The SHEPHERDS let loose in SEOUL

My first visitors in Seoul came and went and we had quite an adventure… they braved the subways and the 14 million people, ate weird food and lived to tell about it… and really did a wicked awesome job immersing themselves in this foreign culture!

GOOD JOB DAD, GINA, and ANGELA!

They did a bunch of stuff and we have a lot of fun memories... and here are some highlights:

Eating 뻔 데 기 (silkworm larva). It’s in a huge pot that smells nauseating and a little old lady gives you a Dixie cup of the warm, slime covered larva for only W2,000. I ate one, Angela ate one… and Dad finished the Dixie cup. He was never one to let food go to waste no matter how disgusting it tasted.

Singing Karaoke at the 노래방 (Music Room). Gina said, “All Koreans are such good singers.” That is when I realized how un-Korean-like I am because I sucked and my birth mother, her boyfriend, and my cousin were awesome!

Ice Skating at 목동 아이스릭 (Mokdong Ice Rink). Just before we stepped on the ice, the worker said, “You need to wear gloves when you’re skating.” I immediately was puzzled and asked why. He said, “It’s a safety precaution.” So I went to the little store and bought 4 pairs of gloves (like the stretchy gloves you can buy at target) and away we went. I did not feel much safer with the gloves and am still wondering and annoyed why it was needed. I think it’s so the they can make some money.

Eating 보신탕 (Dog Soup). Dad and I went on a search for boshintang just to see if it existed. We went to Yeongdeungpo Market and a side alley to ask (because I knew it wouldn’t be available on the main street since it’s technically illegal to serve I guess). A man said, “Ahhh boshintang” and led us to a restaurant. As he did, he kept saying, “boshintang” to those we passed. One old lady behind her sewing machine gave a grin that was priceless – either “you guys are daring” or “youre doing something illegal and I like it” or “you guys are crazy” – still not sure how to translate it. We went in both a little unsure of the whole situation, ordered a small bowl of soup and a couple of beers to kill the taste. The smell was bad (not as bad as the 뻔 데 기 but close. It was just regular soup. The meat was tender. It was just the psychological trauma of trying it… Dad and I sat there thinking of all the rationalizations we could for eating this food to convince ourselves we weren’t wackos. We’re both over it.. I think