Interesting Pictures

Here's an interesting insert from inside a huge jar of protein powder.  Nolan brought this home after he found it inside.  I always knew they really liked Obama here.  Even my students were happy when he got elected! But this is admiration on a whole new level. Yupp that's President Obama's head on what I'm guessing is not an accurate representation of his real body. Well ya know,  whatever it takes to sell the protein powder!

If that wasn't shock and trauma enough for one day, I was hit with one more thing. Nolan and I discovered a hidden gem yesterday as we were walking past one of the giant marts.  We stumbled upon a grocery store that was tucked away in a corner.  I wanted to explore more of this place.  I was pleased with the different things they had.  It reminded me of a mini Whole Foods store.  We picked up some sunflower seeds.  As we munched on them, I glanced over the packet.  And on the corner in not so big letters it states, "Yes! -Recall".  I'm hoping that doesn't mean what I think it does. So much for our gem of a grocery store.  Maybe all the cool products they sell there are recalled somewhere from the states. 

Seoul Part 2

Our next day in Seoul was spent having lunch with Nolan's friend from back home. He teaches in Seoul and was nice enough to show us around his hood. After grabbing lunch we started hiking up to his apartment. On the way we got a nice view of the surrounding area. Of course, with all the snow on the ground we had to start a snow ball fight. We spent a few minutes attacking each other with the white fluffy stuff.Here's a view of Severance Hospital from the top of the area. Not exactly a welcoming name for those who have been recently injured.
As we continued our hike we were greeted by a few kids. They just started saying "hi" to us so we greeted them back. After some teasing and laughing snow balls started to be formed. I'm not sure who threw the first one but it quickly became clear it was every man for himself.When it was all done and over with we drove them out of their territory. It was clear who had won the battle.

Once we proved our power and might to the kids, and refreshed our parched throats with coffee, we decided to hit up an art museum and then do some shopping.This was a funny cafe we spotted on our way to the museum. No need to elaborate.
We went to a midnight market. It was jam packed with people. The streets were lined with people selling food. Here's a good before and after picture of a Korean staple, Tteok-Bokki. It's basically rice cakes soaked in spicy red pepper flakes and other veggies.
This is inside one of the markets. There wasn't much room to move around. Also, we ran into a slight snafu, because of the big holiday all the banks were closed. And for some reason the doors to the ATMs were also locked. It was at this point where my money for buying unnecessary junk was running out. I didn't actually get any shopping done. Bummer!
Another shot of people packed in like sardines inside the shopping area.
One of my favorite things about visiting Seoul is the selection of restaurants there. It's really hard to find good non-Korean eateries in our cities. So entering Seoul is like a foodie's mecca. Here's the four of us enjoying a nice dinner at a Thai place in Itaewon.