Clever Koreans

I spent a lot of time with Korean adults this past week, which is sort of rate.  Mostly I am around Korean kids who aren’t always the most interesting conversation partners, either in Korean or en English.  At any rate, I learned something new.Of course, you are familiar with the grading system A, B, C, D, F.  Well, they use the same system here, and as students are prone to do, have come up with their own special code for the meaning of these letters.  Korean students have come up with a “ridiculous” (their word) acronym for that grading system.   Remember, the grades DO mean the same thing as they do in the western world, but in the angst of their failure, and to celebrate mediocrity, students have developed the following joke.
A- absurd
B- bad
C- common
D- desirable
F- fine 

“Have a wonderful night my dear!”

A 30-something Korean man sent me that text message the other day.Don’t worry.  He isn’t some random weird guy, just a former  Korean teacher.  But he definitely didn’t know what he was implying.  I set him straight last night when I met him for dinner.  He introduced me to some of his friends and we went for samgyeopsal (a kind of BBQ pork).  It was a great oppotunity to practice my Korean – better in some ways than at the orphange, where the kids are willing to put up with my poor grammar.  They don’t really care about teaching me particulars.But I spent most of the 3 hours or so speaking Korean.  Simple topics, from work, travel, food, etc… but still meaningful and enjoyable. The resturaunt owner was beyond thrilled to have me there.  He had just opened up about a month ago, and I was the first foreigner who had come to eat there.  That’s a pretty big honor – I thought he might give us a free meal – but he didn’t.  Instead he gave me a small bottle of a plum flavored drink.  (I think he got a box of them as a promotion).

Blast from the past

Here’s an old video from the day I tried bondaegi….silkworm larvae.  It’s nasty.