There's something fishy in Busan

The Jagalchi Fish Market is a cultural experience in itself, it is filled with so many sights, sounds and smells that vistors easily get consumed by the place for a couple of hours.

It is the largest fish market in Korea and when I say large I mean HUGE. There is a massive outside market where all sorts of fish (already dead) and other fresh produce are sold and then there is the indoor market where all the fish is sold alive.


For those of you who love the flavours of the sea (like we do...hmmmmm) this market is for you and for those of you who are fussy about the fish you eat then this place is also for you because there is such a variety of seafood that you are bound to find something you like.

 We were expecting to see meat there that shouldn't be there, like dolphin, but to our pleasant surprise we saw none. The only out of place fish we saw were two small sharks, which had obviously been accidently caught in the fishermen's nets. Furthermore, they didn't fly off the shelf like we expected because when we went back to the market a few hours later, they were still there. So I guess Shark meat isn't as sought after as I thought (I am purely basing this assumption purely on this one incident).

There were many small restaurants around the market which fried up their fresh fish with an array of delicious smelling spices. Other than ordinary fish, one of the most common items we saw for sale were octopi, but there were always alive and always trying their best to get out of the bucket of water they were being kept in.

Other common items included dried quid, sea urchins, giant crabs, small turtles, and sole. All of these were also available to be eaten at the fish market and you could decide just how fresh you would like it. Outside they had set dishes but at the indoor market you could walk past tanks of live fish, choose the one you like, watch them chop off its head and go upstairs and have it prepared the way you like it (whether that is fried or raw is up to you).

If you are animal lover and like to remain ignorant as to where you food comes from and how it is killed ten you might need to do some mental preparation before you go to the market because you WILL see one or two things that just don't sit well with you.

This is also the cheapest seafood you will find in Korea because the market is on the harbour which means that there is a constant supply of fish coming in! However, they will try take advantage if you are a foreigner so have your wits about you.

Like I said earlier though you can also buy other items at the market, such as giant green chillies (you never know how hot they will be. They are either sweet and make for a delicious snack or they are piping hot and ruin the rest of your meal and your next morning, if you know what I mean)

Despite the great prices and variety Oliver and I didn't eat at the fish market that day because we had had a bad experience at a restaurant the night before where live octopi where thrown on a grill right in front of our eyes.... But looking back it is one of our greatest regrets that we did not eat at the market and we are already planning to go back to Busan simply to eat at the market. I think it is a cultural encounter we deprived ourselves of!

Either way, the fish market is a great place to go and explore, even if you don't eat any fish, just walking around the harbour and market are a real treat!!!!

Post by Claudia

1,2,3...I better stop there

In western cultures many buildings will not have a 13th floor because the number 13 is considered unlucky. No one really knows why 13 is unlucky but there are many speculations. For instance at the last supper there were 13 people (Jesus and his disciples) and long before the invention of calculators people could only use their fingers to count, there were 10 fingers and 2 fists, so counting to 12 was easy but 13 was illusive.

However, in Korea, 13 is not unlucky, rather, it is unlucky number 4 (pronounced sa). In fact 4 is considered unlucky in most, if not all parts of Asia. Unlike with 13, people know why they consider 4 unlucky. It's simple, the pronunciation of 4 in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cultures is similar to the pronunciation of death in their respective languages

One first realises how entrenched the idea of unlucky number 4 is once they set foot in an elevator. The dial of the elevator is 1,2,3, F (backwards), 5. So a backwards F has been used to replace the death symbol of 4.

What I did not know is that this belief in unlucky number 4 has stretched into the most suprisinging spheres. Nokia has never released a line that begins with the number 4.

Now you know another fact/superstition about the East which is quite different to the West.

Post by Claudia

Rub a dub dub....

Normally talking about bathrooms is not the most pleasant of discussions but it can make for a laugh. Interestingly, it can also show you a whole bunch about a different culture as well.

When we were in Seoul we managed to get rooms at a pension (motel) for a decent price. We got a room for myself and Oli and one for Chrissie and Rob. The rooms were pretty much identical. We both had massive televisions, a small table, a double bed, a hairdryer, an air conditioner, a water machine, and a bathroom.

Our bathrooms, however, did have one unique difference. Mine and Oliver's bath was small, really small, but it was big enough for me to bath with my legs just a little above the taps. Chrissie and Rob's bath on the other hand was more like a basin in the floor. Chrissie thought the best way to demonstrate the size of the bath would be to give us a demonstration.

Oliver could not refuse the opportunity to test it for himself...

Rub a dub dub.......

Oh and our soap totally smelt like Sugus...Mmmmm (soap I might consider eating after saying a swear word or two)

While on the topic of bathrooms I thought I would discuss a few more of Korea's bathroom quirks.

I don't have the strongest bladder around so I tend to utilize public bathrooms quite regularly. However, I always feel a little apprehensive when I need to use a public loo. There are several reasons for this.

1. You never know if you are going to get a western style loo or a squat loo (a whole in the floor).
2. You never know if there will be toilet paper.
3. They don't seem to flush their loo paper here. So often you come across bathrooms with dustbins full of used toilet paper.
   

But it's not all doom and gloom, something which is quite cool about their bathrooms is that some female toilets come kitted with etiquette bells. These are bells which play music or the sound of water so that the other bathroom users don't have to hear you pee. Phew, one less thing to worry about!

So there is a glimpse of the toilet culture in Korea! And if ever you find yourself in Korea needing desperately to use the loo don't forget these words, 'Hwa-jang-shil' because as apprehensive as you may be about using the loo, when you need to go you need to go!

Post by Claudia