In the States holidays like Sweetest Day and Valentines Day are treated in a number of different ways. Either you see them as a made up holiday for the benefit of the greeting card companies, or you dread figuring out what to get your wife, or you see it as a good excuse to get some. In Korea romance holidays are taken to a whole other extreme. First there is Pepero Day, a holdiday made by a candy company. Then of course there is the traditional Valentines Day on Febuary 14th. In Korea the woman is expected to get something for the man on Valentines Day. However, one month later on March 14th White Day occurs. On White Day the man is expected to get something for the woman. No surprise the advertising for potential products to buy your lady on White Dau is much more intense than those to buy your man on Valentines. However, the love holidays are not over yet. April 14th is Black Day. Black Day is for singles. If you are single on Black Day you eat Ja -Jong ....a black bean sauce with rice or pasta. Two single people are supposted to meet over bowls of black beans and fall madly in love for life...or at least for the night.
A bit intense no?
A bit intense no?
To his credit, Keith took me out for a very very very nice, very expensive Itailan restaurant on White Day. The fact that he had absolutely no idea that is was White Day made it even better....and much more the Keith Bryant style. We enjoyed a nice bottle of wine and great seafood and pasta. Of course I forgot that in Korea seafood almost always comes whole (nothing is ever taken out of its shell or off the bone) and entres such as "Seafood Pasta" almost always include baby octupus. Having tried baby octopus before and discovering that they are about as good as they sound I chose to eat around the octopus in my pasta :)
