Ajooma

Last Thursday I saw Dirty Dancing : The Musical, currently cheesing it up at the Aldwych Theater.

I am not a musical goer. In fact, I can’t stand them. I’m not sure why. I like watching professional dancers jitterbugging swinging jumping and jiving. I sit enthralled as Fred Astair moves. Nothing beats live performance. So what’s wrong with Broadway? I think it’s the music. Unfortunately, I’m one of those predominately visual people, and as much as my life is less complete for it, music just doesn’t rock my world. Also, I find bursting into song every 5 minutes ridiculous at the best of times, and annoying otherwise.

Having lived in NY and now London, I realize it is de rigueur for tourists, so I was coerced into watching Les Miserables (friend of the family), Cats (mom & brother), and Chicago*(friend). This time was no exception. My old boss from Korea was here on business trip, en-route from NY. I was taking him around London and he was quite adamant about seeing a musical. I had no idea in the 5 or so years working for him that he was such an aficionado, and had almost seen the whole repertoire of what musicals had to offer.

Even if musicals are not my cup of tea, it’s hard to ignore what’s on offer if you live in London. It’s advertised in all the underground stations, free newspapers, and then there are the theaters dotted around central London, and not sequestered in Times Square like NY where I can avoid them. I’ve also noticed this lazy trend in turning movies into musicals that is even more off putting. A list of offenders include Spamalot, which frankly states it is “lovingly ripped off from the classic film”, Lord of the Rings, and Gone with the Wind. I will take some exception to the musicals that were based on movies that featured lots of songs already (Hairspray & The Producers) I haven’t seen any of these, so maybe I’m talking out of my ass, but what’s wrong with the musical medium that you can’t write something dedicated to just that?

Fresh from seeing Wicked in NY, Ex-Boss was eager to see what London had to offer. I took him to Leicester Square ticket booth where Dirty Dancing had caught his eye. I cringed inside, and tried to subtly persuade him to see something else, but he had seen everything else and wanted something lively so he wouldn’t sleep through it, like he had with Phantom of the Opera. As I queued for the ticket I was secretly hoping they were sold out, but couldn’t fathom that happening. To my surprise, there were just two tickets left which I purchased on the spot.

We arrived at the Aldwych 15 minutes before curtain. Our last minute tickets were nosebleed seats in the upper balcony, but at least centre of the stage. It was kind of funny looking down, as if I was watching people from an airplane about to lift off. The seats had binoculars you can borrow for 50p that I didn’t bother with. This might not be a surprise, but the audience was 90% female, and around my age or older. I don’t remember if the characters in the movie were one dimensional, but here they are shadows of shadows and all the lines are lifted directly from the movie. If you’ve seen the movie, and I’m sure everyone in the audience has, you are not here to see something new. I’m convinced nostalgia is a growing market, one on par with the organic movement. This guardian review sums it up to a T for me, so I won’t go into in too much. But, as soon as the first strands of the all too familiar soundtrack started whoops and cheers rippled through the crowd. It felt like a gigantic hen night, and I started feeling sorry for the minority of men in the audience.

Dirty Dancing is a movie I will always associate with my first slumber party. I was about 11 and it was a BIG DEAL for me. My parents were already alarmed at the rate I was assimilating into American culture, while they tried to instill Korean values that didn’t resonate with me. I spoke English in school, with my brother, with my friends, and my teachers always marveled at how flawless my accent was compared to my parents. When some American friends invited me to stay after school, or even spend the night at their house, my parents were aghast. Even when their parents called my parents to assure them of my safety and promised to bring me home the next day. When I finally convinced them to have a sleep over at my house, I was wild with joy and nervous at how they would think about my living arrangements. I was afraid they might laugh at the smelly food and small size of my house, not to mention the dynamics of the girls who were attending. Little kids can be so cruel. All that kinda of melted away when we put Dirty Dancing into the VCR and bunched around the tv lying around on the extended couch bed. I know I wasn’t mature enough to appreciate all the subtleties the movie had to offer, (something about friction between classes?) but it had lots of great dancing and a memorable soundtrack. There was something deliciously grown up about staying up late, watching a movie with the title Dirty in it with lots of friends without adult supervision that made me think even back then that I was passing a rite of passage. There was even a kid a couple years younger from the block the ‘older’ kids felt we had to protect from the bedroom scenes, covering her eyes when Johnny took off Baby’s top.

All this was passing through my mind as I was watching the musical. The dancing was marvelous, the performers acrobatic and sensual. I decided that if I can’t beat’ em, to join ‘em. There was a roar that rippled through the crowd when the stage showed a mattress, Johnny in briefs, and Baby under the covers. While every female in crowd mentally superimposed themselves on the stage, the camaraderie and good feeling that overflowed manifested in the girl next to me offering to let me get a closer look through her binoculars. Getting an eyeful uplifted my mood, and when Johnny returned on stage after a ferocious motorcycle sound effect, threw his duffel bag down and shouted “Nobody puts Baby in a Corner!” I hollered and waved my arms in the air along with everyone else.

All in all I have to say I liked it, and I think I would have liked it even more if I was out with my girlfriends, where we could have drinks afterwards and confess our first crushes too each other. If you are into cheese, even on a ironic level this is the show for you.

*I actually enjoyed this, and I’m glad I saw it before the movie came out. Thanks HJ!

온가족이 간만에 동네를 벗어나 JFK Library and Museum을 가게 되었다. 보스톤 시내에서 자동차로 10분거리에 위치한 JFK L&M은 바로 앞에 바다가 펼쳐져 있다. 물만 건너면 유럽이 나오는데 배타고 런던 아줌마를 만나러 갈까 생각해보았다.ㅎㅎ 아무튼 계절이 바뀔때마다 종종가는 곳이지만 겨울에 이 곳을 방문하긴 처음이다. 겨울바다도 볼 겸 해서 오게 되었는데 바다 바람이 좀 거세게 불어 건물 밖에를 거닐지는 못했다.

JFK Library and Museum은 1979년에 건축가 I.M. Pei가 디자인한 건물로 John F.Kennedy전대통령을 기리기 위해 세계 각처에서 36만명의 사람들이 성금을 거두어 지어진 건물이다. 바다 바로 앞에 지어진 이하얀 건물은 거대한 하얀 컨크리트 벽과 유리벽으로 디자인 되어있다. I.M. Pei의 주특기 geometric한 형태를 역역히 건물 안과 밖에서 느낄 수 있었다. 주차장에서 건물안으로 들어서면 건물의 2층과 곧바로 연결되어있다. 입구에 들어서면 우측에 Museum들어가는 표를 파는 부스가 마련되어져 있고 왼편으로 들어가면 작은 shop과 카폐가 자리 잡고 있다. 남편과 가끔 이곳 을 찾는 이유중의 하나는 JFK L&M카폐에 들리기 위해서다. 2층에왼편 구석에 마련된 카폐는 매우 작은 크기에 간단한 식사들을 팔고 있는데 가격이 매우 저렴하고 바다의 전망이 매우 훌륭하게 내려다 볼 수 있는 곳이다. 사실 이 곳에 올때마다 Museum은 들어가 보지도 않고 카폐에만 들려 커피한잔 마시며 우리나라 다방에 온 것 같이 남편과 수다 떨며 시간을 보냈다. 허나 아들도 처음으로 같이 오고 해서 오늘은 Museum에 들어가 보기로 했다. 대한민국 전대통령도 아닌 미국 대통령 기념 전시관 입장료가 성인 한명당 10불이어서 좀 아깝다는 생각도 들었지만 아가에게 몬가를 보여주기 위해 들어갔다.

전시관 입구는 2층에서 시작되어 1층 로비와 연결되어 있는데 총 21개의 테마로 이루어져 있다. JFK의 대통령의 어린 시절 부터 대통령 취임 및 그의 행적들 그리고 가족사 마지막으로 그가 암살 당한 것과 현재에서 그를 바라보는 시각들을 보여주고 있다. 많은 사진 자료들과 신문들, 생생히 재현된 그당시의 상황 및 소품들에 놀라지 않을 수 없었다. 내가 타임머쉰을 타고 1960대로 돌아간 느낌이었다. 제일 뭉클했던 곳은 19번째 관에 November 22,1963이라는 곳이었다. 그날이 바로 JFK가 암살 당한 날이었다. 그곳은 사방이 검은 벽으로 되어 있으며 한벽면만 작은 흑백 스크린들이 당시 상황을 전하는 뉴스를 계속해서 방연하고 있었다. 슬픔 영화를 바도 그리 눈물이 안나오는 아줌마인데 이상하게 마음이 좀 찡했다. 아무레도 전시관의 놀라운 전시 효과인 것같다. 맨마지막 관을 끝으로 1층 로비에 들어서니 일층부터 끝층까지 뚫려있는 구조로 전면이 유리벽으로 되어 있으며 바다가 바로 앞에 펼쳐져 있었다. 시원하게 펼쳐져 있는 바다를 바라보니 타임머신을 타고 다시 현재로 돌아온 느낌이었다. 홀 공중에는 거대한 성조기가 걸려 있었다. 성조기를 바라보며 미국 시민도 아니지만 왼지 모를 애국심 같은 것이 새겨나는데 다단계 교육을 받고 나온 느낌이었다.

아들이 태어나서 처음으로 방문한 Museum이었는데 왠지 미국에서 태어난 아들에게 잘 선택된 곳이었다고 생각이 들었다.

When I first came to London, I lived in Bromley, a suburbish area in zone 4. It’s only claims to fame were the dinky little train station that won a best platform award and that David Bowie grew up and got the hell out of there. I was still getting my bearings of not just Bromley but the English way of life, and shopped at the local Sainsbury for substance. Overall, I was not impressed with the offerings of British supermarkets, or the food culture. I could have eaten at the school canteen, but the only thing it had going for it was as a source bonding about the disgusting stuff they charged as food amongst students. I would trek to china town or the Korean supermarket in Centre Point for rations I couldn’t live without. (김치, 된장, 고추장, 김, 쌀) I knew I wasn’t going to live here forever, and I was a poor student, so I grimaced and bore it.

When I moved to (East) London, I lived with a Turk and an Argentinian. As 3 girls in a flat we tended to congregate in the kitchen; cooking, eating, and talking throughout the night. I’m not a good cook, but I missed Korean food so much, I ended up cooking most nights, and the Turkish girl was phenomenal in the kitchen. We all made cuisine from our homeland, trashing English food and way of life to make ourselves feel better. I had no more illusions of what British produce could offer me. All the vegetables tasted water logged. The sweetness level produced from bright sunshine never reached their potential, and I started avoiding fruit, something I relish normally.

At this point, I started going to Farmer’s markets, trying to get the best basics to cook with. In Korea, the produce you get anywhere is going to be pretty much the same standard - good. Here, it differs wildly between big brand super-chain and small time farmer. I found that the better ingredients I used, the better the food tastes. Not rocket science, but I think it makes so much difference in England. All the exotic foods shipped or flown from out of the country, or even continent are picked unripe and sprayed with chemical and preservatives, so I wanted to eat local. Through a period of trial and error, I discovered what tastes good here. A wealth of potatoes in variety and sizes, sweet cabbages (looking like nothing I’ve ever seen), creamy leeks, and sweet parsnips (which I thought were white carrots at first). As for fruit, there are delicious berries of all sorts and crisp crunchy apples. Aside from that, I really don’t like any other English food.

As good as Farmer’s markets are, they do start racking up on the purse, and I can’t rely on Saturday to be the only day I go shopping. So for about a year now, I’ve been getting my fruit and vegetables delivered home. This may sound extremely lazy, but I think it’s worth it. There is no doubt I’m more interested in the green/organic /ethical movement than the average polar bear, but I think it’s a trend that’s being heavily pushed and partly subsidized in the UK. As well as going with the flow of recycling and using public transport (I kind of have no choice here, I don’t drive and neither does my husband) I’ve tried my best to consume organic, local, seasonal, sustainable food. There are many out there who say environmentalism is essentially a bourgeois hobby, that working class people can’t live off 3 organic potatoes and a cabbage. While I can’t say it’s cheaper than shopping at Tesco (if you buy pesticide grown crops) I do think you can eat well and eat healthy in London.

I started ordering with Able & Cole, a London based grocery delivery service, and I’m pretty satisfied.

This is what we get usually, a box of fruit and a box of vegetables. It takes awhile to get use to this way to cooking, because you do not get to choose what goes into your box. It’s whatever is seasonal and what the local farmers are growing. You do get veto power to change items, but I’ve tried not to abuse it, as we get strange and wonderful items. Through this scheme I’ve had Jerusalem artichokes, black salsify, celeriac, sunflower seed sprouts, gooseberries, and strange looking cabbages. The vegetable frequently come caked with soil, as if they were pulled straight from the ground that very morning. To be a bit more cynical, it reminds me of a Berger and Wyse comic

Other than that, the boxes come with a newsletter that has a few recipe ideas and little blurbs about the people who grew your food. It’s really nice to be able to read about Pip Browning at Manor Farm who labours throughout the year to bring me my food. Able and Cole are not the only ones who offer this service, another couple in our flat of 8 also has deliveries, from Just Organic, who are exclusive to East and North London.
If you take into account the convince of not going out and shopping, the reasonable price, and better taste, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to do this. I was comparing living expenses with a friend recently, and I found out I spend less money than her on conventional shopping. However, you must take into account I don’t buy any meat of any kind. So take it with a grain of organic sea salt, but I think it’s worth it.

Yesterday (Feb 5 2008) was Shrove Tuesday, originally a religious celebration, which now in the UK means eating pancakes. According to some Catholic or Christian tradition this is the day before Lent, where you fast and pray for 40 days before Easter. After all that abstinence you can then gorge on hard boiled eggs and chocolate shapes animals. But, let’s not forget to indulge before all the fasting. In more boisterous nations (France, Germany, but mostly Brazil) it’s know as Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, the day people are allowed, nay encouraged to go crazy. So, rich foods like eggs, milk, and sugar should be done away with before Ash Wednesday, and what’s the best way to get rid of all those ingredients? The solution the Anglos came up with is pancakes. Hmmmm. I think I’m missing something here. Anyway, traditions are traditions because they are passed on, not because they make sense.

So, as I want to assimilate as much as possible into my chosen homeland, I duly ‘had a go’ of it. Making something simple as pancakes showed me once again how much difference there is between American/British culture & word usage. Of course I’m not American, but I grew up there first so I normally associate pancakes with stacks of thick fluffy golden brown layers topped with a pat of square butter, maple syrup, and Aunt Jemima. Imagine my surprise and disgust when my husband suggested Stilton and cress as toppings. Able & Cole, the organic box scheme we get deliveries from was already promoting a “Pancake Day package” that came with flour, milk, eggs, and also caster sugar and lemons. So I was aware of a sweet (& bitter) topping, but cheese? And what stinking cheese at that too. It was a far cry from greasy spoon diners, where pancakes are normally consumed with scrambled eggs and maybe a strip of crispy fried bacon or two (again not like English bacon which look more like ham steaks).

However with an open mind, we looked up some recipes online, and substituted milk for soy milk.

The recipe:
110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter

You sift the flour into a bowl, make a hole and drop in the eggs. Then whisk like the wind, while slowly adding the milk/water mixture. This is definitely a two person job. When all the liquid was poured in, the batter looked a bit runny to me. But we followed the direction, and how hard can it be to mess up pancakes?

Heat the pan with a bit of butter till it starts smoking, pour the batter, and swirl it around a bit. It all happens very fast, and you must be careful not to burn them. You want the pancakes to be slightly thicker than a crepe. Now comes the fun part, flipping. Wiggle the pancake in the pan to make sure the pancake isn’t stuck to the pan, then Alloop! up it goes. Toss and catch. Transfer to a plate, and sprinkle a bit of lemon juice, dust a coat of sugar and consume immediately. They are so thin, its advisable to fold them in half twice to make a triangle, or fold them over and over like a a baby in swaddling - minus the baby.

We had savory ones first, which had bits of Stilton sprinkled into the batter while it was cooking, and cress garnish on the plate. After a couple of those, we moved on to the sweet with the customary lemon and sugar, then a few banana slices to spice things up.

All in all, they were a pretty filling meal, and I probably ate most of them, as my husband was busy flipping. I think I should call them something else, as I can’t get my head around these flimsy flat sheets of fried flour + milk mixture as pancakes though. Maybe pansheets.

남편과 나는 먹는 것을 그리 좋아하는 사람들이 아니다. 그래서 특별히 좋아하는 음식이 없고 늘상 먹는 것만 먹는다.

음식점 또한 늘상 가는 곳만 간다. 그래서 보스톤에 놀러온 사람들이 맛집을 추천해 달라고 하면 대략 난감해 진다. 그래도 햄버거 한집 정도는 추천 할 수 있는 곳이 있다.

보스톤에 처음 도착하였을때 아파트를 잡지 못하여서 하버드 스퀘어 근처 inn에서 2주정도 머무른 적이 있었다. 그때를 생각하면 흑흑 눈물이 난다. 임신 1달정도 되었을 때라 와이리 먹고 싶은 것이 많은지 잠만 자면 먹는 꿈만 꾸었다. 그러나 당시 상황이 잘 먹을 수 있는 여건이 안되었다. 3끼를 밖에서 다 해결하며 살아서 조미료 음식에 매우 괴로웠다. 그리고 가는 음식점 마다 우리가 시키는 음식들은 유난히 특이하고 맛이없었다. 하루는 점심 시간때쯤 하버드 스퀘어를 방황하다가 웬 음식점에 줄서있는 것을 본적이 있었다. 외관으로 볼때 좀 허름에 보이는 햄버거집이었다.

한국에서 학생식당 줄서서 밥먹는 것에 이골이 난 남편은 모든지 줄서서 먹는 것을 매우 싫어한다. 그래도 항상 음식점에 실패한 우리는 줄서서 먹을 정도로 몬가 있다고 생각하여 대중을 따라하면 실패 할 것 없다고 생각한 우리는 줄을 기달려 음식점에 들어갔다. 음식점 안에 들어가니 정신없는 포스터와 사진들이 잡다하게 벽에 붙여있었다. 사진에는 정치인사 및 유명 연예인들 사진들이 즐비하게 있었다. 얼핏보니 하버드 출신의 유명 인사 같이 보였다. 메뉴는 정말 다양한 햄버거가 있었다. 특이한건 햄버거 이름 들이었다. 힐린턴 햄버거,오바마 햄버거, 짐캐리 햄버거등 유명인사들의 이름을 붙여 만들었다.

나중에 웨이터에게 햄버거 이름과 햄버거 맛의 관계를 물어보았지만 별 상관없이 재미로 만들었다고 한다. 아무튼 우리는 유명인사 두명을 골라 먹었다. 이름을 밝일 수 없는 각자가 지지하는 유명인사 버거를 막었다.

가격대비 어마어마하게 두꺼운 고기가 갓구운 빵사이에 끼어서 나왔다. 사이드로는 감자 튀김이 나왔다. 보스톤 도착하여 처음으로 가장 만족 스러운 곳이었다. 가격대비 양도 많아고 기다린 보람이 있었다.

사람이 많아서 그런지 웨이터는 그리 친절하지 않고 only cash만 받는 것이 단점이었지만 만족스러운 식사를 할 수 있는 곳이다.

지금도 누군가 보스톤을 방문하면 들리는 곳이 되었다.

주소는 아래와 같고 차를 가져가면 주차 할 곳 찾기가 매우 어려워 밥 못먹구 집에 돌아갈 수도 있다. 그런 적이 몇번있었음

1246 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138-3820

Last November I went foraging for mushrooms in Wiltshire, which is between London and Cardiff. It’s a very small county stuck 20 years in the past, in the best way. I’ve never gone hunting for mushrooms before, or even gathering for wild food. I was very excited to throw off the yokes of industrialized food production and get out of London for a weekend. Kat grew up in the clean air and green fields of Tisbury and kindly invited me, Dave, and Shannon to her parents house. The drive there was about 5 hours, but we had fireworks going off around us every 5 minutes in preparation for Guy Fawkes and an iPod full of tracks to keep us occupied.

Once there, we sampled the offerings in the all(3) the local pubs, including my first pickled egg, which is customary consumed with a packet of crisps (salt and vinegar). The next day was spent walking around the town, including the cemetery, some fields carpeted with shade, and a lake. The WI (Woman’s Institutes are locally organised groups for British women) was having a sale, featuring local jams, chutneys, cakes, eggs, and other knick knacks. Kat insisted we go, as a General Medley’s preserves were legendary, but warned us to shine our elbows as the local ladies were quite formidable about getting the best. We queued till the doors opened and stormed in, trying to be brisk without appearing to rush. There were indeed many people who used their bodies to block competitors. I managed to come away with G. Medley spicy pear chutney. Later in the day the party of 6 piled into 2 cars to head off to the forest where we would forage. Debbie, Kat’s mother is a mushroom enthusiast, and the most knowledgeable amongst our group. We followed her lead mostly. It was wonderful being in the forest. The dark and dank, smelling of the decay of fallen foliage made my nose tingle. I realized how much I missed nature in London. It’s true London is pretty green, with wide expanses of parks, but I missed the rolling hills and mountains of the Korean landscape. It’s so easy in Korea to go hiking, and get out the noise and bustle of the urban environment.

It takes a while to get use to mushroom foraging mode. You need sharp eyes and soft feet. The mushrooms grow on around old tree trunks or decaying bits of logs. They are quite small, and blend into the muted tones of autumn.

You need to shuffle your feet about, displaying the fallen leaves, but not too hard for fear or breaking the mushrooms. They are very fragile and delicate. Once your eyes get used to spotting them, they are everywhere. The problem is most are non edible. In fact, only 20% of our gathering was throw into the pan. The variety of mushrooms we collectively found were so numerous that Deb was consulting at least 3 books. I was surprised by the diversity of shape, size, texture, colour, and reproduction methods of fungi. This puffball released it’s spores in the air.

I also saw tiny yellow staghorns that look like antlers, minuscule ghost gloves, milkcaps that exude a milky substance when the gills are broken, and hard polypores that jut out from tree trunks like seats. There were also slick and slimy toadstools and amethyst deceiver, which despite being purple are edible. Although they do have a similar looking cousin which is poisonous.

The sun was starting to sink so we headed back with out bounty. Kat and Shannon cooked a delicious meal of pigeon (which Debbie had already procured), leek and bok choy stir fry (both vegetables from the garden) and the main feature…the mushrooms on toast. It was a wonderful feast, my stomach responding to the manual labour and freshness of the meal.

날라가는 비행기를 보며 항상 한국을 그리워 하고 있지만 어린 아들과 한국에 갈 엄두가 나지 않아 아들이 어서 자라기를 기다라고 있다. 서울까지 가는 직항 비행기가 다시 운행만 되어도 한국갈 마음을 먹을텐데….1997년 부터 4년정도 대한항공이 서울까지 non stop으로 운행을 했다고 하는데 지금은 아시아로 직항하는 비행기가 한대도 없다고 한다. 보스톤에 도착한 이후 한번도 비행기를 타보지 못했지만 보스톤 공항에 나갈 일은 한달에 두번이상 생긴다. 가족 또는 친구들의 방문, 차없는 유학생 라이드등 보스톤 공항 빌딩안은 못 들어가구 출구,입구 앞에서 사람들을 태우고 내리고 일을 자주 하게 된다. 오늘도 남편의 죽마고우 부부가 방문 한다고 하여 공항으로 온가족이 총출동 하게 되었다. 주차장과 짐찾는 곳 까지의 거리가 꾀 멀고 복잡하여 우리 식구들은 공항 갈일이 생기면 모두가 나서게 된다. 한명은 사람을 찾으로 들어가고 나와 아가는 차에서 남편 기다리는게 일이다. 미국에서 가장 운전 난폭하기로 유명한 보스톤에서 공항 출구 게이트 앞에 차를 어정쩡하게 서있다가는 무진 욕을 먹든 경찰에게 끌려가기 쉽다. 그래서 난 항상 남편 나오기 전에 한두 바퀴 공항안을 도는게 일이다.지금 사는 집에서 공항까지는 자동차로 10분정도의 아주 짧은 거리이지만 터널을 2개정도 지나게 된다. 많이 지나다닌 길이지만 갈때마다 헷갈린다. 그래서 공항까지의 운전은 항상 남편이 하고 있다. 나름 한국에서는 복잡한 청담동 골목과 방배동 골목 골목도 잘 헤집고 다녔는데 아이를 낳더니만 나의 총기가 사라 진 것같아 가끔 매우 우울한 생각이 들기도 한다.보스톤에 와본 사람이라면 느끼는 점이겠지만 유난히 던킨도넛이 많이 있다. 뉴욕의 한블럭 마다 스타벅스가 있듯이 보스톤에는 한블럭 마다 던킨도넛이 있다. 이유인즉 던킨도넛이 보스톤에서 시작 되었다고 한다. 보스톤 공항 안에도 마찬가지로 던킨도넛이 3군데나 있다. 그래서 공항에 사람을 마중나갈때 던킨 앞에서 보자고 하면 낭패를 보기 쉽다. 우리도 그전에 몇번 만나기로 한사람들과 서로 다른 던킨 앞에서 기다리며 고생한적이 있었다.아무튼 오늘 우리 식구들은 (남편,아들,나) 무사히 손님들을 태우고 집으로 오게되었다.

나도 비행기 타러 보스톤 공항에 갈일이 생기기를 바라며…..

사진은 포스트 카드의 보스톤 공항

Q.저희아이는 4개월이고요 이빨이 날려고 하나봐요. 밤에 잠도 잘안자고 계속 징징되는데 잇몸에 바르는 연고가 있다고 들었는데 이름을 알 수 있을까요?

A.연고 보단 그 부분에 가제 수건으로 마사지 한 뒤 아기 타이레놀을 주셔도 될 듯.

Q.낮가림은 언제쯤 하는건가요? 저희아이는 7개월인데요 아무나 보면 웃는데 좀 섭섭합니다.

 A.아기 때의 버릇들은 어린아이가 된 후 전혀 없어집니다 

Q.저희 아기는 분유를 먹는데요 항상 반정도만 먹어요. 남은 분유가 아까운데 한번 담은 분유는 몇분정도 나두었다가 먹어도 될까요? 아니면 한번 먹이고 그냥 버려야 되는건지..

A.당연히 버려야지요. 아깝다고 생각하면 절대 아되요. 30분 이상은 절대 먹이지 마세요. 

Q.요즘 날씨가 무지 추워지는데요. 저희 아이가 인제 막 6개월이 되었습니다. 겨울에 아이한테 두꺼운 우주복이 필요한지 궁금하네요. 그전에 어떤분이 우주복 나중에 짐만 된다고 그냥 겹겹이 입히라고 했는데 그래도 두꺼운 파카가 필요하지 않나 싶어서요.

A.우주복이 하나 있으면 유용 하실때 있읍니다. car seat belt에 꽉 낀다는 단점 ! 요즘 car seat cover 겨울용이 참 잘 나오던데 

Q.저희 아이는 3개월이고요 요즘 저는 모유 수유를 하고 있습니다. 꿀을 먹지 말라고 저희 어머니가 그러셨는데요. 이유가 모예요?

A.여러가지 알러지를 만든데요. 계란도 안되죠 

Q.저희 아들이 인제 8개월입니다. 아직도 머리가 자라지 않고 있는데요. 머리숫 많은 아이들 보면 부러워요. 나이많은 분들이 아이 머리를 면도칼로 밀어 주면 많이 난다고 하는데 좀 겁이 나네요. 그래도 되는건지 궁금합니다.

A.미국 의사는 미신이라고 합니다 

Q.저희 아들이 인제 막 돌을 지났는데요 손을 계속 빨고 있어요. 계속 나두면 알아서 안빠는건지 어떻에 할까요? 예전에 바람과 함께 사라지다 영화에서 스칼렛의 딸이 손가락을 빤다고 하니 그동네 아줌마가 손가락에 쓴약을 바르라는 내용이 어렴풋이 기억 나는데요 그래도 되는건지?(버는 바람과 함께 사라지다 왕펜이랍니당)

A.요즘 안 쓴다고 합니다. 엄마는 걱정 되지만 아기 스스로 만족하는 법을 배우는 것이니 정서적으로 보채는기 보단 안정적이죠. 세네 살되면 자연스레 덜 하며 그만두죠. 더 일찍, 늦을 가능성도 있지만 걱정마세요. 

Q.아기한테 어려서 부터 책을 읽어 주라고들 하는데 저희 아기는 7개월입니다. 주위가 너무 산만하여 책읽어주면 듣지도 않고 딴거에 너무 관심이 많아요. 어떻에 하죠?

A.아기가 가만히 몇 분 오래 앉아 있는 것이 더 이상하죠.일찍 책을 많이 읽어 주시는 것은 좋은 투자하시는 겁니다. 그렇게 읽으며 자란 아이와 않 읽어 준 아이의 차이는 크지요. 

Q.저희 아이가 인제 만으로3살이 되어 프리스쿨에 보내고 있습니다. 집에서 한국말만 써서 학교에 가서 영어에 적응을 못하고 있는데요. 차츰 좋으질까 걱정이 되네요. 그렇다고  집에서 영어로 쓰면 아이가 영영 한국말을 잊어버릴까 걱정이 됩니다.

A.아이들의 언어 습득 능력은 상상을 초월합니다.집에서 양쪽  부모가 한국 말을 계속 시키시는 것이 관건입니다.

England is famous for many things. Ahead of the cultural curve (or so they think), strong financial market, soon host of the Olympics, hustle bustle town with something going on all the time. But a temperate climate is not one of them. Why pick on a negative when there are overwhelming positives abound? Because weather, the atmosphere around you is always there. It effects the people and the mind set from the time you get up to the moment you go to bed. Something so all encompassing is bound to shape the national personality in some way. So what’s the weather like here? Everyone knows it. It rains. Allot, and often. It’s never constant, though so one can get some nasty surprises while outside. To compare with Korea, I mapped the average rainfall throughout the year.

Although it seems obvious to me, with the spike in the summer to signify the monsoon, the red is Korea and blue is England. If you tallied the mms of rainwater, Korea gets more, but in concentrated amounts over a relatively short period, while it seems in rains every other day in England. The sloping line is deceptive, as the weather can be quite volatile, though in a narrow window. Once I’ve been through a cloudy day that turned into an outburst of sunshine, a torrent of rain, drizzle, and back to dark clouds all in one afternoon. This indecision on part of the weather is mirrored in the hemming and hawing of the English. I don’t think people are cold here, just confused.

Speaking of temperature, or lack of I tried mapping the high and lows of the day throughout the year as well.

Using the same colour markers as before, it’s plain to see that England is in fact milder. But I always feel colder here. I think it’s because the rain keeps everything damp. This is the kind of moisture that seeps into your bones. The winters are terrible, just warm enough not to snow, so you don’t even have the rewards for enduring the cold. Bookmakers regularly give odds for a white christmas, but I’ve never seen one my 3 years here.

But the summers are beautiful. Sometimes a week of straight sunny days. Unlike the humid and hot days of Korea, ideal for breeding mosquitoes, here the warm heat is cut through with cool breezes and big blue skies dotted with fluffy white clouds. They usually lat for 3 weeks though. But all the crap kinda makes up for it, when I’m walking about and everyone seems a bit friendlier, and I find myself greeting strangers. Well at least smiling at them. On one of those days, I was cloud spotting and found on shaped like the UK. What do you think?

Depending on who you are talking to London is the heart of finance/culture/design/art/fashion…etc. Probably everything expect cuisine. So, it’s no surprise to see public installations of historic moments and people cast in bronze dotted throughout the city. The thing I really like about London though is the eclectic mixture of public art. While the statues of past Queens and Kings will be around forever, there is always a flux of temporary shows or exhibits to delight the emotional senses while strolling through an otherwise concrete urbanscape. One of the shows I’m currently interested in is the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. Named after the famous battle of Waterloo, and decorated with lions, a large fountain, and a column astride with Admiral Nelson, Trafalgar Square is in the middle of major tube junctions and a popular meeting ground for tourists and demonstrators. Designs for the square were started in 1820’s by John Nash, and completed in 1845 by Sir Charles Barry. Except for the Fourth Plinth. It was intended to support a statue of William IV riding a horse, but ran out of money. Later attempts to complete the plinth were drown in disagreements over subject matter. The plinth was empty till 1999 when the Royal Society of Arts commissioned 3 contemporary artists to provide an attraction. (Over the next 3 years Mark Wallinger (1999), Bill Woodrow (2000) , and Rachel Whiteread (2001) had a go). The feedback was so positive, the Greater London Authority decided to continue an on going installation in 2005 with Marc Quinn’s Alison Lapper Pregnant.

Alison Lapper is an artists with phocomelia, which caused her to be born with truncated arms and legs. Her caster, Mark Quin ran with the YBA’s and exhibited flowers in suspended animation in the Sensation show of Charles Satchii. I always liked this sculpture for it’s stoic presence. A huge pregnant woman, herself looking like she needs care, looking over all the people in the square. It’s a marvel to behold.

Currently the Fourth Plinth is housing Thomas Schütte’s sculpture Model for a Hotel 2007.

Having gotten use to a marble statue of a pregnant Venus de Milo, I was shocked t hear something else was on offer. Thomas Schütte’s minuature hotel was unveiled in November 2007. Maybe I caught it on a cloudy day, but the material looked like dull acrylic and translucent glass. I don’t know much about this German artist, but I guess he’s famous or I’m losing touch.

Regardless of what I feel about this particular scuplture, it will only be up till this Spring. Already the gears are moving to chose from a group of 6 short listed artists. Even the free papers are reporting on it. I love the proximity of art and creativity in everyday life in London.