Fried okra.  After I had okra for the first time in Greece, I vowed never to eat the mushy, slimy vegetable again.  Maybe it’s because I’m older, but I’ve been trying it again whenever I can, just to make sure I don’t like it.  You know what?  It’s not bad.  Fried okra or picked okra in a spicy Bloody Mary at Screen Door is actually pretty good.

This is jambalaya, if I can remember correctly.  It was a little soupy… is that how it’s supposed to be?  It was spicy and I felt the heat was hiding the dish’s lack of flavor.

The move went relatively well.  Upon calling around for a moving company, Ras was quoted 500,000 won because he wanted to move on a Saturday.  After changing his moving day to a Friday and some hard core negotiating, he got a full service moving company for 300,000 won.  Since many people aren’t moving during the hard economic times, movers have to be more competitive for customers.  300,000 is pretty cheap for 2 men, and 1 woman to move everything, and drive from Gunpo to Seoul.  The customer doesn’t have to lift a finger.  The men do all the heavy lifting, while the woman packs everything in the bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom.  They did a relatively good job, except that the woman would open up a can of Coke (from our fridge) and drink it while working.  She also grabbed one for her companions, all the while not asking at all if she could have the drinks.  I’m sure she was thirsty, and it wasn’t a big deal enough to say something, but still…  strange, right?  I even saw an empty granola wrapper on the ground and don’t remember having had some in the last week.

These pictures are the ones Ras took of the loft before the movers arrived.

(above: downstairs, and upstairs)

This is what it looks like now:

When we first saw the place, I knew it had potential, but I’m really happy with how it turned out.  It has lots of storagae, good lighting, and a lot of room downstairs and upstairs.  It’s a 5 minute bus ride to Hongik or Sinchon and there are over 20 buses that go by the place, including an airport limousine bus.  I’m enjoying my time here and can’t wait for people to visit us soon.

You couldn’t pay me to wear this shirt…