Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
DOCTOR FISH
[Mijong and Michelle getting a pre-fish-feeding-foot-wash (luckily for the fish)]There's a little cafe near my work that I like to go sometimes. It's called the Tree Shade Cafe (sounds much cooler in Korean). It's nice and chilled; real laid back, which is an unusual find for this (financial) part of Seoul.
They have 'doctor fish' there. I don't know if that's the real term for them, but it's what Koreans say. I heard that the real ones come from Europe, but that here in Korea they're 'fakes' from China, haha. Anyway, I've been a few times and it's always fun. 
[Me, the doctor fish expert, showing complete control and no fear (in this photo at least)]This time I went with two former students. It's much more fun having catching up while these fish eat the dead skin off your feel that just over coffee.Both girls, Michelle and Mijong, put on brave faces, but inevitably ended up screaming the cafe down. I on the other hand, being the experienced one, only did one girly shriek right at the beginning, and then used my powers of meditation to overcome the strange ticklish-biting of the fish until eventually it became enjoyable, and later on, even relaxing.
[The girls showing their true colors: fear and weakness!]
Friday, June 26, 2009
APARTMENT HAIKU
Under bamboo plant
Look up, pretend that it's real-
But it doesn't work
[My new bamboo plant. Trying to escape the city.]
Look up, pretend that it's real-
But it doesn't work
[My new bamboo plant. Trying to escape the city.]
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
EAT YOUR GREENS
Here's a great article from Time magazine. It's not too long and really informative so read it if you've time (that's a pun, haha).
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If you really want to go green, the conventional thinking goes, buy a hybrid. Practically speaking though, there is a faster and cheaper option: shift to a low-carbon diet. The meal plan of the average American family accounts for 2.8 tons of CO2 emitted annually, compared with 2.2 tons for driving. Worldwide agriculture contributes some 30% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, far more than transportation. So when it comes to cutting your carbon footprint today, the truth is that what you eat is as important as what you drive. "If you can't buy a Prius," says Jonathan Kaplan of the Natural Resources Defense Council, "you can certainly eat like one."
And here's better news: eating green is good for you. The very foods with a high carbon cost--red meat, pork, dairy products, processed snacks--also tend to be laden with fat and calories. A green diet would comprise mostly vegetables and fruits, whole grains, fish and lean meats like chicken--a diet that's eco- and waistline friendly. "[Eating green] can make a big difference for the climate and be more healthy," says Doug Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist for the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
It may be hard to believe that a meal at McDonald's produces more carbon than your trip to the drive-through--until you consider just how vast and energy-intensive the global food system is. More than 37% of the world's land is used for agriculture, much of it ground that was once forested--and deforestation is a major source of carbon. The fertilizer and machinery needed on a modern farm also have a large carbon footprint, as does the network of ships and trucks that brings the food from the farm to your plate. On average, it takes seven to 10 times as much fossil-fuel energy to produce and ship food as we get from eating it.
The most efficient way to shrink the carbon footprint of your menu is to eat less meat, especially beef. Raising cattle takes a lot more energy than growing the equivalent amount of grains, fruits or vegetables: most produce requires about 2 calories of fossil-fuel energy to cultivate per 1 calorie of food energy; with beef, the ratio can be as high as 80 to 1. What's more, the majority of cattle in the U.S. are reared on grain and loads of it--670 million tons in 2002--and the fertilizer used to grow that feed creates separate environmental problems, including surface runoff that leads to dead zones in coastal waters like the Gulf of Mexico. Those grain-fed cattle then belch methane, a greenhouse gas that is 20 times as potent as CO2. "Reducing beef is the first step to a green diet," says Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
That one step can make an enormous impact on the atmosphere and your arteries. A 2005 study by the University of Chicago found that one person switching from a red-meat-based diet to vegetarianism could save about the same amount of CO2 as trading in a Toyota Camry for a Toyota Prius. There's no shortage of evidence that reducing red meat--Americans eat more than 60 lb. of dead cow annually--is also good for your health. CSPI estimates that replacing one 3.5-oz. serving of beef, one egg and a 1-oz. serving of cheese each day with an equivalent amount of fruits, vegetables and grains would cut your daily fat consumption and increase your fiber intake, all while conserving 1.8 acres of cropland and reducing animal waste by 11,400 lb. each year.
And while locally grown has become some eco-eaters' mantra, what you eat matters more than where it comes from. Our food travels from 1,500 to 2,500 miles on average from farm to supermarket, but that journey typically accounts for just 4% of a food's carbon footprint. "Focus on eating lower on the food chain, with more plants and fruits and less meat and dairy," says Kate Geagan, a dietitian and author of the forthcoming book Go Green Get Lean. "It's that simple." Installing solar panels or buying a hybrid may not be possible for many of us, but we can change today what goes into our bodies--and those decisions matter, for the health of our planet and ourselves.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
If you really want to go green, the conventional thinking goes, buy a hybrid. Practically speaking though, there is a faster and cheaper option: shift to a low-carbon diet. The meal plan of the average American family accounts for 2.8 tons of CO2 emitted annually, compared with 2.2 tons for driving. Worldwide agriculture contributes some 30% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, far more than transportation. So when it comes to cutting your carbon footprint today, the truth is that what you eat is as important as what you drive. "If you can't buy a Prius," says Jonathan Kaplan of the Natural Resources Defense Council, "you can certainly eat like one."
And here's better news: eating green is good for you. The very foods with a high carbon cost--red meat, pork, dairy products, processed snacks--also tend to be laden with fat and calories. A green diet would comprise mostly vegetables and fruits, whole grains, fish and lean meats like chicken--a diet that's eco- and waistline friendly. "[Eating green] can make a big difference for the climate and be more healthy," says Doug Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist for the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
It may be hard to believe that a meal at McDonald's produces more carbon than your trip to the drive-through--until you consider just how vast and energy-intensive the global food system is. More than 37% of the world's land is used for agriculture, much of it ground that was once forested--and deforestation is a major source of carbon. The fertilizer and machinery needed on a modern farm also have a large carbon footprint, as does the network of ships and trucks that brings the food from the farm to your plate. On average, it takes seven to 10 times as much fossil-fuel energy to produce and ship food as we get from eating it.
The most efficient way to shrink the carbon footprint of your menu is to eat less meat, especially beef. Raising cattle takes a lot more energy than growing the equivalent amount of grains, fruits or vegetables: most produce requires about 2 calories of fossil-fuel energy to cultivate per 1 calorie of food energy; with beef, the ratio can be as high as 80 to 1. What's more, the majority of cattle in the U.S. are reared on grain and loads of it--670 million tons in 2002--and the fertilizer used to grow that feed creates separate environmental problems, including surface runoff that leads to dead zones in coastal waters like the Gulf of Mexico. Those grain-fed cattle then belch methane, a greenhouse gas that is 20 times as potent as CO2. "Reducing beef is the first step to a green diet," says Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
That one step can make an enormous impact on the atmosphere and your arteries. A 2005 study by the University of Chicago found that one person switching from a red-meat-based diet to vegetarianism could save about the same amount of CO2 as trading in a Toyota Camry for a Toyota Prius. There's no shortage of evidence that reducing red meat--Americans eat more than 60 lb. of dead cow annually--is also good for your health. CSPI estimates that replacing one 3.5-oz. serving of beef, one egg and a 1-oz. serving of cheese each day with an equivalent amount of fruits, vegetables and grains would cut your daily fat consumption and increase your fiber intake, all while conserving 1.8 acres of cropland and reducing animal waste by 11,400 lb. each year.
And while locally grown has become some eco-eaters' mantra, what you eat matters more than where it comes from. Our food travels from 1,500 to 2,500 miles on average from farm to supermarket, but that journey typically accounts for just 4% of a food's carbon footprint. "Focus on eating lower on the food chain, with more plants and fruits and less meat and dairy," says Kate Geagan, a dietitian and author of the forthcoming book Go Green Get Lean. "It's that simple." Installing solar panels or buying a hybrid may not be possible for many of us, but we can change today what goes into our bodies--and those decisions matter, for the health of our planet and ourselves.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
INDIAN DINNER
I recently had dinner with the students from one of my business classes. It was the first time hanging out with them and tons of fun. In class they're lovely, polite and deligent students, but outside I think they're a bit crazy. So we had a great laugh toghether, me being the craziest of all.
Juri, one of the girls works at a very fancy Indian restaurant near our institute, so after class we all went there for a ridiculously good meal. I've been eating healthy Korean food and my own boring cooking for so long, I forgot how rich and delicious food can be.
We had five amazing curries, king prawn shish kebabs, awesome nan, and a bunch of sidedishes and salads. All followed by chai and an unusual, but yummy milk/yoghurt drink.
The craic was ninety and I really enjoyed hanging out with my students in a relaxed atmosphere. And since Juri works there we got a discount and the staff and Indian chefs all came out to say hi and look at the strange Irish boy. Hopefully we'll hang out again some time.
[Juri, on the right]
Juri, one of the girls works at a very fancy Indian restaurant near our institute, so after class we all went there for a ridiculously good meal. I've been eating healthy Korean food and my own boring cooking for so long, I forgot how rich and delicious food can be.We had five amazing curries, king prawn shish kebabs, awesome nan, and a bunch of sidedishes and salads. All followed by chai and an unusual, but yummy milk/yoghurt drink.
The craic was ninety and I really enjoyed hanging out with my students in a relaxed atmosphere. And since Juri works there we got a discount and the staff and Indian chefs all came out to say hi and look at the strange Irish boy. Hopefully we'll hang out again some time.
Monday, June 08, 2009
JIRI-SAN
My former student and good friend Mingu recently invited me to climb Jiri-san, peninsular Korea's highest mountain, with him and his coworkers. Mingu is a new intern at a large Korean company and this was to be an employee team building trip, so I felt flattered to have the opportunity to attend.
However, hiking Jiri-san in a day is no easy feat. It takes about five hours to get there by bus and our scheduled 'challenging' (AKA 'bloody hard') route was to take about nine hours and not even include reaching the summit. So I was a little anxious about my hiking abilities compared to the others going, and about the overnight bus.
The private bus that was hired for our group of twenty-one Koreans and one Irish departed from their office building where we had congregated. The journey itself was awful as the driver was a psycho; accelerate, brake, accelerate, brake, swerve, and repeat again. Actually maybe it wasn't that horrible since no one else seemed to mind. I was probably just grumpy becuase I can rarely sleep on buses and apprehensive about the doing the big hike exhausted.
We arrived at the base of the mountain about five thirty and had breakfast in a traditional restaurant there. I'm sorry Korea, but it was horrible. Something I've never experienced before, a big terrible-smelling bowl of soup which contained fermented soybean (I believe) and turned my stomanch. There was no escaping the smell as the steam from twenty-two bowls wafted in my direction in the cool early morning air. And of course, being the only foreigner and guest, I felt obliged to be polite and try it eat as much as possible. After a few token mouthfuls and nearly gagging, I gave up. I tried to get as much rice and pickled vegatables into me as possible for energy, but that was hard with the smell. I would have to depend on my stash of peanuts and m and m's to for fuel.
My grumpy start to the day however, took a 180 when the managers who were organizing everything started handing out tuna-filled rice balls. Upon receiving mine one of the managers smiled and asked 'room for beer'? I gladly accepted a cold can of Korean beer wrapped newspaper as did everyone else. And as we were lacing up our boots one of the kind interns, noting my suffering, brought me a hot, sweet cup of coffee. Realizing I was with a bunch of fun and generous people, my mood lifted with the rising sun and I prepared myself for a tough, but fun day ahead.
The initial stretch was really tough. In the first two hours we ascended about 900 metres over very rough, mostly unpathed terrain. Everyone seemed to find it tough which made me feel better, and they were a good group of people, likable and funny, cheering each other on and joking around. And of course it wasn't long until I'd found the weakest member in the group to tease and make myself look better.
At eight o'clock we passed a man lying on a rock snoring. The interns told me he was probably already drunk. Haha. We stopped thirty minutes later for another breakfast and beer. And at nine we recommenced hiking. After five minutes I felt very weak and realized the beer was a terrible idea. By 09:30 my legs were telling me they couldn't take any more. I soon after realized that everyone was in the same position. Well, at least us young ones, the older guys seemed to be having no problems and were sipping from whisky flasks as they went. We took another break at about ten thirty and I kindly declined the offers of a shot of whisky. No thanks!
By the time we finally stopped for lunch of hot noodles and more beer, I was feeling pretty weary and beat. But the forty minute break must've helped because when we started hiking again I was finally 'in the zone'. It was mostly downhill in the afternoon, again the 'path' was mostly huge, randomly situated rocks which we had to ramble over, battering our poor joints and threatening twisted ankles and knees. But nonetheless it was fun and the high sun was penetrating into the deep forest as we passed many rivers and small waterfalls.
We stopped at one of the small waterfalls to wet our hair, and then later at an icy river to soak our feet (and watch one of the crazy managers jump in). This was really refreshing and afterwards I felt like I could hike all day.
At two o'clock I got a second wind and broke ahead of the crowd to listen to some Christy Moore on my MP3 and appreciate nature. And as three o'clock hit our hike was over. We had completed the sixteen kilometre course. So in typical Korean style, it was time to get drunk.
Following some locally made tofu sidedishes we drunk a bellyfull of makoli, a Korean rice alcohol infamous for it's hangover and usually poured from a big cheap kettle or pot into little cheap plastic bowls. I'd drunk makoli before but was disgusted and opted to leave it for Korea's students and homeless people. But it was actually very delicious and enjoyable after such a grueling hike and now I see why Koreans love it so much.
Of course being the only foreigner, I was treated like a guest of honor and sat at the management table and not with the interns. But of course this meant accepting all the toasts by the managers and acting as strong-drinking-ambassador for Ireland.
By the time we got on the bus I was pretty tipsy. And that's when the real drinking started. God, by the time we had our first toilet stop I could hardly walk, ha! What a day.
So in conclusion, it wasn't a very beautiful hike, we didn't summit, it was tiring before we even started and the route we took wasn't overly enjoyable. But I do understand the Korean company mentality of doing something difficult together to bond as a team. And I do appreciate the invitation I hospitality I received. And I did feel a sense of accomplishment for not dying en route. And I enjoyed pushing myself under those conditions. But, I will never do it again :).JPG)
However, hiking Jiri-san in a day is no easy feat. It takes about five hours to get there by bus and our scheduled 'challenging' (AKA 'bloody hard') route was to take about nine hours and not even include reaching the summit. So I was a little anxious about my hiking abilities compared to the others going, and about the overnight bus.
The private bus that was hired for our group of twenty-one Koreans and one Irish departed from their office building where we had congregated. The journey itself was awful as the driver was a psycho; accelerate, brake, accelerate, brake, swerve, and repeat again. Actually maybe it wasn't that horrible since no one else seemed to mind. I was probably just grumpy becuase I can rarely sleep on buses and apprehensive about the doing the big hike exhausted.
We arrived at the base of the mountain about five thirty and had breakfast in a traditional restaurant there. I'm sorry Korea, but it was horrible. Something I've never experienced before, a big terrible-smelling bowl of soup which contained fermented soybean (I believe) and turned my stomanch. There was no escaping the smell as the steam from twenty-two bowls wafted in my direction in the cool early morning air. And of course, being the only foreigner and guest, I felt obliged to be polite and try it eat as much as possible. After a few token mouthfuls and nearly gagging, I gave up. I tried to get as much rice and pickled vegatables into me as possible for energy, but that was hard with the smell. I would have to depend on my stash of peanuts and m and m's to for fuel.
My grumpy start to the day however, took a 180 when the managers who were organizing everything started handing out tuna-filled rice balls. Upon receiving mine one of the managers smiled and asked 'room for beer'? I gladly accepted a cold can of Korean beer wrapped newspaper as did everyone else. And as we were lacing up our boots one of the kind interns, noting my suffering, brought me a hot, sweet cup of coffee. Realizing I was with a bunch of fun and generous people, my mood lifted with the rising sun and I prepared myself for a tough, but fun day ahead.The initial stretch was really tough. In the first two hours we ascended about 900 metres over very rough, mostly unpathed terrain. Everyone seemed to find it tough which made me feel better, and they were a good group of people, likable and funny, cheering each other on and joking around. And of course it wasn't long until I'd found the weakest member in the group to tease and make myself look better.
At eight o'clock we passed a man lying on a rock snoring. The interns told me he was probably already drunk. Haha. We stopped thirty minutes later for another breakfast and beer. And at nine we recommenced hiking. After five minutes I felt very weak and realized the beer was a terrible idea. By 09:30 my legs were telling me they couldn't take any more. I soon after realized that everyone was in the same position. Well, at least us young ones, the older guys seemed to be having no problems and were sipping from whisky flasks as they went. We took another break at about ten thirty and I kindly declined the offers of a shot of whisky. No thanks!
By the time we finally stopped for lunch of hot noodles and more beer, I was feeling pretty weary and beat. But the forty minute break must've helped because when we started hiking again I was finally 'in the zone'. It was mostly downhill in the afternoon, again the 'path' was mostly huge, randomly situated rocks which we had to ramble over, battering our poor joints and threatening twisted ankles and knees. But nonetheless it was fun and the high sun was penetrating into the deep forest as we passed many rivers and small waterfalls.
We stopped at one of the small waterfalls to wet our hair, and then later at an icy river to soak our feet (and watch one of the crazy managers jump in). This was really refreshing and afterwards I felt like I could hike all day.
At two o'clock I got a second wind and broke ahead of the crowd to listen to some Christy Moore on my MP3 and appreciate nature. And as three o'clock hit our hike was over. We had completed the sixteen kilometre course. So in typical Korean style, it was time to get drunk. Following some locally made tofu sidedishes we drunk a bellyfull of makoli, a Korean rice alcohol infamous for it's hangover and usually poured from a big cheap kettle or pot into little cheap plastic bowls. I'd drunk makoli before but was disgusted and opted to leave it for Korea's students and homeless people. But it was actually very delicious and enjoyable after such a grueling hike and now I see why Koreans love it so much.
Of course being the only foreigner, I was treated like a guest of honor and sat at the management table and not with the interns. But of course this meant accepting all the toasts by the managers and acting as strong-drinking-ambassador for Ireland.By the time we got on the bus I was pretty tipsy. And that's when the real drinking started. God, by the time we had our first toilet stop I could hardly walk, ha! What a day.
So in conclusion, it wasn't a very beautiful hike, we didn't summit, it was tiring before we even started and the route we took wasn't overly enjoyable. But I do understand the Korean company mentality of doing something difficult together to bond as a team. And I do appreciate the invitation I hospitality I received. And I did feel a sense of accomplishment for not dying en route. And I enjoyed pushing myself under those conditions. But, I will never do it again :)
.JPG)
Friday, June 05, 2009
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
PRACTICE HIKE AND OLD BUNKERS
In preparation for my big hike at Jiri-san, my buddy Mingoo and I went for a Sunday afternoon hike at Woomyon-san, in Yangjae, near where I live. It was just an easy two hour stroll with not much ascent, but pretty nonetheless and a good way to break in my new hiking boots.
Along the way we discovered some bunkers right on the path that didn't look so old. There were quite a few and all of them open. Kind of weird to see actually, especially so near the city centre. And it made me realize how crappy it would be to die inside a small concrete hole in a mountain:(
Along the way we discovered some bunkers right on the path that didn't look so old. There were quite a few and all of them open. Kind of weird to see actually, especially so near the city centre. And it made me realize how crappy it would be to die inside a small concrete hole in a mountain:(
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