25 May 2008

Random thoughts from Korea

  • Koreans have a very "flexible" approach to traffic. When a light first turns reds, all the cars stop behind the stop line. As the light goes on, though, the crosswalk area slowly fills with cars, pedestrians, and the ubiquitous delivery scooters, until the green clears everything out again.
  • Korea has a lot more space than Tokyo, and is car-oriented rather than train-oriented (even though the subway works very well).
  • Right turn on red is interpreted in Seoul to mean, "I should be able to plow through the intersection and turn right without stopping, and will honk at anyone who impedes my ability to do so."
  • Korean food is good. But I knew that.
  • I love all the 'unofficial' food sellers in Korea. Tents, trailers, and trucks are found anywhere there's a little space to pitch one. The last night I was in Korea we stopped at a tent in a parking lot and had (Korean beer and) a yummy light soup broth and a dish that combined a purplish tofu with a green Okra-like vegetable soaked in sesame oil. It was great, even though the tables were stamped sheet metal (with a Korean BBQ fitting, though!) and the chairs were basically overturned buckets.

    When Jinny paid by credit card, they had a credit card machine attached to a cell phone, so they could accept credit cards without having wired power.
  • The Korean subway has this awesome station that's full of completely fake rock walls. It's a great idea but they could take some realism pointers from Caltrans: