Dear Valentine's Day

I acknowledge that I stole this idea (and changed it for my own purposes) from my friend Katie, who stole it from her friend Mary, who stole it from rockstar diaries, and who knows if it was stolen before that. Stealing = Creativity at its best:)

Dear Valentine's Day, I don't know if you're really that special or not, but we still celebrate you every year because it's one more day to say "I love you!"

Dear house, I didn't want to clean you on Valentine's day, and that's why I cleaned you really good yesterday. I'm just wondering why you don't look like I cleaned you yesterday.

Dear Friends, thanks for watching our kids so that we could have a date tonight.

Dear Charlotte Theatre, I really wanted to see Phantom of the Opera with my Valentine tonight. I think it was rude that you changed the time of your performance without telling me.

Dear Lotte World, thanks for being right next to the Charlotte Theatre, so that we could come celebrate Valentine's day with you instead.

Dear Lotte World (again), thanks for copying our favorite ride at Disneyland (Indiana Jones). You did a pretty good job.
Dear Signs, thanks for making your Korean-to-English translations so funny (see last one). I know you're not Trying to make us laugh, but still...

Dear Chinese Food, you are really good in America, but you are rockin' it in a whole new way in Korea. Congratulations!

Dear Cute New Shoes, you tricked me into believing that you were comfortable enough for me to walk around in for a few hours at Lotte World. Thanks for my two new blisters.

Dear Karma, you put on an interesting show tonight. Was there a plot? I couldn't tell, but good job anyway.

Dear Kids, thanks for freaking out when we picked you up from the babysitter. We'll try to be better parents so that you like us more than your friends.

Dear Craving for Carbs, can't you let me enjoy my Valentine's day in peace?

Dear Internet, thanks for bringing us our favorite shows from America (The Soup, Community, The Office, and Lost), to be watched at our leisure. It was a good way to wind down our Valentine's day.

Dear Joe, thanks for the Pepero. That was seriously the sweetest thing ever.

Dear Joe (again), I always tell everybody that you are obsessed with me, but really I'm just projecting. I am totally, completely, entirely and thoroughly obsessed with you. Really.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

It's the Same, but Different

Where have I been? I don't know. Why do you ask?

Anywhere you go you'll find street food, right? Even in San Angelo, for heavens sake - there was a hotdog vendor next to the court house:) Hot dogs would be a typical street food in America. Korea has it's own version of street foods. Here are a couple of street vendors.

Sometimes they are on the back of a truck, or even a motorcycle. Sometimes they are on a handcart. Sometimes it's even less fancy then that. They are all over Korea. They tempt me everywhere I go....well, sometimes they tempt me. Some times they scare me:)

One interesting snack/street food here is waffles. Yeah, they aren't just a breakfast food. Now, you can get your regular looking waffle, and munch away, or you can get something a little funner, like this.

Waffle mix is poured into a variety of different molds, and sometimes fillings are added. My kids love getting a bag of these corn-shaped waffles, that have a creamy, lemony filling in them.

One of my personal favorites is Mandu.

Fry these babies up, and you're in heaven.

Also, these tasty BBQ chicken kabobs.

Juiciest chicken ever. We've heard tell that they reuse the sticks you throw away, if you don't break them in half. I don't know if that's actually true.

Then there's things that I haven't tried, and maybe won't. Joe has tried these - Deokbokki.

Deok is actually rice cake - but not what Americans would think of as rice cake, like the ones brought to us by Quaker. No, Deok is rice that has been pounded into a paste, and then formed into tube-like rolls. Deokbokki is when they take those rice cakes and put them in a hot chili sauce. Joe has tried them, and wasn't too impressed. We do like deok in other dishes though, in case you were wondering.

I saved these for last.

These are Beondegi, or silkworm pupae. Yep. People love these things like popcorn or something. I can't get past the way they look. I'm sorry if you are disappointed at my lack of courage.

Now, if you are out and about, enjoying Korean street food, and you need to go to the bathroom....well, here you go.

Oh, that's not a urinal. This is a bathroom for girls, yes it is:) You squat.....in case you didn't figure that out. P.S. bring your own toilet paper, and then throw it in the garbage instead of flushing it.