The Season of Toilets

In sesasonless singapore, it's the season of this flower.

In  honour of this, I got a sushi pedicure, and then we went to the place of the happy creepy horses.

Here, Mark has the latest in Japanese toilet candy, now available in squatter.

As he drinks it, the room turns purple.

Then Mark gets all evil and makes us play the Toilet game, which is somehow a real thing.

So it's toilet Russian Roulette, or and sometimes when you flush, you get sprayed. (Ed. note. I have just learnt that toilet in Russian is туалет.

Mark was a good sport, and also got the spray.

Alex demonstrates that the right technique is to bravely keep your mouth open.

I tried to be graceful, this is my toilet face.

---

Enormous Cubus Development

Korean eating has great options at both ends of the spectrum. Above, dakgalbi, a spicy stir fry now often, in cultural adoption, deliciously served with cheese.

We had some amazing fancy food.

BBQ, of course, with makgeolli. It helps to keep my neck long.

We went to Pajeon street, a street named after my favourite savoury pancake.

This is what students eat here, instead of Morty's wings. I think they're winning out, especially given the cost of Makgeolli. A good reason to send your kids to University in Seoul.

It was Lunar new year, a time to buy a surprisingly expensive present of spam and oil. Spam is a special treat there, apparently. I prefer pajeon, myself.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to ever try all of the kimchis, even if I skip the spam.

Finally, you can wash this all down with corn silk tea, apparently a diuretic.. Here's a home recipe.

Probably goes well witth browines.

Instead of browine and teappreciation, we hung out with the young blood specialforce team.

Be careful not to be attached in bed!

We saw a Sailor Girl in the subway. I'm not sure if that's a career.

Barry found an Enormous Cubus Development. Maybe corn silk tea can help with that.

Sadly, this is a kid's jacket. I guess they thought it meant "Smile if you have horns".

In keeping with coat themes, the bakery was also making parka-buns. We resisted trying them.

Barry instead bought a lumberjack shirt that says: "Wanderer, I know right where I'm going".

Finally, Steady Bears want you to take special care of enjoyable times and happy memories, ok?

---

The many consonants of Cheongnyangni

I have concerns that my blog has three main themes: food, Engrish, and market food.

After a few sporty posts, I may have exhausted my flexibility. In Seoul, we stayed near the eastern train station, well away from tourists. Much closer to octopus.

It is called Chyeongnyangnyi, which is much easier to say if you're Korean. The frozen market vendors have character!

Out of context, I would have guessed Northern Canadian, for knife-man, below.

Olympic mittens help to demonstrate frozen seafood hugeness.

You can buy fish sauce with your fish. It is mysteriously less frozen.

There is lots to buy, such as pink eaglerays.

Various barky rooty products.

It's hard to know which size of cinnamon bark to buy. This depends how much delicious Korean cinnamon juice/sujeongwa you're making.

Korean fiddleheads (which we've never actually seen in food).

When it comes to ginseng, which other Asians come to Korea to buy, you have to carefully choose which kind.

Probably the gnarly dark stuff makes you the smartest, but tastes the worstest.

Don't forget the great big bones and feet.

First time we saw the jaws with teeth. Not sure what they're used for, but they've clearly already been boiled.

The tree fungal chunks were being sold illicitly. We're not sure why, nor how to use them around the house. However, we did buy them made into wine, which will hopefully have mystical properties.

---

Oympics Extra-Curricular Activities and the Internet of Toilets

What is this super-fan doing, you might ask?

Making saves! There are numerous extra-curricular activities such as these to do at the Olympics.

I have to say, though, we didn't know what they all were. The one above was called "Choice your Hanwoo". 

I was scared of the giant sled dogs with antlers and goggles, so I stayed away.

At the women's hockey arena, they had lit lantern/sculptures depicting, well, aspects of Korean life? Except I don't think there are/have been Korean deer. Update! Wikipedia proves I'm wrong.

Of course, you need to spend some time hanging out at the train station. Here is the complex system for getting our train pass. Which no one asked to see, ever.

Luckily, you can cuddle the Olympic bear for warmth. Note, we felt the white tiger got a disproportionate amount of press and are reacting accordingly.

Speaking of colours, the local store is celebrating Valentine's and White day, in case you don't think Valentine's is enough.

We didn't find out where the yellow yesteryear went to entertain.

In the train station, there are snacks. Job's tears tea is only 35 cents CAD.

The fancy new train station had IOT, which is the Internet of Toilets. You can spend 3 minutes understanding the diagram to plan which toilets are free. (Note, you are on the bottom right, NOT where the woman arrowis). Or you could spend 30 seconds just looking for open stall doors. So technologicalacious!

The IOT toilets came with warnings about where to rush (flush) things. Which made me consider what other options might exist...

Now we're accustomed to fancy butt-warming toilets, but these included unusual settings, enabling the Toilets to accomplish many things, I suppose.

---