The Outsider and Canada stuff everywhere

On Friday I headed to...well, you know where...The Outsider with my junior from the office. He hadn't been there in a while but you can only resist the temptation for so long.


The Outsider's sign...you, too, can be an insider at The Outsider.

I think I may have to get some sort of VIP card there or something. I saw the owner there again and he did 2 things: (i) introduced me to a waitress from his San Francisco branch (run by his sister-in-law), I think he sees me as a fellow 기러기아빠/gi-reo-gi a-ppa (wild goose dad) as his wife and 2 girls are in the States; and (ii) he showed me his promotional booklet for the Yeouido location. Look! I'm in it! Hmmm...that gets me thinking. When I come in the doors they don't just say "어서 오십시오!/eoh-seo-oh-ship-say-yo! (Welcome!)" but many also say "하이제임스/Hi James." If you know who Norm is on Cheers you know what I mean. (Oh, and didn't say more than 2 words to the waitress...you know I'm not a 제비/jay-bi (playboy).)


Look, it's me in The Outsider promo book!


A closer look...man, I hope this was before I started losing weight!

Finally, before I started going on about the Canadian things I've been seeing pop up in Yeouido: Canadian lobster, beer, socks, celebrities...and now a mug. This one was strange. I went to my usual 삼계탕/sam-gye-tang place and it was a little cold so they served me some hot 보리차/bo-li-cha (barley/wheat tea); but not in a normal cup: in this Molson Canadian mug. Then I remembered that the owner is from Abbotsford (near Vancouver) so that explains how it got here and they probably know that I'm from Canada (Koreans aren't very PC, they judge you based on where you're from and have no qualms in asking). Still...


This Canada thing is getting a little scary.

I guess it was bound to happen. Koreans don't really like many of the policies of the U.S. and there has been in incredible influx of students and immigrants to Canada in the last few years. I wonder how far this will go. Will there be a Lotte World Canada park? Perhaps a Hyundai Toronto car? Maybe a TG Vancouver model computer?