Sunday April 13
20:02
It’s Strange The Things That You Miss When You Live Abroad
Of all th thingz u cld ask me 2 bring u over u want me to bring sum collar stiffenerz- weirdo
My family think I’m crazy - but it’s strange the things you miss/need from home when you’re abroad.
My brother is coming over last week. He asked me what I wanted him to bring to Tokyo. My list:
Metal collar stiffeners from Tie-Rack
Non-iron shirts from M&S
A can of Ambrosia tinned rice pudding
The can of rice pudding is for the Japanese who consistently look at me in disbelief when I tell them we have pudding made of rice in the UK. Japanese eat rice every day. They never think about making it into a pudding.
In fairness, the things I really want my brother to bring me, he can’t bring. They are:
Black pudding
British bangers
British bacon
Scottish bread
Scottish rolls
Irish soda bread from M&S
Potato scones
A big juicy yellow mellow
Low-fat hummus from the supermarket
Mr Kipling’s Mince Pies
Not being able to get hummus is one thing that has consistently driven my crazy living in Asia - in Hong Kong, in Korea, and in Japan. In Japan there are a couple of restaurants with hummus, so at least I could get it occasionally. Finally - this month - I found a supermarket that sells it, but it’s not the same.
Mince Pies also are something that I missed. In HK I could get them. In Korea, fat chance. In Japan, I can buy Robertson’s mincemeat and make my own. Except for one thing, Japan is miles better than Korea when it comes to international food - I can even get the English breakfast muffins I so longed for in Korea. What’s the one thing? Sour cream. It’s just thick gloob in Japan. Sour cream in Korea was gorgeous - in big tubs from Hyundae department store in Shinchon.
There is actually a Scottish Pub in Tokyo - or, at least, it claims to be. It’s called Scottish Glamour, which isn’t a good start. In fact, after going and seeing the bar menu, I immediately left. No Scottish beer (which, probably, is a good thing), and a cover charge to enter the bar. Any bar that tried to levy a cover charge in Scotland would be burnt to the ground.
I can’t find the URL for Scottish Glamour - but then since I would never recommend you go there, I didn’t try very hard.
Friday April 11
10:01
Korean Space Priorities
Jon has a piece about the blast off of The First Korean In Space, Yi So-yeong. He comments:
Arirang mentions her plans to introduce her country’s traditional food and beverages such as kimchi specially developed and packaged for space to the crew aboard the ISS.
I once worked as a consultant for a Korean film producer wanting to film in Scotland.
Of all the things he could have been worried about - weather, permission for filming, getting the crew and equipment there, grants - the thing that most concerned him was: How can I get Kimchi for my crew? Koreans need their Kimchi for work.
It made me laugh that the same dialema also faced the organisers of this space mission. I imagine the list of priorities was:
- Kimchi
- Allowing smoking in the toilets
- Soju
- DMB TV reception in the shuttle
- Enabling MSN messenger so that So-yeong can chat when she is supposed to be working
;)
Tuesday March 11
18:28
How Long To Gobble Down An 8 Incher?
I found out about this from Eyal, who found out from Jil:
Bob’s BBQ has a standing offer for anyone interested, called The Wagon Wheel Challenge. If you can eat one of Bob’s Wagon Wheel Burgers (about 3 pounds total weight, price range 400 to 500 baht depending on toppings) including the french fries in under 45 minutes, Bob will put your name on the Wagon Wheel Hall of fame (a plaque on the wall of his restaurant), put your picture on his website, and knock half the price off your burger.
What’s funny here is clicking through to the website and seeing the list of people who have attempted to eat the 8 inch burger, and succeeded. There’s a Korean there. A Scotsman. Lot s of Chubby people, but some not so chubby. The longest time was 45 minutes.
45 minutes to eat a burger. Man….
But for some strange reason, it’s tempting. I do love a good burger. And it doesn’t look that big.
Americans, in their typical style, have gone one better.
Tuesday March 11
18:07
The First Korean In Space Will…
…disappear into the toilet for a quick cigarette.
I don’t tend to read newspapers, so I don’t often pick up on what’s topical. Approving Seoul Buffoon for The Korean Blog List, however, I came across this:
Expert comments on Korea’s space lady
It so happens that a 29-year-old female mechanical engineer has replaced Seoul’s original choice as the first South Korean in space…and the reactions on the Internet blogs are amazing!
From The Korea Times:
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology told a news conference that Russia’s Federal Space Agency asked for Ko San’s replacement, as the 31-year-old repeatedly broke training protocol by taking sensitive training material outside of the Russian space center. Back-up candidate Yi So-yeon will take over.
“The main reason for the cut is Ko made two consecutive security violations,” said Lee Sang-mok, the head of the ministry’s space technology bureau, adding that both events appeared unintentional.
He explained that the Russians regard abiding by the rules as critical since even a small and innocent mistake could lead to serious consequences in space.
The authorities have taken a decision for whatever reason… and the experts opinions are out in full flow. It is a free for all on the Korean blogs. Some male chauvinists are upset that it is a woman who will be the first Korean…
My first thought? My deep and insightful comment on Korean society and the implications of this decision?
What are the Russian’s going to say when they find out the Korean is smoking in the toilet of the shuttle in space?
From all the times I’ve been flying, I’ve only ever seen someone trying to smoke in an airplane twice. Both times it was a Korean. No toilet is sacred. No number of no-smoking signs. No number of announcements.
Not even Space may prevent it.
Thursday March 6
14:08
An American girl’s thoughts on why Americans want bigger knobs
I sent my American friend - a black American girl who used to live in Tokyo and had a Korean boyfriend while here - the content of my 2003 post “Do Koreans really have smaller penises than Westerners?” that I mentioned last week. I told her it reminded me of her ;)
Her reply was so funny, I have to print it in full here. Interesting she mentions India - it’s something that Steve mentioned in the comments last week (my American friend hasn’t seen the comments).
Here is her reply:
I am glad to hear recollections of me are associated with Korean penises as well. Flattering really. I like this American girl, she actually had the balls to ask a question I’m sure many people think about. I STILL need to know about Indian cocks but have yet to be provided with the opportunity to find out myself. I should just offer to drop my panties for the next attractive Indian male I come across.
You just HATE America. There are many reasons to contribute to your discovery regrading Korean/Asian penises versus American penises, I’ll contribute some of my thoughts for your American hating pompous British mind to ponder:
1) Korean and Chinese, (I’ll include Japanese as well) women JUST DO NOT tell their men that they have small penises, and choose the easier and more pleasurable alternative of sleeping around with gaijin men with more notable genitalia. That would also explain why they feel a strong need to obtain Black men with dicks of monstrous proportions.
2) American men tend to be overweight, and therefore have stomachs that hang over their cocks and gives them a smaller appearance, and also have poor blood circulation and low stamina that creates the reoccuring problem of limp dicks.
3) Americans are just power hungry, overly and unneccessarily masculine, greedy, and always want bigger, better, and stronger. This extends to the male genetalia.
4) American women are just honest and unabashedly can admit size does indeed matter.
If I can think of any more reasons I’ll be sure to let you know.
You’ve got to love this girl.
Oh, and I don’t think I HATE America. I just like to BASH it every now and then.