KQCF Turns 10!

That would be the Korea Queer Culture Festival. I was in attendance of the 10th annual celebration of sexual minorities in Korea, and it was refreshing. In a country where being openly gay could cause you to lose your job, be ostracized by your family, or be the victim of any of a hundred other worse treatments, this was big. Last summer and the summer before, I was unlucky enough not to have stumbled upon the information for that year's festivities. This May, I ran across the flyer posted on a Daejeon event site. As soon as I saw it, D and I made plans to attend.

All the rainbow happiness we found was heartening. Actually, the fact that I say that word, "heartening," is a bit strange. There is a GLBTQ community in Korea, but you rarely become aware it. Really, most Korean people, if asked how many gay people live in their city, will tell you none. Or they will say, "Those people only live in Seoul." Or, "Oh, you mean the foreigners?" Makes you really wonder how one of the largest cities in the world could be so oblivious to what is clearly an existing culture here. Not that there were loads of people there, but my Korean better half was definitely surprised at the number of Koreans in attendance. He figured there would be more foreigners. (There were a good number of them as well.)

An interesting feature of the festival (and probably a good reason why so many people attended) was this small red and white sticker. It allowed you to attend the festival without being photographed. All you had to do was stick it on your face, neck, hair, shirt or wherever and all photogs steered clear. Or, if you got captured, they'd blur your face out to mask your identity. In this digital age, the step was a necessary one, and many people could be seen sporting a sticker.
Since I was there taking pictures, I (and everyone else who wanted to snap a few, even just for personal use) had to sign a page-long disclosure about the stickers and receive an official press card. I can be seen here, looking proud of mine.

First ever press card!

Overall, a great weekend was had by all. Check out the pictures of KQCF on Flickr for more.

Mnet featuring...

As mentioned, I no longer get MTV Korea. Sad days. But there is Mnet, a Korean music network with shows and lots of "live" performances. I say "live" because many of the stars are there to put on a dance performance, so they lip-sync to the music. Anyway, this very very talented young fellow just sang his new song, and he was clearly not lip-syncing. Amazing! He's one of the fastest rappers in the world, just so you know.
아웃사이더 (Outsider) - 외톨이 (Alone)

Live video of Outsider singing for a radio show.

The Line

The line has been drawn. The sticky, oppressive, Korean heat is here. It is summer. Finally.

It's been teasing, a long time coming. This spring dragged on and on, got warmer, then cold again. Until most days I remarked at how the world must be coming to some sort of end ala The Day After Tomorrow. So I'm glad, overall, that the heat is here.

Except that my house is currently 29*C. Yeah. In a cruel twist of fate, my house doesn't have an aircon this year, and only one stand-up fan.

Now, really, I like hot weather. I love being out in the sun, in the heat, even in the ridiculous Korean humidity. Never complained about it in all my 2.5 years here, in fact. I don't even mind being inside in the heat. Here's the new thing now: I'm in the heat constantly. Constantly.

My walk to work is hot. My office is hot hot. My walk home is hot hot hot. My house is hot hot hot hot hot. All day long.
I've heard rumors that during summer session, they may turn on the aircon at work, but in those weeks I'll be spending less time in the office, more in the hot classrooms, and more at work.
Realistically, I'll probably study and work at Starbucks, Smoothie King, or some other air-conditioned site for yummies.

Interesting Tidbit #4

Yes! Only #4. Can't believe it myself. I need to start thinking more things are interesting, and then write about them!

Anyway, I have recently been told that some cheap cosmetics produced and sold in Korea contain asbestos. I had the same reaction you are probably having now. Like, really? How is it possible when asbestos has been outlawed for so long, and in the US anyway, such aggressive efforts were taken to remove it from all the insulation...

All you really need to do is google search this: Korea cosmetics asbestos

You'll find a load of media reports indicating the truth in this one. Apparently, asbestos, or asbestos-like fibers, were also found in baby powder (maybe other talc powder products as well?) and has since received attention from the Korean FDA. The Korean government has banned 5 cosmetic products from L'Ocean and recalled a baby powder made by Boryung Medience. Products from 7 companies which import or manufacture talc have been found to be contaminated.

And of course, all sources lead back to talc imported from China.
My favorite quote?

“It’s true that asbestos is included in various products but based on tests, it is not harmful to the human body unless its particles have direct contact with the skin or are inhaled,” said Jung Jong-seon, head of the human health and chemicals department at the Ministry of Environment. *can be found in the Joonang Daily article

Nice, Mr. Jung. See, that's just the problem when you're talking about cosmetics and baby powder.

(Additionally, in a recent building inspection- Seoul, Busan, Ulsan- over half of the 153 buildings examined, and 33 of Seoul's subway stations contain traces of asbestos as well.)

The Korea Herald English report, 04/08/09
Joongang Daily English report, 04/07/09

Green Acres

I've just uploaded some of the greenest pictures I've ever taken. This past weekend, DK and I made a long bus trip to Boseong, via Suncheon. After more than 4 hours on the road (from Daegu - It would be nearly 6 hours from Daejeon!), we hopped off at the nationally famous Boseong Green Tea Fields. We spent the afternoon walking up and down through the greenness, snacking on green tea ice cream, and purchasing some high-quality tea products. This area also features a bamboo forest at the entrance area.

As evening set, we bused it again to the coast south of the fields. Yulpo Beach is a small touristy coastal village whose draw is the green tea sauna. (Click over to my other blog to find more information about that place!) We also enjoyed some more green tea foods that aren't available in other parts of the country.

Then Sunday, after a decent night in a cheap guesthouse, we just slept in, looked around a bit more, had lunch and headed back to Suncheon for the long journey home. Unfortunately, our bus transfer wasn't as smooth as the trip south, so we had to spend an hour in Suncheon. Still, I got home at a reasonable hour, unlike most of my weekend excursions. :)

Food: The reason I'm alive

No, really. I mean, yeah, if I didn't eat, I'd be dead. I got that.

But I enjoy food. When I travel, I choose the locations based on what kind of food I can try. I budget most of my money for eating. I constantly splurge on and reward myself with foods.
I truly feel that food gives my life purpose and meaning. Especially interesting and rare ethnic foods, but also those comfort foods like homemade chili, hamburgers, pasta, hot ham & cheese sandwiches with tomato soup...

It is for this reason that I always said I could never survive on a low-carb diet. I love noodles, bread, rice, potatoes, need I even say it--beer?!!

So here I am. In Korea, land of rice as the meal focus. On a low-carb diet.

"Why?" You ask.
"Well, nothing else works anymore," I respond.