97 days and counting.

A few days ago--four to be exact--I was told our countdown in Korea has reached 100 days. A few days later--two to be exact--I decided it would be fun to have a 100 day project. A friend suggested taking a picture of my face every day to see what changes. I think the idea is great, but I'm not interested in having 100 shots of my mug. The concept sparked another idea, which is to take one photograph for each remaining day.

Unfortunately, by the time I discovered this idea, I was already a few days short of 100, it was evening time on the 98th day, and I was tired. Therefore, the first picture was taken on the 97th day in the countdown.

My intention is to take 97 photographs that best illustrate life in Korea, for a now experienced English teacher from America. I will do my best to post each picture on each day, but I will inevitably get behind from time to time.

--Update--

After a recalculation, what I thought was 97 days was actually 99.

Without further ado, here is my first submission. Please enjoy.

Die Springs.

Some Seoul citizens believe that in 50 years, the city will entirely consist of apartment buildings. In my neighborhood there are still signs of a bustling industry, but the encroaching high rise development looms in the distance.

Click on the picture to see the full album.

Your call to action. (Revised)

The Ultimate in large format.

Suggestions in large format.

Where should I go? If you were planning a trip to see the USA, what are the top 5 must see places? Top 10?

My friend and I will be taking a bicycle trip through the USA, starting in the spring. To help plan, I am looking for points of interest. Although we have planned a counterclockwise approach to hopefully find good weather, the route is fairly malleable. We will surely attempt to catch the classic landmarks such as; the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, etc.

For me, this trip is a quest to see the greatness that is America. I want to find the delectable pockets of culture that make the country great. Places so unique, they cannot be duplicated. So if you've been somewhere in your lifetime, a place so exceptional you can't forget, please indulge me.

The first map on this post titled "The Ultimate" is the route I have haphazardly planned thus far. This is by no means static, and will never be finalized until the road has been ridden into history. Please also note that we will be spending most of our time on secondary highways, not interstates.

--Instructions--

As I hear suggestions from people, I will add yellow pin marks to the second map in the proper location. In the comments section of this blog, please post suggestions you have with:

1. Name of city AND state.

2. What's there; food, people, landmark, etc.

3. Anyone you know that might let me/us pitch a tent in their yard.

To add a comment, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "comments". I have enabled anonymous commenting, so you're not required to have an account or sign into anything.

Feel free to make as many suggestions as you want.

Please repay my efforts to entertain you by making a suggestion. Even if you hardly know me, and/or read this blog simply as a means to admire, envy, judge, criticize, or mock--at least that's why I read blogs...

Thanks in advance.

The Book Club of Me: Walden and Civil Disobedience

Walden Pond, Concord, MA, USA. Photo Credit.

Walden and Civil Disobedience - Henry David Thoreau

Ah, Walden. How long this book sat unread on my bookshelf. Such a shame to neglect such great thinking.

--Summary--

Walden is a composition of ideas, thoughts, and experiences from Thoreau's time in the woods in the nineteenth century. The novel is written through themed chapters with experiences encompassing the entire experiment. In each chapter, Thoreau presents his thoughts on progress--namely his interest in the simple life, philosophical and intellectual progress, and holding his government accountable.

Civil Disobedience is Thoreau's famous essay that influenced many great change agents in history. His argument is for all people to withdraw themselves from a corrupt government by refusing to participate. To him, simply voting for abolition was not enough because paying taxes funds an unjust system.

--Thoughts--

Since these two masterpieces have been studied beyond my capacity, I'm going to avoid the risk of stating incorrect facts and mainly discuss my thoughts and reactions to reading the book.

Until I dove into Walden (figuratively) there had yet to be a book which compelled me to study it's words with religious fervor. Line after line of this work recites such beautiful language and thoughts. Thoreau's ability to capture so much thinking and feeling in one sentence is beyond words, especially mine. Only he could summarize his excellence in one sentence. I'm not even going to try.

I find this book begging to be thoroughly re-read and studied. Once through comprehension does not do it justice; my first time through only scratched the surface. These words deserve meticulous study as a theologian to scripture. I'm compelled take my time, to pause between each sentence and truly contemplate the fine words like a sommelier of the written English language. Gross, what kind of cliche have I become?

Walden is a masterpiece, but it resonates so powerfully with me because I share his beliefs of the values our modern lives are missing.

There have been points in my life when I have paused and thought, "What in the hell is the point of this?" One of the first times I can specifically recite as a memory was the time I became an automobile owner. I was lucky enough to have supportive parents who helped me into my first car, but there was a clear understanding that it would be funded by my industrious efforts--whatever those may be. So, I had a job in order to have a car. It's as simple as that. Of course there were a few small expenses like food and the cell phone bill, but most of my income went into the gas tank. Needless to say, at some point I reflected on my situation as I was driving to work. I thought, "Why do I HAVE to go to work? Last year I wasn't tied down by this obligation. Is this thing really worth the free time I'm sacrificing?" Of course, at the time, having a car was the material possession that provided priceless intrinsic joy--there was no price tag on my status.

Fast forward through college and into the transition stage between formative life and reality. I now sit here, all debts paid, in a state of limbo. As many of my peers continue on, pursuing their professional ambitions, I find myself wanting to go backward. If I continue with the standard operating procedure, I'll be dedicating the next 30 years of my life to the things standardized in society as measurements of success. Retirement, savings, real estate, STUFF, etc... I'm saddened by the idea that I should spend most of my days as such; 8 hours sleeping, 8 hours working, 8 hours commuting, shopping, fixing, holding, waiting, thinking about going back to work, all other responsibilities outside work, and enjoying myself. But if I don't follow the procedure, I risk the feeling of worthlessness, laziness, ineptness, not to mention homelessness and indebtedness because I hadn't properly prepare for retired life.

Our modern society has presented a double edged sword. While proliferating the great amenities that make us fatter, lazier, and greedier, violated human rights, and destroyed the environment; modernity has provided us with access to a vast wealth of information, scientific breakthroughs that help us live longer, and many more things that give us genuine pleasure. So my quandary is; how does one apply Thoreau's 1850s ideology of simplicity and minimalism to todays developed world? Knowing society won't turn back on progress, where is the balance between a 30 year sacrifice and zero contribution?

All you suckers can waste your lives working your asses off, I'm going into the woods.

The Book Club of Me: Where Men Win Glory

I'm going to think about a few books I've read recently; therefore, the next glob of posts might be a bit saturated--in books.

Afghanistan. Photo Credit.

Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman -Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer is one of my favorite authors. Mainly because the topics of his books strike my interests. He has a very fluid matter-of-fact writing style that has made it hard for me to put--almost all--his books down.

--Summary--

Pat Tillman, in Where Men Win Glory, is drawn out as an individual with unpresidented charisma. He was the type of person to take control of his life, do what he felt most passionate about, and endlessly seek knowledge to better understand himself and the universe. He also happened to be a good football player and at some point decided, with great confidence, that he would become a professional. He did so successfully after overcoming unlikely odds.

While Tillman's career was just getting started, the worst attack to ever occur on American soil happened. Though he wasn't your stereotypical meat-headed football player, Tillman did have a strong urge to use physical force as a means to solve some problems. After the September 11th attacks, his priorities became reshuffled and he soon began considering his moral obligation to protect his country. Tillman couldn't help but feel compelled to enlist and help in the search for the people responsible, and so he did. Unfortunately, between the time he enlisted and the time became a soldier, the US was engaged in a completely different conflict outside Afghanistan, and Iraq is where Tillman was called to duty. In the book, this is where cognitive dissonance begins it's fight with Tillman.

Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire. The true events leading up to this tradgedy are still debatable, but immediately after his death, the US government tried to make Pat Tillman into a war hero by hiding the biggest detail of the situation--fratricide. People in power lied, and in the end not only was Tillman's death was terribly tragic, it exhibited horrible abuses of power within the US government.

--Thoughts--

As long as I've thought about war, it has always been from the perspective of American history. I was taught in high school about the battles--past and present--which America engaged in, of which almost all were on foreign soil. History has proven some of these military actions to be just and valid, and some not.

Considering the human cost of war, how can a country take military action without the absolute certainty and necessity of a just cause? In an event in which a country takes questionable military action, are the armed servicewomen and men of that country morally obligated to participate? Where is the line of patriotism superseded by the line of anthropocentric duty?

The turmoil in the Middle East today poses a threat to the safety of inside and outside the region. How does an individual combat the threats to a peaceful world by violent extremists and fundamentalists? How should a country combat these threats? Considering the corrupt nations where terrorists are bred and harbored, what responsibility does my government, other governments, or the UN have to neutralize the threats?

With the exception of a very catastrophic incident, America is rarely the scene of an international attack. Over the history of the USA, very few wars have been fought on our turf. In fact, almost every war the US has engaged in has been overseas. With these statistics, it's no wonder so many US lead military actions find such resistance at home. It's easy to object a war in a far off land, not directly associated with keeping invaders off your lawn.

I make these points because Krakauer's account of Pat Tillman's story is more than a story about an ambitious patriot. It questions the individual's and the nation's responsibility for world peace.

Mooooo: It sure has been a meaty week.

As expected, living abroad has enlightened me to many things. Since I tend to fixate my observations on the way we (humans) live our lives and what that means for everything else in existence, a great many of my overseas observations have centered on this subject. The most obvious revelation being; the developed world eats meat--it's a current fact of life. Stepping outside the subject of diet, it is safe to say that developed countries in this day and age consume more than the world can produce. For example, propaganda states; if everyone in the world lived like Americans, we would require 5 or more earths worth of resources to sustain such demand. If you look at even the most environmentally conscientious developed countries, even their people consume more than their individual right to this world. The reality is, as China and India continue developing, at some point the threshold will be reached. Furthermore, we shouldn't wait until the resources require us to face supply and demand limitations.

Back to the topic of meat consumption and diet. From spending time in Korea, I've learned a lot about the influence food has on a culture. Experiencing food is the first and easiest way for a tourist to experience a culture. For every country in the world, food provides a sense of national and community pride, brings people together, and is a bare bones necessity of life. Even in America, the world's "melting pot" of cultures, unique takes and combinations on cuisine have made regions famous. For this reason alone, I struggle to find peace with meat consumption. Eating meat every day, in every meal is one conclusion I haven't struggled to face.

In the years prior to my exodus, I became known as the raucous one in the family on the subject of all lifestyle choices, especially on the topic of eating meat. Wading through all the information out there, I found--and still find--it impossible to come to a satisfactory conclusion as to what meat variety is acceptable to consume. There are people who classify themselves as vegetarian, but still eat fish. There are people who eat only chicken and fish; a.k.a. white meat. There are people who only eat things that have fallen out of trees. Whether in the name of religion, the environment, good looks, or morals, there are many brands of selective eaters in this world. Over the past few years, I've transcended through multiple genres of selective eating myself. So much so, I'm pretty sure my family became afraid to invite me over for a meal in fear of offending my current fad. To this end, I think my move to South Korea was good for everyone. My family has had a chance to relax, and I have been able to take a sabbatical and recalibrate my emotions.

T-minus 4 months and some change.

As I prepare for my return stateside, I can't help but feel I've left a stone unturned back home. In the gathering of family and friends, we will come together to celebrate a successful 18 months of Korea bailing us out of our American debts. While I do expect plenty of happy faces, questions, and a little admiration; one thing I'm certain to face is the meat question. "Oh, were you eating meat in Korea? Huh, I guess I just figured you'd still be on that not eating meat thing..." Picture this statement with a face of disappointment much like a priest after learning you just had an abortion. Except in this situation, the priest was secretly hoping you would go along with it, just so he could feel better about himself.

For me, this will feel sort of like a return to the trenches. Coming back, like the Terminator, to continue the never ending battle. So why not throw a few thoughts out there? For starters, I can admit to my own guilt and hypocrisy for living a double standard in Korea. Unfortunately, this admission would only be useful in a vacuum. In society, SOME people--not all people--like to smother failures of this nature like a finished cigarette. My most adamant pundits will take my flip-flopping as proof that I was out of line to question their habits in the beginning. I can't blame them, it's the nature of defense.

At any rate, I have prepared a short list of excuses I will be doling out for those folks I don't feel like arguing with.

1. "When in Korea", Japan, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.

2. Portland is a city full of vegetarian options, Korea is not. I think it use to be in the Buddhist heyday, but my people turned that around with their door to door bible sales.

3. Building on #2, if one were to resist meat by eating....nothing from a restaurant; they would also have to have a significant grasp on the Korean language to channel their wishes. Even then, you still wouldn't REALLY know for sure whether or not it was meat you were eating.

4. Korea contains a culture of, "#1 world best ______." Try facing your principle, who scares the daylights out of your vice principle, and saying, "No, thanks. I don't eat that because..."

I think the length of this document, in words and preparation time, speaks to the difficult nature of this topic for me. At this point, I've deleted more than I've left. I'm pretty sure anyone who reads this will be more confused than I feel. For that I'm sorry. I do, however, have a few concluding thoughts:

People who promote environmentally conscious behavior tend to get a response from the general public similar to that of the promoters of fundamentalist religion. Even more so are those who promote vegan, vegetarian, and reducing meat consumption. Just as the non believers of religion defend their rights to abortion, premarital sex, gambling, drinking, gluttony, etc.; people defend their right to destroy our habitat through their own specious arguments. Though environmentalists and fundamentalists might sound the same in their rhetoric, I'm here to defend the basic facts supporting that alarm the hippies are sounding. THIS IS NOT ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING. You can prove scientists have realized the unsustainable reality of our current situation. You don't even need a scientist to do the math, just go outside. The environmentalists aren't trying to change your living habits because of their belief in a supreme being; these influences come from basic facts, actual knowledge and proof.

If you've ever been graced by my presence, influence, negativity, etc.; please do forgive me for causing you discomfort. I know it's a burden to turn off the regular 3 hours of nightly TV programming, but ignoring the existence of an issue is not commendable. Take the time to form your own educated opinion beyond, "Meat taste good, god gave meat." If you want someone to honor your opinion on this, or any subject, take time to challenge your belief and actually think about the topic critically. Prove me wrong. Tell me why feedlots are good; prove the corn subsidies are helping the Mississippi Delta; justify the need to waste farm land feeding cattle, instead of producing vegetables; show me where you NEED a piece of meat in every meal (or every day) to get all that protein you NEED; furthermore, find me a doctor that will argue the benefits of steak to your digestive system, your cardiac system, or your fat storing system. Your lifestyle choices can be guided by every mom's favorite wisdom; if everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you follow? All I ask is for a reply that signifies more brain activity than making the sound, "Huh."

If you're looking for interesting reads on the topic, two authors have made very interesting reads out of their struggles:

Eating Animals -Jonathan Safran Foer

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. -Michael Pollan

If you have any interesting reads on the topic, preferably pro-meat consumption, please comment.

Thanks for reading.

The Book Club of Me: The Jungle

Courtesy of the US Government.

In an effort to; A. produce more material for this blog, B. catalog my thoughts, experiences, and states of mind, and C. make myself seem more important to myself by putting my self-valued thoughts and words in a public place. I have decided to start making entries to preserve my immediate thoughts on some of the books I read. (I'll probably post all of the books I read, I just say "some" because it makes myself think I read a lot). I'm going to call it, "The Book Club of Me."

ATTENTION ALL 5 READERS: I tend to read non-fiction, or historically based fictional stories, which usually don't end in surprises. In the event that I do read a fiction with a shocking ending that you didn't already know...YOU spoiled the ending, not me. I didn't waste my time reading this, you did.

--Take One---

The Jungle -Upton Sinclair

This book has a very significant historical context in America. Before publication as a novel, the story was published as a series. Although Sinclair wrote the series to expose the terrible working conditions in the meat packing industry; in it's wake, the country instead reduced it's consumption of meat in reaction to the horrific descriptions of diseased and rancid meat passing through inspection. You can read more about it here. Don't blame me for citing Wikipedia, blame Wikipedia.

A little personal background: I use to think those who are hard up were left to that result after making poor personal choices. Before someone enlightened me, I had no basis to think otherwise. From the perspective of a person benefiting from the system, it's easier to damn someone's character than to understand their situation.

The story in The Jungle follows a Lithuanian family through their struggles immigrating to Chicago after hearing stories of wealth from the land of opportunity. When the family arrived they instantly found difficulties finding housing due to their lack of finances after the trip. Over a short while, they found work in the meat packing industry and financed a house. As it turned out over time, the lending and housing agency had failed to mention interest and other monthly additions. The family was able to make ends meet by finding employment for everyone, spare the grandmother and the toddlers. Eventually, a series of unfortunate events resulting from harsh working conditions and ruthless employers left the strong young man, Jurgis, bed-ridden first; in jail second. Meanwhile, the family was not able to satisfy their lenders and were left out in the cold. As it turned out, this was just the beginning of the landslide for the characters in this book. By the time rock bottom was reached, most of them weren't alive to experience it. They had succumb to the harsh realities of the system. The book ends on a positive note for Jurgis. He finds Socialism is his answer to the system.

It's no surprise to me that a country founded by taking advantage of people had, has, and will continue to take advantage of people. I found many of the social issues presented in The Jungle have extremely close if not exact similarities to present issues facing America. Consider this quote from the book, "...because the majority of human beings are not yet human beings at all, but simply machines for the creating of wealth for others." I find it easy to draw a parallel to the present for two reasons. First, the American dream--then and now--is to become wealthy and enjoy the rights provided in the Constitution. Though the latter is reasonably protected, what percentage of Americans can say they enjoy the former? The reality is that most Americans become the machines, providing the labor to put money in someone else's pocket. Second, the right to vote--again, then and now--is hindered by a select few who are controlling, misleading, and manipulating voters. Thus, we citizens, as a voting public have to actively fight against those that want to make us cogs in the polarized machine we can't control.

In the last chapter of the book, under the pretext of a intimate meeting of thinkers, Sinclair almost completely drops the story line and goes on a rant in support of Socialism. He discusses the waste generation of the individualism and competition inherent in Capitalism and then the efficiency and equality of Socialism for the greater good. Throughout this dialog are many compelling arguments against the flaws of Capitalism, a very pleasing and objective take on consumerism, a few positive outlooks of Socialism, and some strange examples of Communism. Just think of how much time and money the aggregate of every household in America can save by implementing community dish washing machines (note: dish washing machines weren't around 1906, so it's likely Sinclair didn't think they would be a popular household appliance one day.).

The positive side to the whole story is the slow change for the better. The situation for laborers in the early 20th century was grim. Even after this series was printed, the public reacted more to the poor meat inspection standards, not the labor issues. At the time there were no labor unions, there was no government support through welfare or housing, nothing. As the story in this book repeatedly surfaced in different cities laborers began to fight and eventually won their rights. Government policy and programs have been developed to better help those in need and protect the innocent from predators (or not). Even though from time to time, the power of the system corrupts itself, America has made many improvements for the common good over the last century.

일본 (ill-bon): 삼

Last but furthest from the least, we spent our final full day in Kobe. Kobe is no more than a one hour train ride around Osaka Bay from Osaka. The town is built on a sliver of land between the waterfront and a line of mountains, therefore the city appears endless in one direction, and pinched into the bay in the other.

We came to Kobe with one real expectation, to eat the famous beef. We were successful, and then some. During our quick tour, we perched ourselves upon vantage points of the city and spent the rest of the time eating.

Shred time.

Safety net.

Our first vantage point was from the top of the Shin-Kobe Rope Way (gondola). The view provides a vista of Osaka Bay, the chain of islands including the Kobe airport, and all the ports lining the water. It really seems like Osaka, Kobe, and everything in between are all the same city.

Pretty lady.

After hiking down through the gardens, we took to our search for the one Kobe beef restaurant in our Lonely Planet book. In retrospect, we should have seen red flags when--in the city famous for Kobe beef--the travel book had only one suggestion. I think there is a good possibility writer for the Kobe section never actually went to Kobe. At any rate, we found the listed restaurant in a mall and decided to look further. Suggestion number 1: anyone going to Kobe should make the first stop at the JR Sannomiya station information booth, it has all there is to know about where to find anything in Kobe.

Luckily we stumbled upon a pastry shop in our search for a slice of beer fed meat. The pastries in Kobe are out of this world, that's all I can say; out of this world. By the time we got to the information booth, it was almost past the lunch hour at the beef restaurants. Luckily we found a little gem near the train station using our new information pamphlet; just in time. Suggestion number 2: have the beef for lunch, the lunch menu is less than half the price of the dinner menu.

Clean slate.

희.

Marble.

Medium-well, too much grill time.

Lunch is served.

Here's how it works at a Kobe beef spot. Once you are seated, you have a variety of choices, even the possibility of a hamburger... But what you really want is one of the lunch specials which include soup, salad, veggies, bread/rice, drink, etc. These specials are priced based on the quantity of beef included.

After ordering, prepare to be dazzled. While you're enjoying your soup and salad, the cook will come to your area and begin meticulously cleaning the meticulously cleaned griddle. Once he's satisfied, he'll begin by cooking your garlic slices into chips; then come the vegetables. Once the vegetables are cooked, the meat comes out of the back room to make it's cameo on the griddle before finding itself seared and sliced in front of you. It's funny, for most of the cooking experience, you never see any meat. I found myself wondering; if this place is famous for it's steak, should it be dripping off the walls? They must have it under lock and key with a pit boss in the fridge divvying out all the prize.

Another retrospective thought on the Kobe beef saga: if I were to have another steak of such high acclaim, I would order it rare.

#1 and #2.

Kobe.

A bridge on a hill.

After our lunch, we took in a couple beers on the waterfront before hiking off the steak lunch up to the second view point. I can't remember for the life of me what the name of the viewpoint was, it's on the Kobe city map, about a mile directly behind Kobe Tower. We walked the road up to the pedestrian bridge with a view. It felt a lot like Germantown Road in Portland. At the top of the hill, there's a pedestrian bridge where you can stand and see the end of Kobe in one direction, and the endless city in the other. Our ascent culminated right as the sun's rays were wrapping up their day over Kobe. Truly beautiful.

On our way back to Osaka that night, we decided Kobe really feels a lot like home. The city is not astronomically populated, and the people are very unique in the Portland sort of way. Not to mention the food is about as artisan as I've seen in Asia. But I think what really makes this city and Portland so similar; the Subarus.

--That concludes our adventure in Japan--