The Good.

Alright, so after much deliberation and taking out the things that were just downright inappropriate, here it is...

KOREA:

The Good.

The Bad!

THE UGLY!

I'm going to do this in parts. So first!

The Good.

1. Yoogane Chicken Galbi:

Now you've got to understand that gourmet cuisine is not one of South Korea's highlights. They tend to scoop up anything they find and throw it in a pan with an overdose of hot pepper paste.

*Anything = Roasted butterfly larvae to this underwater slug thing that looks like an uncircumcised penis to eels that they skin in front of you.

But the one thing they did get right is chicken galbi. It, like everything else is covered in a sauce so hot that you have an immediate understanding of what a blowtorch would feel like. However, after the first couple bites your taste buds are singed right off so you don't notice as much. From then on it's just spicy-sweet chicken, rice and noodle goodness!

2. Nampo-dong and its Endless Amusements:

Way at the southern end of Busan, in an area known for its Russian prostitutes and strange fish markets lies the sprawling, writhing mass of Nampo-dong. You can find anything here, designer clothes, wool, books, liquor, more strange Korean food. Anything at all... if you can find yourself first. It's a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, if you're not claustrophobic. The only way to move through the hoards is to elbow the old people out of the way.

My favourite moment here was when Mike and I stood in awe watching this couple haggle over the price of live octopus for their dinner. The woman selling it was having a hell of a time; she was trying to stuff the octopus (still alive) into a plastic bag while it was trying desperately to crawl back up her arm.

3. Power-tripping on students:

Ok, so you probably read that heading and scoffed in disgust... But hey, pleasure in the little things. No, wait! That came out really wrong. Ahh... maybe you've had a really bad day, gotten into a fight with your boyfriend, ect. Problem is that now you're at work and you have no one to take your anger out on. Now I'm not talking about bringing a whip and exacting a blood price, but there is an alarming amount of satisfaction to be gleaned from shutting up an entire room of overly boisterous, misbehaving children with a few choice words. I felt bad about losing my temper maybe once afterwards.... then I passed by a Korean teacher going to class with a switch in her hand.