Chances are, you don't live with a bunch of Korean girls. Unless you're Korean. Even so, I have the privilege of living with a very culinarily (if that's even a word) talented group of girls. What is the delicious looking food above you may ask? If I knew how to say/write it in Korean I would. Here's the American English summary of it...rice, pork, tofu, kimchee, amazing soup, marinated and shredded beef. Go find a Korean restaurant near you. Go. Get on Google and look for one. I'll even do it for you. Google map it.
After a nearly silent dinner consuming the delicious plethora of food featured above, we made up for the quiet time with hours of cultural conversation after dinner. It is certainly a life altering experience to hear about the world from a perspective halfway around the world. Never had I heard the topic of North Korea taken so lightly. While I can vividly recall the change of leadership from Kim Jung Il to his son and the bit of fear it struck in me, the girl merely laugh. Their logic? If the North could even manage to bomb a Southern city like Seoul, the two countries' capitals are so close to one another that both would be destroyed. I found this interesting. Topics that are not so terribly controversial here however are not taken lightly to the traditional Korean. Yep, you guessed it. Sex. Because discussion of the topic is so taboo "many don't know how to even use a condom" - says my room mate. Teenage pregnancy is a commonality because the lack of education on the subject. My impression however, is that things are changing. As more of the younger generation of Koreans travel, experience more of the world, "westernize" if you will, they appear to deviate from the traditional ways of their elders. While some may view this as a form of rebellion, it can be seen in a more positive way as well. Traditions are preserved, while the common culture and thought process changes. Something to ponder...
And now for some tunes to accompany... Jason Mraz - Life is Wonderful
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