Well what a day. I started at 11 am as usual today, and about 15 mins before the end of class, Rachel came in and told me that Mr. Shim wanted to have lunch with me. Ugh...so I get all paranoid, wondering what's wrong, and getting all these thoughts in my head. How can u tell that I'm at what they call the 3 month blues.
It turns out that it was the 3 month let's take the English teachers out to dinner! Man, why do I do that to myself?! Anyway, it was a wonderful lunch at a really nice Chinese restaraunt. We had two traditional Chinese dishes, I wish I could remember the names of them, accompanied by Korean kimchi and radish and seaweed, etc... The service was impeccable, and it was served as a 5 course lunch. First the radish and kimchi and seaweed, with a plate of 'plankton' which was really surprisingly yummy. I never imagined eating plankton! I thought it was only something the creatures of the sea ate! But I should know better. Korea IS the sea! Well it seems like that's all u eat here! Cabbage and rice and seaweed and every animal from the sea imaginable, or unimaginable! Ha ha! Not that there's anything wrong with it.

....so back to the meal, the plankton was served beautifully in a mound with 3 pieces of something on the side that I actually tried. I thought it was a mussel or something, because it was a slice of something purple and around it was a brown jelly like substance. So, I was feeling like I could stomach something adventurous, and so I tried it. It turned out to be a duck egg! And it tasted like a smoky hard boiled egg! Interesting. And not that bad at all.
Then there was a soup of clear jelly like broth and small pieces of something white and orangy-red. It was a crab soup with egg. So I tried it too, and it was pretty good. The thing I have a hard time with is the slimy texture...but other than that...
Then we were served a plate of deep fried pork and a few veggies in sweet and sour sauce. I had some veggies. Yum.
And then fried rice. And then desert of lychee and pineapple. Yum! And of course through the whole thing was a wonderful green tea.
In terms of the interior- sigh- it was beautiful!!! Especially the chairs. They were authentic Chinese sitting chairs complete with dark stain and bowed back and arm rests. A bit narrower than I remember they were supposed to be, but it makes sense if the people are smaller. There was bamboo 'trees', and Chinese wood carved plaques on the wall. The walls were in dark grey plaster, floors in tinted concrete (dark grey-green) - quite nice, really. The walls on one side of the restaraunt, right over the raised 'traditional' platform were in a Gorgeous red wallpaper with gold designs on it. Oh...WHY did I forget my camera? Well, I suppose its about time that I exercise my writing abilities. Lazy English or no. (yes Michael..I admit it!)
And then, just as suddenly, after Mr. Shim said that Koreans eat fast...we were up and out the door!
It's amazing really, how food defines or is definative of a culture and country. I was just watching Jamie's Kitchen on TV. My new fave show...because I didnt ever watch TV at home in Vancouver very much on purpose. But I LOVE this guy! It's him on his trip to Italy right now. And something I noticed... everyone likes to wear gloves when cooking food, and they did in Italy too (on the show). Hmm..smart really. The red pepper paste can stain quite a bit, and cleanliness is comforting!
And tonight I actually went out to eat..and finally tried the Korean porridge restaraunts I keep passing. I had vegetable soup..and wow was that GOOD! I'll be a regular there! IT's rice with a thick broth...like when you cook oatmeal with lots of water, and it's slightly slimy. JUST how I like it. And smal chopped veggies.
I really miss cooking, but yet I dont because my time is experiencing now. Even though I can't cook and bake here that much, I'm enjoying learning that as a vegetarian, eating here isnt really that bad at all! I feel really quite healthy! Healthier than I have been in a long time. Yay!
But, today I got sick AGAIN. UGH. Must have been the Valentines chocolate. And/or me punishing myself worrying about stuff I dont need to. All of that. And I'm going to Seoul tomorrow and I ALWAYS manage to be sick! How does that happen???!

Argh...and speaking of...I'm going to go and sleep as much as I can tonight. Worrying myself sick isnt good!!