A word about Korean coffee

It was May of 2003, my first day of teaching in Korea. I was nervous and a little scared of standing on front of a room full of children who didnt undertand 80% of what i was talking about. I was thinking about making a run for it when i hear the question that makes me so very happy: "would you like some coffee?" GOD yes! it had been about 48 hours since i left Canada, and that was exactly what i needed: a nice cup of coffee. As i waited in anticipation, I wondered if Korean coffee would be better than coffee from home. Since I was still on a high of being in anew place, I thought "of course, it's going to be great."

"here you are" I spin around expecting a big mug of black yummy goodness.

instead, there is a small papercup,( like the ones the my students peed in for health checks- see earlier blog) with about an ounce of milky, sugary instant mix.

my heart sinks.

but I put a smile on my face and say thank you.

it was exactly how I expected it to be: like someone melted down a bunch of coffee flavored candies into a cup and added hot water.

I felt a small surge of panic.

I had just signed a year of my life to teaching in Korea. How was I going to function for a FULL YEAR on this stuff??

this one event sent me in search of coffee grinds, espresso's and chai tea all over the country. Fresh coffee used to be extremely hard to find in Korea. and it was expensive. which lead to me begging for care-packages stuffed with freshly ground beans from anyone who would send it.

It kind of became like an addiction- not the coffee drinking itself- I already know that i have a small problem- but the searching of the coffee. it was so rare to find, that I would stock up on it, like world war 3 was coming. it didnt matter how much I already had at home, I bought it up like a crackhead. a crazy, coffee feining crackhead.

Its very smilar with English books: they are expensive and rare, and so I find myslef buying books, when I'm already in the middle of reading 5 or 6.

After years of being around the coffee mix, I found a mild tolerance level of it. I dont like it, but I will swallow it down like bad medicine if I have to.

My Korean friends were shocked to learn that we dont have the "stick mix" in Canada, since its so convenient. I then have to explain that North Americans usually enjoy their morning coffee as a "wake up call" rather than dessert style in Korea. They then informed me that they had heard of other Koreans who brought their "sticks" with them while traveling overseas. They laugh when i tell them i got my coffee sent from home. we share a love for 2 coffees that are utterly and completely unalike.

I find it funny that cultures can be crossed and understood through something as small as how someone likes thier coffee :) coffee drinkers unite!

some pictures of the sticks: a "mix" sized cup next to an ordinary cup, 2 sticks and a pencil, and the mix unleashed into said small cup.