Staff Dinners

   I'm writing this for two reasons.
Reason 1: To share the crazy experience called a "Staff Dinner" with the rest of the world
Reason 2: To find out if this happens with all English teachers in Korea
   Staff dinners usually start off nice. There's shop talk, the occasional cheers, food... maybe a short speech from the school director. At some point in the night it turns into a frat party. Soju gets introduced and all hell breaks loose.
   You would think that the director, principal or school owner would be keeping everyone in check, but that's hardly the case. They always seem to be the ring leader. From the days when I was in a smaller, sketchy establishment out in Suwon, to these days when I'm working for a solid, upstanding company in Seoul... One thing has always been certain- "Staff Dinner" always... always translates to "Crazy Night with your Coworkers". I love it.
   The other night my school treated us all to a dinner at a Japanese restaurant. We had tons of sashimi and soju served to us for free. The director and principal of my school shared a private room with whoever stumbled in from time to time. The photo above was taken in that little room at what seems like a very tame moment. It really wasn't. I'm not going to go into details as to what was said or done. I will say, however, that everything was in good fun and kind spirited... Oh, and noisy as hell.

   That night I ended up catching fish out of the restaurant's outdoor tank with some fellow employees. The coolest thing about it was that the restaurant was totally okay with us doing this. Actually no... The coolest thing was that we caught the fish with our bare hands. Check out the hilarious video of it on Youtube...              

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFDah55UZU0)

   Does the crazy staff dinner night happen to everyone here in Korea? Is it just a Korean thing? If you have any good stories please leave em' in the comments. I gotta' know if it's just me this happens to...

Eat Like a Beast!

   I love chicken as much as the next guy and anyone living here knows that South Korea does chicken in a way that would bring a tear to Colonel Sanders' eye. You've got your fried chicken from Pelicana or Frypan. That shit's delicious! You've got your baked and glazed stuff from... well... Pelicana or any other of the many chicken joints in your neighborhood. That's nothing compared to the dining experience at this new chicken place in town.
   Have you ever seen the guy who drives the truck with the rotisserie chicken in the back? He's got a big cooker in the bed with a window so you can watch these little chickens get all nice and crispafied... So good. This new place right near Nambu Bus Terminal (Seoul Orange Line 3) has that same chicken cooker attached to the restaurant. Ah-f'n-Sah!
   Here's the deal... You go in, sit down and say "Give me chicken."... If there's any hesitation...growl and repeat. There's no side dishes. There's no confusion. In a perfect Korea, they wouldn't even give you chopsticks. You'd walk in, they'd punch you in the face and give you a viking helmet. After this, you'd eat... It'd be awesome.
   The food (chicken) was perfect. It had some rice stuffed into it along with garlic cloves and a few wood chips called Gam-Cho (Licorice Root). It doesn't taste licoricey at all. It's used, basically, as a sweetener. They serve salt, hot mustard and chili sauce for dipping.
   After one chicken was gone I knew I needed to order another. This time I got it glazed with chili sauce. Delicious! It was covered in Tteokbokki (Chewy Rice Cakes) and corn. Did you know the Korean word for "corn" is Ok-Soo-Soo? It's probably one of my favorite words. It sounds like a Native American Indian tribe. There was nothing Native or American about this chicken though. It was just delicious. The heat from the chili sauce would've knocked the feathers out of any Indian's head-dress.
   If you're in the Nambu Bus Terminal area, be sure to stop by this bad-ass-stablishment. The sign reads- "꼭꾸이 참나무 통 바베큐" . You'll recognize it by the all-wood exterior if you can't spot the text. It's right across the street from the grocery store/ electronics complex. Leave your table manners at the door and go tear apart a chicken... and, of course, eat it... Enjoy!
 

Rent-a-Bike on the Han River

   You've gotta rent yourself a bike on the Han! So much fun! I went out with Danielle and a few friends this past Sunday to Ttukseom Resort (puke greenish brown line 7). There's a bike rental place right outside of the station in the park. It cost us ₩7,000 each for three hours. We ended up in Gyeonggi, just east of Seoul. It was so great to get out of the city and see things like trees, grass, dirt...
   One piece of advice though- I got a very feminine one speed bike. Big mistake. Not because I looked super fruity but because it's a pain in the ass to get up a hill. It was actually impossible at some points. I had to walk it. So, my advice is this- When they offer you either a more-than-one speed bike or a one speed bike, don't get the one that makes for a slightly homo-erotic photo on your blog. Go for the mountain bike. You won't look as comically flamboyant, but your buns and thighs will thank you later.
   Get out to Ttukseom Resort. It's not really a resort... It's a park. Get a bike. Ride it. It's super smooth other than a few inclines. There's plenty of 7-11's if you stay on the river. They all have water, ramyan and beer.
   Enjoy yourself. Let me know how it goes.