We stayed in this pretty nice hotel that played a CSI marathon every night on the English channel. So random.
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So in the hotel lobby one day, this kid, about age 4, and his older brother, a plump 10 year old, approached me and asked me if I was American.
"Yes. Yes, I am lil' fella."
The younger boy, a bit shy, whispered in the ear of the older kid, who was apparently the designated translator for this cultural exchange delegation. I wondered what young Korean children know about America. Do they all hate Bush?
The older kid asked me, "Do you raise animals?"
"Um...no."
"Thank you."
The younger boy's thirst for knowledge was not quenched though. He again whispered in the older kid's ear, presumably posing another question. I wondered if he knew about Michael Jordan. Did he want to ask me about the movie, Transformers?
"Do you eat vegetables well?"
What are they teaching Korean youth about Americans? "Don't be like American kids. They only know how to eat vegetables with mediocre ability!"
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About 2.5 hours east of Seoul, the scenery in Odaesan was quite idyllic. The air was soooo much cleaner than in Beijing. The contrast made me think of the scene in Spaceballs when they take out the can of fresh air. I would definitely buy a can of fresh air in Beijing. (Business idea #29582).
Beyond the air quality, the Korean hygiene standards are definitely quite ahead of those in China. Below the machine on the left uses UV light to kill the bacteria on the cups for complimentary water on the right. So thoughtful!
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As mentioned earlier, the food in Korea is pretty bomb. Had a nice BBQ one evening, but alas, no reeeeibs.
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Speaking of food, back in Seoul I passed by the restaurant where Madonna works.
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I also found the Wicked Witch of the Far, Far East. She got crushed by a newspaper stand in a Seoul subway station!
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Regarding the Seoul nightlife, I noticed that people seem to know what they want.
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And if they like it, they want more of it.
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And if they really like it, hey why not even more?!
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OK, this is getting ridiculous...
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At times I felt like there were all these subliminal messages as well.
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One of the highlights of the trip was going to a Korean film festival and catching a screening of the movie, Planet B-Boy, that my cousin, Amy Lo, co-produced. (Big ups to Benson Lee and Johnny Lee!).
Really, really dope. The film broke the audience record at this past year's Tribeca Film Festival. One of the crews from Korea featured in the movie came to the screening with their families.
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Apparently b-boying in Korea is HUGE. The crew above, Last For Won, are like national icons, and they now tour all-around the world repping Korea. To be honest, I kind of forgot about b-boying after the 80s, so I was blown away when I saw these dudes from France, Japan, Korea, etc. busting some next next next level ish.
A bit incredulous are you? Peep a clip for yourself.
Peep more here.
