Thoughts on Father's Day

Norah’s Dad Roger

It is my opinion that a father should never to teach their child to drive, but should instead leave the task to a paid instructor.

Thinking about my dad this Father’s Day, I recall the summer months we spent buckled into the front seat of his indigo blue (1970?) Ford Falcon as he gave me driving lessons.  These months stick out to me as some of the best and worst times we’ve spent together. 

The more negative moments included my dad frequently shouting:

“Too Close! You’re WAY too close!” 

He found this phrase appropriate in multiple instances, and used it to reference my proximity to both the parked car as well as oncoming traffic.  He also used it when observing the distance between the boat I was attempting to maneuver and the unsuspecting vehicle that drove in front of us.

Fortunately there were also more positive events during our driving excursions.  One sticky summer day I had aimlessly driven east from my parents’ SE Portland home on Powell Boulevard and eventually into Gresham with my dad in the passenger seat.  We stopped at a strip mall Starbucks for a cold Frappucino and had then gone to see “Memento” at a movie theater so far out in the sticks, I’d never heard its name before.

I also remember happily leaving the DMV, new driver’s license in hand, and driving (alone!) to a celebratory lunch with my dad at Pizzicato.  He was probably as elated as I was that day, if for no other reason than the fact that he’d never have to teach anyone (especially not me) to drive again in his life.

Since dad and I both love to be right, we’ve definitely had some arguments when one challenges the other’s opinion.

The infamous, “I think I know a little bit more about this city than you do,” quote, originating from me daring to question his knowledge of on-ramps to I-5, and the numerous bets we’ve made about the most insignificant things have made for good entertainment and fun (especially in retrospect).

Besides those I've already mentioned, another quote of dad’s that I’ll never forget is:

“And that’s where we have to stop.” 

As I grew up, my dad used to read to me before bedtime.  Picture books in my younger years, and later, chapter books.  On a nightly basis I looked forward to his enthusiastic readings of Charlotte’s Web, The Trumpet of the Swan, and Stuart Little (so we liked E.B. White) to see what would happen next. 

Once my dreaded “bedtime” was upon us, he would tell me, “And that’s where we have to stop,” before putting the bookmark in place and closing the book until the following night.

I begged him so many nights not to say those dreaded words, that he finally stopped.  Instead, he closed his lips and said the words without saying them.  It became a sort of muffled, seven syllable hum, inevitably leading to the same unwelcome outcome.  To make me laugh, he made puppets out of my favorite stuffed animals, perpetually hiding a stuffed pig under the bed and pretending to be dumbfounded when I asked where it was. 

Over the years, dad and I have taken more walks, gone on more lunch dates, and shared more talks in his art studio together than I could ever count.  Not only is he a father, as I’ve grown older he has become a loyal, supportive, trusted, accepting and wonderful friend.

He has created a life and a business centered around what he is most passionate about--his art--and has become a successful and fulfilled person because he’s always followed his dreams.  My dad has always encouraged me to follow mine as well, and been an advocate for me at all times.

From walking me home from the school bus stop, to walking me down the aisle, I will always cherish having dad at my side.  Call me corny, but I will forever be daddy’s little girl.

Ryan’s Dad Mike

Having a son can’t be the easiest thing.  Having a son when you’re a man in your early twenties must be substantially more difficult.  Outgrowing my own early twenties, I now fully realize that.  However, given all the hurdles that surely presented themselves where fatherhood is concerned, my dad has been the greatest dad, and the prefect dad for me. 

I wasn’t always the easiest kid to deal with.  I recall a day when I was young and living with my dad in South Eugene.  Located next to a large hill, our backyard was fenced-in on all sides.  From time to time, deer would wander into our open gate and pick apples from a tree in the yard. 

One day, I saw from inside the house that the backyard gate was open and went out to close it.  After doing so, I turned to head back into the house and noticed that a deer was standing in the (now enclosed) yard.  As any little boy would, I decided to chase it.  In an attempt to escape, the deer ran full speed into our sliding glass door.  Luckily the door stood strong and we did not end up with an injured deer running around our house.  The deer instead quickly made its way through a hole in the fence and away from the situation.

Recently in a water skiing accident, my dad had a purple and black bruise on his leg, stretching from waist to ankle.  Ignoring the pain, he made his way down the long set of stairs to check on me after hearing the commotion.  I don’t think he was too happy about his walk.  Regardless of my protests, I think he still believes that it was really a purposeful attempt on my part to trap a deer in our backyard.

I remember from an early age that my dad has always made an effort to be there for me.  In middle school when I joined the football team, he took a vested interest in what I was doing and became one of the assistant coaches for the team.  Although at the time this was embarrassing and annoying, in retrospect I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

All of my friends knew who Michael Newman was.  He was the funny guy who always entertained with jokes.  It was great that my friends knew my dad and that he knew them.  Some of my friends still refer to him as “Coach Newman”, and they‘re quite at ease having a conversation with him when a run-in occurs at the local grocery store. 

My dad is a guy who cannot walk the fifty yards to grab the mail without stopping to have five conversations.  Most likely due to this characteristic, over the years I have inherited quite an aptitude for talking (no comments Norah…).  Couple that with the millions of jokes I have heard my dad tell over the years and I can’t help but see the similarities between him and myself.  While in a way that’s a scary thought, in all honesty I’m happy for every trait he’s given me.  If I can be half the father to my future children that my father has been to me, I’ll be a very happy man.

Ryan’s Stepdad Tommie

I have been fortunate enough to not only have one great dad, but to have two.  Tommie married my mom when I was in middle school.  After getting his two children (Josh and Wendy) through their teenage years, he now had one more teen to deal with.  Luckily he was a seasoned veteran by that point. 

I have many fond memories of spending time camping with Tommie.  We spent a week every summer at Cottage Grove Lake, fishing, water skiing and inner-tubing from a boat.

At one point, Tommie was elected to take on the task of teaching me to drive (given that he’d done it twice before).  Tommie was a patient and effective driving instructor.  This may have something to do with the fact that he was an actual motorcycle instructor at that time.  The first day Tommie and I began driving lessons is one that will forever be ingrained in my memory. 

We went out to the country in his Toyota pick-up, stick shift of course, and off we went.  It took me some time to get the hang of it but eventually I did.  We ended up driving around virtually every area in Eugene and found ourselves in every possible driving situation.  We drove on logging roads (some of which were covered in snow), highways, city streets, and even returned home in a full on downpour.  No one was “too close”, and we made it to day two of driving lessons with no major problems to report.  Not only was he a great driving instructor, Tommie has been a great father to me.  I will always be thankful for that.

Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads in our lives.  We love you.

Fighting Korea

I have to admit that Ryan and I have never been big soccer fans.  We haven't given much thought or notice to World Cups as they've happened in the past.  This year here in Busan,  however, the event’s hype has been hard to ignore. 

For the last few weeks numerous street vendors with various red (Korea’s color) T-shirts, scarves, devil horns (the team is called Korea Devils) and other memorabilia took over the corners of virtually every busy street.

Last Saturday Korea’s opening game aired at 8:30 pm local time.  On that night we planned to join a pub crawl taking place at Hauendae Beach, which boasted drink specials and big screens showing the World Cup game.

Ryan had a friend in town, and they’d spent the day at Hauendae, where I went to meet them that evening.

At the exact moment I left the subway station to make the four blocks walk to the beach, it started pouring down rain.  In retrospect, the white skirt and suede boots I’d paired with my red shirt were a bad idea.

After searching a five block radius for Ryan's location, I gave up and decided to take cover from the rain, picking up a beer at the convenience store while I waited under an awning.  Shortly after the boys found me, the rain stopped.  Deciding to delay the pub crawl, they wanted to watch the game on the beach, where they’d already staked a claim to a large area of seats atop blankets on the sand.  I agreed, and me made our way to the spot. 

Unfortunately, although the rain had passed, it had left a definite mark on our beach towels, which were quite wet.  I sat on my purse, and craned my neck to see over the many fans that had gathered to see Korea meet Greece on the jumbo-tron.  

Ryan and I were both decked out in red, to support South Korea.  I made sure to also wear some white and blue to support the USA as well! 

Once it got dark, the beach was lit by the rows of red, light-up devil horns to show support for the team.

The crowd was pumped, and each time Korea scored or stopped a goal from the opposing team, booming fireworks exploded in the sky.  There was also a large lit up soccer ball, casting a white glow on the beach.

Once victory was claimed by Korea (2-0), we found the current location of the pub crawl and celebrated the win and a birthday of a friend of Ryan’s friend.

I’d saved the one Red Bull I’ve seen here for the occasion, determined to stay awake to watch the USA play at 3:30 am.

After a few drinks Ryan decided to call it a night, and I went to meet up with some friends at another bar.  After a few games of darts we decided to make our way to another location to watch the USA vs. England match.

Pusan National University area is a hotspot for local young people, and many foreigners live and teach there as well.  We found a small but cozy bar off the main strip, and headed upstairs to view the projected game from a balcony away from some crazy fans.

Two hours later after the 1-1 draw, we opened the door to the outside, and were met with daylight.  I had to wonder, as I have multiple times being here when met with this sight,

“Am I in Vegas?”

South Korea played a game against Argentina last night, which sadly ended in a loss.  The US meets Slovenia for their second game airing tonight at 11:00 pm.

We'll be on a train to Seoul at that time, so may be able to catch the end.  


Although unlikely, how interesting would it be if North and South Korea were to meet in a future game?  Just something to think about...

Night at the Movies, Day at the Beach

"Sex and the City 2" opened in theaters May 27^th worldwide.  I marked the date on my calendar two months before, and planned to see it with some girlfriends on opening night.  However, when I had a Korean co-worker attempt to get us tickets online, we discovered that the movie wasn’t premiering in Korea until the tenth of June.  Fourteen days have never felt so long. 

Sunday evening I went with some co-workers and friends for girl’s dinner and movie night.  Finally!  Here we are preceding the show.  I’m holding the mini version of the movie’s poster, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker with the movie’s title written in Hangul (Korean). 

I don't care what the critics say, I loved the movie!  It reminded me of home in a lot of ways.  The characters were the same as always and the movie had the same sweet and funny storylines.

Meanwhile, Ryan met a friend who was visiting from Daejon, a nearby city.   They ventured to a new beach and spent the day enjoying the weather and throwing a ball around on the sand.  

Coming home on the subway Ryan captured some interesting pictures of his own…

A closer look...

"BABY COMP(ARTMENT?)"

Now you know where to store your baby if you have to hold onto the rails while riding the train… Not sure how this can be explained.

For me the best part about Sunday was that I got to watch my movie.  The best part for Ryan was that he didn't have to. :) 

Adventures in Food

Green Hanoi

Making an effort to try restaurants local to our neighborhood, Ryan and I recently ventured to a nearby Vietnamese place for dinner with two co-workers.

Green Hanoi has one main room, with semi-private rooms lining it on both sides.  Since the restaurant was fairly busy when we arrived, the four of us had little choice in our seats and were led to one of the smaller rooms.  We settled onto the floor in front of a long table and studied the menu.  Shortly after realizing we didn’t speak Korean, the gregarious manager (owner?) summoned a young woman who spoke English.  She explained that we should choose a meat that would be accompanied by vegetables.  We would cook the meat ourselves, then wrap it in rice paper with the vegetables.  Ryan and a co-worker decided to try the duck, while another co-worker and I were fine with our wraps being vegetables only.

Shortly after we ordered, a large rolling cart made its way to our table.  One by one, a young woman presented us with the cart’s items.  First she delivered thin rice paper and bowls of warm water for softening it.   

We then received our own personal trio of sauces.   

Then came the generous vegetable platter containing thinly sliced beets, sprouts, cabbage, carrots, various types of lettuce, and pineapple.   

Shortly after the side dishes were presented came the duck, which Ryan eagerly browned on the grill in the middle of the table.

We soaked wrapped, and filled the rice paper, then drizzled on the sauces.  

The food was delicious!  We will certainly be back again.

“Toasta”

A co-worker here on his second teaching contract introduced us to “toasta” awhile back.  Some version of the word “toast,” it’s basically composed of egg, cabbage and carrots poured into a form on a griddle and layered with cheese (and/or ham) grilled between bread.  

 

It’s quite satisfying and makes a quick and convenient meal.  There are multiple vendors selling toast in our area.  Our favorite joint is run by an extremely sweet couple, who ensured that I came in from the heat, sat down, and enjoyed a complimentary iced Americano last time I went to pick up breakfast for us.  Did I mention that each sandwich is less than $1.50?

 

VIPS
A far cry from the traditional Asian food we’ve become accustomed to, a couple weeks ago we were invited to a staff dinner at VIPS.  

Not knowing much about the restaurant, we had fairly low expectations for the event.  However, when we arrived, we realized this was not the same as our usual work excursions to pork spine soup (link).  As soon as we sat down at the table, we saw that VIPS is a very Americanized restaurant.  The paper placemat featured wine and steak, and the table setting included a fork!  We have yet to see a fork at any Korean restaurant.  Only spoons and chopsticks seem to be available.

When our school supervisor arrived, she instructed us to order two main dishes for every four people, and we learned there was access to the buffet as well.  Ryan and another co-worker lucked out sitting at a table with the two vegetarians, since that meant they would each get their own main dish.  Though they weren't exactly on par with El Gaucho, Ryan and Stephanie thoroughly enjoyed their steaks.  I thoroughly enjoyed sharing Ryan's gorgonzola mashed potatoes!

After everyone had ordered we headed to the buffet.  A salad bar (rare here) first caught our eyes, then we noticed an Italian pasta bar, Margherita pizza and rows of Caprese salad.   

There were various soups to choose from, and multiple pasta and fruit salads.  I must have had three helpings of the grapes, apples and pineapple covered in sweet yogurt.  We also had our choice of smoked salmon with capers and a Korean noodle bar.  There was even a make-your-own-hot dog station.  Beyond the sauerkraut and relish, we laid eyes on something we’d only dreamed about for the last three months.  Guacamole!  So what if it was potentially made from a mix?  It was guacamole!  Next to it were cheese sauce sour cream and salsa, the ingredients for soft tacos made with mini flour tortillas.

Ordinarily a place like VIPS may have seemed mediocre to us.  However, in our current state of deprivation (ok so that's a bit dramatic) we found the spread to be delicious.  
Two plates (of many).

VIPS also had a decent dessert selection, featuring small slices of cheesecake and tiramisu, as well as petite pancakes topped with a choice of syrup or sweetened strawberries.  Frozen yogurt was also available, as were strawberry and chocolate syrup.  It was hard not to overeat.

Unknown Korean Restaurant

On a less gluttonous outing a few days later, we returned to a traditional Korean restaurant where we’d dined once before for a Saturday night date.  We indulged in a teapot (or maybe two...) of makgealli (the rice wine we’ve mentioned before, also known as dong dong ju) and Ryan had a pork and vegetable stir fry which he devoured.  

We also shared vegetable pajeon and a tofu/kimchi dish, which were both excellent.   

It’s safe to say Ryan and I had never tried kimchi before we moved here.  Although my parents and sister love it, I always plugged my nose when it was eaten in my presence.  We’ve embraced it a lot living here, and now notice the subtle differences in each restaurant’s recipe.

Kimchi is such a staple here that many families make annual batches at home, to be used throughout the year.  We spotted this appliance once, which I initially thought was a washing machine.

In actuality, it’s a device used for storing homemade kimichi.  These storage containers were inside.

We’re heading to Seoul next weekend.  There will undoubtedly be more kimchi and other adventures in food to report from our trip.

Until then I’ll remain in denial that these Amy’s foods that I loved to eat back home didn’t cost the same amount as 10 "toastas" would.  Sigh.

Recurring monthly holidays and the twins that observe them

On the 14^th of each month, a different informal holiday is celebrated in South Korea.  Most of these holidays are romantic, and meant for couples.

In a previous post we mentioned Valentine’s Day (February 14^th), White Day (March 14^th) and Single’s Day, (April 14^th).  Although Ryan is not single (ahem), he decided to partake in the holiday food, traditional black noodles back in April anyway.

Although it came and went without us realizing it, May 14^th was Rose Day.  On this day, couples exchange roses to show their love for each other.

While it’s not a couple’s holiday, we were honored the following day on May 15^th which was Teacher’s Day.  We received socks, cookies, perfume and cologne, bath products, new umbrellas, and carnations (both fake and real).  Carnations are the signature flower for the holiday.

Today, June 14^th is Kiss Day.  From what I understand, it’s just an excuse to kiss your significant other.  However one website proclaimed it “a day to kiss everyone you meet.”  Awkward.

The holidays that are recognized on the 14^th of each month are meant to show off a couple’s commitment to each other.  Being part of a couple is very celebrated in this culture.  While sweet, some people’s enthusiasm is a little over the top.  Couples in coordinating outfits are not uncommon. 

Often only their shirts are the same, but sometimes they go all out.

Last week we spotted a young couple matching from head to toe.  They wore black T-shirts with the New York City skyline printed on them in gold.   Their identical jeans had the same golden skyline stitched on the back pockets.  Where’s your camera when you need it?

Ryan and I seriously contemplated purchasing these outfits when we saw them for sale.

Ok, so we didn’t contemplate that at all, but we did have a good laugh over them.  We were even more entertained when we saw these.

We’ll keep you up to date on the rest of the “14^th” holidays as they arrive.  Since we are a few time zones ahead, you'll be informed of the holidays before they happen in the US.  That way you can celebrate them on the actual day.  I’m sure you will.