Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun... Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans," Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Soup Bowl Sunday

Today is Superbowl Sunday. I'm not so big a fan of the Superbowl, not since the Rams left and Orange County and the Raiders left Los Angeles, leaving us with the San Diego Chargers way the hell down by Mexico.

In protest, we would head for Souplantation and celebrate Soup Bowl Sunday. This, of course, was little change from our usual post-church Sunday routine, but the difference was that we'd boo anytime we heard someone cheering, on the off chance the game was what was making them whoop and holler. (And, yes, we did ruin some poor saps' birthday celebrations, and we may have gotten into a parking-lot altercation or two.)

So this is my attempt at a Superbowl post. I don't give a rat's ass who wins, but I thought that this prediction and comment by my favorite actress on my favorite show (Jenna Fischer who plays Pam Beesly on "The Office") was kinda cute:

Arizona, 27-24. Pam is rooting for Pittsburgh since she is from Scranton, but I'm rooting for Arizona since they used to play for my hometown of St. Louis. It's a little tense around here. Luckily, Pam is so focused on getting ready for the post-Super Bowl show she can't come to my party. Otherwise we might have had a real fight on our hands.

Okay, maybe "The Office" and Jenna Fischer's humor isn't for everyone, but she is adorable. Freakin' adorable.

But I do have to take issue with Ms Fischer's comment about cheering for the Cards because they used to play in your hometown: They left you! They took off and left! Let the ungrateful bastards crash and burn!

I have issues.

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Ask Kushibo.

My Google/Blogspot data shows that a lot of the 2 million people who have landed on my site (yes, that's the real number) are looking for cultural information on Korea (e.g., “When did Syngman Rhee die?” “What did the Indians bring to the first Chusŏk?’ etc., etc.), as well as practical or historical stuff.

That got me thinking that, hey, I have a master’s degree in Korean studies and a minor in Japanese studies, I’ve lived in Seoul far longer than most foreans my age (whether they're kyopo or non-kyopo), I teach introductory courses on Korea and its cultural trappings and history, so why not offer a free service where I attempt to answer people’s questions, point them in the direction of where they can get them answered, and/or offer my regulars (that’s you!) a chance to take a stab at some of this stuff, too.

So if there’s something you’d like to know from a “contrarian scourge,” click on ASK KUSHIBO and just ask a succinct question in the comments section below.

Oh, and play nice. Please don’t make me regret this.

九十五大怪獣란? 쿠시보의 몬스터 아일랜드란?

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun...
Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans" ("foreigners" in Korea be they kyopo or non-kyopo), Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County, and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

* Monster Island (actually a peninsula)

The name of this blog comes from a line in "Lisa on Ice," a beloved episode of The Simpsons, perhaps my all-time favorite television show (even though for several seasons there, it really did suck). Lisa is imagining being sworn in as president, but at the last minute, it is discovered that she failed P.E. (physical education) and she is thus "sentenced to a lifetime of horror" on Monster Island. "Don't worry," the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court confides in her, "It's just a name."

Fast forward to Lisa and other prisoners running in panic through a tropical jungle, chased by Godzilla-like creatures, including a monster turtle and a monster firefly.

"He said it was just a name!" Lisa screams to the man next to her. While he, too, runs for his life, the unidentified man calmly says, "What he meant is that Monster Island is actually a peninsula."

Anyway, I thought in some ways that punchline summed up modern-day Korea in a nutshell. For many people—foreigners and Koreans—the ups and downs and everyday travails of the Republic of Korea make it as precarious as a Monster Island would be (and with the DMZ being the only land border, it really is like an island). But it actually is a peninsula. Okay, it made sense in my head.

So as you can see, despite the hits I get from people looking for Japanese tentacle porn, it has nothing to do with anything salacious as that.

Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Monday, February 2, 2009

Soup Bowl Sunday

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