What the hell did I just eat?

Until now, I have been amazed at how good Korean food is. Like I said, until now.

It started out as a normal lunch. I walk down to the 1st floor, into the teachers' lunch room, and start to fill my tray. First I see this weird dish. It was the dried salty shrimp like in Thailand, but it went a step further. Dried dead minnows. Not the meat of dead minnows. Full out dead dried minnows. They had eyes. And there were some nuts mixed in, but really, who is paying attention to nuts when there's salty dried shrimp and minnow eyes.

So anyway, I skip that bowl and fill up with everything else. The typical Korean lunch is kimchi, rice, soup, and two other side dishes. Normally its different veggies. Today it was the dried seafood medley and some eggs. Everything else was delicious as usual...yes, the kimchi IS delicious!

It started first with the "tomato hot sauce". I saw what looked like a hot sauce bottle, and decided not to put any on my eggs. Silly me. It's not for eggs. It's for the rice. Oh, and its not hot sauce. It's ketchup. Yes, ketchup on rice. I'm not one of those weird Americans who eat ketchup with mashed potatoes or corn or macaroni and cheese. But when a teacher pours it on my rice for me, I guess I automatically become one of the weirdos I always made fun of.

But, I can handle the rice with ketchup.

Then the principal noticed I decided not to partake in the minnow faces and shrimp skins. She asked "Do you not like it?" "You should try it." Every thing I've read about Korean culture always mentions that elders are highly respected, and you should try everything and eat everything on your plate. So I got up with trepidation and walked over to the bowl of morose fish. I took a tiny spoonful, and sat back down. This is the moment when I actually noticed the minnows still had eyes. While I was sitting near the principal knowing I had to eat this. Somehow, I took bites. Chewing very fast. Lusting after my banana next to my tray.

I'm beginning to learn why the previous teacher did not eat seafood. I'm feeling a sudden diet change coming on for the time being. Excuse me now while I throw up.