Hot. Wine. Cheese.
I did not go outside today until 6:30 PM. By 9:00 AM it was eclipsing the 85 degree mark, and the projected high had been 85. I wanted nothing more than to stretch out on the cold, cold floor and nap . . . all day. However, because I do not even rest at night, this was an unlikely scenario. Instead I drank water and read a book whose pages had become soggy from the humidity. At noon I cooked, and it was painful. I imagined the sun a broiler set to high, and those unfortunate enough to be outside, were walking on the oven rack that was set too close. Then I pretended to read more, but all the while was being distracted by a thermometer that tells me "it all looks better in Celcius". It used to look better in Celcius, but now I'm beginning to really understand how that works, so 35 degrees doesn't fair so well psychologically anymore.
When I did leave it was, as i mentioned 6:30 PM, and I passed by some flowers that had just begun to bloom. They were now wilted and passing to a quick demise. I've learned to walk slower, because if I walk at a Chicago pace, I sweat profusely and it looks like I've completed a marathon only moments before. I can't do much about stares because of my foreignness, but I'd rather not give the starers something to linger about.
Lotte Mart now has all kinds of cheese. I almost cried. I haven't seen Feta in a year and a half. Oh, they also had swiss, havarti, white chedder . . . that's when I stopped looking, because again, do not give starers a reason to linger. Though those that know me understand my emotional relief at the sight of these cheeses, to an outsider I look vaguely disturbed. I realized this while petting the havarti.
Lotte now also offers a decent selection of wine. This is also comforting, yet perplexing for two reasons. Since they expanded the section through rennovations, a wine refridgerator was added. The subtlety of wine is lost on most Koreans, as they cannot seem to grasp foreign influences without Koreanizing them. It's true of food, fashion, entertainment, and beverage, at least here in Gwangju. Therefore, because all alchoholic beverages are preferred ice cold, red wine is chilled. I was given a nice bottle of chilled-to-near-freezing red wine for my birthday. After it thawed, it was delicious. If that is not interesting enough, ask me about the cognac.
The second reason for the perplexity is the cheese they have chosen to sell alongside the wine. While I fully agree with the choices of Camembert and Brie, I cannot understand the "Jalapeno Balls". The product is a large plastic bag filled with smaller plastic bags, each bag containing varied amounts of said balls that resemble rabbit turds in every way but color. I cannot, for the life of me, imagine eating this cheese with the suggested bottle of $45 wine. It seems more suited to a fraternity house, and even there the little turds would end up being flung like gunless bb's instead of consumed.
That is my day. Hot. Wine. Cheese.
When I did leave it was, as i mentioned 6:30 PM, and I passed by some flowers that had just begun to bloom. They were now wilted and passing to a quick demise. I've learned to walk slower, because if I walk at a Chicago pace, I sweat profusely and it looks like I've completed a marathon only moments before. I can't do much about stares because of my foreignness, but I'd rather not give the starers something to linger about.
Lotte Mart now has all kinds of cheese. I almost cried. I haven't seen Feta in a year and a half. Oh, they also had swiss, havarti, white chedder . . . that's when I stopped looking, because again, do not give starers a reason to linger. Though those that know me understand my emotional relief at the sight of these cheeses, to an outsider I look vaguely disturbed. I realized this while petting the havarti.
Lotte now also offers a decent selection of wine. This is also comforting, yet perplexing for two reasons. Since they expanded the section through rennovations, a wine refridgerator was added. The subtlety of wine is lost on most Koreans, as they cannot seem to grasp foreign influences without Koreanizing them. It's true of food, fashion, entertainment, and beverage, at least here in Gwangju. Therefore, because all alchoholic beverages are preferred ice cold, red wine is chilled. I was given a nice bottle of chilled-to-near-freezing red wine for my birthday. After it thawed, it was delicious. If that is not interesting enough, ask me about the cognac.
The second reason for the perplexity is the cheese they have chosen to sell alongside the wine. While I fully agree with the choices of Camembert and Brie, I cannot understand the "Jalapeno Balls". The product is a large plastic bag filled with smaller plastic bags, each bag containing varied amounts of said balls that resemble rabbit turds in every way but color. I cannot, for the life of me, imagine eating this cheese with the suggested bottle of $45 wine. It seems more suited to a fraternity house, and even there the little turds would end up being flung like gunless bb's instead of consumed.
That is my day. Hot. Wine. Cheese.
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