61) Steak looks nothing like a cow

Last night my card got stuck in the ATM- and the process of getting it out took much longer than initially expected. The twenty minutes it was supposed to take ended up taking more like two hours- but it was no big deal, and in the end it lead to a good night.

So when everything finally got straitened out I asked John (pictured with me in the santa photo in post #60) if he wanted to go get some food. He said he did, and another one of my co-workers, named Julie teacher (pictured in this post with santa), also said she would like to come. Julie is probably one of the nicest individuals I have ever met- she is the kind of person that always has a smile on her face. When I ask my students “Who is your favorite teacher?” nearly every kid, without hesitation says “Julie teacher!”- although she is not actually a teacher, she is the secretary. And I don’t know if I mentioned how nice John is- he is a very kind and gentle person who would instantly drop everything to help you out. He also works harder than almost anyone I have ever met. So the three of us decided to go out for some food, and Julie teacher and John said they wanted to drink, as well. I could not picture Julie as being much of a drinker- but she said she likes it. As we were joking around I made gestures of her zig-zagging across the sidewalk (in reference to how she would be walking home at the end of the night). She laughed and said no- then made little wings with her hands and gestured that she would be flying home tonight- it was pretty funny.

John was pushing for us to go to a calbi (beef or pork you grill up and eat with lettuce) restaurant- but only because he knows that is a meal that I like. But I was not in the mood for food that I had already eaten numerous times and knew well. I was feeling a bit adventurous, and ready to try some new foods. So I just suggested that we go to a Hof and get several different dishes (for you folks back home a Hof place has alcohol and food- the standard as far as I can see is you order several different dishes of food and a couple bottles of soju). Before we got there another one of our co-workers joined us, she is the school cook. We tried to decide what to order, but eventually I just told them to get what they liked, and I would try it out. That was a choice that nearly resulted in me vomiting all over the table.

I have been meaning to try octopus since I got here- but just never got around to it… or had the courage. I think I had accidentally eaten little bits of it in the past- but it was only after the fact that I realized it- and that is never as bad. I had decided that I was finished with unwittingly eating little bits of food- I was going to man up and just eat it. I don’t know the name of the dish we got, but it was full of whole little baby octopuses (dead)- approximately 3 or 4 inches big. First I watched Julie teacher pop one in her mouth, and after she put one on my plate I did the same. The taste was not bad at all, and feeling the little suction cups in my mouth was interesting. But what got me was the occasional realization that I had a whole baby octopus in my mouth- and at one point while I was just trying to muscle it down, it almost puked itself back up. I decided that was going to be about enough of the octopus for the night. A little later we ordered some kind of “Korean pizza” which came equipped with squid tentacles. It was actually pretty good, and only eating the tentacles made it easier for me and my stomach. I think the biggest problem for me is eating food that looks like the animal (in this case because it was the whole animal). If you think about what we eat in the US it doesn’t really look like the animal. For example- steak looks nothing like a cow, and I think that is the case for most of our food. I guess that is something that will just take some getting used to.
In the end I was happy that the ATM ate my card. If it had not, I doubt I would have had the opportunity to hang out Julie, John and the cook, and try some new foods. Eventually John and I took Julie home, and then the two of us stayed out for some more drinks and food.