But back to the topic at hand, China vs. Korea. During our stay with Ryan, Erich's brother, in Suwon, we found that our 2 months in China have given us the ability to differentiate just what China has to offer and why we love it so much. Let me share our findings:
- Hygiene. From the minute we stepped off the plane in Seoul, the first thing we both said was, "Man,this place is clean." It's like we had forgotten what a good mop (with cleaning agents instead of just water) and some windex could do for a place. Well groomed people all around us in Korea made us feel like farm folk in the city. The "phantom smell" that lingers around corners and whafts out of pipes in China could still be found in Korea, but not nearly as often or as potent. To round up the hygiene category, my bum had a toilet seat at every place I stopped to pee in Korea...and my first day back in Shanghai, I was welcomed by the squatting trough toilets with nothing separating me from my neighbors "business" except a thin stall and broken door. I want to give Korea a point here for creature comforts, but at the same time I am kind of loving the simplicity of China's ways...you gotta go when you gotta go...trash can, middle of the road, in a plastic bag in the check out line of the grocery (yes, it's happened, i'll let you decide if i did it or watched it).
Food. Meat is king in Korea, that is for sure. I have not seen more pig carcass in my life. Those people love their BBQ, screw the veggies and the rice. Pickled everything and lots of vinegar. Erich was in hog heaven, pun intended, and I learned to appreciate that I know how to say eggplant, potato, tomato, pumpkin and all kinds of fruits in Mandarin...but unfortunately they don't speak that in Korea :) Even the "vegetarian" items had a fishy taste and I learned to love rice and nuts for a few days. Neither country really understands what "vegetarian" is, and I still get slices of meat on my "no meat" noodle bowls in both places. China's foods (in our area) are a bit oily, but the veggie choices are hands down better and more plentiful. - Big people, Little people. China has one size person really...small. I have yet to see an overweight Chinese person unless it's a baby with some chubby cheeks. I am the average size and most locals are only a little taller than me or my height. One walk down the street in Suwon and I saw loooong legs, skinny emo college students, bulky wrestler looking men, and women with boobs. A totally different variety than we're used to. There is a lot more style in Korea too...mohawks, trendy fashion, boots...plastic surgery is common too. A far cry from little Beilun in China.
- Price. Abit more pricey in Korea...I'm sure that has something to do with China devaluing the RMB to about 1/3 of it's actual price, but we have gotten used to a heaping mound of homemade food for $1/person and Korean prices aren't far from those in the U.S. We arespoiled and now we know it. That 10 cent steamed veggie breakfast bun will taste a lot better here now that we know it would cost 10 times that anywhere else :)
So I'm a little biased...I've been in China longer than I was in Korea and I love me some China. Really though, Korea was amazing and relaxing and we had a blast chilling out with Ryan. Hiking an ancient fortress wall, eating octopus for breakfast (Erich, not me), sitting in on Ryan's English university class (where I practiced my Mandarin with a Korean girl who also knows English), making our own patio and drinking beers in frontof the convenient store, cruising the markets to find all kinds of fun things, amazing cool and crisp fall-ish weather, and meeting some fun and interesting friends. Thank you Ryan for living in such a cool place and sharing a week of life in Korea with us...we loved every minute.
