Is Korea’s Coffee Scene on the Verge?
Dunkin Donuts is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year abroad and at home with special deals on donut sets that may be appearing in offices near you. The everyman’s rival brand to Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts trickled into Korea and other parts of Asia after the company went public in 2011. Economic pundits were skeptical the...
Korea’s Animal Casualties
During a lesson on describing animals, I asked my students about South Korea’s national animal. Foreheads wrinkled. Eyes glanced sideways. “Tiger?” said one student. “Bear?” said another. They looked to their Korean teacher for help. No-one was sure. In the 20 classes I taught that week, none of my 700+ students could provide a confident...
An Australian, an Ajumma, and a Lot of Skin
For many people, the allure of travelling has a lot to do with being out of one’s comfort zone. That goes for me too; like the time I got out of my comfort zone by getting out of my clothes. I then wished my comfort zone all the best for the future, asked it to...
365 Days of Chincha
We’re celebrating Chincha’s first birthday today and are currently in a food coma from too much galbi meat and Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. If we were sober we would be taking this time to tell you what a fabulous and wonderful time we have had in the last year and to thank you for...
The House of Sharing & Korea’s Comfort Women
At this time a year ago, I was in the midst of coping with the end of my schooling years, the impending doom of adulthood creeping up on me as I hurriedly prepared for my upcoming year in South Korea. I knew very little about Korea, especially the recent history of this peninsula and its...
귀엽다 Korea: The World’s (Second) Cutest Nation
Well aware of the cutesy aesthetic that pervades Asian pop culture (only living under a bush for a decade or two would have saved me from Hello Kitty), I was not surprised to find that animated and caricatured figures formed the basis of marketing campaigns for nearly every pre-school, clothing brand, and even toilet seat...
Lessons From a K-Pop Concert
K-pop isn’t just a genre of music, it’s a way of life. I learned that at the YG Family Concert I went to on the weekend, along with plenty more of K-pop’s golden lessons. 1: Gimmicks are everything. If you want to throw a shit-hot concert you need CGI, a stage more complicated than the...
Kimchincha?
Kimchi: one of life’s great pleasures. Or, for you heathens, it’s probably considered the devil incarnate in food form. For those of you who have come into contact with South Korea for even a micro-second will know exactly what I’m talking about, as kimchi is immodestly served with every meal. Yes, every meal – even...
