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--

일본 (ill-bon): 이

Kyoto, the city of 1,000+ temples. Nothing against temples, Japan, Korea, or the rest of Asia, but I've seen just about enough temples for one year. If I were a monk or a scholar of Buddhism, or with someone who is, I might find more interest in the temples of different countries. But the reality is, for a lay(westerner)man, the paint and decorations are a little different, that's about it.

At any rate, our second day in Japan was primarily spent in Kyoto. No more than an hour by train from Osaka, Kyoto somehow managed to avoid the flattening bomb raids in WWII, and therefore stores a significant amount of Japan's history. Aside from the countless temples, the city is also a hot spot for any Japanese who want to see droves of foreigners.

A Zen garden for your coffee table.

Subaru.

One cup, one bowl.

After the garden we spent some time wandering through the downtown area, hoping to spot some Geishas in between appointments. We had no such luck--probably because there were so many foreigners running around--so we hopped on a bus to our second historical sight: The Fushimi Inari Shrine.

This shrine is composed of hundreds, if not thousands, of orange arches over pathways up and around Inari mountain. The contrast of these bright orange objects with the greenery of the landscape is really beautiful. The shrine represents wealth, rice, and sake I believe. We had the opportunity to visit late in the afternoon as the sun was beginning to set, which provided a beautiful view of Kyoto from the top of the mountain.

Is that a bib?

Mirrored.

It keeps going...

Big or small?

...and going...

Mini-wolf.

Paper pattern.

일본 (ill-bon): 일

추석 (Chuseok) is the harvest holiday for South Korea, some like to call it the Thanksgiving of Korea. I like to think Thanksgiving is the Chuseok of America. I think it's clear which came first. In modern times, I would say this metaphor holds true. Historically though, Koreans played a role more aligned with the Native Americans, except they successfully fought off the colonists. And now I've successfully consumed a paragraph of irrelevance to state that Chuseok closed my school for four days last week. The perfect time frame for a 'hop' over to Japan.

Over the past year or so, I've realized I really like to explore a new city by wandering on foot. This is a change from my previous "see all the spectacles" attitude in which I'd hustle from point to point so as to "see everything". I find it much more relaxing and valuable to pick a few points of interest within walking distance (note: walking distance is always under estimated in guide books). This often leaves me walking through less touristy parts of a city (even if its from tourist point A to tourist point B) which is a great way to see the lifestyles of the people who actually live there. The stores and restaurants in tourist heavy locations adjust their menus and styles to suit foreigners. By nature this dilutes the true experience. I realize this is an elitist approach to tourism by default; but who isn't elitist in some way, shape, or form?

Introducing Guest #1...

...and guest #2.

Due to the aforementioned holiday, the cheapest tickets we could find for this 'hop' were during odd travel times, which left us with three full days for sightseeing and two half days of travel. We chose to reside at a hostel in Osaka, and make day trips to Kyoto and Kobe. From Osaka, Kyoto is about 45 minutes by train. Kobe is about 30.

Screw the Ab-Rocker.

Stand out grocery store.

Umbrella holder: utilitarian rain or shine.

Can't beat this.

Low rider.

Ferris oval.

Lamien.

Osaka.

Parking garages are the new parking garages.

Our first full day was spent wandering through Osaka. We managed to avoid the confusing train system all day, instead opting to hoof around. By the end of the day, we walked through the two main tourist areas in Osaka, tried Takoyaki (a.k.a. squid balls) and the deluxe Japanese Ramien.

I hadn't done much reading up on Japan, or the cities we were planning to visit, so many things took me by surprise throughout this trip. Osaka, for example, has an apparently large bicycle infrastructure that people seem to use. The city is very flat, I would also consider it sprawled (11,893 people per square KM), but I have been living in Seoul (17,288 people per square KM) for a year so who knows. At any rate, while walking around town, we noticed many people riding utilitarian bikes, from kids to business associates. One of the most memorable moments was seeing a business woman, in a nice dress, come out of an office building, strap her purse/briefcase to her bike, drop the kickstand and move on.

Although the streets are wide, and many of them include some kind of protected shoulder for bicycle passage, many of the sidewalks are also equipped with a marked bicycle lane, and almost all the crosswalks have bike striping. People tend to ride on the sidewalks and lock their bikes near the curb. It's all very fascinating coming from Portland, where the bicycle infrastructure is in rampant development. Seeing all this in action, I had a quandary: Why can't this work in Portland? It seems to me, cyclists in Osaka have no problem sharing the sidewalk with pedestrians and visa versa. Not only are they nonchalant about sharing, but when the stupid foreigners can't figure out which side to pass, they don't seem to mind the dance.

--Warning: Osaka is no longer mentioned.--

Cross the Pacific to Portland, and you have a completely opposite vibe. T(here), the ideal multi-modal transportation system is developed in segregation. Cars are separated from bikes, which are separated from pedestrians. Everyone has a strong sense of entitlement to their current mode.

If any user neglects to use their designated area, thus impeding upon another's designated area, everyone is in uproar; the smooth synchronicity has been violated. Think bikes on the sidewalk/in the car lane, pedestrians/cars in bike lanes, etc. I think a clear separation is necessary to cool the chaos and provide safety. I also understand the sidewalks in Portland are not built for bikes and pedestrians. But should that change? Why should a bicycle be subjected to a car lane (assuming a bike lane is not present) when they want to move along slowly. Doesn't it seem safer for everyone to keep the slow riders on the sidewalk in this event? Should we replace a car lane to make wider sidewalks in Portland, or should we instead implement a cycle track?

Ultimately I'm going to conclude that the bike way should be the priority, to continue the separation. It could all come down to a cultural difference between Portland and Osaka. Or it could be the little person/big ego vibe Portland procures with it's bicycle culture, I simply needed to write it all out to come to a conclusion.

Thanks for listening.

China pt. 5: Later

Ah, the Forbidden City. How massive and impressive it is. Thorough travelers suggest spending two days to see it in it's entirety. I don't disagree.

Oh Mr. Mao.

If I was the last Emperor, I would've put rapids in this.

The photo line.

The exit gate.

Later.

And don't let the door hit you on the way out.

In continuity of the rest of our Beijing tour, we took the abbreviated path through the Forbidden City. It is most definitely massive and holds a great deal of China's history.

China pt. 4: The Meat Market

For your viewing pleasure, I introduce the finale of the three post series on day four in Beijing. If you knew this, you must find my life terribly fascinating. I do.

After an unsuccessful attempt the previous night, we made a point to arrive at the night time food market before closing. This market is as the tour books tout; a place for tourists to try the legendary bugs and balls of Chinese cuisine. From the disproportionate amount of westerners, it's obvious this isn't the typical Chinese restaurant setting where these exotic cuts are enjoyed. Instead it's a place where westerners can go to earn a misunderstanding of typical Chinese cuisine.

Animals eating animals.

How does one begin eating a starfish?

Sheep testicles here!

I want the one with no English.

Seahorse sea hell.

I tend to lean towards the "When in Rome" school of thought that I, as a TOURIST, should do as the locals do, eat as the locals eat, and drink as the locals drink. For me, this is the best way to gain a truer understanding of the observed culture. It is also an easy way to support practices I wouldn't necessarily subscribe to by loosening my ethical and moral restraint, all for the sake of an experience (even if that experience becomes an 18 month residency). In short, I am a hypocrite and I eat all kinds of meat--young, old, land, sea, happy, miserable. It doesn't count if you're in a different area code.

While visiting the different stalls, I realized I wasn't in a mood to stomach some nasty tasting bug carcass, so I opted for the more palatable cuts. I had some squid, an entire leg of lamb, deep fried ice cream, and some sugar glazed fruit.

The hand that holds the arm.

Vegetarian options.

Sugar coated fruit...

...is shiny.

Sit tight, day five is just around the corner.