November 8, 2009
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Moveable Feasts
I seem to have a penchant for stealing from credible authors, and this time is no different. I remember when I first read Hemmingway’s novel, Moveable Feast, about eating and his life in Paris. It’s been a long time since I’ve read it, so I won’t even attempt a literary ciriticism type thing with it, but this week has been one of “moveable feasts” where life and food have intersected.
Monday, Mina and Seong were here from Papua, New Guinea, where they are missionaries working with an aboriginal tribe to transcribe their language and begin an educational program as well as bring the message of Christ, the Bible, and the Good News. The circumstances were sad, Mina’s mother had just passed away, but our meeting was joyful. Mina, who speaks very good English, and I fell in like friends who had not seen each other in months–a truthful statement since they left to return to their mission not long after I came to Korea. They came to our school to offer prayers and meditations to Mr. Chou, Hace, and me on Monday evening. Seong is a gifted minister, and although he preached in Korean, I said, “Don’t worry about it. I pick up on the spirit so easily.” Then Mina translated so I would get the gist of his message. After prayers, Seong was called out on a phone call, and Mina asked if she could sing a song for me. First she talked about the message of the song, then she sang in a clear, bell toned voice “You Lift Me Up.” Her message was not to forget that God is there to lift us up to do things we never thought we could do, which I truly take to heart.
But this is about food! After our meeting we all went out to dinner at a place buried in the warren of eateries in the Apgujeong area that Mr. Chou and Hace know so well. The food was delicious: a huge, mung bean pancake, dumplings the size of your fist, delicious, spicy soup, and lots of Korean side dishes. Hace told me these were North Korean dishes, so a little different from what we’re used to. You should have seen Seon’s face as he savoured each bite saying, “This is the dish I miss the most in the bush!”
It was a joy to see Mina and Seong enjoying the meal. They work for the New Tribes Mission out of Florida, and truly live in the bush as natives do. Supplies come about every three months. Did you know that eggs can last unrefridgerated for about two months? I started to title this “Two Month Eggs” because that’s just one of the facts about their life that stuck with me. They are dealing with an indigineous tibe that has no written language–that’s their job, to write it down, which they have done. They are dealing with traditions–polygamy–and superstition, especially surrounding death, and still bringing health, hygiene, literacy, and Christianity to these people. Electricity is a valued commodity to them, as are just about all the other basics of life we can imagine and that we take for granted.
It was a good visit. We worshipped, we talked, we ate, we laughed, we sang, we prayed, and we renewed friendships.
But I mentioned feasts, in the plural. Another memorable meal was held at Zelen’s, a Bulgarian restaurant in Itaewan. It was Dee Ann’s and Kerri’s birthday, so all the expat and Korean kindred spirits were gathering to celebrate. The food, and the amount of food, was unbelievable. It was almost like being back in Hungary with the mix of meat and roasted vegetables and pickles. We stayed for quite some time just enjoying the good food and the ambiance. Dee Ann will soon be leaving Korea as will a few others who were at the table. We’re planning a Good-bye Brunch for next weekend for those leavers. It was just a nice evening out with friends, food, wine, good beer–for me, and good company.
A Moveable Feast: Hemmingway wrote this as an expatriot living in Paris in the 1920s. He wrote about his life as a writer, his friends, his life as the husband of Hadley. He wrote about living in a foreign country. He wrote about the food. How ironic that that title should pop into my mind as I think back over this past week: my expat and Korean friends, my life here, and the food. The Feast goes on.
