Slurping and Hiding

15 March 2008
Kim, Min Sun, a member of my Sunday Bible Study class, invited me to lunch yesterday. Joining us was San He, her Ewha Womans University sister. Ewha is a prestigious university, founded by Methodist missionary, Mary F. Scranton in 1886. They graduated a class apart, but didn't meet each other until a few years ago.

The restaurant was on the second floor of a high rise building located in "new" downtown Taejon. Stepping out of the elevator, we were warmly greeted and escorted into a small, private dining room that Min Sun had reserved. Soon, lunch started to arrive, and arrive and arrive.

We started with salads, a large variety of them...all in small dishes, perfectly presented, and we reached across the table, scooping up an amount for our individual eating bowls. Still learning the art of eating with chop sticks, Min Sun and San He gave me a little latitude and even placed food in my eating bowl for me. Following the salads came more bowls, plates of food, a hot pot of steamed rice for each of us, and finally a large platter of 5, still sizzling fish- whole. There must have been at least 31 little bowls and plates on the table, each one filled with a different kind of vegetable, selection of noodles, or meat - it was filled and no room for another. Glad I'm not the dishwasher!

It seemed then, we ate in a freenzy, reaching, slurping (yes Jill, Mom slurped), leaning over the eating bowl as noodles slid into our mouths and finally, leaning back exclaiming, "I'm full!" Then we talked. It was a good time talking women's issues of today and they even asked me about Eliot Spitzer!

Just before getting on the elevator, there was a loud siren outside - like that of air-raids or tornado warnings. A bit alarmed, they quickly assured me all was well - it was a nation-wide drill called Min Pang We Wullan. It's held on the 15th of each month unless the 15th falls on a Saturday or Sunday - then it's held on Friday. It was Friday and the emergency drill lasts for 15 minutes. Everything must stop, people are to hide in buildings. It's in preparation for a possible attack from North Korea.

Looking down on the 4-lane street with every single car frozen in place, the only person in sight being military standing guard under the traffic light, was like watching a scene from The Twilight Zone. (Did I just give away my age?) Even Min Sun and San He seemed a bit subdued. Then, the siren sounded again, and slowly the city came back to life. People reappeared from hiding and the world seemed to be okay. North Korea did not attack.

All is well here!
JB