Seoul Podcast with Jennifer Young and Joe McPherson

When we first arrived in Korea I read a newspaper article by a guy named Joe McPherson, a chef here in Seoul. I liked his writing style and suspected there was more to this guy than just food-babble. I dropped him a note and he responded. He later asked me if I would be interested in being a guest on his radio show featured on the Seoul Podcast network. He seemed to think that it might be interesting to have a real, live food cop make an appearance. Also included was Jennifer Young who is smart as they come and a blast to BS with. Good people, both of them. We didn't do a great job of staying on the topic of nutrition; maybe it was the booze, maybe it was the late evening discussion, whatever. It's a pretty long listen but there are some real gems of drama, mystery, social injustice, menus from a dog restaurant, and a little bit of sexxy-time!
http://www.seoulpodcast.com/archives/126

If it can happen in Texas...

A few years ago I drove the BigShark van of death solo from St. Louis to Park City, UT. I was to deliver the bicycles of the racers who went there to compete in the Master's National Championship road races. It was just me in a Speedo and cowboy hat with $40,000 worth of bicycles crossing central Wyoming. The owner of the Van of Death said the brakes worked (uphill) and the AC worked (in the winter). I crested a mountain pass to see magnificent wind farms as far as the eye could see, their giant, beautiful arms spinning in the wind. It was beautiful alright but knowing that this was providing energy without adding carbon to the air (like the Van of Death) or money to the Middle-East (like the Van of Death) gave me a bit of a lump in my throat (like driving the van of death). The U.S.A., that sleeping giant of potential, is getting off its ass and working towards some semblance of energy independence. Look who is a leader of the pack. Cue the Anthem boys and take off yer hats!

In Windy West Texas, An Economic Boom
by Ben Block on July 23, 2008
Growing up in West Texas, Larry Martin became well accustomed to the challenges of living off the land. Raised on a cotton farm outside the small town of Sweetwater, he recalls defending his family's crops from sandstorms after a hard rain. More often, he hoped the region's brutal droughts would not burn the cotton to death...

Studio Terra

Not long after arriving on Fantasy Island, I was introduced to a Korean artist named Yong-no. He spoke fantastic English and we really connected. Our conversation touched on numerous topics such as art, education and life in Korea. I made a commitment to drop by his ceramic studio in the following days. Unfortunately, I dropped the ball.

Fast forward to last night. Suz and I went for a walk and saw Yong-no leaving his studio. He was happy to give us a tour of his place and wares. We were impressed. So much of his work is multisensory, being visually appealing and pleasant to the touch. We bought a couple pieces that immediately caught our eyes. One piece, which we did not buy, sat under a shelf all by it's lonesome. It has a patina green inside and sand colored exterior. It reminded me of a gift we received for our wedding. Someone else will get to experiance that bowl, maybe you?

Yong-no can be reached at goomax@naver.com . He can ship to the West with no problems.

New Songdo City

For the last year Suzanne has risen each morning to build a new city in South Korea, West of Seoul. It's hard work but someone has to do it. Yesterday she was swinging hammers and today she'll operate a crane.

"In July, 2001 Gale International negotiated a joint venture agreement with POSCO E&C and the City of Incheon, South Korea, for the master planned development that is Songdo City. Located at the site of General MacArthur's 1950 landing, Songdo will be the first "new" city in the world designed and planned as an international business district. Songdo is rising as the "Gateway to Northeast Asia," a geographical hub just 40 miles southwest of Seoul and 25 miles from the North Korean DMZ industrial area.
Built on 1,500 Acres of reclaimed land and soon to be connected to Incheon International Airport via a new bridge, Songdo is the most ambitious undertaking of its kind..."

Full website access here.

The Sand Vista Eco-thingie

On July 5th we attended an Eco-event in an area called Sand Vista near, Taean South Korea, to bring awareness to the stress that their recent petrol tanker spill placed on the environment. In this area the sand slowly sinks into the sea, allowing for an amazing wide beach with room o'plenty for all. I cannot venture to say how many attended but might guess well over 1,000. That's just a guess folks, maybe there were more. Maybe the "Agent Secret" that drives that car that I do not see in that picture has some information on how many people attended. Very stealth.



The Eco-walk was an 8 km stroll along the beach. It was intended that people would complete the walk barefoot. It was great to feel sand between our toes for the first time in a long time. We both missed the ocean very much. I, however, was unable to take too much of the barefoot action as I am a tenderfoot. It appears that others also found the sand to be too much and donned high heals. I wish I could say that high heals are rare in South Korean nature walks but can be regularly seen on beaches and rugged mountain trails. Maybe they can make me some in size 15...


This is our son Kevin. Honest. His father, Kang Ho, gave him to us in exchange for Stanwiches Fajita Burritos. He drove a hard bargain since tortillas are wickedly expensive here and the seasonings must be imported on a swimming donkey from the mountains surrounding Mexico City. It turned out to be a good deal since he is a great kid and a good example for his country. He is extremely inquisitive, intelligent, and good natured. I may offer his folks some homemade hummus if we can take him to the U.S. with us. His father works with Suzanne, is a very successful marathon racer, and a great dad despite selling his kid for Stanwiches Mexican food. It is damned fine food if I say so myself.

Speaking of food, after the walk we went to a local place and had a traditional meal of raw seafood and hot soups along with some beer and Soju. It is unfortunate that I cannot eat shellfish due to my allergy but it still allowed for some serious gorging on raw grouper and smoked fish followed by some hiccup inducing red soup filled with the leftover fish. There actually came a time when I said "I am full", and then I was informed that there were more courses to arrive. The lesson here is to only eat small amounts of what is offered as there is almost always more coming.

Later, we stepped outside under a gazebo to enjoy the cool sea air and some watermelon. Almost all of us dozed off at some point. Kang Ho snuck off to get coffee for all. Korean coffee is not terribly strong and is laced with sugar and cream for a tasty bump. What a great way to meet new people in such a far away place; some exercise, mountains of food, some libation, and a nap with sea breezes.

Old Man

Sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone and most times this pays off handsomely. Today I hiked for about 3 hours in the low mountains of Western South Korea, near Incheon. The hike was tough and I made numerous errors in direction along the way. My goal was to find fun trails for mountain biking.

Upon my return back to Casa Crocker de Korea I got a call from Suzanne. She thought it a good idea for me to go talk to this “geriatric dude with a bottle of Soju” in front of the local quick shop. She said he really wanted someone to speak English with and that he likely had made friends with U.S. troops during the UN occupation of Korea. I sighed and slowly rose to put my dusty shoes back on my filthy feet. Something about the clinical term “geriatric” gave me the bump to go talk with this guy despite my aching feet.

I looked for the old guy and his bottle of Soju, “Hello, do you speak English?”. He stared blankly as either the Soju had a good grip on him or he did not speak English. I asked again and a young business man asked me if he could assist. I told him that my wife had been approached by the old man and that he was intent on speaking English. The young man asked why I would feel like I needed to talk to the old man who he said could speak no English. I only replied that “it’s just to be nice to him”. Eyebrows raised and then he walked away as I thanked him in Korean. The old man sat there in a Soju fog smiling, saying nothing. I bowed and exited.

While walking away I was overcome by the feeling that it’s never about doing something for nothing; there is great reward in trying to give of one’s self, even if the recipient never catches on. My feet hurt and so did my heart. I miss my patients but I know that that place is my comfort zone and I had actually stepped back into it. Where is "outside" actually?

Welcome to the Stanwiches International Blog!

It's been over four months since Suzanne and I arrived in South Korea. During our departure I committed to creating a blog to keep friends and family abreast of our activities and all that happens around us. Well, here it comes. If I cannot promise buckets of wit or profundity what will you get? I hope to provide some insight into Korean food and nutrition, small amounts of reflection on life in Korea from a Western perspective, and a little bit about the mountain biking. This space will not be used for politics, hate, negativity, or the debate of 26" wheels vs. 29" wheels on a mountain bike. That last part lost most of you didn't it?