@ Universal Cafe

Goodbye Ti Couz

So my nephew wanted to eat French food on his last night in San Francisco and I thought I would take him to what was one of my favorite restaurants in the City. But when I drove by I noticed it was closed. Apparently it was closed at the end of May.  How sad.

It opened around the same time I arrived in San Francisco in the early 1990s, when Valencia Street was a grittier. I remember my first meal there was divine. I came to it again and again because no matter what you ordered, it was delicious, you could not go wrong. The food was the spiritual solace of Brittany. My favorites were the French onion soup or the salad de mer. The buckwheat crepes were unique and savory, not like the crepes you find in other eateries. My favorite combination was sausage, mushroom and cheese or onions. They had a slight fermented pear cider to accompany the meal. And for dessert there were any number of combinations: bananas & nutella, apple compote with berry syrup. In recent years, I thought the quality had gone down; there were no longer the long lines listed on the white boards. Still I will miss this place. It was like an old friend. Good bye Sylvie. Goodbye Ti Couz.

I want to try French food

So Aaron, my nephew, stayed with me for a week. Unfortunately I am in school this summer and was limited to going out with him, even in evenings, as I have homework and readings. But on my last day of school for the week, the day before he returned on Amtrak to Fresno, I offered to take him out. And being from the foodie family that he is, he said he wanted to try French food. Why? “Because we are always in a pattern. We eat Asian food, or Mexican food, or Italian food. It is time I broke the pattern. And you don’t find French food in Fresno.”

For so long I have been teaching him knowledge. He is already teaching me. 

At Chez Papa

He ordered flat iron steak with French fries. The dipping sauce was delicious!

This is what ratatouille looks like: squash, tomatoes, onions and peppers.

In Potrero

Yamo

Brian and I went to have dinner at Yamo, a Burmese restaurant. The best part of the place is the open kitchen viewed from any of the only nine stools. It's diminutive space is part of the charm. It reminded me of the street vendors in Thailand, where you could get very good and cheap food. The garlic noodles were OK, but the mango and tea leaf salads were yummy. 

garlic noodles

Mango salad

Tea leaf salad

Hello from Seoul

Hi Hector,

Remember me from San Francisco? How have you been?

I am in Seoul these days, and I happened to see someone just like you yesterday near Namdaemun market. So, I had to send you an email JUST IN CASE!

If not, that must be your twin you never knew existed.

Anyways, hope you are well.

Heather

*************

Hi Heather:

I have been teaching in Seoul for a week so maybe you did see me. You should have said hello or it could have been my twin.

I am at the NIIED center near Marronier Park near Hyehwa station. It would be good to see you if you have time. I leave this Saturday.

I forgot you had come to Seoul. Thanks for dropping a line.

Hector

************

Funny. Small world doesn’t quite capture it.

It turned out that Heather lives near Namdaemun Market and had seen me with Helena. We made plans to see each other later in the week and catch up on life.

3.8.2010

7:30 Wake

8;00 Breakfast

9:00 Prep

10-5:30 Teach

7:00 To Insadon for bibimbap

We liked bibimbap so much, we went back another time. I thought I would be daring and get the traditional one with raw beef--but all the ingredients were cooked.

4. 8.2010

7:00 Wake

7:30 Prep

8:00 Breakfast w/ Summer

10-5:30 Teach

7:00 Dinner

5.8. 2010

6:30 Wake

7:00 Prep

7:30 Hike

8:30 Breakfast

9:30-5:30 Teach

6:00 Meet with Heather

11:00 Write Report Cards

More BBQ thinly sliced beef.

Education

Helena tells me that there is great stress on education in Korea because of the great competition to get into universities. Students are told, “no play, no sleep, no time to go out with friends.” There is a Korean saying she tells me, “Four hours of sleep, a successful student. Five hours of sleep, a poor student.” It points to the great emphasis Korean culture puts on education. Korea has limited natural resources so it pools its assets into its best resource: human capital. This has brought the country a high standard of living. But it comes with a cost: a place for those who are not so academically or scholastically inclined. It must be a difficult challenge for those with other intelligences—and to find a way to prosper with them. Like all cultural aspects of a culture, this emphasis on education has a light and dark side.

© Hector Lee, 2010

Touring with a native.

Women dressed in hanboks, traditional Korean dress.

There is nothing like being with a native when visiting a country.

Lori asked me to call up her sister, Yoon Jeong (Helena) who lives in Seoul while I was visiting. After attending Mass at the Cathedral I met up with her at Gwanghamum metro station. Before we went to the palace, we went to Changbok, a neighborhood with traditional Korean homes. Unfortunately, we could see them only from the outside. They had upsloping wooden roofs and small wooden frame windows with wonderful wooden doors. We did get to stop in a gallery that was formerly a home so we could imagine what the homes are like. The rooms surround a small could yard. The floors are made of wood and soji sliding doors separate the rooms.

Myeong-dong Cathedral

Sejong the Great (1397-1450) is remembered for the creation of Hangul (Korean language), scientific advancements and expanding Korean territory.

We then went to Cheongdaek palace, which Helena says is a small but the most elegant palace. The place is a Unesco site and is beautifully laid out. The large structures are painted in bright blue, red, pink, green and yellow. While the day was cloudy, it was still hot and muggy to be outdoors. We took breaks to rest in shade and drank lots of water. The palace is connected to a secret garden which comprises 60% of the grounds. It was where the royal family retreated for relaxation and recreation. It was naturally wooded among which the Korean kings build ponds, pavilions and structures. While it was a "small" palace, we needed refreshment afterwards especially from the heat.

After a small break, we headed to Namdaemun Market, a market of cheap, inexpensive materials and chotchkees. I was told many Asians liked to come to buy the inexpensive clothes.

We then headed for an artsy bohemian part of town for ogyabsal, a 5 layer fat pork that is barbecued over hot coals. Yes it was very greasy but very delicious. I will have to have it again some time.

But the best part of this was connecting with Helena as a person with aspirations, accomplishments and dreams. This despite the fact that I do not speak Korean and that Helena doesn't have the facility with English that she has with Korean. I realize how language development is so crucial to communicating feelings and ideas, and how much we take for granted when we have a developed language base.

View from the dining room on Bukchon.

At Cheongdaek Palace

Palvilion at Cheongdaek Palace where the King would esconce with his beloved.

Beautiful animal forms on the roofs meant to ward away evil spirits

Koreans invented ondol heating, underfloor heating which uses direct heat from burning wood to heat the underside of a masonry floor. This is the furnace for ondol heating at Cheongdaek Palace.

At Cheongdeok Palace with Helena, Yoon Jeong

Helena and I stopped for a snack after visiting Cheongdeok Palace. In the men's bathroom, there were small round brownies over the urinal. Hmmm. Why would there be brownies in the restroom?

I mentioned it to Helena. She clarified that the "brownies" were the discarded expresso grounds. Duh. Makes sense.

Namdaemun Market

Ginseng for sale.

Ogyeopsal is "five layer fat pork" But after it is barbequed and cut it shrinks into crunchy, tasty bits of pork. Yum-yum.

2.8.2010

7:30 Wake

8:15 Breakfast

9:00 Prep

10-5:30 Teach

7:00 Dinner

Summer breeze.

I was in Lombardia Café on Monday morning with my open sketchbook when a young woman with a disarming smile and eyes greeted me.

“Anyeo haseo”

“Anyeo haseo,” I responded.

“You are an artist.”

“Yes, I illustrate.”

“Your work should be in a gallery.”

I smiled. “Oh no, this art is not fit for viewing.”

“But I do illustrate, or used to illustrate, children’s books”

“Oh a children’s book illustrator. I would like to talk to you.”

“I am here at NIIED. When do you want to meet?”

“I don’t know where NIIED is.”

“I have breakfast everyday from 8:00-9:00 if you want to meet then.”

We exchanged email.

She stopped momentarily and clarified, “You know, this is not a hook up. I am not in love with you.”

I smiled, “Oh I am not either.” I was thinking that I don’t play on her team. Later told her I was gay and we laughed.

On Wednesday, she showed me her portfolio. It was lovely. The subject matter was very broad: from somber and dark to whimsical and light. She employed a variety of media: watercolor, acrylic, gouache, pastel, pen & ink, scratchboard, collage…. I counseled her to choose one media (pastel, she said). I should have told her to narrow her subject matter.

I found the encounter inspirational and moving. It inspired me to see the time and effort she put into her art. But her personal life is complicated: She lives with her French boyfriend, in what sounds like a relationship not sanctioned by her family or Korean society. The boyfriend, who is a photographer, has tried mold her and has not been very supportive of her work. I encouraged her to be brave and find ways of exploring her art by going to school. But resources are a challenge. She must work to support herself and her hours do not allow for evening or Saturday classes. She seemed like a little bird wanting to fly but caught in a cage of societal and cultural expectations, complicated by an unconventional, and complex relationship. So sweet she is. I hope she finds a way to share her art.

© Hector Lee, 2010

bibimbap

Food street vendors in Hyehwa.

27.7.10

6:30 Wake

8:00 Breakfast

10:00 work

6:30 Insadon: bibimbop

Today was our first full day of teaching and what a long day it was. Perhaps I will acclimate to the back to back classes by the end of this week.

We also went to Insadon where we had some delicious bibimbop—white rice with seasoned vegetables, gochujang (chile paste), sliced meat and a raw egg. It was served in a very hot stone bowl and the ingredients are mixed before eating. Yummy.

While the portrait doesn't look like Elly--her attitude is accurate.

© Hector Lee, 2010