"They eat the low-tide stuff"

It's a shame food writer Jonathan Gold has left us.  This short tribute draws attention to the fact that he was one of the first English-language food critics to elevate Korean cuisine through his abiding love of Koreatown joints in L.A.:

"We dove into grilled pork ribs, a steaming bowl of gamjatang (a pork-neck stew spiked with wild sesame seeds) and a small cauldron of cheonggukjang, an extra-fermented bean paste soup that the critic compared, possibly favorably, to a scene from Invasion of the Body Snatchers. 'It just takes over your fucking system,' Gold said, declining a bite. We started talking about his recent trip to South Korea, where he attended a kimchi festival and trucked around Gwangju with San Francisco chef Russ Moore. 'It’s so obvious that Korea was such a profoundly poor country,' he said after a sip of Chamisul. 'They eat the low-tide stuff. There is hagfish and sea squirts off every coastline, but only a few will eat it. It’s a cuisine of necessity.'

And necessity is how Gold described the reason a vast number of L.A. Koreans moved to the city in the late-‘70s and early ‘80s, many to build businesses that make up the sprawling Koreatown of today. At that time, while the Korean economy slowly transitioned from an agrarian society to the technological superpower we know today, immigrants flowed into America’s biggest cities in record numbers, hoping to make a better life for themselves. With few entrepreneurial opportunities, due to language barriers and cultural divides, many of the new arrivals opened food-related enterprises like produce markets, small grocery stores and, of course, restaurants that catered directly to the Korean-American immigrant community. It was a 'for us, by us' ethic that has remained strikingly the same, some 30 years later."

One of my favorite books about the Korean immigrant experience in America, and particularly Los Angeles, is chef Roy Choi's L.A. Son.  (His parents moved from Seoul and opened their own Korean restaurant in the 80's.)

And while Gold claims Koreatown joints are as good as Korean restaurants in Seoul, they definitely aren't cheaper.  One of the genuine pleasures of living in South Korea is having access to quality, mostly home-made places that will allow you to stuff your face for less than five bucks.  (Living in a college neighborhood helps.)

The Three-Body Problem (With Spoilers)

I finally finished Cixin Liu's Three-Body Problem trilogy.  And it was very good.  I won't pretend to think I understood every detail Liu was getting at, but the big-picture ideas are accessible enough.

If alien beings have the technology to discover Earth, will they try and preemptively murder us?  Probably!

Will they do it out of an ingrained sense of self-preservation, rather than simple spite?  (Cosmic M.A.D.?)  Definitely!

Is human civilization worth saving in the first place?  Sort of maybe!

I would say that if you only read the first book, you'll probably be getting most of the major ideas that make it such a fascinating trilogy.  Which is to say, I think you'd be lying to yourself if you said that all 1,100 pages of books two and three are absolutely gripping.

But I enjoyed all of it.

Connoisseurs of Grease

It's no secret that South Koreans love fried chicken and beer.  There's even a portmanteau -- "chi-mek" -- for the succulent and boozy combination.  And now, enter the "chimmelier," or certified (!) chi-mek expert:

"The first session was a paper test composed of 30 multiple choice questions. Some asked simple history questions about the global origins of fried chicken and the oldest chicken brands in Korea, but many required up-to-date knowledge of the latest items from chicken franchises and their marketing campaigns, like celebrity spokespeople and jingle lyrics.

A company spokesman said that the test only required knowledge of the best-known 30 chicken franchises in Korea.

'This year’s test was made to show more distinction among candidates. We invited staff from chicken franchises and members of college chicken clubs to take part in developing the questionnaires,' said [event sponsor] Baemin."

The event was not without controversy, however, as another thing South Koreans love is public protest:

"The Sunday test was a festival for chicken lovers, but at one point the event was ambushed by animal activists. Before the test started, a group of around 10 people rushed in the room with picket signs. They shouted 'eating killed chicken is not funny,' and urged people to stop eating fried chicken. The chaos went on for about five minutes before the hotel staff removed them from the building."

Also, there's apparently now a "Chichelin Guide" to chi-mek joints.  Oy.

Blues For Manny

Machado is now a Dodger.

I was back into following Major League Baseball for a few years with the Orioles putting together B-level squads that could regularly contend for playoff spots, then predictably fall apart.

But it was still fun to follow them.  And Manny was just viscerally enjoyable to watch, either on offense or defense.

Now I guess I'll just ignore them for another decade or so and stick to Korean baseball.

Who They Are

Gary Younge on the shared pathology of victimhood among right-wing Trumpers and Brexiters:

"The notion of personal responsibility was once such a linchpin of conservative thinking that almost every riposte to liberal ideology ran through it. Whether the right was making the case for longer prison sentences or against the welfare state, the argument generally rested on the principle that we must stand by the consequences of our actions. To cite the context that shaped how a decision was made, insist on the parallel importance of collective responsibility, or expect the state to cushion the blow, were all signs of whiny weakness. To think otherwise revealed not just a flawed political philosophy but a lack of moral fortitude.

But the new right, on both sides of the Atlantic, is increasingly behaving in precisely the manner for which it lampoons progressives. Its politics start from the point of victimhood. Its persecutors are many – the media, the elites, the liberal establishment, feminists, Muslims, migrants. In the past week alone the US president, Donald Trump, has targeted the media for both reporting him accurately in Britain (he was on tape), and failing to realise that he meant the exact opposite of what he actually said about Russia."

WATB, all the way down.

America ca. 2018

The story of Lane Davis, a GamerGater turned alt-right-troll turned murderer -- of his own father, no less -- is unbelievable.  Which is to say living under Trumpolini, in many ways perfectly predictable:

"Last October, a conservative blogger discovered a local news story about Chuck Davis’s killing [Lane's father]. He spread the word on Twitter, including another shocking detail: Before stabbing his father to death, Lane had loudly accused his parents of being 'leftist pedophiles.'

There’s a whole universe in those two words, one that Americans unfamiliar with the rhetoric of the internet culture wars might not recognize.

The right-wing media has long tried to discredit identity politics by claiming the concept is a slippery slope that ends in the recognition of inherently ridiculous groups. A few years ago, though, a new class of social media bomb-throwers started to seize on pedophilia as a particularly inflammatory identity. On Twitter and in places like 4chan's /pol/ board, they began to claim that acceptance of pedophilia was the true, secret goal of liberal politics, the hellish endpoint to Black Lives Matter and transgender bathroom laws. This line of attack became frighteningly literal in 2016, when a man with a gun showed up at a Washington, DC, pizza parlor that online conspiracy theorists claimed was the hub of a massive pedophilia ring — run by Democratic Party officials. A month later, another man showed up at a nearby pizzeria claiming he was there to 'save the kids' and 'finish what the other guy didn't.'

That’s the language Lane reportedly summoned as he was about to stab his father. A spate of articles quickly followed, thick with a 'murder by internet' subtext."

How do we deal with a significant number of young, conservative, angry men who are content to live within their own hideous fantasy worlds of racism and ressentiment?

Living The Dream, Part Infinity

I know I complain a lot but just look at this fucking wall of stupid hot weather.

Impeach The Orange Fucker Already

I'm scheduled to spend a week with my MAGA-head father at the beginning of August.

There isn't enough beer in the world to make the pain bearable.

Allez les Bleus!

Croatia didn't shrink, but France still dominated.  They're absolutely loaded with talent on an individual level, and they played safely with just enough aggression when necessary.  They deserved it.

They're also surprisingly young for a squad that played with so much poise.

And now I can get back to a normal sleep schedule.

Dogmatisms

There's a lot of good food writing out there, but Taste has really emerged as my favorite site for such a thing.  Here's a really informative piece on eating dog meat, and the fraught issues of cultural relativism and outright racism that have always been involved:

"Throughout Asia, the practice of eating dog has been a locus point regarding generational differences, class mobility, and the seriousness of Western scrutiny. During the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, earlier this year, various news outlets and social media posts put a spotlight on the practice. Alex Paik, managing director of AP Communications, a company that promotes Korean culture, was firm in his response to my queries: 'The vast majority of Koreans are grossed out at the thought of eating dog,' he said. Since the Korean War, he told me, the perception of Koreans as enthusiastic dog eaters has haunted them. The truth is, those who embrace the practice have always been a minority: Most Koreans, he wrote, are firmly in the 'dogs are pets' camp. 'Usually we hear about some older folk who believe in it having special, revitalizing properties.'”

Yes and no.  I have adult students who eat dog, albeit not all that often.  They're quick to tell me that dog-meat dogs are not pets.  That is, you can eat dog and own a pet dog with no logical contradiction -- the one you're eating isn't really a pet, but no different than a chicken, pig, or cow before slaughter.

And for what it's worth, I tried it once when I lived in Seoul.  It tasted like a particularly stringy yet greasy cut of beef.  Also, it's not cheap.

Deep Thought

As long as I'm not horribly murdered for the quarter-tank of gas remaining in my car/home, Late Capitalism should be a fucking blast....

— Stormy Jamesiels (@wetcasements) July 13, 2018

Get Yr Hot Soccer Takes!

Obviously, I know nothing about soccer.

In my defense --

1)  Belgium's tactical luck ran out, and a naturally skilled French team was content to play shitty, boring football to suit things.

2)  England probably scored too early against Croatia, and just assumed St. George or some such would descend from Avalon to ensure the next few goals.

3)  Does anybody want to see another England vs. Belgium match?

4)  Does anybody want to play another England vs. Belgium match?

5)  France should win the final, but they also need to be wary of over-confidence.

6)  Then again, Croatia is running on fumes.  If ever a final match blow-out was possible, this is the time.

Pervs

It's no secret that South Korea has a sexism problem, but the #MeToo movement has made inroads in the country.  One of the current battles?  Fighting men who put hidden cameras in public toilets:

"South Korea’s ubiquitous smartphones and miniature spycams aside, offenders can turn to an array of seemingly everyday items – including pens, watches and shoes – equipped with spycams. The filming is not confined to public toilets: websites carrying spycam footage show women being filmed without their knowledge having sex, relaxing at home and walking along the street.

Han, whose name has been changed at her request, said she 'froze in terror' when she realised she had been secretly filmed.

She confronted the suspect, who admitted he had installed the device but denied watching any of the footage as the camera had only been switched on the previous day. A sceptical Han persevered, and uncovered hundreds of video clips and photographs he had kept of her and other women."

At the end of the day the reason the entire world needs feminism is because far too many men think they own women's bodies -- that they have the right to police, control, and monitor them at all times.

But seriously, fuck these guys.

Rainy Monday

A little rain never hurt anybody.

Except in South Korea, where it's considered to be hyper-radioactive dragon piss.#Korea #science #fact

— Stormy Jamesiels (@wetcasements) July 9, 2018

It's jangma, or rainy season now in lovely Korea. As an idiot foreigner, I'm prone to forgetting my umbrella at times. No self-respecting Korean would ever commit this gravest of sins.

Moules et Frites!

Give Russia credit -- they gave a very good Croatia team a hell of a time getting a slim victory.

That said, France vs. Belgium will be a much better game than England vs. Croatia, and whatever comes after that.

Here's a neat article about how Belgium's manager has been doing some absolutely insane things, tactically and -- it's worked out perfectly so far.

France is excellent, no doubt, but I'm thinking Lukaku pulls off another monster (and totally unselfish) performance and gets them a win.

Croatia really didn't inspire confidence but again, Russia was punching above their weight throughout the tournament so far.  England looks -- O.K., I guess?

So, since nobody asked, Belgium wins the final against England 2-1.

"the Schengen Area of only-slightly-delineated types of twattery"

The United States is putting children into cages.  I realize I should try and put my pettiness aside and focus on literal acts of violence against humanity, but I can't.  Not entirely at least.  Let's take a moment to heartily tell Susan Sarandon to go fuck herself, forever:

"If you’re being separated from your children right now, or losing your healthcare, or wondering about the imminent danger to your abortion rights, it may feel like Susan’s whole 'let’s see where the cards fall' approach borders on the self-indulgent. And you know, it’s a highly porous border. It’s basically the Schengen Area of only-slightly-delineated types of twattery. Fellow residents include the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, who broke off from advocating vaginal steamers to judge the result of the election thusly: 'It’s such an exciting time to be an American because we are at this amazing inflection point and everything is kind of up in the air.' Go on. 'It’s such an amazing time for entrepreneurship. People are clearly tired of the status quo and […] it’s sort of like someone threw it all in the air and we’re going to see how it all lands.' Well done, Gwyneth! Can you send some $475 coffee-table books celebrating the world’s most important infinity pools to the Arizona detention courts? Because I heard they need them to snazz up the waiting cages. Maybe pop a few agate body brushes into the care package, too."

Elections, especially national ones, are the imperfect means through which we ensure that for four years we will have a modicum of proficiency and, hopefully, positive social and economic changes from our national leadership.  (It doesn't always work that way, of course!)

In fact, part of being a full-on grown-up person is realizing that, yes, in fact, many national elections are choices between two lesser evils!  Hell, sometimes one of the evils is actually a great, big, stinking orange turd, and it's your duty as a full-on grown-up person not to let him win!

Elections, specifically national ones, are not the opportunity for you to signal your uncompromising moral perfection and reflexive holier-than-thou tendencies.

Context matters.  Hillary was running against a literal fascist, and many on the left thought it was all some kind of hilarious joke.  That matters.  People like Susan Sarandon (and her bong-buddy Jill Stein), whether they believed it or not, argued that four years of Hillary would be worse than four years of Trump.

The Supreme Court is tilted hard-right for at least the next 20 years.  The ACA is on its last legs and probably won't last another three years.  Our election system is thoroughly compromised and nothing will be done about it.  Trump's cabinet is actively looting the US treasury as we speak.  Abortion rights are going, going, almost gone.

Hell, even gay marriage might not survive.

(Did I mention children are being put into cages?)

Spectre Yadda Yadda

remember when "late Capitalism" was an ironic gesture?

— Stormy Jamesiels (@wetcasements) July 4, 2018

Sports Opinions! On The Internet!

In my office a little bleary-eyed on a Tuesday afternoon, after two weeks of staying up late to watch World Cup games.  I actually made the adult decision not to stay up until five last night to watch Belgium-Japan, and I guess I missed out on a thrilling match.

I thought Mexico would do more against Brazil.  It seems like the Selecao are determined by whether or not their midfield shows up to play defense.  And Neymar is such a big baby it hurts.

I still think Belgium looks good moving forward but I'm going to put it all on France.

But honestly, it's all coming down to whether the "good" of "bad" version of a given team shows up to play.  (Did Japan just decide they should start playing like a Round of 16 team last night?  Is it that easy to turn it all around?)

"countermajoritarian power"

Rebecca Traister distills our current U.S. nightmare down to the basics:

"Democrats have won the popular vote in four of five of the elections held since 2000, yet have only occupied the White House for two terms. Meanwhile, Republicans, as Jonathan Chait wrote Wednesday, are 'increasingly comfortable with, and reliant on, countermajoritarian power.' Of course, as Chait outlines in his column, the Electoral College was intentionally designed to empower a minority: those in less populous areas of the country who wanted to protect the institution of slavery. The documents that encoded the participatory democracy of which Americans tend to be so proud expressly barred the electoral, civic, and economic participation of the nonwhite and the non-male.

White men are at the center, our normative citizen, despite being only around a third of the nation’s population. Their outsize power is measurable by the fact that they still — nearly 140 years after the passage of the 15th Amendment, not quite 100 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, and more than 50 years after the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts — hold roughly two-thirds of elected offices in federal, state, and local legislatures. We have had 92 presidents and vice-presidents. One-hundred percent of them have been men, and more than 99 percent white men."

The whole thing is more than worth reading.