My Korean Life #41: A modern metro system

Recently I posted this article on another social network site that discusses the modern open gangway subway cars the New York MTA will experiment with in the coming years. I also posted that I hope the Washington DC WMATA will follow suit as the subway cars they use are not in this open gangway configuration. Here is another article that discusses how the major USA metro systems are basically ignoring this technology and the advantages it brings.

Even if USA systems still wanted individual cars, the car seating arrangements could be re-worked to open the layout and provide more space for passengers. With Washington DC's metro system, you often have to climb over other passengers to get to open seats or have them climb over you. The open gangway arrangement solves this instantly.

Also, at least in the Seoul metro system, there is a long shelf above most of the seating areas, perfect for storing your bags if you have a long commute. I often witnessed people taking up seating space with bags or luggage on the Washington DC metro system as it is cumbersome to place bags on the floor or hold them if the cars are crowded. You may think, won't my bag get stolen if left all by its lonesome on the above seat shelving...well...at least in Seoul, theft is not a major concern.

Another knock on the WMATA - WHY WOULD YOU CARPET A METRO CAR!?. The carpet can hold dust, germs, bacteria, and is harder to clean and dry. WHY!? Now, some other major systems also use fabrics but only on the seats. Most of Seoul's subway system has simple plastic seating. What fabric company is falling over itself trying to get its product in these cars that the WMATA buys? NOTE: Apparently the WMATA recently rolled out some new stock cars that do not have carpeting on the floor of the cars but the cars are still not in the open gangway configuration.

Basically, why does it take so long for these systems to improve their safety, security, sanitary level, and efficiency. As for the MTA, I would take a safer, modern, sanitary, secure, and efficient system over charging ports in the train cars any day. I realize that there is a ton of infrastructure that has to be built, many laws and negotiations that must be followed, and tons of money spent. But really, at the end of the day it seems like just some common sense would help a lot of these aging systems.

I could write about this topic for much longer but I'll save you by stopping here.

What are your gripes about public metro systems? I will say that some of Seoul's metro stations are extremely large so it can take a long time to transfer lines but otherwise, no real complaints :D

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My Korean Life #40: Raw Beef (육회)

I'll admit, for the longest time I was completely against eating raw beef here in Korea. The last thing I want to experience is food poisoning or some other nasty stomach ailment. Therefore, I wrote off eating 육회 ("yook-hwae"/raw beef) basically from the moment I started living in Korea over 1.5 years ago. BUT...lo and behold...the more my Korean friends as well as other expat friends talked about eating this dish, the more curious I became. I figured, if all of my friends have already eaten raw beef and if tons of Koreans eat it every day, it must be relatively safe. So, I mustered up the courage to visit a local market and brave one of the many 육회 restaurants.

The photos you see below are of the main staple: 육회 as well as 비빔 육회. I wrote the dish contents in the captions below each photo but generally, the standard 육회 is raw beef, pear, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and a raw egg yolk. You are supposed to mix it all together before enjoying...which I did. Now I admit, it does not look all that appetizing BUT it was actually pretty good.

The second dish is kind of like 비빔밥 but with the raw beef. It featured a lot of the same ingredients as the raw beef dish with some added vegetables. I would say the 비빔 육회 was a bit more flavorful in my opinion.

Overall, the raw beef was tender and mild in taste. Yes, you did have the beefy taste but not as strong as if you would have grilled the meat. It is served chilled and is soft and often served to accompany alcohol (almost everyone in the restaurant was drinking). It was rather a refreshing bite to have some pear and raw beef together. I am still alive and kicking and had no bad stomach problems since eating the raw beef so, if in Korea, I recommend trying it!

Raw beef, raw egg yolk, sliced asian pear, sesame oil, sesame seeds.

Lettuce, spicy red pepper paste, raw beef, sesame oil, sliced vegetables, sesame seeds. 

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My Korean Life #39: Frozen

It has been frigid in Seoul over the past few days. While Korean winters are normally cold it seems the weather these days is abnormally freezing. Some convenience stores are still putting beverages outside of their storefront and most have turned to ice by mid-day. Gas bills are probably going to be be through the roof this month as most people are leaving their heating on 24/7. Many others are leaving warm water dripping through their pipes to prevent freezing. Lucky for me, I live in a small apartment building with the pipes in internal walls.

If I do venture outside, I now wear my long underwear under my regular clothes as well as long insulated socks I normally wear for skiing. On top of that are leather shoes, jeans, a long sleeve sweater, hat, gloves, scarf, and my winter jacket. In fact, I don't like having to carry around so many articles of clothing and sometimes when I enter public transit or a cafe the heat is on so strong I immediately start sweating. Other places are more frugal with their heating so, even inside some places you still end up needing your jacket. Many people are buying scarves that are more like half a blanket so when they are somewhere kind of chilly, they can wrap themselves up.

They say to keep hydrated and to protect your skin as well so even though I normally don't wear lip balm I've been using it. I saw on the news most concern is for the elderly and young children. There are also a number of homeless people in and around Seoul although I'm not sure of the shelter situation in Korea (as in where people can go to stay warm during the winter months). Some of the subway stations seem like they are heated but others are definitely not heated and seem just as cold as the outside.

Stay warm everyone!

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My Korean Life #38: USA Holiday 2015

Originally, I had not planned to return to the USA over the holidays but, since I know once I gain full employment here in Korea vacation will be scarce, I decided to head back to the USA to see my family and friends.

I am thankful I still have quite a few frequent flyer miles from my business travel days so the actual monetary cost of the ticket was minimal. My dates were also somewhat flexible so that also helped out with the impact to my miles/dollars split. I was able to return to the USA for a full two weeks. My previous visit was just a week and I was jet lagged and busy with family functions the whole trip. This trip was very different - relaxing, not too many scheduled events, and less family functions.

When flying from Korea, My preferred route on United is the following (ICN - NRT - wherever after). This is because United still uses really old 747s with roof mounted screens in economy for routes like ICN - SFO. I much prefer the 777 out of Narita to wherever my next connection or destination is. Unfortunately to get to my hometown there is no direct flight from Seoul. My chosen itinerary had me traveling for over 24 hours.

If I were to summarize my trip in a few words it consisted of family and food. I enjoyed many foods that are either difficult to find in Korea or very expensive in Korea. I also spent some much needed quality time with my family. It had been over a year since I had visited my parents' house and seen my hometown.

I also got to see some friends that I grew up with. All are seemingly well on their way in their young adult lives. One of my friends now owns her own event/wedding business, one is a lawyer, another a nurse, another works in finance.

I have posted many of the pictures I took on another social media site but will repost them here for you!

Have yet to see Yuengling in Korea

Sandwich and chips at home

Sandwich and chips at home

Gluten-free pancakes, eggs, and bacon!

Homemade lasagna 

Cherry limeade fix

Bonus: My gift wrapping skills

In hindsight I should have taken more things back to the USA to store than I did. Don't worry parents, it wasn't going to take up that much of your precious storage space ;) I have a lot of old language school material and such that I could probably do without. Anyway, until next time! Stay warm!

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My Korean Life #37: Seafood BBQ

I honestly don't eat that much seafood besides fish and the occasional crab dish but my friends wanted to try a grilled clam restaurant so I decided to tag along. If you translate the restaurant's name it literally says Hongdae Grilled Clams (홍대조개구이) so, it's not hard to guess the specialty. It is in the heart of the Hongdae neighborhood and was packed when we went. A map is below:

My friends ordered a type of set menu that started out with an appetizer/1st course of pork, squid, and corn+cheese mixture. But this was nothing compared to what was coming next.

Next came a big bucket of seafood. All sorts of clams, mussels, cockles, and oysters with some shrimp on top to boot. I'm not exactly sure what species or types of sea creatures were present but just from my visual I think all of the aforementioned sea dwellers were there.

They all met a very hot fate. Soy sauce + wasabi and a spicy red sauce were available for dipping.

Below is a picture of the bucket for all the shells and any other waste generated from the meal.

Overall, it took us a long time to eat everything. From the time we sat down to the time we had devoured everything 2 hours had elapsed. We were all very stuffed at the end.

What are you eating these days?

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My Korean Life #36: Courtyard Seoul Times Square

First, happy new year! The video below has been on my YouTube channel for some time but I also wanted to write a short blog post regarding my visit to the Courtyard Seoul Times Square by Marriott. I visited this property about 1.5 months ago and really enjoyed the experience.

Finding the hotel can be a bit confusing as it is part of a large complex that includes a shopping mall. The actual main lobby is not at street level but rather a few floors up. But once you arrive you are greeted with a very open and bright lobby with a few of the restaurant (MoMo Cafe) just beyond the front desk. The restaurant also carries the open/bright theme with large windows and high ceilings.

The room I had was a king bed room with access to the executive lounge level. I was upgraded to the executive lounge level due to my Marriott Rewards standing but unfortunately I will lose this status for 2016. The unique feature about the room is the glass bathroom (but don't worry there are privacy shades). As for the bed, it is quite large and comfortable and the room appointments are great. The bathroom features a shower with no bathtub but there is a small seat in the shower area. The minibar is well stocked and if you happen to forget your toothbrush a free one is offered besides the nicer one in the minibar. The video below shows the room and its features.

The executive lounge was also enjoyable. The lounge has windows running along the whole length of the space and if the weather is nice, a patio area is also accessible. The food and beverage selection is decent, offering both hot and cold food as well as alcohol during certain times. The actual lounge space I will describe as intimate. It is not overly large or small, just right in my opinion. When I was there it seemed there were a sprinkling of business travelers as well as general vacationers.

In the morning, I enjoyed breakfast at the restaurant which was included in my room rate. The breakfast buffet has a wide variety of western and eastern cuisine as well as an egg station. There are plenty of different breads, fruits, and salads available as well as soup, dumplings, and breakfast meats. Coffee was brought to the table and juices are near the bar. Milk, tea, and water are also available.

Overall, I really enjoyed the property. I wish American Courtyard hotels were like their international siblings but then again, Marriott has so many brands now I wonder how they will differentiate them all going forward. I'm thinking some hotel brands will be merged into others to better focus the overall Marriott/Starwood mega-brand.

*I am NOT sponsored, rewarded, or otherwise compensated for my hotel visits, reviews, videos, or other content*

Here is the link to the hotel website: Courtyard Seoul Times Square

I plan to post a blog update regarding my time in the USA over the holiday soon so stay tuned for that. Until next time, stay warm!

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