Ian and I met up with the Seoul Vegetarian club this afternoon for some Mexican food in Itaewon (the foreign influenced neighborhood surrounding the American military base in Seoul). The food wasn't bad, but as usual there was too much sweetness and no depth to the flavor. Koreans also aren't fans of bright spicy flavors (like jalapenos), so it lacked the right spiciness.
The restaurant, Pancho's, created a set menu especially for us that included a side salad (mostly iceberg with guacamole, but I was so stoked for the avocado, I didn't care), Mexican rice, a taco and a bean burrito. You also could have all the chips you could eat, which they warmed before serving. So, while it wasn't great food, it was a nice change of pace.
Ian and I spent all our time out today in Itaewon. We've been looking for a ruck sack for me for our Europe trip. Ian has an imitation Australian ruck sack that's really cool, so I've been looking for one similar. We went into an army surplus store today and found authentic, used ruck sacks from all over the world. We liked the French bag the best, but when I put it on, the metal bracing supports rested right against my spine. I ended up choosing a Korean ruck sack with a sturdy, square frame, but no metal.
I'm very happy with it. Its shape distributes weight really well. We also picked up a couple of inexpensive canvas duffel bags for any day trips we may take. Either they are "Outdoor" brand or they are knock offs, but we didn't really mind either way.
I meant to take more photos today, but we didn't do much other than shop. Our meal at Pancho's did have a couple of interesting moments, including a discussion about the new Arizona Immigration Laws that quickly turned sour when the parties involved realized they had no common ground. I may or may not have been one of the said parties. I also discussed America's problem of corporate greed with a French woman and a Dutch man who work here in Korea, but not as teachers (extremely rare). She is an engineer and he is working on his thesis.
So, a rewarding day indeed, but not much photographic evidence.
Good night!
