Alex and Chickpea Do Korea

First-time teacher, first-time expat, first-time eating Kimchi — this should be fun

Alex and Chickpea Do Korea

Welcome to Korea: Another Sunday, another tub of fish eating your foot’s dead skin

Posted on by chickpeainkorea

Yes, that’s right. We’ve really been enjoying the bounty of seafood that Korea has to offer, from live octopus to giant clams, fish and squid in various states of dessication and more. So, Alex and I decided to give a little back: We went to Doctor Fish.

These are tiny fish — a little bigger than a minnow, maybe? — that eat the dead skin off your feet. It was originally used to treat eczema and other skin problems, but now it’s mostly used as a spa treatment. I’ve been wanting to try this this I came to Korea (If I’m being honest, since I saw it on the Tyra Show a couple years ago. Full disclosure).

On Sunday, I found  Namu Story, (for Korea peeps: it’s across from the UniQlo in downtown Daegu) and convinced Alex to go with me. Just as interesting as the experience itself is where the Doctor Fish are: in a a big cafe. Yes, a tank of fish sunk into a raised platform at one end of a large, posh, second-story cafe. So while people are drinking their coffee and eating their pastries, Alex and I (okay, mostly me) were giggling in a corner while tickly little fish ate dead skin off our feet. I thought it would take a while to get used to, but in a matter of minutes I was able to stop laughing and enjoy. It’s like a little massage!

The best part is this: there’s a $3 entrance fee to get into the cafe, but it’s all-you-can-eat croissants and coffee, and the Doctor Fish treatment is less than $2. It was a great way to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

UPDATE (3/8/11): Namu Story, the coffeeshop where we first experienced Dr. Fish, is no longer offering the service. Check back here for updates on other nearby Dr. Fish proprietors.

Alex and Chickpea Do Korea

The view from up here

Posted on by Alex

One of  cool things about the apartments in Korea is the ability to go onto your roof anytime you want. This is the view from my studio in Chilgok. This is the place I go to get a few minutes to myself. My place of Zen, if you will.

Interesting fact about Korean rooftops: It is prohibited to grill at any of the parks inside city limits. But you can go on the roof of your apartment building and barbecue up a meal.

Alex and Chickpea Do Korea

Andong Mask Festival: The sights, the sounds, the scams (video)

Posted on by Alex

OK, maybe it wasn’t a scam.

Perhaps I should just chalk it up to linguistic miscommunication. It’s my fault for not knowing more of the Korean language, right?

But Chickpea is convinced. We were taken for a ride (forgive the pun).

We stepped out of the Andong Train Station at 8 a.m. and quickly realized we were some of the only people out and about in this city of 185,000. So, with no pack of tourists to follow, we aimlessly wandered the downtown region looking for a hint of the famous Andong Mask Festival. Except for a small stage downtown, we didn’t see anything that resembled the reviews we saw online. So, we wandered back toward the train station.

While looking at map, a taxi driver approached us.

“Hahoe?” he asked us. “Hahoe?”

We responded, “Mask festival.” We did absurd gestures of wearing a mask.

“Oh yes, yes,” he said and motioned for us to follow him to his taxi.

As a preface, most expats will tell you South Korean taxi drivers are truly honest. And although this was the first time a taxi driver solicited us, which was kind of weird, we have had nothing but pleasurable experiences in the taxi cabs here (if you don’t count the hair-raising driving skills).

So, we hopped in his cab and looked out on the city of Andong. That is, until we left the city of Andong.

“Where is he taking us?” Chickpea asked.

“I don’t know, but maybe it’s somewhere cool,” I reasoned.

While stopped at a red light, we talked again with our taxi driver.

“Mask festival,” we said. “Mask festival.”

“Oh yes,” he answered.

After glimpsing a sign on the side of the road announcing the historic Hahoe Village — 20 more kilometers ahead — we realized what was happening. We had the taxi driver pull over and explained we did not want Hahoe Village, we wanted the Andong Mask Festival.

“Oooohhhh,” he said. And proceeded to take us to the front gate, which was about four blocks from the train station.

Twenty-five thousand won poorer, we walked around the festival grounds (which were huge) and decided to head back downtown until the actual performances began. Once we hit the area near the train station, three taxi drivers approached us.

“Hahoe? Hahoe?”

You be the judge.

P.S. Although we never made it, the Hahoe Village is supposed to be another must-see in Korea. But instead of a taxi, take the bus no. 46 that leaves near the tourist information booth a block or two down from the train station. At about 1,000 won, it’s a much cheaper option.

***

The Andong Mask Festival should definitely be on your must-see list if you make it to South Korea in the fall. With a full schedule of traditional Korean plays and dancing from all over the world, you won’t be bored. And even if your butt starts to hurt, the festival grounds are full of craft tents, food stalls and dozens of strange mask-related characters to pose with.

Check out our video!

Alex and Chickpea Do Korea

Eating live octopi — still wriggling — at Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul, South Korea

Posted on by Alex

Anthony Bourdain did it.

Andrew Zimmern of “Bizarre Foods” did it.

And now you can add Alex and Chickpea to the foodie VIP club.

On our trip to Seoul, we stopped by the Noryangjin Fish Market and perused the hundreds of tanks, bowls and baskets full of every kind of seafood you can imagine (and some you can’t). Noryangjin Fish Market is one of the largest in the world and is a must-see on any Seoul tourist’s list.

After a quick tour of the warehouse, in which the vendors all tried to convince us to purchase all manner of bivalves, crustaceans, sea slugs and fish, we decided on our choice of seafood: two small crabs, two baby octopi and a handful of clams. Unsure of normal prices and seafood etiquette, I think we paid a bit more than the average Korean (30,000 won). But you’re paying for the experience, right?

The vendor stuffed our “catch” in a black plastic bag, which was then grabbed by a woman and hurried upstairs. We followed her to a small restaurant where she cooked our purchase. Well, most of it.

The live octopi, called “sannakji,” is just chopped up and served — still wriggling. You just grab it with your chopsticks, dip it in the sesame oil (for flavor and so the tentacles don’t stick to your throat) and chew … and chew … and chew. Any adventurous food lover — like the Travel Channel stars above — has to try it.

While we waited for our seafood, we ordered some soju to steel our nerves. When the cook first brought out our little octopi, Franki, myself and our two friends just stared at the writhing mass of tentacles. Sensing our uneasiness on how best to tackle this dish, the cook grabbed a particularly large portion of the head in her fingers and stuffed it in our friend Jeff’s mouth.

Korea is not for the food shy.

We all immediately started eating our live catch, lest the cook shove it in for us. The octopus was not bad at all. Mostly flavorless without the sesame oil and, surprisingly, not fishy at all.

By the way, Shannon (pictured here and in the video) has her own blog about life in South Korea: Daegu-ber. I’ve linked to it in the sidebar under “Korea-related Blogs,” but I also link to it here for your viewing pleasure. UPDATE: Turns out, Shannon blogged about Seoul the same day I did! Here is her post.

Check out the video:

Alex and Chickpea Do Korea

Painted women, Supreme Team and corndogs: A look at the 2010 Daegu International Bodypainting Festival (video)

Posted on by Alex

Our first weekend in Daegu and we stumbled upon an International Bodypainting Festival! We enjoyed corn dogs, beer, lots of singing and dancing, the Supreme Team hip-hop duo and beautifully-bodypainted women (and a few men) — a great festival on all counts!

If you’re interested in other coverage or photos from the event, check out Life‘s photo gallery, the Palm Beach Post‘s gallery and Korea blog, Chris in South Korea.

Here’s a brief look at the event:

Alex and Chickpea Do Korea

Traveler Beware: My extremely expensive, and useless, trip to a travel clinic

Posted on by Alex

One shot and I’m out half a month’s rent. The other needle pierced my skin and I lost the other half. Welcome to the world of travel clinics, which exploit your fears just enough to empty your wallet.

Honestly, I partly blame myself. As the weeks until our Korea departure flew by, Chickpea and I started panicking about getting our vaccinations updated. Korea is no disease hotbed, but  we were determined to try as much crazy food as we could while in the country (and a few neighboring Asian countries as well) and a little typhoid sure puts the damper on international traveling. So, I pulled out the ol’ laptop and Googled “Travel Clinic.”

The first entry was for a Maryland-based company called Passport Health. They have an office in Tampa close to my former job, so without looking at any other options, we booked an appointment for the next week. Why would I look anywhere else? We had no health insurance (and even if we did, most insurance companies will not pay for vaccinations related to travel) and I figured most doctor offices would need to order our special vaccines from a place like Passport Health . I knew it was a specialty clinic, and so probably a bit more expensive, but I was woefully unprepared for how much more expensive. Not to mention the infuriating, and factually incorrect, introductory visit.

The day before our appointment, I looked up travel advisories from the Center of Disease Control and my trusty Lonely Planet Korea book. After a talk with Chickpea, we decided on vaccines to protect us from typhoid, hepatitis A & B and meningitis. We would also ask about the need for Japanese encephalitis.

The next day, after work, we walked into the travel clinic office and the receptionist quickly took us back to one of the nurses. We sat down in her office and she pulled out a thick book with “Korea” and our names on the front. She opened the first page.

“So, let’s start with malaria,” she said, and so began our hour of useless health information.

Alex and Chickpea Do Korea

My new neighborhood in Daegu, South Korea

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My new studio apartment:

I have a guy who lives in a dumpster on the right and a group of ajumas gambling in the parking lot on my left. I think I live next to a sewage river, too.

Dynamic Korea!

I have a guy who lives in my dumpster on the right and a group of ajumas gambling in the parking lot on my left. I think I live next to a sewage river too. Dynamic Korea!