찜질방 (aka the jimjilbang)

(I wrote this at the end of February, towards the end of my orientation near Seoul before I moved to my current home in Daejeon. Now that I have internet access I can finally post this)

First, I want to say that translating things from Korean to into pronounceable English doesn't work that well most of the time. As I romanized 찜질방 I was forced to come to terms (again) with the fact that English and Korean don't have a 1:1 correlation between consonant sounds. I wrote "jimjilbang" but that could have easily been "chimjilbang" or "chimchilbang" and none of them are 100% correct. The trick is to practice saying it the way you are supposed to say it and not to try to mash it into the constraints of English and also to have people who will tirelessly help you to speak correctly (thanks T/C crew!)

So last night I decided to take it easy and not go out. We've been starting our day with breakfast around 7:30 and taking classes that end at 8:00pm. We go into town and experience Korean culture and practice our Korean in the wild. Last night was different, though. After my friend Edward and I squeezed in the line and finished doing laundry he suggested that we go to the 찜질방. To preface this, I had read about going to the 찜질방 and it was something that I wanted to try. I never thought that I would be going within my first week in Korea. This was something that I hoped to be able to go to after a few months.

As Edward and I set off I was full of nervous anticipation. The irony is that going to the 찜질방 is a relaxing event. It is about as tranquil an activity as I have ever known. OK...so what is a 찜질방? Here is my explanation*: Korean homes didn't always have showers or bathtubs...in fact many of them didn't. So what's a country based on collective culture and community to do? They make communal bath houses in every town! Now remove those images of 1970's San Fransisco 'bath houses" that just popped into your head. Good. This a purely relaxing non-sexual atmosphere. Men down one hallway and women down the other. It's a really communal experience that I understand on the surface, and I hope to keep going so that I understand it more fully.

Edward and I removed our shoes upon entering, paid a nominal fee and got a locker for our shoes as well as a "robe" (comfy shorts and shirt). We took that key to the next room where we swapped it for another key to a locker where we would put our clothes. We put our robes and clothes in the locker and walked to the room with the hot baths. We soaked in a pleasantly hot bath for a while then Edward wanted to go to the hotter tub.

Korea is a technologically advanced country and they are as equally adept at making flat screen TV's as they are at making incredible hot water. Edward, being of Korean decent and from Texas (read: heat has no effect on him) went in right away. I put in my feet and s-l-o-w-l-y lowered my body into the inferno. After a bit of hot soaking Edward took us to the sauna. We sat in dry heat for a bit before plunging into a long, frigid tub of chilled water. My body started buzzing from the shock of the temperature changes and we left for the showers.

As Edward and I showered, a friendly Korean man came up us and started talking to Edward about Korea's amazing Olympic performance. No big deal at this point and we continued showering as the old man left. Then the man returned and started talking about his puppies. I was so happy to not speak any Korean at that point so I could look on in total ignorant bliss as Edward became creeped out for the both of us. He signaled for us to finish and we left.

We put on our robes and moved to the relaxation room. This is where clothed men and women can meet back up again. We got a soy milk and a hard boiled egg and sat on the heated floor on a mat. Edward showed me the Korean way of cracking an egg at the 찜질방: by smashing it on my forehead. The egg white was a smoky golden brown and the whole egg was creamy and delicious.

We laid on the heated floor, grabbed a pillow and watched some Korean Olympic action on an unbelievably huge plasma TV. Before I knew it, Edward was waking me up. I had drifted off to sleep and he was trying to get us out of there before the 12:30 curfew.

While reflecting on these events it has occurred to me that in the US something like this would never fly. It is something that is intrinsic to Korean communal culture and seems to just make sense here. Like most traditions across every culture, it was born out of necessity and has become ritualized and part of everyday life. It was a fantastic experience that I feel lucky to have been a part of. Not speaking Korean limits what you can do here and I am incredibly grateful to Edward for taking me along with him. I can't wait to go back.

*(the accuracy of these statements have not been verified and I am not an authority on anything Korean so take this with a grain of salt. If you know a better description, feel free to put it in the comments.)

I have a huge crush on Korea

So what's up Korea? Are you seeing anyone? I was thinking we could hang out sometime...

Quick impression: Medical privacy

Today was our medical checkup. Get rid of that image in your head of me going into a room by myself with a nurse taking my vitals and a doctor doing a followup after the nurse is done. That is what they do in America, land of medical privacy. This is Korea.

We got with our subgroup and lined up and moved through various stations. First blood pressure, then height/weight, color blindness, vision, and next was a blood draw. So far so good. Oh I also forgot to mention that this was in one room where there were 60 people in one massive line, right on top of other people. It didn't really bother me until I took the vision test and realized that I could use some glasses. I took the test in front of everyone else. Next we got a blood draw and then we went to the water bottle substation. This is where you drink a whole bottle of water because we'd been forbidden to consume anything since the previous midnight and they wanted to make sure that we could pee for them. Into a paper cup. That had no lid. After filling the cup with the appropriate amount, I carried it back to the nurse, careful not to bump my open topped cup and splash any of the 100 people all around me lest I spill my pee. The nurse took my cup, did a quick test by dipping a stick to test for sugar, protein, etc. and threw the stick into the garbage. Well she tried to at least. The dipstick stuck to her glove and landed on the papers that I had been carrying to every station and now my medical documents had a big spot of pee on them. She smiled and I was on my way to the next station, soiled papers in hand.

Next I went to the doctor which was thankfully in a different room. He spoke no English and his translator was sitting there with perhaps another friend of hers. She told me to tell the doctor if I had any issues that I wanted to discuss...I didn't, and I was on the the final station: The chest x-ray. I got to the bus parked outside and got to the x-ray as soon as I could. I wanted to finish because after fasting I was famished. As soon as the tests were over, we got a snack and then went to eat lunch.

There is no way this would fly in the states. People freak out about medical issues. We've got HIPPA laws and ridiculous lawsuits in the US. I was put off at first when I got into the long line of people getting medical exams out in the open, but something about the communal experience was oddly comforting.

I am still loving this place. I have had a perpetual smile on my face and whenever I go out I still get giddy with excitement thinking about the prospect of finding something new and tasting a food I have never experienced before. I don't know if they are drugging the food I am eating or if the kimchi is just that good...

Korea Day 2: It turns out I love food

Growing up I used to be a picky eater. Ridiculously picky. Embarrassingly picky. Before I left I talked to my family about my excitement to try new and interesting foods. My mom wasn't convinced that I would try or like new foods. Maybe it was more along the lines of her not thinking that I was ready to eat those foods. Her reasoning was that if I didn't like something basic like mushrooms or tomatoes, how could I even begin to try something Korean? (As if I needed to try everything in my home country before moving on to a different cuisine...)

Today I had kimchi for breakfast again. And twice as much at lunch. I am pretty sure enough of it will either make learning Korean easier or turn me into one of the X-Men. (Hopefully one who's power is speaking Korean.) I don't love it yet, but I do like it. I think it would go really well in place of sour kraut on a brat. Its still cabbage and instead of a mild sweetness and mild tangyness, it has spice and sour. It is a bold mix of flavors. Please, someone go to opening day and eat a kimchi brat. Or send me some brats. I'll tailgate at a korean baseball game and eat like a king.

Our opening ceremony dinner was held in the gymnasium of the university where we are staying. There were two 100 buffets set up filled with food. I decided to try as much as I could fit on my plate.

The other challenge that I have been working through is the korean chopsticks. I am used to wooden or plastic sticks, but these are different. They are made of stainless steel and are flattened at the end so the surface that goes in your hand is thinner and rectangular. They have a bit of a heft to them and get slippery quickly. I decided that I wanted to master them (well at least become proficient) before my orientation was over. I am 60% where I want to be with them. I can get food into my mouth, it just isn't as graceful as I would like.

Here is dinner. What is this stuff? I don't really know...At this point I am optimistic and excited about what I am about to eat. There is so much possibility for the future. There are foods I have never seen before. There are foods I saw last night for the first time. The most shocking food from the whole meal? The broccoli. I love steamed broccoli but this was steamed then put into an ice bath. Maybe it was just not finding the familiarity that I was looking for as soon as I put it in my mouth.

I ate everything. Snail and all. It was delicious and filling. OK. It wasn't all delicious...I think I will have to give some of the food another go. It doesn't matter though. I am having a great time exploring this culture. I hope to eat my way through the entire animal kingdom by the time I return to the states. Let me know if you are interested in an African safari.

My first day in Korea

My first day in Korea has been a long one. I arrived just after 5:30 and was in the program's shuttle and on my way to the orientation site by 8:10. We unloaded the bus, checked in and found our rooms. I am rooming with Trevor a Canadian with actual teacher training who is going to be living in Daejeon, the city I have been assigned to, as well.

We got along from the start and after lunch decided to explore the town. We met up with Barry from Sligo, Ireland and Jay who has resided all over the place but called Santa Cruz his last home. Additionally, Jay is a native Korean speaker who is teaching English in our program.

Barry needed a converter for his Euro style plug so we set off to get cash at an ATM, buy a converter and have a look around. We decided to hit the subway and head into Seoul, at least the outskirts of it. There was a sweet, rich smell that enveloped the station similar to walking into kitchen with someone baking fresh pies and cookies. We stopped and Jay bought us all a bag of the treats. They are a soft, pancake-y morsel filled with a sweet vanilla-ish custard. I still have no idea what they are called.

Jay with our tasty treats

Trevor, his tuque and whatever it was that we were eating in the subway station

15 minutes later we got off the train and had a look around. We ended up walking into the Lotte department store: a massive 9 story store filled with clean, shiny gadgets, clothes and just about anything else you could imagine. Everything, that is, but Barry's plug. That was found at a nearby Apple store and we were on our way back to Eulji.

I had been in contact with my friend Sun Hwa who I had met a few months back and serendipitously works 3 train stops from my orientation site. We met up and went to dinner at a Korean place. I was the only non-Korean in the immediate area all evening. Sun Hwa ordered so much food...the table was covered with things that were completely foreign to me.

(click image to embiggen)

The meal was delicious and the flavors were a mix of new and familiar. I didn't bring my camera with because I knew I would ruin the nice meal with geeky gushing photography if I did. I will be around this type of food a lot more very soon, so I will make sure to document it better for you in the future.

After dinner we got coffee and practiced more Korean (hangul, is the name of the language). We jumped back on the subway, said good bye at my stop and I got in before the 12:30 curfew with half an hour to spare and went to sleep after a long first day in Korea. If this day is any sign of things to come, I have a feeling Korea is going to far exceed my expectations. I am confident that the adventures I will have here are going to surpass what I have been imagining they will be. I'll keep an open mind and see what happens...so far so good.

Seoul street food.

Only part of subway map. The part I traveled yesterday is in the far right bottom corner. It took about 20 minutes. Calling Seoul a big city is a severe understatement.

People here have robots that help them do simple tasks, like riding a bike. In America, I had a coffee grinder.

Jive talkin' Korean barbers

Now I live in Korea.

(click image to embiggen)

Macau: turbojets, dumplings and the Venetian

Before we realized it, Pat and I pulled another all-nighter after watching the fireworks. We managed to stay up until 5am and to make matters worse, the Falafel place down the hill and around the corner that never closes was closed by 4am. Pat knew what to do though: we went straight to the restaurant that actually doesn't close and even at 4am in ghost town New Years Hong Kong, it was packed. The food was filling and unremarkable. It tasted great, but at this point my standards are so high from being totally spoiled by amazing food that is everywhere here.

Pat and I got to sleep as soon as we got back because we need to leave for the Venetian in Macau the next day (ie 6 hours from now). Predictably, waking up was tough, but we managed to pull ourselves together, dapper up and throw on suits. We raced to the turbo jet station only to see where all the missing people in town were! They were standing in line waiting to go to Macau! Pat, with turbo jet passes in hand went to the ticket counter, explained that we needed to get on the next departure even though they were booked solid for 5 hours at this point...and it worked. We sprinted through the station, somehow got through immigration in 2 minutes and sat down in our seats.

The turbo jet is a cool sounding name for a hydrofoil that takes tourists from Hong Kong to Macau. The way I like to explain Macau to people is that Hong Kong is an island that the British controlled and turned into a banking center of Asia.

Macau's story is that the Portuguese controlled the island of Macau and instead of banks they built casinos. Street signs are a mix of Portuguese and Chinese and thankfully some English as well.

The seating on the turbo jet is similar to that of a 747, only it is about 3 times as wide. There are monitors playing adds for the casinos and upcoming events in Macau.

One ad that was especially interesting was for Brian Berg, the current (and continuous since 1992) world record holder in building towers out of playing cards. Normally I wouldn't care, but this is the guy that Pat was interviewing for his magazine and I was going along.

The seas were a bit rough and we got to Macau a little later that we'd hoped so when we docked we ran to immigration to enter Macau. I am used to being tall while I am here, but I am only a little taller than the Hong Kong population. The other tourists in Macau were from all over the region so Pat and I towered over everyone. This was a plus, since it meant that it would be impossible for me to lose him in a crowd.

Pat had and awesome interview and I will see if I can get a link to Pat's story when it prints.

After the interview was over, food was on our minds. We walked through to casino to leave which was easier said than done because it was packed with people.

It seemed as if the rest of the missing Hong Kong population was on the casino floor. Mable Wu, the PR director explained that this holiday there would be up to 100,000 people passing through the Venetian. Gambling is a huge part of Chinese New Years celebration, and Macau is the Las Vegas of Asia. We maneuvered through the teeming masses of people around the craps, roulette and bic bo tables. Outside wasn't much better. Pat and I had to be vigilant to get a taxi since they were all in service most likely because the weather was terrible and no one wanted to walk in the cold.

Pat and I knew what we wanted: The elusive Shanghai baozi soup dumpling. We headed right for a restaurant we had been to last time I was here and like every place else, it was packed.

We managed to score a table and ordered as quickly as we could. Pat and I were wiped out from the night before and needed something to bring our vitality back. I have never felt the rejuvenating effect of food before like I have with these dumplings. In case you have never had them, they are a seasoned, finely ground sausage meat wrapped in a dumpling with broth and then steamed. They are served on a flat bottomed bamboo bowl that is also used for steaming. The trick is to grasp the dumpling with your chopstick and put it in your spoon to while taking a bite to release the hot broth and let it cool down in the spoon. You can eat it once its cooled a bit. We ordered 8 of them...each. By the time we were done with them I was stuffed and feeling nearly 100% myself again.

We walked around a bit in the old square downtown and checked out the New Years celebrations. The square always looks interesting with its Portuguese colonial buildings mixed with east asian architecture but today it was lit up with lanterns strung across the streets and giant illuminated tigers. People were crowded around a stage watching a dance. Pat and I navigated the sea of happy revelers and walked down narrow streets. There was a conglomeration of smells from all the shops cooking food to order. I wished I wasn't so full from the dumplings.

Pat and I walked around town some more and eventually made our way back to the turbojet station. Unsurprisingly, the line was massive. Pat went to the ticket counter and explained that we had to get back immediately and the guy at the counter was moved by Pat's urgency enough to grant us passage on the boat leaving in 2 minutes. We sprinted to and through customs since we were pros at filling out our immigration cards and got to our seats just as the boat was ready to leave.

We got back to Hong Kong just in time for Pat to meet Youyi as she came back from New Years with her family in Shanghai and a quick trip with friends to Korea. She brought cake back with her from her mom and we had a slice before passing out from another exhausting day.

Happy Chinese New Year!

I have never told anyone "Happy American New Year!" and I'm sure I'm not alone. When I am in Hong Kong, people will say "Happy Chinese New Year" all the time. It's as if they don't realize that I can see all the red and the tiger decorations, or the festive kumquat trees displayed all over town. It's as if I have completely forgotten that 6 weeks ago I celebrated New Years in the states and I need to be reminded that this is the Chinese New Year we are celebrating here. In China. In February.

I do try to wish as many people a Happy New Year as I can. It is met with surprise that I would offer such a well wish as well as what looks like genuine appreciation that I am wishing them happiness in the upcoming year. I even got a partial smile out of the surly immigration officer who resented working at 6am on Sunday morning (and all the folks who were coming home to Hong Kong from a night of debauchery in Macau).

In case you've missed it, this weekend marked the start of the year of the Tiger. There are regal images of tigers, cartoon drawings of tigers and large crimson tapestries with gold lame embossed tigers all over town. Today we went out to get Shanghainese dumplings for breakfast and the shop was closed. In a town that never closes! So we went to the #2 dumpling shop in town and it was closed as well. It turns out that 90% of the restaurants were closed today as Hong Kong took a holiday from work to spend time with their families and gamble at home with them (yes really. This is something confirmed during a conversation I had with a Hong Kong local at a party tonight). It also turns out that 100% of the restaurants we wanted to go to were closed today as well. Dumplings would have to wait.

We met up with some friends and all went to a party to watch tonight's fireworks from the balcony of an apartment on the 13th floor of a building perched on the hills overlooking town. This was another mix of ex-pats but tonight I was much more intrigued by the Hong Kong locals at the party. They seemed to want to talk about the US with me and I had plenty of questions for them so we had lots to talk about. To get to the apartment on the hill we had to dart through traffic in our fantastically underpowered and tight taxi. I wanted to capture some of the movement in pictures below.

After a great fireworks display, unparalleled hospitality and skillfully DJ'd dance music the original crew of 4 we arrived with (Paul, Mary, Pat and I) all left together and went to Paul's place to hang out on his roof. His rooftop is a horizontal oasis amidst the tall buildings that surrounded us. We could lay on our backs and look up without having to crane our necks in this vertical city.

Today was full of unexpected surprises: The city I know only as packed and bustling was a virtual ghost town during the one day a year it happens; we got invited to a party to watch the fireworks and met more really cool people, and had a relaxing post party on the best secret rooftop in Hong Kong. I feel like I am getting to see a side of Hong Kong that most tourists who are here for a short spell don't get to see. I can't begin to express how lucky I feel that I am able to do all of this.

Daft Punk Robot Rock Towers

On the way to the fireworks party.

Going faster...

Light speed!

Top secret pool-side rooftop retreat.

Hong Kong, part 2: I have slept and have my wits about me

It is 4am Hong Kong time and I haven't quite adjusted to the hours here. The last few days have been a whirlwind of taking boats to nearby islands, eating with Pat’s friends and celebrating a strange amalgamation of Valentine’s and Chinese New Years, despite having a vested interest in neither.

There is so much going on around me that it is hard to begin to describe any of it. Hong Kong is a sensory overload. There is a distinct smell of being on a tropical island mixed with the delicious aroma of restaurants packed into tight spaces everywhere. There is a constant hum from the cars zipping around though the narrow streets and what seems like far too many people crammed onto the narrow sidewalks. There is never a time when everything is closed and even though it is after 4am on a Monday morning there are people at bars and restaurants that are making noise 10 stories below me on the street. Since there is always a bustle of something going on stores have their neon lights on at all hours. The glow of neon that envelops the city makes the place seem oddly futuristic. There is a mix of old buildings that are water streaked from the tropical climate and new, clean banking towers built from modern glass and metal. Signs are all over the place in a mix of Chinese and English.

I feel slightly overwhelmed at times as I try to take everything in and then I look over at Pat as he is walking next to me and he is totally calm and relaxed. I supposed this isn’t so much of a shock to him as he was living in Tokyo up until several months ago. I don’t mean to imply that the city has too much going on or that it’s busy-ness is a detriment—in fact I believe the opposite. I love how so many people from relatively different cultures can exist together in such tight quarters and get along so well. Since I have been here we have been out late at night outside of bars and clubs and I have witnessed zero fights (something that I saw or heard with relative frequency when I lived on State Street in Madison) and people keep telling me what a safe city it is. Violent crime is almost non existent.

The other thing that I am completely intrigued by is the mix of ex-pats living here from every part of the English speaking world. Americans are in the minority compared to other English speakers. Pat and I brunched yesterday with a group of his friends and coworkers that was made up of Irish, New Zealanders, Australians, another American and a Scotsman. It seemed like I was very tuned into the everyone's slight cultural differences. Pat has often been the lone American while living abroad for some time now and it seems like he notices the similarities that everyone shares more than their differences. I can see why that is: compared to Hong Kong, America and New Zealand may as well be the same place. I love the fact that people from all over the world whose strongest common bond is language can come together to a tiny island off the coast of China and become fast friends. Being around other ex-pats in an Asian country is going to help me shed whatever vestiges of Americentric attitudes I still have. The world is a pretty big place. I am happy that I am getting to see more of it.

Rainy cab ride through Hong Kong.

The bright lights of Macau.

Friends looking at $40k watches with a man named Man.

Pat at 6:30am at a noodle shop. It is packed with other people getting a bite to eat after a long night out.

Eating Scotch Eggs with a Scotsman. Meta brunch.

Mary and a Bloody Mary at brunch.

Pat in Lan Tau, an island where the cars are banned and the quiet is deafening.

I know that eventually I won’t care about signs that don’t make sense. But for now…

Hong Kong is awesome

It's been 2 days since I have been here and I think I have slept about 6 hours. My body doesn't know what time it is and the flight here messed up my sleep schedule. Pat and I took the turbo jet to Macau and somehow managed to arrive back at his apartment at 7:30 this morning. We were up for noon brunch with a bunch of Pat's ex-pat friends. Later we took a ferry to Discovery Bay on nearby Lan Tau island. On the way back to Pat's place we stopped for Nepalese food.

I've arrived in Asia. Quick post...

I touched down at Narita airport in Japan en route to Hong Kong. I was whisked away to the Sakura Lounge where the beer was free, food was plentiful and internet was blazing fast.

This is me getting a beer.

I have been up since 5am Pacific time (roughly 19 hours at this point) so this is a short post. More from Hong Kong after I have arrived and slept a little.

Milwaukee-Omaha-Cheyenne-Salt Lake City-Boise-Durkee-Portland

Milwaukee

Since we were planning on getting good food at every stop, we made sure to go to Kopp's for custard on the way out of town. I won't be eating any custard for a long, long time and I was incredibly happy to see that the flavor of the day was macadamia nut. It was a fitting last desert with my family.

Omaha

We set off from Milwaukee at midnight with the intention of making our first stop at Big Mama's Kitchen in Omaha. We braved a snow storm and drove through terrible slush to make it to Omaha by morning. We were treated to a filling breakfast and met Big Mama herself. Erik got biscuits and gravy and I got eggs, biscuits and grits with cranberry iced tea. Since the weather was so bad, no one from Omaha bothered to leave the house for breakfast. With the place otherwise empty Big Mama hung out with us as we ate and took a photo with us...

It was In Omaha that we realized that instead of a "Man vs Food" style adventure we would be doing something that more closely resembled highlights of the Food Network's 101 best places to eat (and then some).

Cheyenne

We took off in a snow storm for Cheyenne, Wyoming with images of cowboys and the open range dancing in our heads. The drive was a mind-numbing 500 miles that would have been awesome at night. We didn't have a specific restaurant in mind but just the idea of getting authentic western barbecue fortified our resolve to get there quickly. It turns out that Cheyenne is home to perhaps the greatest selection of chain eateries in the country. This is great for people who want familiarity and predictability, but we wanted straight whiskey and prairie oysters. After 2 people suggested the Outback Steakhouse when we asked for a "good, local place to eat" we set off on our own.

We found a bar called Sanford's Pub and Grub. What luck! We struck gold without even trying...until we walked through the doors and were met with the tacky kitsch of a chain. Thankfully it was a local chain with 5 other locations in the area, but it was a formula none the less. We got some sandwiches off the menu and drank beers off of the impressively huge 30 beer tap line. Only after getting the bill did we learn that taps were $1 which meant that our microbrews were a steal. Erik decided to keep with the spirit of thrift and got some more beer.

I will say this about Cheyenne: the drivers are lazily polite, there are no parking meters and the prices were good. Plus the local newspaper had a hilarious article about ridiculous names of sports teams including the girls basketball team from Big Piney: The Lady Punchers. (Just to clarify, I don't think that the idea of hitting a lady is funny, but rather the humor lies in the state of Wyoming not realizing that adding "Lady" to the front of a sports team doesn't necessarily make it a girls team name.)

Salt Lake City

We set off for Salt Lake City the next morning and passed some of the most beautiful scenery around. The weather was awesome and the speed limit was 75. Driving at 90 made the trip go quickly. We stayed at the 2nd worst place I have ever spent the night (the first was in Venezuela at a discount posada above a liquor store that had blood covered mattresses from either multiple births or murders). We thought the Salt Lake City hostel would be run by a nice mormon couple content on cleanliness and converting us. The old hippie proprietor had neither in mind. Pattybear, the owner, had scoured the entire western US for old, stained sheets that she could hang all over the walls as decorations at her filthy hostel. The private room we paid extra for smelled like old, musty thai food. That was because the fridge was turned off and the freezer was stuffed with old, rotting thai food. We told Pattybear about her fouled appliance and went to find dinner.

We feared bars that didn't sell alcohol and random searches for magic underwear. Instead we happened upon Piper Down, an irish pub with a massive whiskey selection. We drank some local beers that were recommended by our foul-mouthed and clearly non-mormon bartender. Erik got a "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" and I ate a Monty Christo served with raspberry relish on the side.

After dinner we came home to find our room deodorized, sanitized and moderately cleaned. We crashed after a long day with the hopes of waking up early and getting out as fast as we could. At least the view was astounding.

We were on the road at 9am with our sights set on Boise, Idaho and the Super Bowl. We drove through beautiful scenery part 2 as we left Utah. Erik has been watching True Blood and despite the gorgeous scenery we decided to catch up and knock out 5 episodes while we made our way to Boise.

Boise

We got to Boise and checked out the famous blue astroturf at the Boise Broncos stadium after walking through a mysteriously unlocked gate. We snapped some quick photos, Erik caught a sweet 25 yard TD and we left before our luck ran out and we got caught.

We went to the next stop on our food destinations: Big Jud's Burgers. Like Big Mama's in Omaha it was on the Travel Channel's 101 best places to eat. It was near the stadium so we got there quickly, and it was closed on Sundays. Erik took some sad pictures that we will send to Big Jud in the future to hopefully emotionally blackmail him into opening on Sundays. Next stop was the classiest hotel we could find. Nearly anything would be better than Pattybear's hostel nightmare so we had high hopes. Within 5 minutes of leaving the Boise Broncos stadium we were checking into the Cabana Motel, a place that will surely be full of meth addicts as soon as the drug makes it to Boise. For now, it is drug-free, the wi-fi is fast and the room was clean and neat. We got a traditional Super Bowl feast of chinese takout and sat back for a relaxing meal while watching the Saints take out the Colts.

Durkee, OR

What is Durkee? It is home to The Hungry Redneck Cafe and perhaps the best food of the trip so far. As we drove through Eastern Oregon over the rolling snow dusted hills full of grazing cows Erik told me to find a place to stop so he could pee. We pulled off at the next exit which was home to the restaurant and not much else. Erik peed, and we decided stay for food.

Erik ate a massive and delicious Farmer's Omelette made with 3eggs, 3 kinds of meat, onions, potatoes and peppers served with hash browns and toast. I got the Redneck Eggs Benedict made with sausage patties (similar to Minneapolis' The Egg and I's version of Eggs Commadore) and eggs over hard served on homemade biscuits topped with sausage gravy and hash browns on the side. Our meals were both delicious and way too big. Never did I think that we would come close to finishing our food, but somehow we managed. We took our time and cleaned our plates. The waitress asked if we wanted pie. I think I considered it for a moment before we paid our bill and set off for our final destination.

Portland

We got to Portland and went almost straight to see our sister at her coffee shop in downtown Portland. She made us some tasty coffee drinks and we made our way back to her house. After catching up we all crashed for the night.

The next day Erik and I went to Bishops to get haircuts and beer. With our new, short do's we went to Toji, a Korean joint in town. We went with Kristin and her roommate, Josh. Josh has spent several months in Taiwan and has eaten Korean food in the past. I tried out my limited Korean vocabulary and was pleasantly surprised to learn that Rosetta Stone actually worked. Our waitress humored us and answered our ridiculous questions about Korea and corroborated the info that I had read about Korean traditions, eating in restaurants, etc.

Erik and I ordered sliced pork and spicy pork, both which were brought out raw and cooked on the grill on our table. Josh got bibimbap and Kristin got some vegetarian abomination...I felt sorry for her. We were at a Korean barbecue joint, after all. I am not knocking her choice to abstain from meat, I just feel bad that she missed out on the tender, succulent awesomeness that is Korean-style meat. I am going to get fat in Asia.

After a brief lesson from our server Erik and I grilled up the pork. We ate until we were overfilled and kept eating. Our server brought out various pickled, fermented and seasoned vegetable sides that we wrapped with rice and pork in lettuce leaves. There was no room for dessert...there were lots of leftovers. We waddled to my car and drove home.

There was a short rest...because we were going to Voodoo Doughnuts! Anthony Bourdain ate here when he visited Portland with Chuck Palahniuk. They have "normal" doughnuts as well as varieties that will give you a sugar rush just thinking about them.

As far as I know, they are also the only doughnut shop to have the FDA ban varieties because they contained drugs. Crazy. Well, we got some doughnuts...Kristin got a Portland Cream, Erik got a Maple with Bacon, Josh got a Purple flavor, Anna got Dirt (oreo on chocolate) and I got an Old Dirty Bastard (oreo and peanut butter on chocolate frosting). We got in and got out pretty quickly. The Portland hipster is an especially virulent breed and they had infested the store soon after we got there. I hope the guy at the register was OK with them paying for everything in change...

This preamble to my Korean experience was pretty great. I got to see parts of the US that I haven't seen before and feel lucky to live in such a huge, diverse country. I feel incredibly lucky to have a brother who was willing to drive over 2000 miles with me just so we could eat some good food during my last days in the US. I am grateful that I have a sister who is willing to put her two brothers up and put up with her two brothers for a few days too.

Next stop: Hong Kong to visit my friend Pat. He's already got some crazy adventures lined up for us. We will be there during the Chinese/Asian/Lunar New Year and it should be pretty fun.

Just some other pictures from the trip:

Erik eating famous Sweet Potato Pie ice cream from Big Mama's Kitchen. We planned on getting it when we were scouting restaurants from Milwaukee and kept it cold in the trunk until lunch. If I ever end up in Omaha again at least I can have this to make me happy.

This is the view from across the street at Pattybear's hostel. What a view. My guess is she spends 100% of her time staring at the mountains and 0% cleaning.

Before this trip I would have never thought that is could exist in Utah. Now I know that folks in Salt Lake City like drinking as much as anyone else. Perhaps more...

This is just one of the many awesome sights we saw while driving. The Western US is a pretty cool place and there are lots of incredible things to see. None of which are as cool as watching True Blood while driving. Just ask Erik.

The saddest I have ever seen Erik. He has been talking about these burgers for what seem like weeks. I hope you're happy, Big Jud. You broke my brother's heart.

At the Hungry Redneck Cafe: Erik, our food, and clean plates. A job well done.

Anna and Josh: Voodoo pros.

Erik with a Maple-Bacon and Kristin with a Portland Cream and a ridiculous grin caused by sheer doughnut joy.

Anna daintily nibbling on Dirt.

Josh got Purple. What flavor is Purple? Think purple Kool-Aid. Now put it on vanilla frosting on a doughnut. Then eat the whole thing in 4 seconds. Kristin is double fisting. One is hers, and one is for her roommate, Choya. Choya got an "old fashioned" flavor. Not like the drink, like "old timey". It's like going to a wall paper store and getting a sheet of white paper.

Day 2 at Voodoo Doughnuts. Josh, Erik and I got a baker's dozen plus 3 more.