...and How To Waste It!

Ahh...so now that you're up to speed on Korean money, here are ways that I use it. The cost of living is relatively cheap here in terms of Korean food and booze. Public transportation is a dream and if you crave a smoke, they go for 2 dollars a pack. But beyond that, if you eat at a western restaurant, invest in electronics, or just treat your cash like Monopoly money, life in Korea can end up being a dead end street (but one hell of a ride). Lets see how I spend my money:

Karaoke: A staple of Korean culture. The love for inebriated singing is genetic apparently and I am no different. Who am I to deny my heritage? It seems like there is a karaoke bar on every block and for about 10,000 Won per hour, you can shamelessly sing the top American hits of the 80's and 90's as well as Korean pop. My favorites this month are:

I'll make love to you - Boyz 2 Men

Tearing up my heart - Nsync

The Right Stuff - New Kids on the Block

Dust in the Wind - Kansas

SuperGroceryStores: These supercenters are one-stop till you drop mega-stores sent from the heavens to fulfill my laziest fantasies. Food, clothes, electronics, household goods, and even a Starbucks is what you'll find in these places. With names like Homeplus, E-mart, and even Walmart and Costco, money is sure to burn here.

Super Overpriced American Goods: Sure, I get homesick sometimes. But for stupid things like pancakes, Lost, and of course....chipotle. However, there are some goods here that you can find but if you want Americana, you're gonna have to pay for it. Ben and Jerry's and Haagen-Dazs is all around but at 8,000 Won a tub, I'll settle for the Korean derivative, Super-Happy-Fun-Joy-Joy-Cream*. Pringles and Hersey's chocolate are like currency here; like you can offer it to the biggest Korean here (most likely me) in exchange for protection. The deodorant here is expensive and awful and finding it is a needle in a haystack. If you ever visit, make sure and bring these items...please.

*Note: I'm not sure Haagen-Dazs is an American brand and there probably is no Super-Happy-Fun-Joy-Joy-Cream company. I fabricated it for entertainment purposes. However, if it does exist, I do apologize to the SHFJJC corporation for copyright infringements.

Western-Brand Fast Food - Hey, even in Korea, you gotta have it your way. The Whopper (6,000 Won per combo), though similar in appearance, has the most flavorless patty I've ever encountered. The pizza (which I've sampled from Dominos, Pizza Hut, and Papa Johns in Korea) is alright except they really don't like tomato sauce. In fact, I believe they spread what I equate to about 2 ketchup packets worth of sauce over a 13" pizza (and at 14,000 won+ a pizza, no thank you). The best fast-food honor goes to KFC and Popeyes. The Koreans have really got their fried chicken down to science. Great taste and perfectly cooked, the chicken comes in multiple forms, including my favorite, the Tower Burger. Its a fried chicken patty between a bun with a hash brown added on top just to kick it up a notch and at around 5,000 Won a combo, its totally worth it.

So there you have it...I've wasted my money on food and singing and since I'm sending this post to my mother, I didn't even mention the booze....

I'll save that for the next one...