Word for the Travel Wise (03/27/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Last time I ventured out to give
instruction in the Korean language my lesson began with mention of my craving for bibim bap with no real explanation of the food. In
fact, bibim bap could have very well been our word for that particular day, but I decided to keep things moving at an
accelerated pace hoping you’d be curious or hungry enough to seek some of the dishes out on your own turf. Perhaps some
of you did. Many of you probably didn’t. (tsk, tsk, tsk) To continue in our Korean language study I’m tossing another
word out for all the foodies.

Today’s word is a Korean word used in Korea:

sollongtang – bone and internals soup



Believe me when I say you’ll want to know this word. For those who enjoy the taste of
various ox bones, brisket shank and beef tongue you’ll probably take the soup down with no problems or questions asked.
The rest of you will kindly disoblige. For more vocab words found on the menu check out Korea infogate. Several more words in the Korean
alphabet with excellent pronunciation guides can be found at Mr. Oh’s
Learn Korean website. It’s a fun place to start to learn the basics. KBS World Radio has a three part, 30 chapter online
learning guide all for free. I can’t get the hangul text to show up, but they’ve got sound clips of all the sample
conversations available. Learn Korean dot net has most of the aforementioned
along with a forum to meet other speakers both fluent natives and beginners. For a list of Korean language programs in
the country click here.

Past Korean words: shik-sah

One for the Road: LP Cities

by Erik Olsen on

I hope to get my hands on this fine
new book out from Lonely Planet so I can review it for our readers, but in the meantime, y’all might be interested just
to know about it. Yes, Lonely Planet, ye of the ever useful, sometimes too heavy, guides to everywhere, has assembled an
all-new coffee-table sized compendium called The Cities Book, that
takes a close and visually-pleasing look at the world’s 200 best cities.

Of course, one man’s
"best" is another’s "worst" (i.e. Bangkok), but you can usually trust the sensibilities of the LP
folks, and it is they who have put this thing together…along with the help of dutiful readers who contributed
comments based on their own whims and experiences. One thing: it ain’t cheap ($50). But that’s probably because they
have filled the book with many vivid photos from their extensive photo catalog. You know you want it. Well, you CAN
register to get your hands on a free copy over
at the Guardian…but you’ll have to do so lickety-split, the deadline is March 30.

Delicious, Mouth-Watering Kangaroo

by Adrienne Wilson on

There have been many a time where the words "I’ll eat anything" have tumbled from my tongue
usually following a ferocious growl from my stomach, but sometimes I go back on my exaggerated outcry for food. I won’t
anything. I won’t eat lobster, crab, liver or even liverworst. I once wrote on a napkin while dining in Madrid to never
eat another crawfish so long as I live. (I still have the napkin.) And I don’t care how good your mother makes it, I’ve
tried them all and the taste-buds don’t agree. However, this piece isn’t about me and my pabulum dislikes. It’s about
the things people will eat.

Take Marjie Lambert who writes for the Miami Herald about her dining adventures in Sydney, Australia. In
the beginning of her journey for fine dining with an unusual assortment of all things edible she found herself
consuming a large number of seafood dishes. Mahi Mahi, shrimp-fried dumplings, Balmain bugs and barrimundi all made way
to her palate, but she had eyes for other things. Things like kangaroo. She keeps the
details on trying the roo brief, but doesn’t deny it’s delicious taste though it was too spicy to really distinguish
the real kangaroo taste. If it’s your first time in Australia, don’t expect to find the animal on every menu. It is
considered a novelty dish.

Reading this makes me wonder. Would I too eat kangaroo? Does it really taste
like beef? I suppose I could take a Joey down if I had to, but they’re so gosh darn cute!

Red Corner: Gogol Bordello Sings Gypsy Punk

by Neil Woodburn on

Discovering local music while abroad is as much of a joy as discovering local foods. What’s really great about both of these pleasures, however, is that they can also be enjoyed back home.

Friday night I did just that. I went to see a group named Gogol Bordello who bills themselves as the world’s first gypsy punk band. Gypsy punk you ask?!?! Yes indeed.

Well, actually their web page describes them as a “fusion of Gypsy punk and Slavic stomp,” so that should make it clear, I guess. Imagine a fast-paced punk band whose power-chords and manic energy are driven by a frenetic violin and a bouncy accordion. Throw in a supporting cast of Eastern European musicians and a lead vocalist who looks like Frank Zappa with a handlebar moustache and you get a musical hodgepodge unlike anything that has ever existed before. The natural comparison would be a combination of the Gypsy Kings and the Clash but even this comes up horribly short. The musical hybrid is a synergistic explosion far greater than the sum of its parts.

The driving force behind this amazing band is lead vocalist Eugene Hutz. Originally from Ukraine, Hutz has a voice like he has just stuffed a couple of deviled eggs into his mouth after smoking cheap Bulgarian cigars all day. He sings mostly in thickly accented English that often makes it difficult to tell when he switches over to his native Ukrainian. But it is exactly this thick, guttural Slavic-ness that makes the music so powerful-oh, and the fact that Hutz is the most maniacal performer I’ve ever seen. He is a nonstop whirling dervish of limitless energy who prances, kicks, bends and contorts for three hours of nonstop mayhem. Unbelievable!

It’s not every day that Ukrainian gypsy punk rock lands on your doorstep. Since the band is currently touring, check out their website to see if they are invading a town near you. At the very least, download their Start Wearing Purple video from their label’s website. It may not inspire you to visit Ukraine, but it will prompt you to draw the blinds and lock up your children for the night; the crazy Slavs are coming and the musical world will never be the same.

U Live Where?

by Adrienne Wilson on

Just a moment ago I highlighted a list of websites for the hungry
traveler to head to before departing on their trip. I left this one out of that blurb in particular to make sure I
nabbed your attention. Can’t recall if whether we mentioned it before or not, but I think it’s a pretty awesome way to
spend your Sunday should it be as lazy as mine.

U Live Where is a site
dedicated to bringing the scoop on what it’s like to live in out-of-the-way places by interviewing locals in the area in
NPR style. Destinations include island life in lands like Isle of Pines, Shiraishi, and Pemba Island and historic port
towns like Winchelsea, Paramaribo, and Galle. The pieces are a little lengthy, but cover almost anything you’d like to
know from a well informed source which is great for those looking for relocation ideas abroad. I’m leaving it to you to
visit the site to learn more about each place which you’ll find are not a stone’s throw away from your hood in
Kansas.