Allophile

...a grey afternoon and evening in San Francisco Airport: arriving before I left Seoul, clockwise...

Jet-travel and the international date-line--always surreal to have the clock not be in agreement with one's inner circadian rythyms--I left Seoul this (yesterday?) afternoon at 12:40, had a couple-hour layover in Tokyo's Narita airport, then arrived in rainy San Francisco after a 9 1/2 hr. flight (where I've spent ALL afternoon and early evening) two hours before I left...My flight to Tucson is about an hour from now, weather willing...

Among the last sights/sounds from my four-week stay in Korea, this:

There is a small 'cultural activities center' at the Seoul-Incheon airport, and twice daily there are traditional music performances; I caught this kayageum-performance as I made my way to my departure concourse.

She's playing sort of a 'theme and variations' on 'Arirang,' perhaps Korea's most well-known and beloved folk-song.

The kayageum is a zither that dates back to the 6th century--traditionally made with paulownia, chestnut, and walnut wood, with silk strings--and I've been fascinated by it from the first time I saw and heard one when I was seven years old. When I was in grad school, I actually had the chance to study it briefly--as part of the University's ethnomusicology program, there was a visiting professor--designated an 'Intangible National Treasure' by the Korean government for his work in preserving traditional culture--and I was able to take a summer quarter's worth of lessons from him! It was truly one of the most interesting things I was able to experience in graduate school--totally unrelated to my concentration of studies, but completely stimulating as it was unexpected...

I was able to 'avoid' jet-lag going to Korea...coming back, though, combined with today's purgatorial lay-over in San Francisco, is a different story. (I just found out that my flight has been delayed by another hour and a half! Egad...Flying United through San Francisco--not my favorite thing)...So, brain too fried--no insightful trip-wrapping-up comments tonight...Those things need time to marinate, anyway...

I can say what I ate, though--here in the airport, I at least had 'local' things--dim sum, soup in a sourdough bread-bowl, and a couple squares of Ghirardelli chocolate to go with Peet's coffee! Minutiae...At the airport in Incheon, my final meal in Korea was...a burger! Not just any burger, but a 'shrimp-bulgogi' burger from Lotteria, a South Korean fast-food chain:

(pronunciation note--pronounce "Lotteria" more like 'roh-teh-ree-yah,' ok?)

I wasn't really 'craving' a burger, but it fit my final hours' budget, and I hadn't yet eaten in a modern Korean interpretation of a burger-joint, so I figured it would be fun. I'd heard of bulgogi-burgers, bud had never had one. (Bulgogi, for the unitiated, is marinated beef stir-fry--it's usually what Koreans serve to people who've never had Korean food before, and it's almost always a hit.) So, on a long bun, were two meat-patties--one, a bulgogi-marinade-flavored beef patty, and the other--a breaded shrimp 'square'! I have to say, it was quite tasty. And the fries came with 'Mexican chili' seasoning. Fusion fast food...

Before any more banalities, I should sign off--find something to read...

Back in the U.S.