DUCK!
I had the pleasure of enjoying smoked, then grilled duck today & it was fantastic! As per the usual Korean dining experience, there was an abundance of vegetables in various forms & a smattering of the usual seasoning suspects to make them just spicy enough for a farm boy like me (although I didn't delve into some of the more sweat-inducing goodies available).
The ladies said the duck would taste like chicken but I think that must be a universal joke. To me, it was more of a smoked hog flavor than chicken but what do I know; it was good eating, regardless!
The lunch conversation shifted a few times but one of the 'hot topics' was that my director at the Otae-dong school (Tues/Thurs) is being replaced or stepping down at the end of April. Not sure (and I didn't think it was necessarily my place to ask at this point) whether she was the owner & was selling (my previous presumption) or if their was someone else pulling the strings & she simply ran the school.
Two reasons were given for the change in leadership. The first was the low number of students compared to where they probably should be. The second is the lack of significant structure to the 'curriculum.' They did also mention the director's inability to speak English had become a hindrance in her ability to do her job - I did find this quite intriguing initially but she still seems to run the school fairly successfully in a broad sense, I suppose.
Then again, there doesn't seem to be much of a method to the madness. It seems to be very loose in control & discipline but I have a blast the two days a week I'm there. I have noticed, unfortunately, only a small percentage of the students are really able to speak much English. They have, however, become masters of the monotonous routine of the lessons, which basically consist of a word test every day (key words/phrases from the lesson in both English & Korean), a couple pages of listening, tracing, writing & occasionally speaking the words/phrases & finally a touch of phonics to broaden their 'knowledge.' I've taken things a step further and have the students read the dialogue, vocab words & key phrases individually to gauge their abilities, as well as help them with any trouble words or letters (yes, l and r).
It's humorous, as part of the lessons, we use a CD. The kids know the instructions verbatim & usually mimik them every time. They also hum along to the little jingles b/w each section of the CD's lesson. Needless to say, I've caught myself in mid shimmy a time or two, while the kids just giggle at my sweet moves!
I'm anxious to see what happens & how significant a change this new director brings to the school. He's apparently a law school graduate who's been a math teacher for 20+ years....interesting career path but I suppose the financial benefits of a career in law in Korea might pale in comparison to the level of somewhere like the US. Or maybe the teaching profession is a lucrative endeavor over here (even though I've been instructed not to discuss my salary w/either Korean or Native English teachers).
OK, back to the duck, kind of....it was superb, the veggies were what I've come to expect & as is tradition, we were treated to duck bone soup at the end of the meal. I wouldn't say it was good, although it was pointed out that the third and fourth spoonfuls taste better than the first; which there was some truth to it. Regardless, it still tasted like what I could only assume hot, dirty dishwater might taste like after stewing in the sink for a day and haphazardly submerging a bone and some spring onions for enhanced flavor.
As we choked down the few spoonfuls of soup, our waitress brought us a traditional after dinner drink. It was non-alcoholic as we had to go to work but for some reason the name escapes me. There was significant trepidation after suffering through the duck bone nonsense but I was pleasantly surprised by it's cool, sweet taste. Apparently it's some sort of milky white, chilled rice drink that at one time was a staple after nearly all meals but has ultimately been replaced by the very Western custom of coffee. Not being a coffee drinker, I will be happy to suck down a few glasses of the ricey goodness at any meal from here on out. The only drawback was the saturated, gooey rice particles floating in the bottom of the glass I nearly choked on as I threw back the last swallow. Sneaky bastards used the color of the drink to blend in but either way, a great way to wash down the nasty aftertaste of the soup.
Before we departed, I mentioned how much food there always seems to be at the end of every meal I've eaten out & whether or not the restaurants or customers give much thought to it. Cindy commented that it's just the way they operate in South Korea. Often the leftovers are fed to pigs or chickens if not immediately thrown into the trash for the cats to rummage through.
I was struck w/a bit of perplexity as Cindy made a rather insightful statement about the amount of wasted food in South Korean and the little effect it has on the population even though just across the border, North Koreans are literally starving to death. This brought a slight chuckle from the ladies but I'm still pretty surprised by their blatant disregard for even providing a doggy bag or something. There really is enough extra food b/w the various salads, veggies, soups and few portions of meat that remained, to provide, if nothing else, a nice little snack after work.
There was no more talk of waste & I was sworn to secrecy about the impending shift of power at the school but either way, I had me some duck & man, was it good!
There should be a few more blogs in the coming days as I'm putting the finishing touches on a few rough drafts I've started, so check back soon if you don't get an email from me.
Be well ~ namaste!
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