Cycle 4 – Item 222

15 (Thu) August 2013

Shrimp & Egg Curry

2.5

at nThai

(I’Park Mall)

-Yongsan, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with W and DJ

I’d suggested Japanese for dinner, but W adamantly refused when I explained why.  August 15 is Independence Day, commemorating the end of WWII and, more importantly, Japan’s 35-year colonial occupation of Korea.   As such, I thought that eating Japanese food on the day would represent empowerment, a show of how far Korea has grown since liberation.  W, however, seemed to find the idea offensive, even though she hadn’t been consciously aware of the day until I began talking about it.

While August 15 is a national holiday, it’s not actively celebrated, like the Fourth of July in the States.  People just look at it as a day off, good for one final summer outing before the weather turns cold.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)