#6. Happy Holidaze with Cafe Seoul!

Cafe Seoul Episode #6: Holidaze

3 months since the first episode of Cafe Seoul and this time they tackle the many unique holidays in Korea. By the way, when I say many, I literally mean many. 100th day of everything... Valentine's Day... Black Day... White Day... (insert occasion) Day. When I was in high school, I used to have a Korean classmate who was more excited than I was when it was the 100th day between my then boyfriend and I. I didn't get it then (and still don't now) but I'm sure there are Singaporean events that she doesn't get either. Remember in my previous post about Cafe Seoul, I mentioned that they tell you about the cultures and stuff... So... SEEEEE!! Case in point! You don't need to want to go the Korea to tune in too. Let's just say you date a beautiful, radiant young Korean lady and you forget the 200th day since the first time you kissed her - she might rear her furious ugly head at you. By the way I just went to google a few holidays that are unique to Korea and found some rather... amusingly interesting ones.

August 14th - Green Day South Korean couples dress in green and take time to visit Mother Nature on Green Day. They go hiking, take a leisurely walk in a park or engage in other activities related to nature. For those who do not have a significant other, this is the day when partner-less single men and women drown their sorrows at being loveless by drinking soju, a drink that comes in a green bottle. That just sounds like an excuse to drink more than usual.

Confession Day - 17 September So guys use this day to confess to girls and vice versa and if you two actually get together, your 100th day would be Christmas which instantly makes it more romantic. Well, to begin with, Christmas is romantic anyway.

Movie Day – November 14 Couples are encouraged to go out and see a movie together on this day. But since there are no rules to this celebration, catching a flick at home is probably acceptable, too. In my life, probably every day is movie day. I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT MOVIES AND TV SHOWS. Woop!!

Cafe Seoul tells us more about the other days that are rather um... (for the lack of a better word) bizarre. Like Samgyeopsal Day, Pepero Day, Yellow Day, Kiss Day, Silver Day, Peaches Day and.... Left Shoe Day...? Tune in to find out more!


Ok, but anyway it's alot more fun to join in and celebrate such occasions (if you're invited to celebrate it) than trying to understand it. So... if you're in Seoul, just go ahead and enjoy yourself! Of course, not leaving out the rest of the Cafe Seoul crew featured in this episode; Over-thinking Jeff, Babara Oh, the staff of the Korean Board of Tourism (BOKT), the teachers from the hagwon and Idea Man makes an appearance in place he's not supposed to at! You can listen to them from the iBlug website here and also subscribe to their podcast on iTunes here!

We've got the Californian Surfer and the Georgia Peach

We're from all over and we're here to teach

We've got the Aussie from the Down Under and the Happy Canuck

But the job sometimes makes you wanna say f............

#5. Back to School!

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!!!


That's right! Winter break is over people - time to get back to school and study, study, study! This episode of Cafe Seoul has its cup runneth over with enthusiasm of studying and getting as many lessons at the hagwon as possible. After, no parent wants to lose out and have their kid rank first.... from the bottom. Someone also gets hot for teacher at the hagwon, ahem. Some words come with dual meanings, so check it before you use it!

Also this week! Kimchi Kim and The Spicy Trinity continue on their journey to save the curvy Mandu Mandy from evil Sushi Suzuki. What will become of this chivalrous piece of goodness? Tune in to find out!

Okay one thing about this episode, is about the "removal" of multi-racial Koreans, into a school.

(Disclaimer: this is no way to offend anyone, it's just what I think and you're welcome to disagree.)

Some Koreans are really quite racist, just because I'm not Korean, it means that I am lesser. And it's pretty obvious that I'm being treated as a lesser being. I remember last August, I was in a chicken and beer shop in Anam and the ajjuma that served us at the chicken shop was a total meanie! When she served us food, she was sliding stuff across the table to us - well, that I can live with. And because we ordered A LOT of chicken (it was really quite good, plus the cheese sticks were dope) so we stayed on for quite some time. Once it hit 11pm, she chased us out, saying that she wanted to close despite us not done with our food! So okay, fine, we paid up and left. Went back to the KU dorm, did last minute packing, hung around by the time we left it was pushing 2am. Walked to the main road AND WHUT THE CHICKEN SHOP STILL OPEN DUDE. AND IT WAS ALL FILLED WITH KOREANS. Like what the heck, we wanted to stay and eat our chicken! I experienced such different treatment in a few other eateries and shops around Seoul and it was just clear how much I was frowned upon because I'm a foreigner. I was also denied from buying a dress I liked. But okay ajjuma, whatever that floats yo' boat.

Confused + puzzled = Confuzzled

It's a whole mix of factors to why it is the way it is. Proud of your heritage and wanting to keep it pure - yeah sure but I just wish that they would be more open to other cultures and stuff. Being open and receptive to other cultures DOES NOT mean you have to lose your own. Don't get me wrong, I'm Asian too but I'm not too big on the "listen to me if not shut up because I'm your boss and I'm always right" thing. I hate it. But I guess that is just essentially Asian and it's not gonna change anytime soon, even though society is (somewhat, kinda, I hope) opening up a little.

This episode struck some chords with me when hagwon classes were discussed. Trust me, it's probably an Asian parent thing. It's so competitive in Korea, and the same in Singapore where I'm from. When I was younger, getting the top three in class just wasn't gonna cut it. Either you top your class, or you top your class. I had tuition classes every weekend, and when it was nearing exam period, I spent a good part of my day doing endless past year papers from other schools. Like a kid of a typical Asian parent, they wanted me to grow up to be a lawyer or a doctor - neither of which I am now, unfortunately. I would have very much liked to pursue a career in radio or journalism but it was just not my parents' plan for me. IT'S TOUGH BEING AN ASIAN KID. If you have faced the same situation, or think otherwise, feel free to email us at cafeseoulpodcast@gmail.com and share with us your experience and/or thoughts! If not, feedback for our betterment is always welcome! ^^

THIS is wut I'm talkin' bout y'all

P.S.: I think the Cafe Seoul crew are really getting better at this aren't they! Delivery is smoother now, topics have more bite... However, I still feel that it's kinda rushed in the arrangement of segments. It's a little overwhelming sometimes, feels like too much talking going on. There needs to be like a pause in between segments so I have some time to digest what I just heard. Apart from that, I think we're going down the right path! :)

#4: Happy Valentine's Day!

LOOOOOOOVE IS IN THE AIR! (Note to self: the next time I put in pictures for occasions... I should totally get the Cafe Seoul crew to do it.)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! Sending lots of love to all our listeners all around the world from Seoul, the heart of Korea!

 

This instalment of Cafe Seoul sees some of our characters finding a love interest... Oooooh! Someone catches the eye of our super hero Kimchi Kim. Love Adventures sees a chivalrous young man saving June from a lorry. Who is this man? Will June find true love with her mysterious hero? Kekeke. In the hagwon, we have a bossy girl Sora who um... shall I say collects boyfriends because she wants to consider her options. Evidently girls are smarter than boys HAHA! We also find out about a new candy called Cinnamon Blurts, of which will make you speak the truth and nothing but the truth! It'll be interesting if it were real - I wonder how many couples will stay together after eating that candy... hiak hiak hiak.... ;)

This episode has to be my favouritest yet! It's hilarious and cute who which girl wouldn't like to hear an episode about lurrrrrrrrve. This episode is a little naughty, so... I guess how funny this episode it is to you is how deep your head is in the gutter - BWAHAHA. Yeah, I've got a gutterbrain, but... who doesn't?! Heh heh. Those that deny would probably have their heads down in the gutter a lot further than you think.

One thing about Valentine's Day in Korea is that it's celebrated very differently. 14 February is a day whereby girls give nice chocolates to the boy they like, while every other boy gets cheapo chocolate as a sign of friendship. And then a month later on 14 March, there is White Day where boys give the girls chocolate in return. And a month later, on 14 April, single unhappy people who got no love on Valentine’s Day dress in black to wallow in their self pity and enjoy each others’ miserable company. Awww, sad.

Unfortunately, I have never received flowers or chocolate in all my 25 years. Sigh, extremely sad. I think I just dated the wrong people. Well, I was young and foolish back then... Lol. However, I did have memories of high school when my group of girlfriends would make presents for each other for Valentine's Day. So, well I guess I can say I've received something for Valentine's before. :) What is your most memorable Valentine's Day experience? Share it with us! You can email it to us at cafeseoulpodcast@gmail.com and I'll post the most interesting ones! :)

#3. Seollal (Happy Lunar New Year!)

Happy Lunar New Year from Cafe Seoul! It's Seollal (설날), otherwise known as the first day of the Lunar New Year! I should have gotten the Cafe Seoul crew to dress up in traditional Korean outfits and take picture... but I did not, so this will have to suffice. Hahaha.

Seollal is one of the important Korean holidays, the other being Chuseok (추석) which is like a major harvest festival in Korea. This holiday season, Cafe Seoul talks a little bit about this holiday with K'Sta giving tips on how to enjoy the holiday without gaining weight - omg, you mean... it's possible?!!! WOOHOO!!!! This episode, we also introduce a new teacher at the hagwon and also Ideaaaaaaaa Man! And if you remember Kimchi Kim, he now has his own children's series and makes some new friends, who are also food, of course.

Readers all around the world, how do you celebrate the Lunar New Year, if you do that is. And if you don't, what do you during the holidays? Write in and let us know! We might even create a skit out of it.... Maybe. ^^

For me, I'm from Chinese so I do celebrate the Lunar New Year with lots of food, visiting and getting money. It's somewhat similar to the Korean tradition actually. In Korea, people usually return to their hometowns to visit family and relatives and dress up in colourful hanboks (refer to above picture) and celebrate the occasion! Sebae is also observed during Seolall - this is filial piety oriented. The younger generation wishes the older generation by performing ONE traditional bow (more than one bow is usually observed during rituals for the deceased) and saying 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo) which loosely translates into "have a blessed New Year". The older generation then reciprocate this action by giving them money in "luck bags" intricately designed with words of wisdom.

It's pretty similar for the Chinese tradition, we dress up in new clothes, signifying a new beginning (legit reason to buy new clothes!!) and gather at a family member's house the day before Lunar New Year to have a sumptious meal. Food served or prepapred is usually lavish, to signify a rich beginning of the abundance of food. On Lunar New Year Day itself, we wear the new clothes and wish the elders well who give us money packed in red packets in return for our blessings... These red packets are usually printed with prosperous wishes in gold... so yeah, it's pretty similar!

This episode is our best yet! The editing and audio quality is getting better! Content wise, I think it's a little better... though, still a little rough. However, but effort is evident! These guys have got potential and give them some time and it'll be HUUUUUGE!

#2. Tourism

Hello hello! Welcome back to the second episode of Cafe Seoul and our audio recording has taken a heeeeee-uuuuggge jump in quality! Woop! This is our new toy! :)

This episode explores the sights, sounds and things to do in Seoul. After all, it is the land of the morning calm and night not calm at all. Fern Inners, a consultant at our Board of Korean Tourism (BOKT) who has Math skills that is worse than mine, share with us what foreigners want in Seoul. A list of things that people do in Seoul, eat kimchi, make kimchi, take a picture of yourself wearing a hanbok, visit Gyeongbukgong and watching comedic taekwondo/acrobatic performances.

In my trip to Seoul back in 2007, I did all of that AND was also dragged around to various TV drama filming locations by ajjumas. The location they totally went crazy at was Nami Island where the one of the classics Winter Sonata was filmed at. Let's just say I was more fascinated by the ostriches that roam the island than the brass statue of Bae Yong Jun kissing... um... Choi Ji Woo... I think.

The filming site that I was stuck at for... at least 45 minutes. Gawd.

Meanwhile back at the headquarters of the Board of Korean Tourism (BOKT), Lee thinks up and idea for branding... thus bringing about the birth of.... KIMCHI KIM! By the way, a kimchi mascot (not commissioned by us) actually exists... and this is what he (I think) looks like!

I imagined Kimchi Kim to look very different... Hmm. Some comments actually mentioned that this looks like a flaming banana doing the hula hoop. I think when I get the feeling in my fingers, I might just doodle a Kimchi Kim! ㅋㅋㅋ­ If you do have an idea, we welcome it too! You can doodle and send in your doodles to cafeseoulpodcast@gmail.com and we might even upload the most creative ones!

You have not completed the Foreigner in Korea rite of passage unless you have visited Itaewon (이태원). This is where all the foreigers hang out. You get foreign food, bars, clubs and restaurants... However, word of caution to the Asian ladies, if you're there, sometimes it's good to not come off as a total softie. My first experience there was horrible. Every Caucasian guy thinks just because you're Asian and they're Caucasian makes you want them. Oh please, I speak English and get over yourselves, jerks. Ugh! Unwelcomed approaches and finding someone humping you from behind are all part of it. Can't remember how many times I rolled my eyes that night. If they weren't in their sockets, they would probably have rolled away. Unwelcomed advances aside, you should go visit the area at least once. Just to have a look see, and eat super yummy samggyeopsal ( barbequed pork belly)!

Final part - communication. If you don't speak Korean, you don't speak Korean. You can't guess words at all either... So it's gonna be a duck talking to a chicken. However! Romanisation these days have helped many foreigners communicate. For example, a computer is a kom-pu-toh and a handphone is a han-de-pone. Easy isn't it!? When in doubt, just romanise everything! ㅋㅋㅋ

However, sometimes English mistakes in Korea are very amusing... Like these I pulled off Facebook. Enjoy!

Oh, beach please.

Spacing, people!

The second episode could use a little more work but hey! I felt that we improved a lot, so props to that! It's a little rough around the edges but no one polished a rock and got a diamond overnight, so we'll get there! :) If you do have any feedback, ideas or comments you could leave it down in the comment box below OR email us a cafeseoulpodcast@gmail.com and we will certaintly take everything into consideration toward our betterment! To those that have sent in feedback, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! Please continue to support us!!

#1. Happy New Year from Cafe Seoul!

First things first, HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US AT CAFE SEOUL!! Our first podcast, woop woop!!!


It's a new year, and a new year means new things - so, we've put together a new podcast called... Cafe Seoul! *applaud* Naturally, we'll be talking about some of the things that we think will happen this year - and the biggest one so far would have to the be the election of South Korea's first female president Park Geun Hye. Well, if you don't know what she looks like, this is her, looking all confident and all.

Well, to be honest, I've got nothing to say about this. Firstly, I'm not Korean and secondly, I'm not big on politics. But unfortunately, being an adult now entails making decisions, of which one is to decide who you want as your government. So, I'd have to force myself to read about their arguments yadda yadda. Boring, ahem.

On to other topics! To satisfy your inner Perez Hilton and TMZ junkie, we have two segments. Pop Stop, bringing you the latest news the Hallyu wave decides to wash up and also we have two um... special K celeb guides K and Sta and together they are K-Sta who will share their New Year Resolutions. Wonder what those two are up to - tune in and find out!

And since Cafe Seoul is made up of expats, and it's new year, who can forget that at the strike of midnight on New Year, you're supposed to kiss a girl if not you're gonna be lonely for the rest of the year. Honestly, this is just an excuse to kiss someone hahahaha. And a terrible excuse at that, well unless the person who wants to kiss you is a looker. ;)

Just a side note, because this is an urban legend, curiousity killed this cat when I went to look up other urban legends. Interesting, but scary! Or maybe just to me because I have the bravery capacity of an earthworm. But I like watching horror movies. Sigh, yes. The things I do to myself. And yes, I am a contradiction - but hey, I'm a girl. I get to be fickle HAHA! Anyhow, here are some other Korean urban legends that sort of creeped me out!

Fan death - leaving a fan running non-stop overnight in a room will cause the person inside to die. And I heard that all fans sold in South Korea come with automatic timers that switch the fan off for a couple of minutes. Well, I've never noticed that but I'll make it a point to check that out.

Okay, the other urban legends are all a little scary and involve a gwishin (귀신) or Korean ghost of some sort.

• Gumiho (구미호) - the story of the 9 tailed fox. They usually disguise themselves as beautiful women and prey on unsuspecting pervy men, a true femme fatale.
• Mul gwishin (물귀신) - essential water spirits who hate to be alone in the dark murky waters and drag swimmers down to join them... muahahaha
• Cheonyo gwishin (처녀귀신) - the virgin (girl) ghost. Being born a woman in traditional Korea was hard and she was taught the best virtues were to serve her father, her husband, and her son. To die a cheonyeo meant you didn’t fulfill your life’s purpose, your life was meaningless; it would be impossible to tear yourself away from this world so you will continue haunting the mortal world as a spirit.

There are ALOT more urban legends out there on the net so I'm going to stop writing about it because I'm getting freaked out. Ahem.

Well, since this is the first episode, I'm gonna cut some slack but... there are some things I have to say. The Lost in Translation segment is like.... whaaaaaat?! I totally did not get any of that. I know, I'm mean. But it made me somewhat shut down because firstly, it's about Star Wars and I'm not really a Star Wars fan. Nope, not getting it. I tried watching it, in 2002 I think, and was told that that movie is was actually the worst out of all the Star Wars episodes.

However, I'm going to still give it props for effort! And we haven't got into each other's groove yet so we are y'know... getting to know each other better. I'm sure our second episode is going to be a lot better, with more interesting topics. More woohoo and less blah - that's what we're gonna work towards. If you do have any comments, feedback or suggestions, please feel free to email us at cafeseoulpodcast@gmail.com! Each episode comes out on the second and fourth Thursday of the week, at 6pm (KST) so be sure to tune in then!

HAPPY NEW YEAR AGAIN FROM CAFE SEOUL! WE HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT ONE!!