Weekend Update

Hello loyal readers,

What has been going on behind the Blog Fortress' sturdy doors? Not a whole lot. I've been working during the weekdays, and busy on the weekends.
As mentioned in a prior update, my minecraft castle's complete and monster-proof, but I've started another, more ambitious, larger project. I'm building a model castle, as well as exploring the caverns deep below said castle. Other things of note to follow:

Recently, I joined goodreads. Which potential stalkers should take note, is a website devoted to ranting and raving about books one has read, or wants to read. Join it, literacy is sexy.

This weekend's been light in terms of going out on the town or partying it up. Friday night, myself and six other foreign expats fell upon something so beautiful it'd make a statue of Mother Teresa cry; Dino Meat, a Korean BBQ buffet. For the low, low, (ok modest price) of 14,000 Won each, you can take your pick of a variety of beef or pork galbi, samgyeopsal, sausages, and even burgers. In Korea, you have a grill on your table, and you can cook the meat as little or as charred as you like. At Dino Meat, you can even get up with your plate and grab more meat for the grill, at no extra charge. For any lover of Korean BBQ, this is a must eat!
After we'd had our fill, several beers and some soju, we were gently encouraged to go as it was 'closing time' soon (Other, Korean diners stayed and hadn't appeared to have been notified of closing time,) we went to Arts Center, in Incheon, for drinks.
Some in our party complained that it was racist for them to tell us it was time to go, and hell, maybe it was. Not knowing the language it's hard to tell if they had or hadn't informed the other patrons about closing time. The other group of patrons looked like they were finishing up as well, though. Having worked in the culinary field, I can sympathize. Who wants to be stuck working until 11pm on a Friday night while everyone else is out on the town? They started cleaning off the other tables, and it was clear to me, that like us, they had other places to go afterwords.
I've been a "vet" of expat life for almost three years. There are tons of ways in which I, the outsider to Korea has felt stepped on, ignored, or straight up victimized. But that's not my point. Being here, and any time something lightly steps on the bounds of treating me like a second class person; I can only think of the 'foreigners' in my home country, who may or may not know enough English to have a clue what's going on, and whom elements of my own culture have sought to alienate.
I realize that compared to many migrant workers, I've still got it a lot better. I don't have to send loads of each paycheck home to support my family among other things. While I do get the occasional stare-down on the subway, or on the street, I've hardly gotten the kind of anti-immigrant fury my own country seems to have against people from different countries who've left their homelands to try and make a better life for themselves.
But then again, I've had to jump through a number of bureaucratic hoops just to get in. I needed to prove I had a legit college degree, get an HIV/AIDS test, get a criminal background check, get a drug test, meet with a diplomat at the Korean embassy in the US, and get a work visa that's linked to my work. Most of the people who've migrated to the US probably haven't gone through all of that. If I'm wrong, please inform me.

My job is teaching Korean school-children the English language. Which I take seriously, is not manual labor. I can say in full confidence that in the private sector, of after-school academies, are businesses far before they are schools and places of learning.
Any one could read through a plethora of teacher complaints found on this website to see the nasty side of the ESL world. My post isn't one of those, although I certainly have a few complaints of my own. 
Before I get lost in another tangent: being a vet of the ESL world has done a lot of good for me, and really opened my eyes to the world, and what it's like to try and immerse oneself in a foreign culture. The supposed racism encountered Friday night just reiterated for me that no matter where you go, there are always good people, bad people and jerks. While my friends may say otherwise, all I saw was a kitchen crew just wanting to call it a night so they, too, could go out and get some drinks.

Later that evening, we went to Arts Center, and got ourselves a few drinks, had good laughs, told stories, and enjoyed each others' company. We even went to a noraebang, (singing room, ie karaoke) until late/early AM.

Upon re-reading this, I think I didn't do Dino Meat enough. The meat was delicious, and I can't believe I ate as much as I did, except when I think of how great it was. The restaurants and culinary culture will be missed whenever I find my way back home.
I think something that's stalled me from making a blog update about the food is that after two years of being here, it's not so new and different to me anymore.
When I first came here, I turned my nose at people who'd eat a pizza or a burger instead of chamchi bokeumbap, or buddae jjigae. Why eat western food, when I came to Korea to try new things! What a stupid sentiment! I'm glad I grew out of that way of thinking.
Call it lazyness, but here is the wikipedia page on Korean food. Enjoy! I hope to have made at least one of my readers, who's not in Korea, have their mouths a-watering. I can get to most of the foods listed in that link in under 10 minutes walking.

Today, or Sunday (for those of you who are having Saturday still) has been a lazy day enjoying a few cups of coffee at a nearby coffee shop, retiring back to my warm apartment, ordering Dominoes, playing games and watching the snow cascade down in flurries.

 Until next time, keep it real, Internets