Lunchie

Lunch, or Lunchie, as it is commonly referred to at school, is something that consumes way too much of my thoughts. First of all, it is well-known that school lunch is guaranteed to be bad, and recently it has been confirmed that this is an international affliction. When I first started eating lunchie at school in Korea, I was not only deceived by its flavors but also by its aesthetics. It turns out, after having eaten it for six months straight, one can pick up on the intricacies of the gourmet.
To get specific, let me first start with rice. Rice is the glue that binds the Korean society; without it, Koreans probably would not know how to survive. I will gladly admit that prior to my arrival, rice was rice was rice was rice to me. At school, day by day, different things began appearing in the "rice." These things include but are not limited to beans, sesame seeds, corn, hot dogs and many more unlikely suspects. I guess when you have something as tasteless as rice, it's good to spice it up with something like a hot dog slice. Personally, I can handle the "rice at every meal thing," but when they try to take away that one freedom you're practically guaranteed-- the plain white rice -- it is like taking potatoes from the Irish, mixing them with hot dog slices, and serving it to them as if they won't notice.
The rice is not the root of the problem though; if one finger could be pointed, it would not be pointed at any food, rather simply just salt. Salt is the downfall of most good Korean cuisine. It plagues most dishes but yet it is present in everything. Besides spicy red peppers, salt is the number one "must have" ingredient, and for this reason Korean food will never be recognized as prize cuisine.
Kimchi and its thousands of relatives are funky and unique part of the Korean repertoire. While unpalatable and surprising at first, it is amazing how a person can become quite comfortable and familiar with the stuff. It is pickled, spicy cabbage; it is like no other.
At this point I have gotten in over my head, so I will leave my description of lunchie by saying this: Books could be written about what is so different and strange about the mid-day meal, that is, the way at school Koreans eat.

General Comments about the Korean Education System

Let me first begin by qualifying myself. I am a recent graduate of the greatest public university on the face of the earth, the University of Wisconsin at Madison. For better or probably for worse, I majored in political science. Now less than a year out of college, I've suddenly found myself teaching middle school students just south of the DMZ in South Korea. I am not exactly experienced when it comes to the educational system in the US, but I have been part of lots of inefficient bureaucracies in my time. Far and away, none have been so inefficient and far from logic than the system the guides Goam Middle School where I teach. This post has been inspired by crazy schedule they've had me working since winter break started on December 23, 2004. At some point I will explain the degree of absurdity. For now, suffice it to say that the amount of hours I work, and the amount of work I get done are in no way proportionate. It's not by choice because normally when I am "at work," I like to get work done, instead of figuring out ways to spend my time. My situation may be unique, but nevertheless, it is still worthy of complaint. As a final thought, I will say this: next week is spring break, yet all the teachers are required to come and work half days. The principal is retiring so a big ceremony has been planned. At the end of this spring break week, there is another separate ceremony for teachers who won't be returning for the start of the school year, the following week. Why plan such important events during a time designated for rest and "break?" It is queries such as these that perplex and plague my life here. Thankfully, I have many other things that I can complain about, so I don't have to spend my time dwelling on certain frustrations.

Ignition

Welcome to Hoblog, the only blog on the internet written by one Hobo Davis. The purpose of this online journal is to delve into life as an English teacher in South Korea. In doing so, many topics will be examined ranging from students to food to weather and not limited to any inbetween. As a warning, there is nothing that will be held sacred, so be aware that some material posted on this website may offend, although not directly intended to do so. Questions and comments are always welcome so long as they are not overly repetitive or purposefully offensive. With that said, please enjoy!