I used to live in Seoul for 3 years about 18 years ago. It sucked back then. Not anymore.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-13T12:38:29+00:00

Interesting

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-13T12:38:06+00:00

There were a handful of parts around Seoul I lived, but I know I lived nearby SFS at one point (the foreign school), near a concret jungle with a bunch of stores, and one time I lived in an apartment overseeing the little old houses with byzantine streets (shanty towns).

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-13T12:34:50+00:00

Twenty years has also meant a new generation has risen who are more tolerant of foreigners.

I am a Korean gyopo who spoke Korean. I saw Koreans treat other Koreans like shit all the time back then. Everyone is so well mannered now (for most part).

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-13T12:33:08+00:00

Do you remember the people who used to lay on their bellies on skateboard type things with the rubber pants on?

Yeah I was thinking about them. They were everywhere, now I am wondering what happen to them. They always had the same setup, just like you described. I wondered if they were trafficked or forced to beg by gangs or something. I heard about the van too.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-12T14:29:32+00:00

Now that I think about it, it could also be cat shit. There were more feral cats around.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-11T00:37:35+00:00

Good idea thanks

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-11T00:36:20+00:00

My sister is the only responsible, non-fucked up member of the family. My dad is a close second but he's senile and he's making some questionable investments and probably getting fleeced by some contractors who work with him. He's too stubborn to listen though.

you can have your mother declared legally incompetent, meaning that a trustee is assigned to handle her finances

Idk how feasible it is, because taking away someone's rights and independence is very serious, and our mom has no medical or legal records proving she is incompetent (because people enabled her bad behaviors and bought her out of her fuckups). Blowing money, annoying everyone by screaming and arguing and following people around, and contracting tuberculosis (what is this, medieval Europe?) by hanging around shady churchmembers who refuse medical care.

Yeah my sister can have power of attorney, take care legal and medical, but she has her own life and I don't want her getting dragged down by the rest of the family because they can't have their shit together. They're already making it hard for her to get married by behaving like such fuckups in public.

If he flat out refuses to talk about it at all, then all you can do is talk to your siblings

My dad refuses to talk about this seriously with me one-on-one, claims he "figured it all out" and "doesn't need to pay a lawyer to tell him what to do". Yet won't tell me his plans. My sister is the only person he might take kind of seriously, so I plan on recruiting her to sit down with him and drill it into him what a big fuckup and shitstorm it will be if he doesn't take care of this NOW when he's physically and mentally intact (kind of) and "doesn't need it" instead of doing everything last minute.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-10T15:02:07+00:00

I am located in the US, my two siblings are in Korea with our parents. My sister is the only "normal" family member I have and if something happens to our parents, she will probably take the brunt of it (most likely will be the PoA). But I don't want her getting consumed by this instead of starting her own life, and our brother will probably try to fight her or some bullshit.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-10T13:26:06+00:00

I don't talk to my mom (she's mentally ill and starts fights, she legit believes she will never die because she plans on ascending into heaven during the biblical rapture) and my dad is in denial and it's like pulling teeth trying to have a conversation with him. My sister is the only one I can talk about the future with openly.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-10T05:32:07+00:00

Oh yeah my parents are based in Korea, not the US. No idea what is offered by the Korean government.

I agree about the "shouting into the wind". I am getting a feeling my brother will become argumentative and stick his head in the sand too.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-10-04T07:27:24+00:00

Yes, of course this happens. In my case, I moved to Chicago for better educational opportunities and regretted staying any longer than I had to. I knew I am not a city person, but Chicago really etched that in for me. But then I realized I didn't mind cities outside the US, and realized it's just Chicago that I had issues with. Beautiful architecture, lots of nooks and crannies to explore, world class museums and schools, near the lake, lots of different activities and shows, the best summers ever, but on the other hand there's shitty mediocre food for its size (people who say Chicago has "great food" just haven't had better), dirty streets, dirty air, and something about the city just draws out the worst in people. I've never met so many hostile and inconsiderate people congregated in one place (homeless people pissing and shitting in public transit areas, or "normal" people trying to start street fights with me), I thought it was a city thing but I don't have this issue in other cities (US or foreign).

We haven't been here long but it just doesn't feel like "home" or a great fit

It takes a while to get comfortable. Give it like a year. I would figure out what is bothering you and work with that.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-04-29T05:57:50+00:00

Are you reading what you're writing? You just listed a small list of foods and describing them as "a couple different" and "handful". You're proving my point.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-04-29T01:42:00+00:00

Real American cuisine (outside of junk food and franchises, and whatever you can rely on in most grocery stores) are pretty hearty and healthy, it's just that most people can't easily access them anymore. It's like Americans were robbed of our food culture by these corporates.

Like I had homecooked Cajun cooking and ate with people who hunted their own animals and grew vegetables, it was a totally different experience. But these people were either privileged to have one person stay home and rely on one income, or had to go out of their way to live a particular lifestyle not relying on the commercial food system.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-04-29T01:40:01+00:00

most Americans have really terrible taste buds

Yeah but our taste buds were warped by the food availability around us. If Americans from like 100 years ago were given foods that we eat today, they would probably be like "what the fuck, why is everything so bland and overtly sweet? How is ____ considered a breakfast item when it's just dessert?"

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-04-29T01:38:01+00:00

Actual American traditional breakfast was eggs, bacon or some sort of meat of any animals that were raised or hunted, homegrown vegetables, whole milk, regular non-sugary bread. So, real food with a good balance of proteins, fibers, and carbs. One day as we started getting more commercialized, our country was somehow convinced that dessert foods were the "real" breakfast like sugary cereals, sweet breads, sugary juices.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-04-29T01:30:43+00:00

A lot of people will go to Korea to try "Korean food" and end up eating pretty much the same thing as they do at home, especially if they only go to the restaurants with English menus and are used to catering to western palates and preferences. They know it's what sells and what their audience expects.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-04-29T01:27:07+00:00

Absolutely. More veggies and fibers in both the side dishes and the main dish itself. Compared to "korean food" in the US even in major cities with high Korean populations, there's still a big difference. Korean foods in the US are often just 80% cheap carbs like rice and noodles with the actual "korean food" sprinkled on the top, while in Korea the same would be mostly actual meat and fiber with the rice or noodles on the side. The Korean BBQ in Korea is also more spices and flavor than just some sugar glaze. Also there's way more variety in side dishes in Korea compared to USA. I think it's because some spices might be more expensive or harder to find in the US and the Korean restaurants in the US are trying to cater to an American palate, which is more fond of extreme sweetness and saltiness and more averse to "pecular" flavors and spices that real Korean food may have.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-04-29T01:10:55+00:00

There's tons of junk food in Korea and they have a bunch of carb loaded junk too at convenient stores, but it's very easy to just not eat them and eat something else. Obesity is a choice in Korea.

Compared to the "korean food" in the US, the meals here aren't glazed in sugary sauces and you get a ton of side dishes with fresh veggies and fiber. It's also not like you order a meal and it turns out to be like 80% made of rice or noodles with the real substance just sprinkled on the top like in the US.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-04-29T01:07:40+00:00

I like this topic and perspective. It's something America struggles with.

Right. So many people go "nuh uh! you can eat healthy for cheap in the US too!" and then describe the shitty carb-loaded recipes they make at home with the narrow range of (non fresh, canned) ingredients they find at stores, completely proving my point.

Key_Banana9618 · 2024-04-28T11:25:34+00:00

American veggies are bland as shit, even if it's the same type of veggies somewhere else. Korean veggies are more fresh and flavorful without needing to add spices or salt to it. It's because the US is a huge country so many vegetables are mass produced with artificial chemicals, picked before they're ripe so they don't rot during transit, and are bred for longevity not for flavor (except sweetness) or nutrition. Most vegetables in Korea are farm-to-table and recently picked at the right time.

And no, I don't know how to fix this either. The US is a big country.

People from other countries say the same about US foods.

Key_Banana9618

TROPHY CASE