over the lips and past the gums, look out Beijing...

I joined a few Jeongseon local ladies-who-lunch for coffee and snacks with a side of English at 'Sand Day' (they serve sandwiches) at the request of someone from the Education Office.

I was explaining some Korean dishes I've tried: bibimbap [rice bowl with egg], so kalbi tang [beef rib stew], twoeng-jang-tchi-gae [soy bean paste soup], of course kimchi, and my huge fav - dak kalbi [spicy chicken BBQ with cabbage and eraser-sized pasta-esque rice cakes] just to name a few.

"You speak Korean with a mouthful of water," one of the women laughed.

News! I'm psyched to be taking my vacation to Beijing next week (among other places - more on that later).

I bet I'll speak Chinese with a mouthful of rocks.

Qǐng dǎ biǎo pronounced something like 'ching dah b-yau' means, "please turn on the meter." I've heard Taxi drivers in Beijing enjoy themselves a good scam, so I'm armed.

Dak Kalbi makes me salivate - it's a Chuncheon City specialty (capital of Gangwon-do) that's been adopted as a province-wide staple.