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Open Thread #140
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{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }
First, again.
Does anyone have a fix on when the Itaewon Taco Bell will be opening? I just about wet my pants when I saw the giant “Coming Soon” banner, but there’s no date there.
Wow – Taco Bell!! I took my wife back home to America last year and fed her everything just so she could get a taste of the various cuisines in the country. We went to a lot of expensive restaurants – but I could have saved a lot of $$ as she liked Taco Bell the best. Maybe because it was 1:30am and we were both drunk that it tasted so good
I’d make a trip to Seoul just for that.
There actually was at least one previous attempt to launch Taco Bell in Korea but it was ahead of its time. Wayyyyyy back in the 1991-1992 time frame, there was a Taco Bell at the Ewha University subway station on Line 2 — it was a condominium shop with Pizza Hut (at the time the two brands were both owned by Pepsi). That may have been one of the earliest manifestations of the weird “two-brands-in-one-store” concept that Yum Brands is doing with its Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, Wing Hut and Long John Silver’s brands in the United States.
Our friend Robin Hedge and I visited the Ewha Taco Bell together, didn’t we? If it wasn’t you, Mal, then it must have been in 1990.
There was also a Del Taco in Myong-dong then, too, as well as a Denny’s. All of them were pretty terrible, so their failure was inevitable.
I knew a guy who was involved in the attempt to launch Del Taco in Korea in 1989-1990 or thereabouts. He was a Mormon who learned Korean while doing his mission trip.
I came here earlier looking for the open thread, but it wasn’t open yet, so I posted this comment in another thread. I thought the billboard was rather surprising; I can’t understand who it is/was directed at. There are lots of Chinese in the immediate area, and Koreans too, but not many Japanese that I know of.
I visited the one at Edae Sta. Brendon mentioned a few times back in 1993 before it closed. It wasn’t awful, but it was near empty each time I was there (in comparison to the eating places surrounding it) so I figured that was a clear harbinger of its imminent demise.
But any of you lifers pining for a Run for the Border in Seoul should keep in mind Taco Bell in the U.S. has become unrecognizable from what it was in its glory days.
There was also a Taco Bell and Subway at Apgujeong during early 1990s. But it did not last very long.
#5,
Great handle – give me a glazed.
#6,
‘Glory days’? I guess I’ll never know – the only time I ate there was while intoxicated, and while it did taste pretty good, I’d have to be drunk again to eat there again.
Zippy,
Already covered here:
http://www.rjkoehler.com/2010/01/30/dokdo-billboard-near-los-angeles/
The word, as of recently, was that there will be far fewer festivals of any kind, in Korea, this year due to the current administration’s wishes. It seems that it is more so to kill off opportunities for Minju-dang and others from using festivals to network and promote alternative agendas.
Missed that post from 1/30.
TMH is on top of it Zippy…
Taco Bell is here…Korea is now an Advanced Nation
Ironically, Mexican food is cropping up all over Seoul now, and the next step is for Kogi from L.A. to start up here and bring it all full circle.
In other news… “Girl starved to death while parents raised virtual child in online game”
“South Korean police have arrested a couple for starving their three-month-old daughter to death while they devoted hours to playing a computer game that involved raising a virtual character of a young girl.
The 41-year-old man and 25-year-old woman, who met through a chat website, reportedly left their infant unattended while they went to internet cafes. They only occasionally dropped by to feed her powdered milk.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/05/korean-girl-starved-online-game
Some people need to step away from the monitor once in a while….
Here’s the story of that Korean student who was murdered in Russia.
http://news.hankooki.com/lpage/society/201003/h2010030602343621950.htm
He and his Korean girlfriend were attacked from behind (got their heads wacked from behind) by a gang of Russian youth. The murdered student “Kang Byung Gil” was an exchange student who was in staying for 4 weeks. After the couple was attacked and fell from behind, daised and confused Kang attempted to escape by running. He didn’t go far before he was hunted down by the Russian gang, like a pack of dogs which go after their gravely wounded prey. They pounded his head even more and stuck a knife in him, finishing him off.
Kang died alone in hospital few days later without anybody beside him.
He didn’t get much help from the Russians who witnessed the attack, the Russian police, the hospital, the school that he was staying, and I don’t think it even made the news in Russia. Kang is probably just another statistic of racial hate crime that is plaguing that country.
This is an outrageous news, Korea should be doing much more to exert pressure on Russia to bring justice, or simply just ban Koreans from travelling to Russia where too many Koreans have been assaulted and murdered over the last few years.
“But any of you lifers pining for a Run for the Border in Seoul should keep in mind Taco Bell in the U.S. has become unrecognizable from what it was in its glory days.”
First clothing stores, now fast-food. There seems to be a theme of older, seen-better-days foreign chains coming to Korea (finally!).
The best chains in the U.S. when I left three years ago were Chipotle and Qdoba (Mexican), Del Taco (Tex Mex), and Fire Grill (Asian). Get one of those in Korea before the year 2020 and you’ll have something to celebrate. I’ve always thought Chik-Fil-A would do well in Korea, too.
Taco Bell was really something (something great) back in the day, before Pepsi bought them out and more or less ruined the quality. [sigh]
Just open a Trader Joe’s here and Korea will be perfect
Cultural breakthrough?
On Iron Chef America, Battle Rice, Mario Batali made a bi bim bap. Actually a dul sot bi bim bap, which was well-received by the judges.
Chipotle is about the only fast-food restaurant where I will eat when I am away from home. A tortilla-less burrito bowl with meat, fajita veggies, and lettuce is an affordable, healthy, and delicious low-carb meal.
Brendon Carr,
You almost wet your pants for a possibility of Taco Bell opening? Does it happen often? See a doctor^^
I cannot imagine what you will do when it actually opens. Wear a protective gear. I don’t want you to get arrested for “pooping on the opening day”.
Hodawn. Some Koreans may consider it auspicious beginning. “When this restaurant opened, a foreigner pooped on the door”! That could make investors line up to buy the restaurant.
Arby’s?
Nearly shating in your pants for a Taco Hell? It may seem strange for us stateside but I had a friend stationed in Korea some years ago practically beg me to sent him Taco Hell wrappers just so he could smell the grease and imagine he was eating it.
Taco Bell tastes pretty damned good after smoking a blunt!
This Korean guy is an amazing bass player;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_X7mMU6Gb0
I am trying to build a massive series on Top-50 (or smaller in number, depending what I feel like) K-pop artists of all time. Just to make sure I don’t miss anyone, I welcome suggestions from the learned visitors of MH. Premium is placed on pre-1990s artists. Thanks!
Checked out some of the blogs that the kyopos here maintain, and wasn’t surprised why they aren’t that popular(or readable) compared to the TMH. Here are my critiques;
Pawi’s blog : Clearly the work of a delusional mind.
Baduk’s blog : He hasn’t updated his blog for three years, but still the work of a delusional mind. If he ain’t going to update it, taking it down may be a good idea.
WangKon’s blog : That is one short blog. Considering that his blog contains uninteresting ramblings about Asian/Korean culture and well- know kyopos, I’m not surprised that he decided to give it up and guest blog on the TMH, which has more readership. Like baduk, he hasn’t updated his for the past two years. Maybe a good idea to take it down.
thekorean’s blog : At least this guy takes the time to update his blog. But I’m afraid that’s the only good part. First of all the blog format’s an eyesore, especially the small font and very long sentences. With TMH, the owner of the blog not only strives for a reader friendly format but also keeps things succinct, which in turn makes the posts eye catching and interesting to read. thekorean on the other hand, keeps rambling on and on, in a futile attempt to show that he is an authority on Korea/Korean culture and knows the issues. Of course this turns his posts into a scrolling nightmare ala wjk and long-windedness ala the Metropolitician. Maybe a more down to earth approach to blogging is called for here?
Alright, third attempt….
TK,
There’s a gasoo from the 80s era who did a cover of “You Keep Me Hanging On”, a song by British gasoo Kim Wilde, the latter also from the 80s.
If you can track her down, find out her name, you’ll find another one of those dominant Kpop idols from the 80s, 90s era.
For your reference here is the song by Kim Wilde:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNyRU0fKHAY
abc, are you talking about 혜은이?
“thekorean on the other hand, keeps rambling on and on, in a futile attempt to show that he is an authority on Korea/Korean culture and knows the issues. Of course this turns his posts into a scrolling nightmare ala wjk and long-windedness ala the Metropolitician.”
– I never read other Korean blogs except for this one, and have never more than glanced at theKorean’s blog for a few seconds at a time and that for a few times only. So I can’t comment. I did give some readership to The Metropolitician’s blog, his longwindedness makes a little more sense in blog format. It’s his eye-straining verbosity on this site that I can’t stand. Sorry but it’s very true. I get eye strain from reading M’s posts here.
I haven’t spent more than 5 seconds on pawi’s blog. The same, pretty much, for everyone else’s blog here, give or take a minute or two.
Marmot all the way, baby!
Tk,
Not sure. This gasoo is straighout of the age of Jo Yong Pil in the days when he was singing “Madoyo” and “Ahah, geureohji”, from his ninth album.
But I’m really just trying to track info on this female singer down, trying to help myself… Kekeke. I had a mix cassette tape that my cousins gave to me. It was awesome and became the soundtrack of a summer.
It’s quite possibly her…. Again, not sure.
Where can I listen to these folks?
I have Jo Yong Pil’s ninth album in mp3 if anyone is interested…
I’m not clear on what you mean by “doing a cover”. If you mean that the person made a Korean version of the same melodies, then it’s definitely 혜은이.
Yeah, that’s what I mean..
I wish I could see a video or get some songs by Hye Eun-Ee….
…And I just found out that Kim Wilde’s song is itself a cover. The original was sang by the Supremes in 1966. (Wilde’s version is the best, IMO.)
‘abc, are you talking about 혜은이? ‘
i don’t think she ever sang the song in question. she did, however, sing a rendition of blondie’s ‘call me’. of course, her mega hit was ‘you should try harder to get a rise out of me’. that was a classic!
you can see plenty of hye un-ee at youtube.
Worst food poisoning I ever had.
It would be nice to get a tasty, fairly priced sandwich, such as a Ruben.
Seouldout, try Leo’s Deli:
http://www.zenkimchi.com/dining/archives/476
Haven’t been there but I heard it’s pretty good.
I’ll second Leo’s — their reubens are quite good. I’m partial to their turkey chili, too.
Anybody know any good websites for finding wi-fi hotspots in Korea, especially Busan? I seem to remember Mr. Marmot once doing a post on this, but I couldn’t find it in the archives.
“I’d make a trip to Seoul just for that.”
Taco Bell is also opening in Gunsan. They’ll probably open a few locations in Korea.
Anybody know any good websites for finding wi-fi hotspots in Korea, especially Busan?
Try this site;
http://www.fon.com/kr/
I haven’t tried the service myself, so I can’t vouch for its quality.
Considering that wi-fi(especially free wi-fi) isn’t a big thing in Korea, if the above doesn’t work then the only other option is going to the nearest Starbucks.
Does anyone have a fix on when the Itaewon Taco Bell will be opening?
I also look forward to the Taco Bell opening in Itaewon. According to this article the opening was scheduled for early March,
http://www.hankyung.com/news/app/newsview.php?aid=2009120189171
But it’s already early March, and if you are asking the above question, then I guess we’ll have to wait a while. Hopefully, it will happen before the end of this month.
In an interesting parallel universe, Korean junk-food chicken chain Kyochon just opened in Manhattan, after a long wait and finally obtaining their liquor license.
Wow. Until I read below daum agora post I had no idea that at least some of the 대기업 companies in korea pay 100% of the tuition of their employee’s children. So apparently, alot of young people are being pressured to marry earlier than they want to so that they will be working and eligible for these benefits when their children hit college age. But is this also a big reason why many people in their 50s are pressured by their companies to retire?
http://bbs3.agora.media.daum.net/gaia/do/story/read?bbsId=S102&articleId=297730
tuition being college tuition
Speaking of gasoos,
Kim Yuna is a really good singer…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdysEK785YE
Interesting BBC series about the Internet. This one is about disconnecting two Korean families from the web and connecting two Nigerians.
Start from the bottom and scroll up.
Wow… Samsung’s AMOLED touchscreen blowing the competition’s right out of the water…
http://www.unwiredview.com/2010/02/14/display-wars-samsung-wave-super-amoled-vs-google-nexus-one-nokia-x6-samsung-s8000/
Why is Nokia digging it’s own grave?
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-11/nokia-said-to-unveil-no-new-device-at-world-mobile-congress.html
Wangkon: possibly the GM of mobiles and Finland risk to become the Michigan of Europe
Nokia’s lack of long-term strategy against the likes of Samsung, LG, HTC and Apple is a big mystery to me… but… free markets, like evolution, tends to penalize stupidity.
I am not a big fan of corporate stupidity.
And Nokia’s response makes absolutely no sense:
Uh…. Apple has already done both. It makes the products (or at least designs and system integrates them) AND provides paid media and software services via its iTunes and App Store.
Stupidity. But… although Rome wasn’t built in a day…. Rome didn’t end in a day either. Nokia’s decline will be long and painful… IMHO.
Corporate stupidity and its incestous close relative: corporate complacency. Nokia initially completely missed the advent of the smart phone and, after brutalising competitors like Sony, Ericsson, Siemens et al in the low-bracket segment of the cell phone market, last thing they expected was suffering from the likes of LG and Samsung.
By the way if Nokia descends into a deathspiral this would be a potential mortal blow to the Euro software industry, which relies on Nokia for a big percentage of their business
Hedge,
You use to hang out with Carr?
What is an expat pick-up line?
Marry me and we will go to America where we shall eat at interesting, exotic restaurants such as Taco Bell!
Yeah, but Nokia is a software one hit pony with Symbian… and Symbian is utter crap.
Canuckistan defeated by Korea in hockey!
Okay, it’s field hockey rather than ice hockey.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Canada-blown-away-by-Korean-assault/H1-Article3-516232.aspx
@53
So, you didn’t have luck with the ladies whilst in korea, huh NetKim? Bitter bitter bitter.
Wow… a little video by Samsung why it’s Super AMOLED screen just simply out classes HTC’s:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/samsung-amoled-oled-phone-smartphone,9834.html
But the Bada OS still sucks donkey balls:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/09/samsung_bada/page2.html
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