I'm Not for Booking

So that's what weekends are supposed to be like.

As the food industry surivives off Saturdays and Sundays, I've never had a job where I've had weekends off before. It's a whole different way of living, cramming a weeks worth of life into two days. But now that I'm doing what Dolly Parton rousingly sang "workin' 9 to 5", I'm becoming a pro at it.

Here's the four ingredients to a perfect weekend (as least in Korea):

(1) Copious amounts of alcohol: This happens here on Friday nights when all your pent up frustrations must be released over pitchers of soju, a cheap Korean liquor. They don't actually sell it in pitchers, but us foreigners, that's how we get it. They can blame it on our cultural ignorance or our alcoholic tendencies - I really don't care. All I know is that getting it in the largest possible container means I don't have to keep calling the waitress back to refill my tiny little cup.
This past Friday night began with a communal dinner at a place in Bundang called Bennigan's. Basically, it's like a Montana's. It was my first real Western meal since arriving in Korea, and I didn't waste it. I feasted on a delectable quesadilla's and a few glasses of wine. Both were equally good, or at least one added to the other.
With my belly full and my mind, well, fuzzy, we headed to what we thought was a new dance club in the area. Though we were all pretty buzzed, it didn't take us long to realize that it wasn't just dancing happening there. There were almost as many waitors as patrons and they stared at you like you like you were a piece of art - a cheap, slutty piece of art, that is. I was the first to find out that it's actually what Koreans call a booking club. Basically, the men decide which girl they like best and then get the waitors to invite the girl to his private room surrounding the dance floor. What happens in there, I can only guess. Koreans are definately not what you would call permiscuous, but times are changing. Sex in the City is on here constantly . . .
I was almost dragged into one of the rooms twice until one of the Korean teachers who was with us starting telling him off. Still, it didn't stop me from getting out on the dance floor and boogying to such hits as Ace of Base "I saw the sign" and N'Sync's "Pop". I love Top 40 music, especially from 1994.

(2) Shopping. I went out into Seoul Saturday and Sunday this past weekend with some friends to check out the shopping possibilities. I didn't buy much, as I haven't gotten paid yet, but mental notes were made for future shopping trips. You can find the weirdest clothes here - the English writing on them makes no sense. I'm definately going to buy lots of that stuff, if only for that people will look all confused at my chest when they get home.

(3) Movies. All that soju can make for a nasty headache the next day, and what's better than to get rejuvenated but with some classic movies? I don't have a DVD player, but I've become very adept at getting myself invited over to other people's places. Movies are the best way to reconnect back to your home culture.

(4) Tourist crap. Those movies didn't get rid of your hangover? Well, check out an ancient Korean palace and learn about life patterns during the Joseon times. It may not cure your hangover, but after 2 hours of it you'll probably get bored enough that you'll wanna go drink again.

Mix those ingredients together, then shake and stir, and you've got a pretty decent weekend. (A side note: due to the fact that the main ingredient is alchohol, you may feel the need to add lots of water).

Anyway, that was my weekend. I did get pretty active once. Sunday morning I woke up early and decided to hike through the mountains behind my house, as someone told me there is tonnes of trails up there. There is, as well as tonnes of Koreans hiking them too. It was actually really nice and relaxing, very easy to forget that you're in the city. The only downside was when I was huffing and puffing up this one trail when this old Korean grandmother practically sprinted past me. Talk about a motivator to get in better shape . . .

Hope everything's well in the Motherland!