Hockey Night in Korea

Sorry for the radio silence recently, but I've actually been busy working these last couple of days, if you can believe it. But I'm back now and ready to fill you in on all my wacky adventures (Reader's note: I've had no wacky adventures since the last time I blogged.)

Two nights ago I went to dinner at a Korean barbecue restaurant that everyone around here's been raving about. If you don't know how it works, they sit you at a table that has a small grill attached to it, and they start loading meat and vegetables onto it (similar to a hibachi place, only with a smaller cooking surface and without an entertaining chef).

This should give you an idea of what it looks like...

I did not take this picture; I found it on a Google Images search 

Our waiter filled up our grill (using scissors to cut some of the slabs of meat) and then left us to our own devices for the rest of the meal. It was a very fun experience, and the food was supes delish. (While the meat was tasty, the grilled kimchi might have been my favorite part of the meal.) Go get yourself some Korean barbecue.

Last night I went to the USA-OAR (Russia) men's hockey game, which did not turn out to be much of a game. With no NHL players at the Olympics, countries had to scramble to come up with the best players they could find to fill up their hockey rosters. OAR did not have to look far, as Russia has a professional hockey league called the KHL, which consists of a lot of players who have recently spent time in the NHL and are still, more or less, world-class caliber. OAR is definitely the favorites to win the gold, and they showed it last night, pummeling the U.S., 4-0.

Outside the Gangneung Hockey Centre 

The teams warm up before the bloodbath ensues.

Nothing else blogworthy has happened to me lately. Today, we have a much-needed day off from competition. We're heading over to the Main Press Center for a press conference later this afternoon and then may stick around to watch some ski jumping, bobsled, possibly another athletic endeavor where there's a good chance for major bodily injury.

It's that time, folks...

Snack #1

I'd been wanting to try these for a while...I mean, how can you pass up a bag of crunchy snacks adorned with a kindly cephalopod? Based on the presence of the hot peppers on the bag, though, I was actually more worried about the spiciness of these than the fact I was about eat something flavored like octopus.

These were...fine. Not that spicy, actually, with a decent, mild flavor. Acceptable crunch. All in all, kind of forgettable.

Rating: 7.8

Snack #2

I wasn't sure what to expect from these. I thought they'd be really hot based on the look of the packaging, but they just a little spicy. They had a perfect sweetness and an amazing crunch, and they were so good, I plowed through this entire bag almost all by myself (there are vultures in the media room, I tell you). My only criticism, and it's a minor one, is they could have used a touch more heat, but I'm nitpicking here: These were my favorite snacks I've had since I've been in Korea.

Rating: 9.4