So, I’ll be flying to Osaka on Saturday.  Another one of those “one day, never leave the airport” visa runs.  The trip was necessitated because of my inability to count days.  My current visa expires on September 9 and my return flight to the USA is scheduled for September 10.

I had hoped that the folks at Korean immigration would show me a little mercy and grant me a one day extension.  Alas, it was not to be.  The pricks at Delta Airlines who will be providing my transportation to South Carolina (eh, technically Charlotte, NC) would charge me an additional $600 to move my flight (and Jee Yeun’s) to the 9th.  So instead I’m giving Korean Air* four hundred bucks for their Osaka and back service.  No charge for killing 8 hours in the Kansai airport though.

*I opted not to use the low-cost Peach Air this time around.  Korean Air is a little more expensive ($50 or so), but Peach Air is just too damn uncomfortable and they nickle and dime you to death (charges for paying by credit card and in-flight snacks and beverages) so the difference really isn’t even fifty dollars.  Plus, Korean Air flies out of Gimpo which is easier and quicker to access than Incheon.

…between racism and ignorance.  Granted, I suppose it would be fair to say that racists are by definition ignorant.  But of course, you can also be ignorant without being racist.

The expat pages on Facebook have been on fire this week regarding the ill-conceived effort of an Itaewon pub to stop the spread of the Ebola virus by, wait for it, banning Africans from the bar.

The story has since been picked up by traditional media like the Korea Times.  Heck, I even saw that the Drudge Report had a (non-working) link to the story this morning.  Anyway, the bar has posted some apologetic signage, but I imagine the damage is done.

So, was this a case of ignorance, racism, or both?  I’ve been to JR Pub a couple of times, although it’s been a few years now since I’ve ventured inside.  I was there for their grand opening way back when and I was surprised and disappointed that the bar staff uniform included a Che Guevara t-shirt something like this:

Which is kind of ironic, because in addition to being a mass murderer, Che was also a racist.  At the time I asked one of the servers if she had any idea of who the guy on the shirt she was wearing was, but of course she was without a clue.  I briefly mentioned some of his more depraved acts but only got a shrug in response.  I noticed a few months later that the uniforms had been changed to something less offensive, but you know the old saw about only getting one chance to make a first impression. Anyway, I don’t really know the owner having only met him briefly on a couple of occasions.  Friends of mine who know him better say he’s a great and generous guy.  And he did post what appears to be a sincere apology in one of the Facebook forums:

Firstly, I would like to specifically apologize to Africans of all nations and to the people and families who are dealing with the ebola disease. An insensitive message was directed towards you in JR Pub, a restaurant that I co-own with a Korean National, and it is something that I will not tolerate.

To everyone else, I would like to personally apologize for the posting of the racist and discriminatory sign. Anyone who knows me, knows that the sign is not representative of who I am and is not reflective of the services that we provide; no matter the race, color, creed, or sexual orientation, we value all of our customers.

I must admit, that bridging the cultural gap between Korean and international cultures has been, and continue to be, a challenge for us. When we get it right, our service stands above and beyond. Unfortunately in this instance, it was completely wrong in every way, and we take full responsibility for it.

Ironically, the night before this incident, we hosted a distinguished visitor from an African nation. The majority of his party of 80, were from African nations and we were honored to serve them.

Once my partner realized that his actions were offensive and highly insensitive, we discussed how we would like to make amends:

1. The first was to immediately remove the offensive sign and the policy associated with it.
2. The drafting of this letter of apology.
3. Conduct cultural and sensitivity training for my partner and staff.
4. Organize a fund raiser to assist in research of Ebloa and/or for assistance to the African communities plagued by the disease.

We would like to reach out to our concerned customers and community members for assistance in #4. We welcome ideas on helping us find the best way forward.

Again, for me and on behalf of my partner and staff at JR Pub, we sincerely apologize and are committed to mending the damage that we have caused.

Respectfully,
Troy Armado
Co-Owner JR Pub

Ah, so it was his Korean partner who was responsible for the ignorance on display.  Go figure.  I remember when I first came to Korea I was astounded to see signs posted at several bars saying “No Nigerians Allowed”.  And of course, foreigners on occasion find this kind of “welcome” awaiting them:

Racism or ignorance?  Who knows.  Heh, reminds me of story where the teacher says “McCrarey, are you really that ignorant or are you just apathetic?”  To which I responded “I don’t know and I don’t care!”  (I think that’s a joke, but having told it so often over the years it’s starting to seem like it really happened.)

Whatever the motivation for this sorry state of affairs, I think it is a fair observation that if ignorance truly is bliss, then planet Earth must be the happiest damn place in the universe.

The drunks who frequent the park downstairs from my apartment are a noisy and irksome bunch.  Regularly keeping me awake late into the night and/or waking me up at the crack of dawn with their rantings and ravings.  Signs are posted all over the park prohibiting drinking but I’ve never seen that enforced.  Until tonight.

The intensity of the shouting reached an unusually high fevered pitch so I stepped out on the veranda overlooking the park to see what was going on and I arrived just in time to observe one of the drunk ajusshi’s give one of Korea’s finest a violent shove.  The cop shoved him back and said what I assume was the Korean equivalent of “settle down!”.  Now, in my observations over the years I’ve found Korean cops to be exceedingly tolerant when dealing with disgruntled citizens.  Had the drunk guy backed off I doubt he’d have suffered any consequences for assaulting an officer of the law.  Instead, he charged the cop again and the fight was on!  The cop quickly got the upper hand and was wrestling the ajusshi to the ground.  Another cop came into view at this point and as he attempted to assist his partner, a second drunk guy jumped him from behind.  All hell pretty much broke out at the point.

It appeared there were six cops versus three drunks (several other drunks were milling about but limited themselves to verbal tirades) and in short order the police had subdued the offenders and had them in handcuffs.  But what really stood out for me was the restraint the officers showed in the face of physical violence.  No billy clubs, no pepper spray, no punches–they just put them on the ground and slapped on the cuffs.

Now, of course this brought to mind the unfortunate situation in Ferguson, MO.  I don’t know what happened other than what I’ve read and I’m not passing judgement.  But in general I’ve been concerned about the growing militarization of our local PD’s.  It seems more and more the police do not see citizens as a community to be served but rather as an enemy to be subdued.  I don’t think that bodes well for anyone.

Granted, the police have a difficult and dangerous job and we obviously owe them a fair amount of discretion when it comes to protecting themselves.  But it seems all too frequently I’m seeing stuff like this woman being beaten mercilessly for having the audacity of walking on the shoulder of the freeway.  “Hey lady, what you are doing is dangerous and against the law.  Let me punch your face in.”

Handcuffed and sitting on the curb are you? Well, a swift kick to the head seems to be in order then…

Anyway, I think the Korean cops take more shit than they deserve, and American cops dish out more shit than is normally warranted.  I would think there’s a middle ground to be found between these extremes.  But of the two I’d say the Korean cops got the job done and everyone lived to see another day.

And now the park is quiet.  I think I’ll take advantage of that and get me some sleep.

UPDATE:  And yes, for every story of police misconduct there are probably 100 like this.

I reckon this is as close as I’ll ever get.  Or want to.

Saturday night we dined at Bistecca, an Italian restaurant featuring beef and seafood in the Buk-gu section of Itaewon (up the road and to the right of Noksapyeong station).  It was by far the fanciest place I’ve eaten at in many a year.  Also the most expensive.  We were there through the generosity of my old friend Dennis, and dinner for four came in at over $400.  I guess that may have been over generous in retrospect.

The food was nothing short of outstanding, if not quite worth the price.  I went with a dinner set (appetizer, soup, entree, and dessert) featuring a rib-eye steak for $88.  The steak, although smallish by American standards, was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  I ordered mine medium on the hunch that it would come out the way I like it, which is medium rare.  I was proven correct and was glad I didn’t order medium rare otherwise it would have still been mooing on my plate.  The dessert was a healthy portion of tiramisu which was quite tasty indeed.

Jee Yeun went with a seafood pasta (about the cheapest item on the menu at $26, bless her heart) and professed it to be wonderful.

Dennis and Julie shared the seafood platter for two at $120. It was also outstanding.

I took a break from dining for some “fresh air” midway through the meal.  The valet parking dude was standing nearby so I gave him a friendly head nod.  He responded by putting his hand on his belly, pointed at mine, and shook his head disgustedly.  I took that to me he didn’t like my shirt.  Or maybe Buddha.

After dinner we did some norebang and then some street-side coffee and people watching.  It was a good evening, although I did have to stand on the subway all the way from Samgakji to Gireum station.  That’s Saturday night in the big city I suppose.

Yesterday we broke our summer hiatus from mountain climbing and ventured up Bukhansan.  I sweated like an out-of-shape race horse and was soaked by the time we reached the summit.  I was soaked by a steady rain all the way down, which was pleasantly cooling although it made the rocks perilously slippery.  Arrived home safe and sound though and Jee Yeun was pleased that I had gotten off my lazy ass and did something for a change.

Tonight I’ll add another B by drinking some beer at the BnB bar with my buddy Tom.  And that brings you up to speed on my so-called life.

…almost as much as it sucks.

I’ve been under siege from hungry mosquitoes for the past couple of weeks.  And this article indicates that it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.

I hate those blood sucking bastards and their itchy bites.

A sign of the times

According to Time magazine, the ubiquitous “V” sign that Asians universally flash whenever they are photographed is all about a fallen American figure skater.

I remain unconvinced.  Plus, I’m doing it wrong.

UPDATE: Commenter Kevin notes that my “V” style is more apropos to the traditional British fuck you.

Fook you, ya damn Yankee wanker…

The origins of which are well known:

Winston Churchill famously telling Hitler to fuck off…