Gangeung Train Station

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Mr. Fumble and Bumble

I shall call myself Mr. Fumble and Bumble because that is who I am and that is what I do. This behavior of mine can be observed in any country, but is most frequently observed in Thailand, Korea, and California. It goes way deeper than language capability and cultural/systems differences between countries. Maybe there have been too many language experiments, too much field study, too many immersions.

Feel sympathy for Mr. Fumble and Bumble if you must. He would not have it any other way. Fumbling, bumbling, and stumbling his way around, all kinds of people help him out. For this, he is very, very grateful.

My first real food

Today, I had the pleasure of eating my first real food since I got here about five days ago. Two mistakes were required to make it happen. First was when I asked the front desk about ordering some 감자탕 / potato soup from their menu. Their response, after some initial confusion: "Dumbass. That's not our menu. That's a restaurant take-out menu." (I added the dumbass part myself, of course.) 

Then the super-nice front desk lady walked me a full block to a potato soup restaurant on the main street. She escorted me inside. (Perhaps sensing my desperation for a real meal? Maybe she read my previous post about the No Brand Burgers that I subsisted on in Pyeongtaek?) I think she told the restaurant lady I was looking for potato soup. And there may have been a bit more to the conversation. You do understand, don't you, that between missing language and my hearing issues I'm operating at about 50% comprehension?,

At any rate, the restaurant lady served me up a wonderful meal, a full set: meat bone soup, sauce for the meat, three kinds of kimchi, and rice--beautiful, wonderful rice. As the first real meal I've had here in five days, it was excellent. Perfect. It couldn't have been better.

There was, however, one slightly troubling aspect, and that involves the second mistake. While I was eating it, I was facing the menu board and looking at the menu items and prices. One stood out: Potato Soup at USD 27. I thought about it. I mean, they had to cook the meat for hours in order for the meat to fall off the bone like it did. The price is fair enough if you consider all that. I also saw several other menu items in the USD 7 range for ordering next time. I made my peace with a one-time purchase of Kangwon Province's famous potato soup for USD 27.

I dug deep into the passport bag for a 50,000 Korean won bill (USD 38). I hold onto those really, really tight. This was a one-time splurge. The kindly restaurant guy takes my 50,000 won bill and comes back with 40,000. As a student of Cool Hand Luke, I said nothing--I just played it cool. A bit later, after putting my shoes back on, it was time to take my leave.

Me to the kindly restaurant guy: "That was my first time eating Kangwon Province potato soup, and it was great."

Restaurant guy: "Thank you."

Restaurant lady: Audible-even-to-a-deaf-guy laughter from her in the kitchen area.

Me: "Hmm..." 

I got back to the motel room and cleared my pockets like all absent-minded low-budget travellers do. I mean, you never know what you'll learn or remember. What I learned in this case was that I had not, in fact, eaten the famous Kangwon Province potato soup. Rather, they had--quite astutely and appropriately--substituted USD 7 Ox Bone Soup for the USD 27 Potato Soup. 

There are a few possibilities, listed below in order of probability.

• The Potato Soup could have been one of those dishes for two or more people. There are many such dishes.
  
  
• They ID'd me as a low-budget traveller.
  
  
• They are reading my posts in English. (Not likely given that Gangeung posts began only today.)

In conclusion, my reputation as a professional low-budget traveller remains intact. I have yet to taste the famous Kangwon Province soup. Something to look forward to because I'm here for a while.

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The charge: Being a "blogger" / The plea: Technically, yes, but...

I have been charged with being a "blogger." I recognize that any jury of reasonable people would convict me of this charge. However, I plead: "Yes, but..." I mean, yes, I am posting posts on this blog site that Google so generously provides for me. But I'm not a blogger. I'm just on a crusade against Facebook, and I have to share my stuff with family and friends somewhere, and this is the place for now.

I admit that things sometimes get out of hand, with me addressing the hundreds of thousands of Microsoft and Google employees at locations around the world. Not to worry. They know not of my existence, and it wouldn't matter if they did anyway. To them, I am but a source of feedback--sometimes accurate and sometimes not--and trouble tickets. That is as it should be. 

Nevertheless, if there are any young Googlers or Microsofties who dare to be my low-budget travel companions, please step right up. There would be justice in this world if you were to feel the pain of your own products. Torture apps indeed!!!

A good knock on the back of the head

I took a good shot to the back of my head exiting the motel bathroom today. If you look at the photo below, I believe you'll understand why and how. That's me standing on the bottom of the door frame, with the top of my head extending a good 8 to 10 centimeters above the top of the door frame. Ouch!!!

Note: Regarding the various body parts on display, I have nothing to say. That is an accurate photographic representation of my current physical state. Able to stand up and walk, I am grateful for it.

For all the Googlers and Microsofties in my little audience, this is your future, and there is nothing you can do about it. Indeed, you shouldn't want to do anything about it, despite the fact that some of you are arrogant enough to think that you can "hack" life itself.

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My assigned breakfast station in Pyeongtaek

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Pathetic, but it worked.

I have a hearing problem that results in my being unable to understand anything said in a noisy environment. It happens in all languages. Knowing this, I prepped for my train ticket purchase by writing down the particulars. The ticket agent was kind. Without too much difficulty, the ticket was purchased. He gave me 45 minutes to change trains at Seoul Station. That's what I wanted/needed. I definitely did not want the itinerary where you only have five minutes to change trains.

I know myself too well. And I know how many times in this life I've ended up in exactly the wrong place at exactly the right time. It's a speciality of mine. I think it's something about my brain, much like my prosopagnosia (face blindness), which frustrates you your entire life, only easing up when you finally realize what is actually going on. Thank you Oliver Sacks and recently Brad Pitt for going public. 

Here's my note for the ticket agent below. I hope my original Korean language teacher, Ms. Kim, is proud of me. I only looked up one word, 혼란스러운 / confused, used in the phrase "confused old foreign guy." It could be the right word, or it could be a word that no Korean person would ever use like this. I have some memory of the word from before, but not for this kind of usage. The note is chock-full of grammar and spelling errors. I salute myself for not going OCD on it. What's written is exactly what I still retain after these many years.

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Pyeongtaek sunset

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Somebody took my idea about "basic"

I have always had this idea about "basic." You could sell products to people like me who don't want the best and don't want the worst, just something good at a decent price. First, Amazon stole the idea with their Amazon Basics. Now I see that my idea has been stolen in Korea as well. If you're not from here, let me introduce you to the No Brand Burger. I've been there twice (on this so-called Get Healthy Trip).

If you have a business idea, but it exists only inside your own head, is it really your idea? I think I know how the courts would rule on this one. Oh, well. The marketing of "basic" products may or may not be my idea, but the concept certainly works on me. 

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August 18th supply run

The best score was the fruit knife. Made in Japan, it works great. I'm thinking of taking it back to Thailand, which will mean checking my backpack at the airport, which will mean having to wrap the backpack in plastic. Maybe I'll give it away. Who knows, and it doesn't matter today anyway. There's plenty of fruit yet to be cut in the next few weeks.

I should also mention the homemade apple pie at the right front. It was excellent. I bought it from a nice lady at the old school Tongbok Market a couple of kilometers from here. Not only was the pie excellent, with plenty of apples and just the right spices, but I have a MIF (mental image flash) of my interaction with the Pie Lady.

Me: Hands the pie lady some old bills from way before they changed their currency.

Pie Lady: "옛날 돈. / Old money."

Me: "옛날 돈. 옛날 사람. / Old money. Old guy."

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