Daegu City
Daegu city itself is very dynamic and eccentric. As most of you know, I am a graffiti artist back home so since arriving in Korea I’ve kept my eye out for some with no luck. However, while I was in Daegu I saw a handful of murals and random acts of destruction. Something which was non-existent in any of the other majors cities I’ve visited in Korea. Also, there was plenty of really random things that I encountered, such as the bar next to my hotel was named “New Denver” and down the street was an abandoned clothing store called “Colorado.” Quite the coincidence. As I said before this area of Daegu was very trendy, weird, and lively (as you will see in my pictures). There was a Barbie Bar, a Batman bar, plenty of hip-hop clubs, and even a FUBU clothing store (I don’t even think I’ve seen FUBU clothes in the US since I was in high school).
The next morning after my racial incident my new Australian friend and I parted. I soon found myself in an huge market called Seomun Market in Daegu. You could find anything here; cheap clothes, dishes, appliances, fruit, raw fish, enormous octopus and squid, live chickens, quails, ducks, rabbits, and even puppies. As much as I had wanted to try dog meat I’m not sure if I can after seeing the poor puppies piled in a cage with rabbits twice there size. They looked as if they already knew there fate. But before anyone gets angry, disgusted, or even begins to think negatively of Koreans, I want to stress that I have yet to met a Korean who has ate dog meat. Besides, this breed of dogs is specifically bred and raised to be eaten. They are not one day a family pet, and the next day brought out to the backyard and slaughtered for dinner (=. In fact, throughout this particularly enormous market there was only a one or two stands among a few thousand that sold dogs. Despite all this, it is true SOME Koreans eat dog meat. I have yet to meet one yet (or at least one who will admit it to a foreigner). Even one of my older adult student is ridiculed by the others for eating frog legs. When I asked him if he ate dog meat he looked surprised and said “No way.” I also asked my host father about it and he said dogs are pets not food (the family has two dogs). Too bad there not being raised for food, they’re kind of annoying. (= Just kidding, there getting use to me so they aren’t so bad anymore.
After leaving the market I stumbled upon a park/zoo called Dalseong Park. Since I was there on a Sunday afternoon it was full of Korean families and elderly men gambling on the sidewalks. The park was very attractive but I felt sorry for the animals because of their poor living conditions. They had a variety of animals from all over Asia and Europe. Many of which I had never seen back home at the Denver Zoo. Most of the enclosures were satisfactory but then again most of the larger animals including an Asian bear, vultures, and a few others looked miserable. I am by no means a zoologist or physician but the one elephant they looked very malnourished. I guess I am just use to the elaborate and accommodating enclosures that we have for most of the animals at the zoo in Denver.
My Korea guide book mentioned the red light district in Daegu because it is reminiscent of the scene of legalized prostitution in Amsterdam, Austria. Even though prostitution is illegal in Korea in this area it is said that you can walk down several streets and see women sitting behind windows under bright lighting waiting for their clients. It is obvious that the only purpose of this area is to promote the sex industry, but everyone willingly looks the other way. Also, noteworthy is that this place is frequented by Korean businessmen and is literally around the corner from a police station. I visited this area in the middle of the afternoon after leaving the park/zoo so I didn’t see anything strikingly strange. But it was clear that all of these dozens of empty waiting rooms were designed to put women on display as if they are objects.
The next morning after my racial incident my new Australian friend and I parted. I soon found myself in an huge market called Seomun Market in Daegu. You could find anything here; cheap clothes, dishes, appliances, fruit, raw fish, enormous octopus and squid, live chickens, quails, ducks, rabbits, and even puppies. As much as I had wanted to try dog meat I’m not sure if I can after seeing the poor puppies piled in a cage with rabbits twice there size. They looked as if they already knew there fate. But before anyone gets angry, disgusted, or even begins to think negatively of Koreans, I want to stress that I have yet to met a Korean who has ate dog meat. Besides, this breed of dogs is specifically bred and raised to be eaten. They are not one day a family pet, and the next day brought out to the backyard and slaughtered for dinner (=. In fact, throughout this particularly enormous market there was only a one or two stands among a few thousand that sold dogs. Despite all this, it is true SOME Koreans eat dog meat. I have yet to meet one yet (or at least one who will admit it to a foreigner). Even one of my older adult student is ridiculed by the others for eating frog legs. When I asked him if he ate dog meat he looked surprised and said “No way.” I also asked my host father about it and he said dogs are pets not food (the family has two dogs). Too bad there not being raised for food, they’re kind of annoying. (= Just kidding, there getting use to me so they aren’t so bad anymore.
After leaving the market I stumbled upon a park/zoo called Dalseong Park. Since I was there on a Sunday afternoon it was full of Korean families and elderly men gambling on the sidewalks. The park was very attractive but I felt sorry for the animals because of their poor living conditions. They had a variety of animals from all over Asia and Europe. Many of which I had never seen back home at the Denver Zoo. Most of the enclosures were satisfactory but then again most of the larger animals including an Asian bear, vultures, and a few others looked miserable. I am by no means a zoologist or physician but the one elephant they looked very malnourished. I guess I am just use to the elaborate and accommodating enclosures that we have for most of the animals at the zoo in Denver.
My Korea guide book mentioned the red light district in Daegu because it is reminiscent of the scene of legalized prostitution in Amsterdam, Austria. Even though prostitution is illegal in Korea in this area it is said that you can walk down several streets and see women sitting behind windows under bright lighting waiting for their clients. It is obvious that the only purpose of this area is to promote the sex industry, but everyone willingly looks the other way. Also, noteworthy is that this place is frequented by Korean businessmen and is literally around the corner from a police station. I visited this area in the middle of the afternoon after leaving the park/zoo so I didn’t see anything strikingly strange. But it was clear that all of these dozens of empty waiting rooms were designed to put women on display as if they are objects.