with my in-laws, spreading the fishy, beefy, soapy love around, but this year I think we'll be keeping these bottles for ourselves.

A quick search on the internet reveals that these two bottles go for a total of about 70,000 won in Korea... another quick search on the internet reveals that they go for a total of about 20,000 won back in the U.K...

Hopefully one day wine prices in Korea will settle down, so that my need for decent wine can become an affordable habit. Until then I'm still very grateful that my employer wants to send me a bottle or two to celebrate the harvest.

You can catch me wittering on about Chuseok tomorrow morning on TBSeFM during my regular 11.30 Korea Only slot on the 1013 Main Street programme...

My New Favourite Korean TV Programme

2011-09-01T19:51:00.000+09:00

We've only recently got a streaming iptv service and as I was flicking through the few free channels we have access to tonight I discovered 한국인의 밥상 on KBS1.

Thursday nights at 7.30, it's every Korean food addicts dream. Half an hour of a rather elderly slightly famous man (I know his face from somewhere) travelling round Korea and finding the best that Korean dinner tables have to offer. Tonight's episode was salt, samphire and seaweed focused, with some beautiful shots of beautiful food.

Plus there's no audience sound track, no dramatic oohing and aahing over everything and they don't show the same shot three times in a row. It's proper adult television meant for those with a serious interest in food. I am in love...

If like me you grew up with a love of serious food programmes for serious foodies, then this may well be the show for you.

Idiocy In Theatre

2011-08-27T15:39:00.000+09:00

I sit here in front of my computer when I should be sitting in seat B24 in the circle of the large theatre at the new Yongsan Art Hall. I should be watching a Sherlock Holmes influenced magic concert starring 최현우. I've walked out of a couple of plays before, but this is the first time I walked out of one before it even started...

First if all I should say that I'm very happy that Yongsan has an art hall and that it's located in Itaewon. I'm also very happy that Yongsan residents get 50% off tickets to any show there. Thank you Yongsan, that's great, it's super, it's absolutely wonderful and I love you dearly. However, there are a couple of things that need to be sorted out.

First - If you want people to come and see your shows then you should really start advertising them ahead of time. As you can see from your pretty little website, the only thing advertised is the aforementioned Arthur Conan Doyle based extravaganza. Beyond the middle of September? Who knows? It's just a glorious field of 준비중입니다 signs. I'd love to start booking tickets for upcoming shows, but that's not going to happen if you don't tell me what's going on. I was lucky enough to stumble past the Yongsan Art Hall last Saturday and noticed that something was actually on. Lucky me.

Second - You don't have any English pages on your website. That's ok. I'll live with that, I'm a big boy and I'll do my best to navigate through the internet using my stumbling Korean. However, when it comes to booking tickets, rather than booking online or by phone, I find it's much easier to come down to the box office and book face to face. That way if the staff member and I have any communication problems we can use the miracle of body language and other tried and tested techniques to get the message across. However, when I tried to go into the theatre to buy tickets last week, I was told I had to book by phone (in Korean) if I wanted to get my Yongsan resident discount. I'm a Yongsan resident... I live in Itaewon... I am standing in front of you with a pile of cash and my alien registration card... Would it be so hard to take the booking? Really? Really?

Third - I booked by phone yesterday. You said you reserved a seat for me. You said I could pay at the box office. I got to the box office today and you had no record of my booking. You sold me a ticket anyway at the box office. Even though the last time I went to the box office you said I couldn't buy my Yongsan resident discount ticket at the box office. You seem to be contradicting yourself...

Fourth - I'm a poor artist so I went for the cheap seats up in the circle. Normally I love the circle, you get a great view of everything, a little bit of distance from the stage and a chance to throw chewing gum into the hair of those in the pricier seats below. I was happy with seat B24 up in the circle - on the little auditorium map it looked like a great seat with a great view. Perfect, Yongsan Art Hall, you've given me a great ticket at a great price and I get to watch a tiny cherub faced Korean man pretend to be a Victorian detective whilst messing about with cards for an hour and forty minutes.

I get up to the circle fifteen minutes before showtime and things start to seem a little less perfect. You seem to have put a rather large clear plastic barrier in front of the circle seats. You seem to have done it for safety purposes and yet you don't seem to have noticed that this rather large and obtrusive plastic barrier obstructs the view and significantly diminishes the enjoyment of the circle seated spectators, especially for those looking to involve themselves in a Moriarty antagonizing wizardry related experience.

For the first time in my life I walked out of a show before it had even started and I went back to the box office where you told me that you didn't give refunds directly before a show starts. I explained myself and you gave me a refund. This time I was very happy that you contradicted yourself.

I go to the theatre so that there is no barrier or screen between myself and the performer. I have been to hundreds of venues where audiences in the circle have been absolutely safe without the use of a large plastic barrier. You may be worried about safety (and that's a good thing to worry about), but you also have to worry about the audience experience of a show. If I want to watch a man in a deerstalker produce a rabid phosphorescent hound from a hat, then I want to do it without having to squint through plastic.

Sort yourself out Yongsan Art Hall. I'm only saying this because I love you and I want you to succeed.

Edinburgh!

2011-08-09T08:33:00.000+09:00

We're off on tour, so if you happen to be in Edinburgh this week then stop by the King's Theatre and say hello to the Mokwha Repertory Company.

We'll be performing The Tempest on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (13th-16th August) at 7.30 pm. There'll be Shakespeare, Shamans and English Supertitles. Full details at the Edinburgh International Festival website here.

Radio Days

2011-08-03T09:56:00.000+09:00

Well, it seems that every Wednesday morning just after 11.30 you'll be able to hear me waffling about Korea on TBSeFM's 1013 Main Street program.

I'll be on this morning if any of you care to listen in and I'll be talking about the joys of ddeok-galbi, one of my favourite meaty Korean dishes.

Listen in if you dare...

Things I Have Been Eating

2011-07-28T18:12:00.000+09:00

I've been out and about doing exciting things this month (sitting in front of a computer endlessly writing, translating and editing play scripts and children's books), but I have found time to eat a few delicious things.

For your delectation a short summary will follow:

First off a delicious spicy beef noodle soup with added cactus. A new branch of 밀사랑 has opened round the corner from Suji's in Itaewon and they serve a mighty fine bowl of 백년초육칼국수. It's a fairly fiery concoction and I was warned away from it by the staff, but while it does have a kick it's no stronger than your average 육계장. My only advice would be to wear a dark top or put on one of their aprons, because spicy soup, noodles, slurping and light coloured clothing can only lead to shameful staining.

Next up deep fried mudfish from the Shinchon branch of 춘향골 남원추어탕. Perhaps not to everyone's tastes, these freshwater mudfish are deep fried whole and perfect with a bowl of dongdongju.

The mudfish soup at this place is also well worth a try, a really comforting bowl of thick fish soup with a hint of lemon.

The arrival of Jester's Pies in Itaewon seemed to be cause for celebration, but when I sat down to try a couple of meat filled parcels the other week I was a tad disappointed. The rather chewy beef reminded me of airplane steak both in texture and flavour. Maybe I got a duff pie... I hope I got a duff pie...

Here's a chorizo quesadilla from Taco Amigo. Greasy, but delicious, though a little pricey. I'm not going to head across the road to Taco Bell, but I'd love a lunchtime set that comes in under 10,000 won.

Next up a pricey plate of pasta from Sortino's. 18,000 won for a no frills four cheese linguine. Tasty, but with my downgraded income this year, not worth the price.

Speaking of prices - I popped into Edward Kwon's The Spice on Saturday lunchtime in search of gourmet goodness, but the prices there have turned prohibitive. On the weekend, lunch starts at 49,000 won for three courses. OKitchen only charges 22,000 won for five courses at lunchtime and I'd rather get two meals there than one at The Spice. The price hike may also explain why there were only two diners in the restaurant at 1.00 on a Saturday...

Finally spring rolls and Penang curry from Buddha's Belly. I needed a little shelter from yesterday's storms and this coconut beef curry did the trick.

Next week I'll be spending most of my waking hours in Daehangno putting the finishing touches to my translation of The Tempest for the Edinburgh International Festival. Any restaurant recommendations around the theatre district?

Itaewon From A Different Perspective

2011-07-19T20:42:00.000+09:00

I was at the 10 Magazine office in Itaewon today and finally decided to snag a photo of the amazing view from their window. Shame I didn't have my DSLR with me...

Does Vegan Food Need More Love?

2011-07-18T19:47:00.000+09:00

I should probably start out this post with a statement about my eating habits:

I love animals, especially the cute and fluffy ones, because they usually taste delicious. I have no qualms about roasting rabbits, braising beef, frying fish, poaching pork, sauteeing shrimp and grilling goat. I appreciate meat and I eat it on a regular basis. However, if you include breakfast, over half my meals are vegetarian or vegan in nature. I don't need meat in every meal. I've had many delicious vegetable based dishes in the past and I'm happy to not eat meat if I'm promised something tasty.

That's where I stand... On with the incoherent waffling!

A friend and I had recently been talking about vegan restaurants and the options available in Seoul. Animal products seem to be everywhere, hiding in stews and sauces in many Korean restaurants. This is a country where ham is not considered to be meat by some chefs and where pleas for an eggless meal may fall upon deaf ears. It can be a daunting task for vegans new to Seoul to find places to eat, but one franchise seems to have taken the country by storm: Loving Hut has over forty restaurants in Korea and seems to be a safe haven for those looking for meatless treats. I'd never been to one of their franchises and last weekend I decided to take the plunge and visit the "Honest Loving Hut" in Itaewon.

I'd heard about the Itaewon branch through the fabulous Alien's Day Out blog. The photos of the "Roasted Veggie Burger" looked incredible. Could it be that a vegan paradise was just round the corner from my house? First impressions of the restaurant were great, it was filled with happy customers, bright, well decorated, it felt like a nice place to hang out.

The menu offers a selection of salads, pastas and burger/sandwich type thingies. I plumped for the "Mushroom Cream Pasta" at 13,000 won. To be honest, I was interested to see how Loving Hut could manage to make a cream pasta without dairy...

First off, vegan bread with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The crusts lacked crunch, but both slices were flavourful.

Then the pasta. Let's take a closer look.

I've seen something similar served at Sorrento. It had the look of a standard Korean Italian restaurant cream pasta dish. Right down to the dried parsley on top.

And the taste? Not bad. The "cream" is made with soymilk and manages to replicate a cream sauce, but I'm sorry to say I think Loving Hut can do better.

Dried parsley? Really? If I'm eating vegan then I'd like fresh herbs. Vibrant green, chopped, fresh parsley would have done wonders for this dish and could have compensated for the bland cream sauce. If you're not using wine or cheese or meat to flavour the soymilk cream then you need to find other options to make the dish exciting. Roasted onions? A little lemon peel? Maybe some fried garlic slices or enoki on top? Just browning the mushrooms a little more would have added to the flavour of the pasta. There are many ways to improve this kind of meal without resorting to animal products.

My dish served its function, but it certainly wasn't inspiring. I'll be coming back to Loving Hut to try the aforementioned veggie burger, but I hope they can improve on their cream pasta or at least start using fresh parsley...

I really want to love Loving Hut Honest... if you want to try their vegan wares then head down to Itaewon station, walk towards Noksapyeong and turn right at the first set of traffic lights you reach. Walk past OKitchen and Michot Bakery, Loving Hut Honest is on the left hand side directly above Chili King. You can call them on 02 795 2111.

Click here for a fantastic map of vegetarian restaurants in Korea.

Spider Cat!

2011-07-12T17:34:00.000+09:00

Feline supervillains beware, for you have surely met your match with the fearless fellow I saw near Ehwa Women's University today...

Stuck up a tree, Spider Cat decided to take things into his own paws and using his unique spider powers shimmied his way down.

Don't fall, Spider Cat! You can do it!

He's so fast, too fast for my puny iPhone camera.

His work done, Spider Cat turns away from the Paparazzi, his secret identity must not be revealed...

Finding Amazing Things

2011-07-09T11:26:00.000+09:00

As some of you may have noticed I've joined tumblr and I've been looking around and seeing what's what. This morning I came across an astounding photo of a Korean sailor from around 1904. It's part of the Cornell University Library collection and they've very kindly shoved a whole load of their photos on flickr (The Korean collection seems to run from page 99 to 109)...

Possibly the coolest dudes in the whole of Chosun.

The Haechi/Haetae was protecting Gyeongbok Palace back in 1904.

And Monsoon season was a rather serious event.

Some girls went to Gisaeng school.

And some boys carried water.

Music was played.

Rice was pounded.

And doing the laundry was a lot less convenient than today.

Pipes were smoked.

And children were very good at standing in lines.

Their ten pages of photos are well worth checking out if you fancy a glimpse of Korea at the start of the twentieth century.

Changes Afoot!

2011-07-08T17:05:00.000+09:00

Dear Readers,

I've not been posting as much as I'd like; I've been lax and I've been using bad puns involving chilis and biscuits. I hope you'll forgive me for those, it's the weather I tell you! The weather! The humidity turns my hair into something akin to an ajumma perm and seems to have a similar effect on my brain. While I love Korea, I am not enamoured with the disgustingly hot and moist summers that we suffer through each year.

In the Ajosshi household we're getting a lot of use out of what I like to call the "poor man's air conditioner". Combine an electric fan with a couple of frozen bottles of water and you may find yourself just that little bit cooler. I should point out that when using the fan we do keep all windows open and until now neither myself, my wife or the cockroaches that live in our villa have expired (fan death shall not claim us this summer, I tell you!).

I have digressed...

Onto the main purpose of this post: Changes are afoot in my little life and today I found myself sitting down at a rather large table, in a rather large office, signing my name all over several pieces of paper. Turns out someone in the pantheon of literary gods must like me as I've gone and signed my first book deal...

This is the bit where I do a happy dance in front of the computer.

It still seems a tad unreal, but I've been tasked with writing a set of children's books over the next couple of months. Writing for kids is something I've wanted to do for a long time and I'm both surprised and ecstatic that I have the chance to fulfill one of my dreams.

There's a lot of work to be done, but I'm looking forward to putting words on paper and having someone else illustrate my ideas.

I'm as happy as the dog that ate the cat that got the cream.

That's it for now. I've got to go and write a review of Transformers 3 for 10 Magazine that is imbued with my passionate hatred for what Michael Bay has done to children's toys and yet is still suitable for a general audience to read.

Lots of love,

Paul Ajosshi

P.S. The delightful Cynthia Yoo has just had her latest article posted on Yonhap. I make a brief appearance where I witter on about translation. Read it if you dare.

Tumbling Ajosshi

2011-07-07T12:02:00.000+09:00

I heard all the cool kids are using Tumblr so I decided to ruin it for them and get on there myself. I'll still be posting here on a regular basis, but I'll be messing around with Tumblr posting snapshots and snippets of my life, as well as bad jokes and other peoples pictures.

If you're interested you can find me here: http://paulajosshi.tumblr.com/

But don't worry I'll be posting many exciting things on here in the days and weeks to come including a report on my visit to Miso (not the soup, but a Korean theatrical performance).

I hope you all enjoy the few final downpours of this year's monsoon, I'm off to record some more video game narration.

I've Got Ginger Nuts

2011-06-30T20:03:00.000+09:00

DISCLAIMER: I'm in a bit of a punny mood today... Couldn't resist putting these two posts back to back.

I strolled down to High Street Market today to see what goodies they might have in store and Heavens to Betsy they're selling McVities Ginger Nuts for a mere 1,300 won (they normally go for the still reasonable sum of 1,900 won). These are the biscuits I've missed the most in all my time in Korea, I bring pack a packet or two every year and have to ration them out. Even worse, my wife has developed a taste for them, so they disappear twice as fast...

I snaffled up four packets, but there are still a fair few left if any of you, my dear readers wish to purchase them. Their "best before" date is the 10th July 2011, but they should survive longer if stored correctly.

If you've never nibbled on a couple of ginger nuts, then now's your chance to give them a go!

Would You Like To See My Tiny Gochu?

2011-06-30T19:10:00.000+09:00

DISCLAIMER: Pun most definitely intended...

Living in the middle of this metropolis is lots of fun, but I do miss having a garden. As such, we've resorted to filling our windowsills and balconies with greenery and we're starting to see the fruits of our labours.

While our tomatoes, coriander, parsley, oregano, bell peppers and salad leaves need more time to mature, our chili plants have flowered and our 고추 are growing at an amazing rate.

While some are in the early stages of development...

Others are starting to look far more manly. Who wants a taste of my knobbly 고추?

Telling Porkies About Bossam

2011-06-29T14:36:00.001+09:00

(For those unfamiliar with cockney rhyming slang "telling porkies" means "telling lies")

Up until last night I believed that 보쌈 (Bossam) was steamed pork. I trusted those who explained the dish to me when I first had it and I trusted that wikipedia knew what it was talking about. I'd only ever eaten Bossam in restaurants (though I have consumed hundreds of platefuls over the years) and I'd never questioned the provenance of the English translation.

Last night my culinary world was rocked when my wife decided to make it at home for the first time. She knew the family recipe and when I got home she was busy putting the finishing touches to the meal. The side dishes were being put into bowls, the jjigae was on the stove and the pork was gently simmering in the pot... Wait? Simmering? Not steaming? As everything I knew crumbled around me, I sank to my knees and let out a scream of anguish. I had been lied to all this time. Bossam was not steamed, it was boiled!

My wife has mean knife skills and my photography is sometimes blurry! Yay!

It turns out that the recipes for Bossam in our Korean books all involving boiling the meat. My wife added 된장 (fermented soy bean paste), onions, spring onions, ginger and garlic to the water and then simmered the pork for about ninety minutes or so. It gave the meat a slightly khaki tinge and tasted delicious.

Side dishes were kept to a reasonable number. A selection of beansprouts, sweet potato shoots and pigweed (appropriate for a porky dish).

Plus the always popular dwenjang stew.

It was a supremely delicious meal and worth the crushing disappointment of finding out my culinary ignorance. Unfortunately we didn't have any fermented shrimp on hand (a superb addition to Bossam), but other than that the meal was perfect.

Remember kids: Bossam is boiled pork! Don't let them fool you!

Tiny Six Legged Happiness

2011-06-28T20:11:00.001+09:00

Sometimes a glimpse down at the Gangnam pavement can bring pleasure. On my way to 교대 station I noticed this little fellow resting on a leaf. Urban ladybirds make me happy...

Plus they have the best Korean name ever: 무당벌레 (Shaman insect). I love spiritual bugs.

Mourning The Loss Of A Good Meal

2011-06-27T20:12:00.000+09:00

Just three months ago I discovered a wonderful restaurant called Tour de Table. Everything on the menu was under 10,000 won and the food that I tried was delicious. I fell in love with their 가지덥밥 (Aubergines on rice) which for 7,000 won was one of the best vegetarian deals in the area. I took friends there, spread the word, enthused about this lovely little restaurant serving reasonably priced, delicious cuisine.

Last Saturday I took an old friend out to lunch and decided that Tour de Table would be perfect. We braved the pouring rain, headed up the shabby steps and into the restaurant. Sat down at the table, shook off the excess raindrops and... stared in disbelief at the new menu.

It's one of those terribly sad culinary moments when you realize the restaurant you loved is gone and it won't be coming back. The menu had turned into a rather moribund selection of standard Italian choices. Three boring sounding pastas, a potato pizza and a couple more forgettable items. All 10,000 won or over. No aubergines, no deal.

We walked out and as we steadied ourselves for another foray onto the rainy streets of Hannam-dong, I calmly explained to the waiter that we'd come for good food, but that this new menu was a complete turn off. A boring selection compared to the previous delights. We made our excuses and left.

If I want sad spaghetti I'll go to Sorrento. It makes me both unhappy and annoyed that a restaurant that had charm and an interesting menu, decided to throw that away and play safe (as well as boosting their prices).

Goodbye Tour de Table, I knew you only for a short time, but the aubergines on rice were incredible while they lasted.

The Week In Brief, A Coffeeshop Doppelganger And A Tributary Tome

2011-06-25T19:49:00.000+09:00

Homemade doughnut and my favourite Ralph Steadman mug.

It's been a hectic sort of a week in the Ajosshi household:

Last weekend I was lucky enough to score free tickets to three very different, very exciting performances.

Last Friday night thanks to the Korea Foundation I was able to get on the guest list for their Summer Concert for Foreign Residents. We were treated to a concert featuring the work of one of the world's greatest Gayageum players, Hwang Byung-ki. He is, as our North American cousins might say, "a Bad-Ass Mo' Fo'" musician who has composed some extraordinary pieces for the Gayageum and we were treated to five compositions (two of which were performed by Hwang himself) and a rather extraordinary translation experience where at one point the translator became flummoxed and so Hwang switched to speaking in English, while the translator had to convert his remarks back into Korean. An astonishing and hilarious moment. After the concert I was waylaid by a journalist from The Korea Times and you can read my opinion on Bad-Ass Gayageum Mo' Fo' Hwang Byung-ki here.

Saturday morning I rose early and headed down to the Seoul Arts Center to catch a performance of The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites by Nova Scotia's Mermaid Theatre. It's a superb puppet show that manages to faithfully recreate Eric Carle's books on stage, whilst keeping a rowdy bunch of five year olds enthralled. Incredibly simple and yet so very, very entertaining. I thoroughly recommend it for anyone with young children.

Sunday afternoon I headed off somewhere north of Seodaemun to watch a rather complex physical theatre piece by the Sadari Movement Laboratory. The first 15 minutes was an astounding dance-like routine involving seven brightly dressed and wigged ladies and gentlemen engaged in an odd and sometimes painful connection. The rest of the show was decidedly more wordy and involved a few difficult dialects and phrasings, alongside some historical references I was not so familiar with and so my brain worked rather harder than usual, trying to decipher the goings on on stage. It's a brand new piece and this is the first time it has been performed, I love seeing their productions in their earliest forms and then coming back to see how they have transformed over months and years.

The rest of this week has been filled with work. I'm very close to sealing the deal on a new project for the autumn and I've finished my essay for The New Korea Files (Have you submitted your's yet?). Work on Mokwha's Tempest translation is slowly moving forward and at a special press rehearsal on Tuesday I had the pleasure of meeting a journalist from Scotland's Sunday Herald who is over in Korea checking out the artists who are coming to Edinburgh this summer.

Thursday late night I got a text from an old friend which led to me heading down south of the river on Friday to record vocals for a brand new construction video game. It was great to be in a recording studio and hopefully I'll be able to land a few similar gigs in the future.

Finally, I came across a couple of odd discoveries this afternoon. Apparently I have my very own coffee shop near Jamshil... 폴아저씨커피 (also on twitter) opened in November last year and according to these photos seems to be a lovely place to sup a cup of java.

I also discovered that there's a children's book dealing with a couple of Paul Ajosshis. I must get my hands on a copy and see what I've been up to.

Having A Whale Of A Time

2011-06-21T20:49:00.003+09:00

This mural is a pretty accurate description of how I feel on days like these. It's too hot, no really, it's too damn hot. I come from Celtic stock and we like our summers wet and windy. At least with the rainy season hitting Seoul tomorrow, there will be a little relief before the real onslaught of summer sun sets in.

Mural found near Noksapyeong station. No whales were harmed in the making of this post.

Bearing It All

2011-06-20T20:24:00.003+09:00

The Waxing Bar in Itaewon has a novel way of advertising its services for men...

I don't think I can say anything else on this matter. It's just too much for me to bear.

Getting Crabby In Itaewon

2011-06-17T18:01:00.003+09:00

Bizarre English signs can be fun, but sometimes they fill me with despair...

The backstreets of Itaewon are going through some rather major redevelopments at the moment and where there used to be tiny alleys and houses, we now have boutique clothes shops, restaurants and a brand spanking new length of tarmac for drivers to speed down. There are new shops and cafes popping up on a weekly basis, including a new Brazillian place and a branch of HBC's Gogi Jip, but my story involves a Korean restaurant that has opened up just down the road from me.

At first glance the sign for Sam Gol didn't seem too bad. Fairly coherent English, no better or worse than the usual signage. And then I spotted the "p"...

Mmmh, the "Indongcho-seasoned raw crap" sounds... well not as appetizing as it should have, if spelt correctly.

I had a quick chat with the owner, found out he didn't speak any English and so explained in a very gentle manner that his new sign for his new restaurant was offering sewer fodder instead of the usual sea food.

Fortunately he took heed and a few days later the sign had been neatened up. It may not be perfect, but at least it's describing a more palatable main course. I'm glad he changed the sign as most people refuse to take crap from restaurant owners...

Hooray For English Subtitled Theatre!

2011-06-16T20:38:00.002+09:00

It only happens every once in a while, but throw your hats in the air and celebrate another English subtitled theatre performance in Seoul!

Starting tomorrow at the Daehangno Arts Theatre is Seoul Factory for the Performing Arts' production of "The Idiot".

It runs until June 29th and if you'd like a dose of Dostoyevsky in Daehangno then it may well be the show for you.

There's plenty more info over at the 10 Magazine website, the Seoul Factory for the Performing Arts Facebook group and almost no up to date information on their official website... Performing at the La MaMa Theatre is so 2010.

I, on the other hand, am now ankle deep in our translation of Mokwha Repertory Company's production of The Tempest for the Edinburgh International Festival this August. First official translators' meeting tomorrow, which should include plenty of discussion of Shakespeare quotes, the real meanings of various Chinese characters and debates over the use of the letters "j" and "z" when representing characters whose Korean names contain "ㅈ". Fun, fun, fun! Translating mutated Shakespeare back into English is an interesting challenge and not one for the faint of heart.

If you happen to be in Edinburgh from the 13th till the 16th of August then you should head to the King's Theatre and watch us.

One Year On

2011-06-14T14:54:00.002+09:00

It's one year to the day since a dear friend passed away. Without warning he was gone and many of us in Korea, New Zealand and Australia were left bereft. Roger Rynd was an extraordinary human being. Most of you who might chance upon this blog will never have heard of him, but if you happened to be at the Hi Seoul Summer Festival 2008 then you would have experienced his handiwork.

Roger was Artistic Director of Latt Children's Theatre and one of my greatest mentors and friends, without him the world around us seems incomplete. One year on he is still missed by so many.

An extract from his obituary last year:

Roger was born in Singapore and had spent most of his life in Asia and Oceania. He had an ongoing interest in the relationship of contemporary performance and technology to the traditional stories, music and mythology of the region. For the last 14 years he pursued a particular passion for creative work with artists from Korea and Australia; forging the aesthetic perspectives of these two unique cultures into a critically acclaimed performance medium.

From 1985 to 2002 Roger was artistic director and writer in residence for Australia’s internationally acclaimed REM Theatre, creating dynamic multi art form, cross cultural theatre. In 2002 he became Artistic Director of the LATT Children’s Theatre in Seoul, Korea - arguably the first theatre of its kind in the world. Artists and technicians from Korea, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Poland and the U.K combine to produce English language performances, workshops and multi media resources.

Roger had been busy preparing Latt Children's Theatre's latest production, "The Little Dragon" and after celebrating the successful opening of the performance he passed away in his sleep in the early hours of the 14th of June.
Roger's work took him to many different festivals and venues as a writer, director, designer and performer. From The Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C. to The South Bank Concert Hall in London to The Australia Abroad Festival in Singapore, his shows have been seen all over the world.

Roger conceived and directed the epic ICON performance for the Sydney Opera House 20th Birthday Celebration and was Writer and Artistic Director of the Opening Ceremony of the “most successful ever” Paralympic Games in Sydney 2000. This spectacular event had a live audience of 110,000 and was viewed by over 2 billion people worldwide.

For the Sydney Olympics Festival he worked with artists from Korea and Australia to create the public art performance “The Maintenance Team’. He was also artist in residence for the Seoul Arts Centre, Korea and created the Opening Ceremony of the Australian Festival in Seoul.

From 1997 he started working in Korea with Sadari Theatre Company, creating several beautiful performances with them over the years. He was also invited to direct the 10th Anniversary ceremony for the Seoul Arts Centre and in 2008 he was made Artistic Director of the Hi Seoul Summer Festival.

Roger Rynd was made an Honorary Citizen of Seoul in 2007 and will be greatly missed by all those who worked and played with him.

Roger and the cast, crew and staff of Latt Children's Theatre in 2008.

Faith, Hope and Chastity

2011-06-12T15:11:00.003+09:00

For the past couple of months, Charles from KTLIT, Andy from Seoul Art Fiend/Concrete Experience Magazine and myself have been gathering together every couple of months, sitting on the floor next to a computer and babbling about all sorts of topics for the Korean Culture Report podcast.

We'll be recording the next one sometime very soon and will be discussing Daehangno's Lock Museum among other things. I toddled down there yesterday for a quick gander at their superb selection of locks, latches and other antiquated key based oddities and encountered the above specimen. An honest to goodness real-life Chastity Belt, this vicious looking thing is known as a 정조대 in Korean. I'm not sure if they were ever used in Korean society or whether this one has been brought in from foreign climes, however a brief search on the internet revealed a rather surprising piece of (possibly incorrect?) information:

"In August, 2002, Korean clothing manufacturer Intarsia briefly offered a line of lockable womens' panties, ostensibly to prevent spur-of-the-moment sexual assaults."(Source)

The world we live in truly is an odd sort of place. I'll be sure to lock my door tonight.

Two Snapshots Of Sunday Happiness

2011-06-06T09:13:00.002+09:00

A sleepy five month old kitten at a coffee shop around Yangjae station...

And a dish of sublime spaghetti from the Bar Dopo near the Seoul Arts Center.

Sunday happiness.

Ukulele Crazy

2011-06-02T15:21:00.002+09:00

This Saturday marks the first ukulele festival ever to grace the Korean peninsula. Up at the Hyeri Cultural Village in Paju, Gyeonggi-do between 1.00 and 9.00.

It's free, it's fun and there'll hopefully be hundreds of small stringed instruments strumming away.

You can get the 220, 2200 or 900 bus from exit two of Hapjeong station (supposedly it only takes twenty minutes) and if you enter the raffle you can win a round trip ticket to Hawaii...

Hopefully I'll be packing up my uke and heading down on Saturday afternoon. Hope to see you there!

Korean site, Herald Article, Craigslist Post, Facebook Event.

Tea Time

2011-06-01T18:33:00.002+09:00

I'm archiving my shots from the last couple of months and I thought I'd post a few that didn't make it into the 10 Magazine article (and one that did).

I had great fun galavanting from tea shop to tea house, trying my best to dig out the tastiest places to sup on a cup of leaves in hot water. All these places are mentioned in the article and are worth a look if you happen to be in the area (Further info/addresses/phone numbers can be found here).

At the Old Tea Shop (옛찻집) in Insadong you're greeted by a flock of feathered friends who perch on branches, sculptures, plates and cups and keep a watchful eye on your snacks.

It's a fun place to bring guests who are looking to try a cup of tea in slightly odd circumstances and is not just for the birds...

I ordered a cup of double harmony tea, perfect for when you're feeling a little down in the dumps, but certainly an acquired taste (think medicinal christmas pudding).

Next slightly more simple fare from the Insadong Traditional Tea House (인사동 전통 찻집). I chose the "Middle Leaves Green Tee", which turned out to have nothing to do with golf.

There's a beauty in the way the saturated leaves rest in the empty pot. Almost seeming to crawl up and out in front of your eyes.

Five flavour tea from Jidaebang (지대방), ice cold, sweet, sour and slightly fizzy. It felt like a naughty treat. The Chilsung Cider of the Korean tea world.

A rather more austere offering from the Da Kyeong Hyang Shil (다경향실), yellow tea made with oxidized tea leaves.

At Tea 22233 in Itaewon I sampled Puer tea along with a slice of homemade mugwort bread. The hippest tea joint I've found in Seoul so far.

Royal milk tea at Trinitea near Ewha University.

It looks like a traditional British cuppa, but has been made with condensed milk. Super sweet and perhaps not to everyone's taste (Though, I will be going back for more).

Finally the house speciality tea from The Garden For Drinking Tea (차마시는뜰). A mix of leaves and petals that looked gorgeous in the pot...

And sublimely simple in the cup.

Taking Tea With The Master

2011-05-31T19:04:00.003+09:00

I've been focusing on far too many little things this month and completely forgot to urge you to rush out and snatch a copy of the May edition of 10 Magazine (though it's probably too late now, unless you plead with them for a back issue). I was fortunate enough to snag the cover story (The Way Of Tea) and a chance to interview Brother Anthony of Taizé.

In my delightful chat with Brother Anthony he talked about the Great Tea Master Chae Won-hwa and with the Tea Gods smiling down upon me I was given the chance to meet her a few weeks later at her studio in Insadong.

I spent a couple of hours in the company of Master Chae and two of her students. We sat cross-legged on the floor of the small room where she teaches The Way Of Tea and talked about her life, her passions and about tea itself. It was a wonderful experience and a meeting that I'll remember for a very long time to come.

Here's just a few shots from my time with Master Chae, if you ever get a chance to meet her then be prepared for intelligent passionate conversation and a magnificent cup of Panyaro tea.

Time To Get Your Crayons Out

2011-05-30T10:40:00.002+09:00

If you enjoy writing and aren't afraid to publicly put pen to paper then there's an exciting opportunity that may just be for you...

Head on over to The New Korea Files, where you're invited to submit pieces for a brand new book of "original English-language writing by blogging expatriates living in Korea". I'll be typing out my own piece this month and I encourage you to do the same.

Here's the info:

Eligibility

Submissions will be accepted from English-language writers who currently live in Korea and blog about their experiences.

Submissions

We are looking for short essays, creative non-fiction, poetry pieces, art and lists that center around the theme Beyond Bulgogi.

Submissions should be emailed to book1@nanoomi.net with the subject line “BB Article Submission” or “BB Submission, other” by July 1st. Submissions must be attached as a Word .doc/.docx, .txt, .or rtf file. Any submissions in other formats will not be considered. Please indicate how you wish your name to appear if your piece is selected for inclusion.

The New Korea Files assumes only first-publication rights to selected pieces, to include printing in South Korea and in an online edition via online retailers. All other rights, including subsequent publication, are retained by the author.

Please be aware that TNKF will exercise editorial control over submissions.

Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but if a submission is accepted by other publications, it must be withdrawn from The New Korea Files. Please contact TNKF via email immediately if a submission is accepted by another publication. Authors will be notified in July if their pieces have been chosen for inclusion / returned for rewrite / rejected for inclusion.

Articles: Works of up to 3,000 words will be considered, although we prefer shorter. Authors may submit any number of pieces for consideration.

Poetry, Art, etc.: Any number of pieces will be accepted for submission.

Head on over to their website for more details and also the chance to submit pieces to their "The Kindness of Strangers" category.

One Rule For Expat Life In Korea

2011-05-26T12:44:00.002+09:00

I'm a little late to this party, but I've just seen the CNNGO article by Kyle Burton and the responses from Chris in South Korea, Roboseyo and David Wills. They all have interesting things to say and some useful tips of their own (Go read them now if you haven't already).

I've got one little rule for expat life in Korea. It's a simple one, but I've found it to be fairly effective wherever I've gone:

Don't be a wanker.

Welcome to Korea, I hope you enjoy yourself, but please don't be tempted to act like an idiot just because you're in a new and exciting place. Like it or not, you're a cultural ambassador for your community and when in Korea, you need to respect not only the local laws, but also the people around you. I'm not saying you shouldn't have fun, but be aware of the consequences of your actions. Last year Ask A Korean wrote a great post titled "Ask a Korean! Wiki: How Not to be an Arrogant American?". It's worth a read and it applies not just to Americans, but to every foreign visitor or resident in Korea.

Concrete Window

2011-05-24T17:46:00.001+09:00

A picturesque view of the Yongsan Army base from the outside looking in. The grass does look greener on the other side...

Summer Spaghetti

2011-05-21T08:20:00.003+09:00

Summer is most definitely here (and judging from this week's weather it may well be rainy season) and the basil in our balcony garden is growing strong, so to celebrate we made a tomato and pepper spaghetti to brighten up our rainy lunchtime.

The Girl And The Whale

2011-05-18T19:39:00.003+09:00

I had a little time on my hands this afternoon and decided to explore the Hongdae/Shincheon area. I got off at Sangsu subway station and discovered this gorgeous slightly faded mural at the crossroad. I'm not sure why it's there, I'm not sure what it means, but I have fallen in love with this girl and her whale. My new favourite piece of street art in Seoul.

Things To Do On A Wednesday Night

2011-05-17T14:59:00.003+09:00

Roboseyo has already posted about the rather interesting party going on tomorrow night, but I thought I'd throw my two pennies worth in and let you know about it. Project Obangsaek is a documentary and website set up by documentary maker Benson Lee and it already has a fair few bits and pieces of interest on the web. Aurelien Laine (French film producer) has some interesting things to say on the South Korean film market and Hae Hee Joung writes about the Korean graffiti scene.

But back to tomorrow night's party. I've heard rumour that some stars of the K-blogosphere will be in attendance at Project Obangsaek's launch party to talk about Nanoomi at 7.30 and it'll be a good chance to get your funk on when the Seoul Train Party gets on the rails at 9.00.

Bibiming Your Bap

2011-05-16T16:00:00.004+09:00

Ever wondered what the best way to mix your 비빔밥 (bibimbap) might be? Well down at the 중앙회관 restaurant in Jeonju, they bibim your bap for you.

What follows is a minute's worth of uncut, hot and steamy mixing action...

If you're in Jeonju then I strongly advise you to take time out of your busy schedule and make your way down to what may well be the best bibimbap restaurant in the country.

View Larger Map

Sage Sanitary Advice

2011-05-14T10:51:00.001+09:00

"Prosperity is a great teach;

adversity is a greater."

Wise words, toilet wall sign, wise words... Seen in a toilet next to Dunkin Donuts at City Hall.

Comics Trading Day

2011-05-12T13:08:00.000+09:00

A little info for connoisseurs of comics...

This weekend seems to be the perfect time to dig out your unwanted comic books and to head to Hongdae. On May 14th from 1.00 till 5.00 pm at Thanks Books in Hongdae there will be a comics trading day.

If you fancy finding out more about it then contact pow.boom.crash [at] gmail.com for more info and the chance to secure your spot.

It may well be a treasure trove of graphic delights.

Nice To Meat You

2011-05-11T11:26:00.002+09:00

A few shots from last weekend's Friendship Fair at City Hall. A meat lover's paradise...

Greek kebabs served with tiny pitta breads.

The rather larger Russian versions.

Afghanistan had the prettiest skewers.

However, Indonesia had the tastiest...

Peru wins for largest chunks of meat though.

The French contingent did have the best sausages on offer.

But it was good to see the UK's representative Gavin turning out with his usual bangers.

Chef Meili did the Austrians proud with his delicious roast pork.

But the highlight of the festival for me was the Lebanese chicken and rice.

It turns out the creator of the best food of the festival is a diplomat working at the embassy. I'm hoping he gives up the day job and gives Seoul a Lebanese restaurant to be proud of!

Falafel creation caught in the act.

Alas the friendship fair is over for another year, but I urge any foodies in Seoul to make a point of turning up to next year's festivities. It's well worth a visit.

The Book of Mormon

2011-05-10T18:31:00.003+09:00

Completely unrelated to Korea. I just thought I'd share this link for the more heretical among you. National Public Radio have a sneak peek of The Book Of Mormon, the Broadway musical from the demented minds of the creators of South Park and Avenue Q.

This isn't for the faint of heart or the easily offended, but if you have a puerile sense of humour, a love of broadway musicals and don't mind burning in hell then this may be for you.

Disclaimer: I'm not sure how long the album will be online to listen to for free, but you'll be able to buy a copy later this month...

Models of Friendship

2011-05-09T18:59:00.002+09:00

I'm not quite sure what these models were doing at the Seoul Friendship Fair over the weekend, but I had to admire their poise and control. Herded like fashion robots they walked and paused on command, smiling for the cameras and then disappeared into the palace across from City Hall.

Kebab Anyone?

2011-05-08T16:06:00.002+09:00

An enormous chicken kebab offered by the lovely fellows of the Turkish stall at the Seoul Friendship Fair yesterday. If you didn't go yesterday or today then you really missed out on some fine street food. More pictures to come...

JIFF 2011 Part Five - Departure, Words Of Praise And Warning

2011-05-07T15:45:00.000+09:00

For Other JIFF 2011 posts please click here.

Services on offer.

After far less snoring time than I would have appreciated I scoffed down some instant ramyon, stumbled into a taxi and collapsed onto a 무궁화 (Mugunghwa) train. The Mugunghwa service is cheaper (17,000 won), slower (three hours and fifty minutes), has smaller seats, less legroom and a rather louder, drunker class of passenger, but the train cafe is always open and the hazelnut coffee is just as bad. I think I’d take the Saemaeul over the Mugunghwa every time if I had the choice, it’s worth the extra 7,500 won.

I arrived back in Seoul disheveled, downtrodden and dirtier than we I left, but I was happy to have had my whirlwind affair with the Jeonju International Film Festival. I’ll be back again, that’s for sure, but I’ll try and find some different accommodation...

Helpful volunteers willing to pose for the camera.

The Jeonju International Festival was filled with incredibly helpful volunteers, the English subtitles were excellent for the most part and the choice of films on offer was fantastic. I’d also like to commend the brave interpreters who were ready and willing to do live interpretation for me. For the Q&As for Anyang, Paradise City and The True Taste Show I had an interpreter all to myself. It feels special to have a man sitting next to you whispering English translations in your ear... For Nowhere to Hide, I had to share with others, but I think it’s incredible that Jeonju is able to offer that sort of service to their visitors. The ability to understand and participate in the Q&As greatly enhanced my festival experience and allowed me to enjoy the films on a different level.

Next year, take a little time out of your schedule and head to Jeonju, you won’t regret it. Go for the festival, go for the bibimbap, go for the chance to annoy up and coming directors with comments about their English subtitles, just make sure you stay away from the 백제의 성 motel.

Enter at own risk...

JIFF 2011 Part Four - Please Refrain From Kissing The Director

2011-05-07T08:04:00.000+09:00

For Other JIFF 2011 posts please click here.

Spiderman, patron saint of film festivals everywhere.

I popped back to the festival open area I had visited the day before and picked up a couple of dvds from a stall. Lindsay Anderson’s If with Korean subtitles and Kamome Diner, a Japanese drama set in Finland. Then off to Megabox for film number six.

JIFF art on display.

달팽이의 별 (Planet of Snail) is a Korean documentary dealing with the life of a deaf-blind man and his diminutive wife, showing how they communicate with each other and their friends. It’s an uplifting hour and a half and the director Yi Seung-jun tries to show us what it must be like to live in this world of no sound or light. A touching story of how normal life can come out of unusual circumstances.

Coffee and Kidlat.

Feeling warm and fuzzy, I skipped down the slightly wet road, watched from a distance as Crying Nut warmed up for that night’s concert and then made my way to a hanok cafe for a cup of organic fair-trade coffee and a chance for my brain to cope with two days worth of sensory overload.

Kayagum wires strung across Hanok beams.

Quite possibly the best coffee house in Jeonju.

Then coffee consumed, I braced myself for the final film of my festival experience: Lee Myung-se’s 인정사정 볼 것 없다 (Nowhere to Hide).

I saw this film for the first time back in 2004 on DVD and fell in love with it. An artistic action film that experiments with image and form whilst thrilling, chilling, making you laugh and keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Back in CGV for the second time, I sat down and prepared myself. Then Lee Myung-se came and sat in front of me. Directly in front of me. Lee Myung-se was sitting directly in front of me! I kept my cool, I refrained from kissing his tiny bald head and waited for the movie to begin.

The back of Lee Myung-se's head...

Nowhere to Hide remains one of my favourite films and it has improved with age... sort of... let me explain. Seven years ago when I first saw the film I was a foolish young boy who had only been in Korea four years, my Korean was rudimentary and I relied on subtitles to enjoy Korean films. Fast forward to last weekend and I was surprised by how funny the film was, the Korean audience helped, but I realized that I understood the jokes and language play. It makes me happy that I’m able to appreciate Korean language films more deeply, that as my language skills improve I’m able to immerse myself more fully and understand more and more of the subtleties of language. In the words of Charlie Sheen “I’m winning”... Fortunately Lee Myung-se was also “winning” and the audience loved watching Nowhere to Hide. Most stayed for the hour long talk afterwards and if I have the time and inclination I’ll divulge some juicy details in a later post.

Cine Talk with Lee Myung-se.

I left the cinema at 11.30 thoroughly exhausted, but very happy with my first experience of the Jeonju International Film Festival. Back to the motel of doom, a can of beer, the red tinted windows, the circular love bed and the promise of a few hours of sleep.

This butterfly represents my feelings toward Lee Myung-se.

JIFF 2011 Part Three - Stormy Weather And HERZOG!

2011-05-06T20:23:00.000+09:00

For Other JIFF 2011 posts please click here.

Welcome to JIFF, our banners are pretty and our spellchecker is broken.

I woke up to a thunderous storm, rain blasting onto the red tinted windows and the realization that I didn’t know where I could get breakfast. Stomach growling, I washed, brushed and got myself ready under the sickly green light of the bathroom, and made my way out into the rainy morning. Fortunately the JIFF shuttle bus was waiting for me and I settled myself into one of the faux leather seats as the tv at the head of the bus flickered with footage from the first two days of the festival and the speakers boomed with hideous techno. Dance music at ten in the morning has never seemed proper.

You must try one of these choco pies before you die.

As we arrived at the cinema street, the rain eased off and I was able to walk around looking for sustenance. Unable to find a Korean restaurant for breakfast, I headed for the PNB bakery and picked up one of their delicious baked choco pies. Not the healthiest way to break my fast, but I was hungry and I had four films to see.

Evil cat.

Next stop was a cute little coffee shop with an evil looking cat crouched on the counter. I left a warning in one of their notebooks. I think this may accurately reflect what a night in the 백제의 성 motel can do to a man’s mind...

Warning to others.

With caffeine and chocolate cake flowing through my digestive system I was ready for the first flick of the day: Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams in 3D. I had been wanting to see this documentary for quite a while and was so happy that JIFF were showing it in 3D. I think my tweet from before the screening says it all:

“HERZOG! HERZOG! HERZOG! Time for 3D Werner Herzog...”

Sometimes I can be such a geek.

I feel the same way about Herzog that a motel Ajosshi feels about these business cards (found outside my motel).

The Megabox screening was packed out (with the largest number of foreigners I had seen at the festival so far) and it did not disappoint. I think it may be the best use of 3D in cinema I have seen so far. Herzog allows the camera to linger over the fabulous prehistoric cave paintings of Chauvet and the 3D allows us to experience a little of the depth and texture of the art. This kind of film is best suited to hardcore documentary fans who have the patience and interest to spend ninety minutes looking at some old scribbles on a cave wall. I am one of those fans and was delighted by how Herzog has captured this unique historical wonder. Go see this in the cinema if you can, it’s well worth your hard earned cash and will leave you feeling like a better person. The postscript with the radioactive albino crocodiles may not be to everyone’s taste, but I found it to be a fitting Herzogian end to the whole thing.

No Q&A and certainly no Werner Herzog, so it was time for coffee and a cheese muffin.

They call this a cheese muffin. I call them liars.

A cheese muffin served with squirty cream? A cheese muffin that has never been introduced to any kind of recognizable cheese? A muffin certainly, not a bad one in fact, but this was completely different to the muffin I had dreamed of in those long lonely moments between ordering and receiving the damn thing.

At this point I was wondering whether watching The True Taste Show had cursed me and if I would be condemned to a weekend of dismal food. However, I’m a big boy and my next screening called.

Short animation programs can be a mixed bag, you may get some good, some bad and some just plain weird cartoons, but it seemed the best choice when I was booking tickets and I hoped that there might be some interesting moving pictures.

This mural was more exciting than the short animation program...

Eighty minutes later the house lights came back on and I left the cinema with my head hung low. My first failure of the festival. The main animation of the program was a rather ghoulish Japanese vegan fantasy, drawn in pencil (a touch Plymtonesque) and ending with a cannibalistic orgy of destruction. It lasted fifty minutes and I wished I’d spent that time in a happier place. The other few animations were blissfully short but none impressed me.

Happiness spread before me.

I needed cheering up, I needed food. I had an hour and a half till the next film and I knew just where to go... my favourite bibimbap place in the whole of Korea. I’ve written about 중앙회관 before and I’d recommend it to anyone heading to Jeonju. It’s a little out of the way, but 10,000 won will get you an incredible meal.

Bibimmed bap.

The way the ajummas bibim your bap is a thing of beauty and it was just what I needed to re-energize me and help me through the rest of the day. I gave the owners a hand with a few translations for their menu and they were kind enough to give me my meal for free. The True Taste Show curse was lifted, my festival mojo was back and I was ready for cinematic action.

You want this. I know you do.

JIFF 2011 Part Two - Offending Directors And Culinary Curses

2011-05-06T13:30:00.000+09:00

For Other JIFF 2011 posts please click here.

I’ve been interested in the work of Park Chan-kyong ever since I heard he was Park Chan-wook’s brother and that they were working on a short film called 파란만장 (Night Fishing) together. Call me shallow, but Park Chan-wook is one of my favourite directors and I a firm believer that genius can be hereditary, so the opportunity to see Park Chan-kyong’s first feature length film could not be missed. I had already seen his short film 비행 (Flying) at the Korean Rhapsody exhibition that is still running at the Leeum Museum. It was an interesting piece of work, but I was curious to see how he would fill out two hours worth of film.

다시 태어나고 싶어요, 안양에 (Anyang, Paradise City) turned out to be an enjoyable semi-fictional, semi-documentary investigation into Anyang City’s history, focusing on a fire at the Greenhill Factory. Park Chan-kyong plays a version of himself as onscreen director, whilst two actresses Kim Yeri and Park Min-yeong play his assistants (and as it turns out did actually assist in the making of the film). The film follows their investigation of the fire, their interviews with historians, authors and shaman and also highlights some traditional performances from the area. I’d hesistate to call it a feature film, but would rather describe it as media art. In the way that Matthew Barney makes feature length art pieces, Park Chan-kyong has done something in a similar vein.

Q&A with Park Chan-kyong (centre).

After the screening Park Chan-kyong and Kim Yeri had a brief Q&A session with the audience who remained. I may do a separate post on that session at a later date.

As we left the screening room, I said hello to Mr. Park, said how much I enjoyed the film and pointed out that some of the subtitles in his film had mistakes. He was not best pleased and excused himself for a cigarette. It’s good to know that I can accidentally offend a director with just a few words...

Found at Jeonju station.

Trying to forget my faux-pas, I brushed away copious tears and sniveling, made my way to the next screening...

Film number two was Kim Jae-hwan’s 트루맛쇼 (The True Taste Show), a rather entertaining investigation into the world of Korean reality television, again at Megabox. Kim and his crew took it upon themselves to examine the tv shows that recommend restaurants to the public. They set up their own fake restaurant and found out that it’ll normally cost you 10 million won if you want your place to appear on tv, sometimes more or less depending on the grade of celebrity you want come visit and pretend they are a regular customer.

Director Kim Jae-hwan alongside Park Na-rim and Ki Hyo-young at the Q&A.

The documentary is very funny, very sharp and pulls no punches in exposing the reality of reality television. I fear I may be one of only a few people who get to see it though, as the director talked about possible lawsuits in the Q&A afterwards. He said they planned to rent cinemas in Seoul and screen the film, I hope they manage to do it and that audiences flock to see this expose of televisual malpractice. Quite possibly the best film of the festival for me, certainly the most surprising.

Dying for dinner after seeing so much food on the big screen, I searched for somewhere else to eat. With little time to spare I popped into a dumpling chain restaurant for a rather unsatisfactory plate of 고기 만두 (3,500 won for the taste of salty poor quality food).

Salty lumps of disappointment.

Belly rumbling slightly I headed to the third and final screening of the day: Inside Job, the oscar winning documentary detailing the worldwide financial crisis of 2008. This time the film was shown at the rather seedier CGV cinema. I love CGV Yongsan, but the Jeonju branch is rather old and worn, plus the film was badly projected with a fifth of the screen slightly out of focus. Nobody seemed too bothered, nobody complained and the projection stayed that way for the whole film. Meh. Inside Job is enjoyable, but it plays out like a two hour economics lecture from a series of entertaining professors. It’s 95% talking heads and it can get a little tiring at times. Certainly worth watching if you want to confirm how corrupt the banking industry is and how terrible the crisis was, but there’s nothing new to see here except for the humiliation of several important people on camera. There was a Q&A session with a Korean University professor after the film, but I wasn’t in the mood for another lecture.

I was out of CGV by 10.00 and headed back to my rather sordid little room in the love motel. Picked up a couple of beers from a convenience store and watched Scrubs on the fuzzy tv. I slept.

HD vision sunglasses? Really?

JIFF 2011 Part One - Arrival And A Chance Encounter

2011-05-06T09:10:00.000+09:00

For Other JIFF 2011 posts please click here.

Stepping out of my charming Itaewon hovel, I made my way to Yongsan station and hopped on the early morning train to Jeonju. I’m used to traveling by bus and on the KTX, but this was my first experience of the 새마을 (Saemaeul) train service and I was pleasantly surprised.

A very different kind of iPad. Seen at Seoul Station.

Spacious seats and plenty of legroom made the three hour and 10 minute journey more than bearable (as did the price, 25,400 won, much cheaper than the KTX), but it was the train cafe that really enhanced my trip. The ability to get up, wander to the dining car and have a coffee is something missing from the KTX experience, but with the Saemaeul and the Mugunghwa trains you’re allowed to dine or drink in a little more style. The hazelnut coffee is still just as bad as the KTX, but sitting on a bench facing the window is just a little more romantic and feels far more cultured than just being stuck in your seat.

The train cafe.

Arriving at Jeonju station, I thrust myself into a taxi and sped towards my accommodation. I’d picked a love hotel from a list provided by the festival, and to be fair at 30,000 won a night it was very reasonably priced. However, it was a very old fashioned kind of lodging house, complete with water-stained walls, tiny red tinted windows and a bathroom light that shone a sickly green onto the chipped toilet. The circular bed complete with leftover hairs was the piece de resistance. Needless to say, I won’t be coming back to the 백제의 성 motel...

Everybody loves a circular bed.

After dumping a fair amount of my belongings, I took the JIFF shuttle bus and headed down to the JIFF Press Office to pick up my pass (Thanks to 10 Magazine for the credentials) and my tickets. A press conference filled with people I should have recognized was taking place as I picked up my goodie bag and after lingering for a while to listen to the celebrities, I made my way into downtown Jeonju to score some lunch.

Press conference filled with people I have never heard of.

The JIFF 2011 Goodie bag.

A word of warning: If you’re peckish and you don’t fancy fast food, then the cinema street may not have what you’re looking for. You’ll have to walk a little bit further to enjoy the culinary delights of Jeonju. Unfortunately I was pressed for time and so ended up walking round in ever decreasing circles until I found a branch of School Food.

Carbonara Topokki.

I’ve heard much said about this upscale kimbap restaurant, but this was the first time I had the chance to sample their delights. A quick scan of the menu, did little to excite me, but one dish popped out from the page and I decided that it would be remiss of me if I didn’t try the “Carbonara Topokki”. Fusion School Food for 8,000 won and surprisingly decent. The sauce tasted like something you might get at Sorrento, but there was plenty of bacon and the rice cakes worked well in the rich creamy sauce. Not my ideal lunch, but it did the job and was much better than expected.

Filled with cream and rice starch, I started to make my way to the Jeonju Megabox Cinema, but first popped into one of the open festival areas. There I chanced upon an exhibition by Filipino director Kidlat Tahimik (His name means Quiet Lightning).

Kidlat Tahimik poses with his alternative camera.

The festival was showing a retrospective of his works and he had brought over a collection of sculptures to commemorate the occasion. Each of the tableaus he had created showed the conflict between tradition and Hollywood, with teams of native film-makers either creating work based on local stories or trying to copy Marilyn Monroe.

Mickey Mouse films Marilyn.

I was fortunate enough to meet the director as he was arranging the pieces and he took a moment to explain his intentions for the exhibition. If I hadn’t had been on such a tight schedule I would have gone out of my way to see some of his cinematic work, but with my tickets already booked and only two days in Jeonju, I was unable to see any of his films. If anyone has any idea how I can get my hands on the work of Kidlat Tahimik, I’d love to know.

Sculpture up close and personal.

Onto Megabox and the first film of the day.

Jeonju International Film Festival 2011

2011-05-06T08:54:00.005+09:00

Hello dear readers and welcome to what will be a few rather longer posts than usual. Last weekend I had the opportunity to head down to Jeonju for the International Film Festival and here’s my school report detailing a few of my experiences.

Part One - Arrival And A Chance Encounter
Part Two - Offending Directors And Culinary Curses
Part Three - Stormy Weather And HERZOG!
Part Four - Please Refrain From Kissing The Director
Part Five - Departure, Words Of Praise And Warning

Morning Special Ajosshi

2011-05-05T07:22:00.003+09:00

UPDATE: looks like I'm on at 8.20...

Just a quick post to say that those of you with nothing better to do this morning can listen to me babble away on the EBS radio show Morning Special. The program runs from 8.00 till 10.00 and I'm meant to arrive there at 8.15, so I may well be on air before 9.00...

I'll be talking about Children's Day and children's theatre in Korea, so if you're interested I hope you get a chance to tune in.

A Plea To Korean Cinema Goers...

2011-05-04T18:34:00.003+09:00

I've just come back from seeing Thor 3D and I thought I'd share a quick plea to any Korean cinema goers who might happen to pass by:

You don't need to walk out of the cinema the second the credits start to roll. Whatever your next appointment is, it's probably not that urgent. Why not stick around for a few more seconds, why not take a moment to appreciate the film you have just seen (though admittedly there are some Michael Bay films that make me run screaming for the exit as soon as possible). You never know, you might just get a little treat.

The six people in our screening who decided to stay till the very end of Thor got to see an extra twist in the tale, well worth knowing for anyone interested in the upcoming Avengers film. We stayed for a few minutes more and got to see the whole story. We know something that the other audience members don't and god damn it, that makes us special! Don't you want to feel special too?

Go on, stay in your seats, finish those last kernels of popcorn, rattle the ice in your cup and stay behind for just a minute. You might get to see some bloopers, maybe a postscript, perhaps some interesting drawings or animation (Lemony Snicket had the most beautiful end credits and Pixar never disappoints), or a song and dance number (How those of us who stayed laughed at the There's Something About Mary cast and crew singing Build Me Up Buttercup). At the end of the credits of Masters of the Universe we found out that Skeletor was still alive! That was certainly worth waiting for (at least it was when I was nine)...

Last month I went to see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's Paul, a really rather funny film that runs the credits over the final scene. Even as the actors were talking, as soon as a single credit appeared, a Pavlovian response kicked in and half the audience started to leave. The story wasn't even bloody over and yet people were going. You've paid for your ticket, you've made the commitment to see the film, so why won't you give it a chance to finish?

I know this isn't everyone, at every screening I go to there are usually four or five of us, who sit doggedly, refusing to move until the final credit disappears from the screen, but we are very much in the minority and that saddens me.

Please, Korean cinema goers, find it in your hearts to give end credits a second chance, you might just enjoy them...

And if you're not the patient type then you can always use this kind of website to check if you should stay to the end or not.

Dokdo The Musical?

2011-05-03T17:14:00.003+09:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to see a new children's musical called 강치대왕의 쿠키상자 (roughly translates as "King Sea-lion And The Cookie Chest"). I'll spare you the details as to the content and quality of the musical (I'll just say there's no need for you to spend your precious time on it), but I will point you to something which made me feel rather uneasy about the whole endeavour.

The more eagle eyed Korean readers among you may have spotted the tag line above the title:

독도를 지기던 바다사자 강치가 뮤지컬로 돌아왔다!

This roughly translates as (and please feel free to correct) "The Sea-lion that guards Dokdo has come back to the musical!" or some such nonsense.

"Nonsense?" You say.

"Yes." I respond.

"Why?" You inquire.

"Perhaps I should stop writing in this fashion as it may start to annoy people." I retort.

Dokdo is mentioned approximately twice in the whole musical, it carries no relevance to the story, it doesn't enhance the plot and there is no musical number singing the praises of the Liancourt Rocks (though there is a furry cat scarf that blows bubbles out of its mouth which I thought was brilliant).

In my opinion Dokdo has been thrown on the poster in an attempt to boost audience numbers through nationalistic sentiment. This makes me feel ever so slightly cheap and dirty. If you want to make a musical about Dokdo then fair enough, but if you're going to name drop Takeshima twice and then forget about it, then I'm of the opinion that it should hold no place on your poster.

In fact, I'd love to see Dokdo The Musical, especially if it has a headless pheasant dance number. I'm all for tributes to disputed island territories, but I'm not a fan of misleading tag lines designed to part kids and parents from their cash (though once again I must state that I am a fan of the bubble blowing cat scarf)...

Nice People

2011-05-02T08:38:00.001+09:00

Located in the back streets of Gyeongnidan. Nice people need offices too.

Fried Rice

2011-05-01T06:03:00.001+09:00

More kitchen exploits from this week. This time a very successful salami fried rice. Made using one of Chef Meili's tasty little spicy salamis and topped with fresh spring onion and sesame seeds. Delicious.

Meatball Madness

2011-04-30T05:59:00.002+09:00

Experiments in the kitchen this week as my wife attempted meatballs for the first time. For some reason the mixture burnt easily, adding a charming charcoal effect to some of the balls...

Faded Glory

2011-04-29T05:58:00.000+09:00

An old mural peels to almost nothing in the backstreets of Itaewon.

Spring March

2011-04-28T17:41:00.001+09:00

Merrily we roll along... Cermonial guards make their way through Jong-ro.

Close Up At The OKitchen

2011-04-27T10:39:00.002+09:00

My love for the OKitchen knows no bounds. I've been there twice this month introducing various friends to its culinary delights. I present to you a rather different view of this week's meal, close up and personal...

Clam chowder topped with coriander leaves.

Pate de campagne with pickled garlic.

Very strongly smoked slices of duck.

Fettucine alfredo with home made ham and green garlic.

Classic baked cheesecake.

Lemon meringue pie.

Fallen Blossoms

2011-04-26T08:51:00.002+09:00

There are still many blooms and blossoms to look forward to this spring, but the cherry trees have had their moment in the sun. All that's left are piles of petals waiting to be blown away by yellow winds or trod into oblivion by passers-by.

Pale pinks and whites turn to dirty brown.

An endless sea of beautiful decay.

A trail of death reminds us of our own mortality.

While newer buds allow hope to remain.

A Dandelion Three Ways...

2011-04-25T12:28:00.002+09:00

More macro shots.. This time of 민들레 (dandelion).

Bugging Out

2011-04-24T09:09:00.002+09:00

The joys of spring bring one of my favourite things: Insects! I love those hairy, scary, little beasts that sneak out of the shadows and mount the blossoms to feast.

I'm not quite sure what this little fellow is, but he was fairly open to being photographed and willing to stay quite still.

Like a mini-alien exploring a world of giant flowers.

Even after the spring showers this week, Namsan is still in full bloom and well worth investigating if you have an hour or two.

Nipple Ring?

2011-04-23T20:42:00.003+09:00

Apologies for crudeness, is it just me or does this resemble a pierced part of the anatomy?

The macro lens has come out to play today, photos of odd insects and blossoms to follow.

Marching

2011-04-22T07:25:00.002+09:00

Marching down by the Cheonggye stream, the palace guards are looking mighty fine in their springtime outfits.

Could You Shot Me Please?

2011-04-21T21:00:00.001+09:00

I shot her... near Anguk station.

A Touch Of Traditional Dance

2011-04-20T15:56:00.003+09:00

And now for your viewing pleasure a short video of Mokwha Repertory Company's outdoor performance last weekend at the Seoul Namsan Traditional Theatre. Our show, Bukcheong Lion Dance, finished on Sunday, but hopefully you'll be able to catch us later this year (especially if you're headed to the Edinburgh International Festival in August)...

Hanok Snapshot

2011-04-19T16:28:00.002+09:00

Tourists taking snaps at a rather well known spot in northern Seoul...

An Ajosshi Reads - March

2011-04-18T07:51:00.002+09:00

March was a translation month, condensing what would normally be a two month process of translating a play and creating subtitles into two weeks. At times like these I have neither the time, nor the inclination to read and so my literary endeavours suffered.

Six books in total (three of them relatively thin)...

On Deception
Written by Harry Houdini
Foreword by Derren Brown

A short volume of essays by Harry Houdini on deception, illusion and how he used to open handcuffs. A fascinating insight into the Victorian world of escapology, fire-eating and con artists. Great reading for anyone interested in this area of study, but probably not your average punter's cup of tea. Me, on the other hand, I love a bit of Houdini.

Tricks Of The Mind
Written by Derren Brown

More magical reading with Derren Brown's first mass published book. Brown is a delight to read, his mischievous prose making light work of some heavy topics at times. He manages to teach some marvelous memory tricks and guides you down the staircase of hypnosis, while at the same time taking a moment to rant about religion and pseudo-science. A delightful read for anyone with the slightest interest in magic and the section on memory palaces contains superb advice for anyone wanting to improve their recollective skills.

The Isle Of Dogs
Written by Daniel Davies

My father gave me this book on his last trip over to Korea and I'm grateful, but unsure why he bought a book about dogging. This darkly humourous cautionary tale of public primal pursuits is a slip of a book and very easy to read. There's a hint of J G Ballard's Crash about it, but it never quite tips over into more nasty territory.

Batman - Hush
Written by Jeph Loeb
Illustrated by Jim Lee and Scott Williams

An impulse purchase from the secondhand section of What The Book. I will now officially give up on almost all Superhero comics. I have better things to do with my time and better ways to spend my money. Where's Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore when you need them? I need some Warren Ellis or Ben Templesmith to wash the taste of Batman out of my mouth...

Meeting Mr. Kim Or How I Went To Korea And Learned To Love Kimchi
Written by Jennifer Barclay

A fairly amusing travelogue of Barclay's brief sojurn in the Land of the Morning Calm back in 2000. It's fun to read about her adventures in Itaewon and her explorations to isolated temples, but it remains a fairly shallow affair. For me there was a certain sense of nostalgia as I read about her experiences in 2000 (the year I first came to Korea), a frothy, fun look at Korea.

The Will Of Nostradams
Written by Ahn Dong Min
Translated by Hong Ki-Chang and Han Hak-Joon

I spent a good part of the month avoiding this book. I'd pick it up, read a story, be slightly amused and greatly frustrated, and then would hide the book in my bag for another day. This motley collection of half-truths, homages and bastardizations is an interesting insight into the rather warped mind of Ahn Dong Min, who is a self proclaimed psychic healer and the first Korean science fiction author. The stories, for the most part, are unimpressive, but it is the translation which is astounding. The two writers responsible for bringing the English text to the world did not have a good grasp of this language, and we are left with a mish mash of tenses, numerous misspellings, a glut of grammatical errors and a very real sense of disappointment. An astonishing book, but in all the wrong ways. You can hear myself, the venerable Charles Montgomery and the youthful yet artistic Andy St. Louis talk about it over here (in what will hopefully a long term and highly successful venture).

That's it for March, though April holds the promise of many more books. As always, any thoughts, hints, tips and recommendations on books to read would be appreciated...

A Selection of Siberian Shots...

2011-04-17T19:07:00.002+09:00

Yesterday a few bloggers met up to celebrate Nanoomi's 편집장님's birthday. We headed down to Siberia in Kyeongnidan to sample their opening day offerings.

Siberia now has two cafes, one on either side of the road heading up to the Hyatt hotel and both offer a selection of Russian beers and vodka. For their opening day celebrations (of cafe number two) they laid on a 15,000 won sample platter with a bowl of borscht, two kinds of dumplings (potato and meat), a Russian style salad and some meringue/pastry desserts.

Our Russian hosts were also kind enough to provide us with a sample of their blinis (pancakes), both savoury and sweet.

The food is... well... Russian. If you like beetroot soups and steamed dumplings then you'll probably have a great time. The food is simple and hearty and I look forward to trying some different items from their menu in the future.

The vodka flowed freely and it was a great chance to put catch up with a few bloggers/tweeters and hear some interesting tales of stealth barbecuing on the side of the Han river and of secret picnic spots in Kangwon province (only accessible by four wheeled vehicles).

If you fancy popping down to Siberia then head out of Noksapyeong station and head towards Kyeongnidan, turn right after Buddha's Belly and head up the hill. Siberia is on both the left and the right hand sides after five minutes walk. You can find them on Facebook...

A Few More Buds And Blossoms

2011-04-16T20:15:00.002+09:00

Just a few more shots from my walk up Namsan. Still some buds left to bloom and I think come Monday or Tuesday the mountain will be gorgeous.

First Bunny Of Spring

2011-04-15T16:27:00.002+09:00

Some things make me ridiculously happy. Seeing wild rabbits on Namsan is one of those things...

Look at the wickle bunny!

He is hiding because he is delicious and he knows I am hungry...

Spring Has Sprung

2011-04-14T20:02:00.001+09:00

I had a little time on my hands today and made my way up the hill onto the side of Namsan. Not all the blossoms are out yet, but there are a fair few to admire (especially round by the Grand Hyatt Hotel)...

500 Posts

2011-04-13T11:22:00.002+09:00

To celebrate post number 500, I offer you one of my favourite photos of the past few years... Taken at Seoul Zoo in 2008, I'm sure he's a lot bigger and scarier now.

Birthday Muffins

2011-04-12T11:22:00.002+09:00

Another year has gone by, I'm a little creakier, a touch greyer and slightly hairier. As a consolation my wife made me muffins this morning and mighty fine they were.

Pansori at the Namsan Hanok Village

2011-04-11T20:57:00.002+09:00

Here's a few shots of a Pansori performance at the Namsan Hanok Village last week...

Kudos to the elderly gentleman who insisted on involving himself in the proceedings and adding his own unique charm to the spectacle.

Death Of A Video Store

2011-04-10T16:39:00.002+09:00

This week saw the death of our local video store. The closure may have been inevitable, but the removal of yet another local business in our neighbourhood saddens me. We have also lost our local rice shop and Family Mart is now in my line of sight when I leave the house.

As Itaewon goes through another burst of redevelopment, I'm sure there will be many benefits, but I mourn the loss of local businesses and as more franchises and chains establish themselves around us, the feeling of community in this area diminishes little by little.

Here's hoping the little shop on our corner makes it through this year...

Guardian Spirits

2011-04-09T17:01:00.001+09:00

You can spot these fellows hiding around the Seoul Namsan Traditional Theatre. Look up into the nooks and crannies and you might spot one.

Tea and Sympathy With Stephen Colbert

2011-04-08T09:27:00.002+09:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

My Fair Colbert - Hugo Vickers

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

I've been drinking a lot of Korean tea for my upcoming feature in 10 Magazine and I feel this report from Stephen Colbert will give those living in Korea a taste of British tea culture (and the upcoming Royal Wedding).

Guns And Tigers

2011-04-07T09:27:00.001+09:00

Taken in Incheon's Chinatown. Fluffy tigers and fake assault rifles, the perfect combination for a child's birthday gift.

Film Festival Ajosshi

2011-04-06T16:54:00.002+09:00

I'm feeling as giggly as a schoolgirl today as I've spent a fair while flicking through the Jeonju International Film Festival Catalogue picking films to watch. Thanks to the delightful 10 Magazine, I'm the proud owner of a press pass for this year's festival and with any luck I'll be seeing the following films whilst I'm down in Jeonju...

First off - Anyang, Paradise City the first feature film from Park Chan-wook's brother Park Chan-kyong (fresh from winning the Golden Bear at Berlin for his and his brother's short iPhone film Night Fishing). An interesting mix of documentary and fiction as he looks at "disasters such as factory fire accident, flood, temple site excavation, folk tale religion, and native history". I'm not quite sure what to expect, but I'm excited to see what he's created.

Next - The True Taste Show from Kim Jae-hwan, a film dealing with reality tv's portrayal of restaurants and the reality that lies behind it.

My third film is something a little more famous - Inside Job, the Oscar winning documentary by Charles Ferguson dealing with the financial crisis of 2008. Narrated by Matt Damon, it has received rave reviews and promises to be an excellent watch.

Continuing on the documentary theme, number four is - Cave Of Forgotten Dreams, Werner Herzog's 3D exploration of the Chauvet cave in southern France that contains some of the world's oldest art. Herzog has proved himself to be superb documentary maker over the years and I'm curious to see if he can make good use of 3D where so many others have failed.

Next up is the Anifest Shorts collection. One Japanese and four Korean animated films. Midori-ko, Interview, Demag, Camels and Running Egg. No idea what to expect.

Then onto another documentary, this time Planet of Snail, a Korean film, directed by Yi Seung-jun, dealing with the life of a deaf-blind man and his attempts to communicate with the outside world. The trailer below convinced me that I had to see this unusual tale.

Another animation, this time from Columbia - Little Voices, a 3D docu-animation using Columbian children's pictures to tell their stories about war torn life. Based on director Jairo Carrillo's 2003 short film, it promises to be a little different to your average kid's cartoon.

And finally I get the chance to see one of my favourite Korean films on the big screen - Nowhere to Hide. This 1999 thriller is Lee Myung-se's masterpiece and is a must see for anyone interested in Korean cinema.

If any of you, my dear readers, happen to be down in Jeonju for the festival at the end of this month then let me know, hopefully I'll see you there.

In the meantime I'll leave you with my favourite scene from Nowhere to Hide.

Crisps!

2011-04-05T10:28:00.002+09:00

More experiments in the kitchen last week, this time homemade crisps courtesy of my wife. Very unhealthy, but incredibly tasty.

Strip Lion

2011-04-04T17:58:00.001+09:00

Prices of meat are soaring on the peninsula, but my local supermarket may have found a rather exotic solution. Strip lion anyone?

Politically Incorrect

2011-04-03T09:07:00.002+09:00

On our Worldwide Korea Bloggers trip last week there was one thing in the Cheongwadae Sarangchae museum that seemed a little off... Obviously they weren't using the spell check when writing the British Prime Minister's name. But hey, what's an "n" between friends.

Funeral Food

2011-04-02T11:47:00.002+09:00

There are some aspects of Korean food culture that not everyone who comes here gets to see. I happened to go to a Korean wake (sadly not my first and most definitely not my last) about a month ago and thought I would share just a few pictures of what was served.

When someone dies in Korea there is usually an area set aside in the hospital for friends and family to visit and pay their respects. Over a period of two or three days and nights, guests come and pray at an altar and then head to a dining area for a meal and perhaps a drink or two. The family of the bereaved will normally spend the whole time at the hospital greeting guests day and night.

Visitors will usually be given a bowl of soup, a bowl of rice and a variety of side dishes to snack on. There will almost always be some steamed meat, some pancakes, some rice cakes and a selection of fresh fruit.

There's beer and soju on hand for those who want to drink to the memory of the deceased, with the normal dried snacks you might see at bars across the country.

There's something quite comforting about this tradition, people come and go, chatting amongst themselves and paying their respects. Many visitors lend a helping hand with serving food and drink, and the three days give people coming from out of town enough time to visit.

Not the happiest of meals, but an important one nonetheless.