When I was in school lunch was always...an adventure in taste and cuisine. In Korea it's even more of an adventure, everyday at lunchtime on of my teachers has the lucky task of escorting me to lunch... I don't think they mind it as they get to teach me new words and i'm ridiculous because I don't know a thing about Korean manners so i'm always timid but looking constantly for the right number of pineapple to take, the correct scoop depth of my rice. Everyday the lunch ladies stand behind the counter in their hazmat suits, face masks, hair nets and hats, shoulder length gloves, three aprons, and they serve up mystery food. There is always rice- with beans or varying seeds, nuts, or whatever ensconced within the steaming white grains, there is always a soup that is usually so spicy my eyes water and my coworkers giggle daintily behind their hands at my misery, kimchi- which is fermented cabbage and apparently takes some getting used to..ew..., some sort of fruit- pineapple, cranberries, a vegetable- radish, cucubmers, carrots, and a meat-mystery meat- fish with the bones still intact, pork with the bones still intact, beef with the bones still intact. You get the picture. Always filling, surprisingly delicious, but always 20 minutes of confusion for the white girl.
The first time I went to go to the bathroom and I stumbled upon this:
http://www.google.co.kr/imglanding?q=korean%20squat%20toilets&imgurl=http://grrrltraveler.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/squat-toilet-KzR.jpg&imgrefurl=http://grrrltraveler.com/2010/03/squat-toilet/&usg=__EYldNph6HcVZEVWon4pcH_Z2dG8=&h=241&w=462&sz=103&hl=ko&tbnid=1_hiPjpjfefzQM:&tbnh=67&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkorean%2Bsquat%2Btoilets%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dko%26lr%3D%26newwindow%3D1%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&um=1&lr=&newwindow=1&sa=N&tbs=isch:1&start=0#tbnid=1_hiPjpjfefzQM&start=3
Wow. Just wow....My first question to myself was: "So...how does this work?" Apparently you just squat over it like you do in the woods and...um...voile? I think the best part of the whole thing is that in that particular bathroom there was a a Korean Proverb at squat eye level that read: "a big fish must swim in deep water." hahaha. Too good. Touche Korea, Touche. I think i'm going to make that my new life motto.
Attempting to pay for anything is, for lack of better words, impossible. I point at what I want, make the number sign delegating how much I want and then hold out my money. I'm sure i'm being overcharged but hopefully the street vendors are starting to recognize my face because i'm trying to go the same vendors...foreign loyalty...or maybe just a familiar face for cheaper food! (here's hoping at least!!)
Anyong!
AND the squatting toilets : ) All over France - when I was there the first night at the first restaurant we went to I experienced one of these - except there you have two foot pads to stand on and a hole rather than a basin to squat over! OH MY - and we all thought the French were so proper!
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