::A Geek in Korea::

A few friends invited us to go bowling with them. Seeing as the only bowling I normally do is on the Wii, having the chance to throw a real ball down the alley was a nice change. We met up with two other couples and had a good time. I bowled a 106, and was off to a fast start in my second game only to collapse and end up with a 109. One person had never bowled before, but liked it a lot and wanted to do try again in a few weeks. Semi-regular bowling? Sure!

After our bowling, we went to eat at a restaurant they knew. After a few beers, we went to a Korean franchise bar. This bar’s theme was to look like an old style Korean bar, with corrugated metal walls, old Korean posters, and dented cups. It looks folksy and charming, yet calculated at the same time. We ate some pajeon (squid and green onion pancakes), with some makgeoli.

I haven’t had makgeoli since my first or second year in Korea. This is because I avoid going to mountains with drunken old Korean men. Also, the few times I did drink it, I had unkind hang overs of the “WHY ARE THE EARTHWORMS SO LOUD THIS MORNING?” sort. Makgeoli has a weird side effect of making my face feel numb, and I dislike it’s sometimes fizzy texture.

The makgeoli we had was flat and not nearly as pungent as the stuff served on mountains I try to avoid. I had drank enough beer before we ever ordered that the flavor of the makgeoli didn’t bother me after the first bowl. Of course I had a second, because we had to finish off the dented tea pot they served it in. There never seems to be moderation when I’m wasted enough to start drinking in the first place.

Just like any other evening with a few drinks down, and a few bars under our belts, we ended up at a singing room. My wife and I hadn’t been to a singing room in over a year (she thinks it was our first wedding anniversary!). This room was AWESOME, and I set the tone with Electric Six’s “Gay Bar” once again.  My wife and I even did a version of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” that sounded pretty good. All the foreigners have been here long enough to have “stock” songs we know we can do well. We all were having a good time, and our time ran down right before taxi midnight fare kicked in. Perfect.