Quick Recap of the Korean's Visit to the Motherland

It has been about five years between the Korean's last trip to Korea and this one. A quick summary of some of the Korean's impressions are below.

Things about Korea that changed the most since the last visit:

- Coffee is still expensive in Korea, but good coffee is now widely available. At some locations, the coffee was as good as any.

- Golf is no longer a very rich person's sport. Even the Korean Grandmother's tiny little town had a driving range.

- Overall, Korea simply got a lot wealthier, even just five years. You can see it everywhere -- the cars are nicer, the streets are nicer, and people have more things. And there appears to be little effect of the financial crisis that has been decimating North America and Europe.

The changes that the Korean expected to see in Korea, but did not:

- Expected to see a lot more foreigners everywhere. Was not the case -- it was about the same as a few years ago.

- Expected to see a lot more fat Korean children. Did not see them, although there were more than before.

- Expected to see more colors on Korean road. Nope, everyone still drives mostly white or black cars.

- Expected to see a lot of old people spitting everywhere, based on the questions that the Korean received. Did not see them. If anything, spitting has been dramatically reduced compared to even five years ago.

One thing about Korea that the Korean never truly understood until this trip:

- The demands put upon Korean women are much more rigorous compared to those put on Korean men. The Korean always knew this, but never truly understood it until he saw the Korean Wife dealing with them.

The top foods eaten in Korea:

7.  Pisundae (blood sausages) at Nambusijang (Jeonju).
6.  Boshintang (dog meat soup) at Ssarijip (Seoul).
5.  Rice with ge'ujeot (게우젓, very rare sauce made with abalone innards) at Asahi Ilsik (Jeju).
4.  Pyeonyuk (steamed pork) at Sanbang Sikdang (Jeju).
3.  Naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) at Pildong Myeonok (Seoul).
2.  Hanjeongsik (grand course meal) at Pilkyeongjae (Seoul).
1.  Bibimbap at Seongmidang (Jeonju).

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.