Further Adventures in Korean Food

Do you remember when I told you before about how I got invited to go on a school field trip?  Well I got invited to go on another one.  But this time I went.  I've gotten braver.

The trip was to Gyeongju, the city that was the head of the Silla Dynasty in Korea a long, long time ago.  I don't know a lot about the history but I do know that it's pretty and a nice place.  While there I hiked a mountain (only my second one), saw some ancient tombs, walked around a temple, looked at pagodas at night, and mostly had fun talking and laughing with my students and teacher friends.

But all of that is boring to you.  The interesting part is that I ate a fish eye.

*Sigh*  I honestly don't know how I get into these situations.  I really, truly don't.  But once again in Korea I found myself eating something that I just didn't want to eat.

It happened at dinner while we were in Gyeongju.  The menu was fish cooked in a pot with vegetables and stuff.  Like a whole fish.  That's just not something I'm used to.  In Iowa you have a long ways to travel to get seafood so I just tend not to eat it that much.  But in Korea they can have it all the time.  So they do.  And honestly, I don't understand why because eating fish is so much work.  You have to pick out all the bones and constantly be checking to make sure you won't swallow one.  And the only tools you have to do this with are chopsticks and a spoon.  It gives me anxiety.

Anyways, I was a good sport about things and was carefully and meticulously eating my portion of fish while also sneaking as many pieces of the fried potato side dish as possible in order to walk away with something in my stomach.  I was basically done eating because I just couldn't take the work anymore when one of the teachers started stirring what was left in the pot.  She then came up with a little white ball and said, "Taleen.  Eat!  Delicious!"

So I picked it up and put it in my mouth.

Then she said, "It's eye!"

And I spit it out.

Everyone at the table gasped and I instantly realized how rude I had been.  I explained that I was just surprised and then picked it up and put it back in my mouth.  I didn't want to but I knew I had to.  I just powered through it and ate the stupid fish eye.  It didn't taste good and it was weird to chew.  Kind of stiff.  I hated it.  But I did it.  You're welcome, Koreans.