Kimchi or Bust

It's the crack of dawn on Thursday, and for some reason, my stomach is grumbling.  I had two...yes, two dinners last night.  But more on that in a moment.

The food at the temple is good, though I'm having some difficulty adjusting to all the chili powder used in the cooking.  We basically have a buffet three times a day in our own monks dining room in the first basement (there are three basements here--land is at a premium).  The main thing served is bibimbap, though there's usually a soup or two as well.  For bibimbap, you get a big bowl, put in some rice, then add what you want to the bowl -- there are usually five options including mini slices of veggie omelet at breakfast, and of course, the ubiquitous kimchi.  Kimchi is some kind of pickled vegetable smothered in chili powder.  Sometimes mild, sometimes overpowering, it's served wherever you go.  I basically like it, except that if there's too much chili powder, I'm known to start coughing.  Sometimes I whip the excess powder on the rice, then mix it in so it's diluted.  I always take a little at each meal, as I'm determined to get used to it.  I'd starve if I didn't.  The meal is then finished by pouring some tea in your bowl, swishing it around to clean it, and then drinking it all down.

At lunch there's always fresh slices of fruit, too: apples, oranges, and some kind of white fruit with a similar consistency to apples, but I don't know what it is.  Yesterday there was cake, but I didn't take any as I'm equally determined to loose a few pounds here.  I eat significantly less than my much thinner brethren, so I can't understand why I haven't dropped a single kilo since I've arrived. I'm exercising a lot with all the walking and bowing as well.  That's it, I'm just building muscle which is heavier than fat.  (Work with me, people.)

Anyway, after dinner, which is served at 5:00 pm, and then evening chanting, one of the monks found me on the third floor and invited me to join him at a restaurant.  It took about an hour to get there -- traffic in Seoul can be terrible and this city is freaking huge -- but with his "nabi" (navigation unit) we made it there without a hitch.  The odd thing was all the crosses we saw on the way there from the highway, some framed in neon.  Christian churches here are everywhere, but hardly a Buddhist temple in site, despite the fact that these two religions are in rough parity in South Korea, about 25% each with the remaining people generally being non-religious.

But I digress....  When we arrived, we went to a small private room in a kind of mom-and-pop neighborhood joint.  It was the first time I'd tried Nenmyeon (I think I spelled that right -- it's cold noodles).  Perfect for a warm summer night.  We tried to communicate as best we could.  Then we headed back to their temple -- Bulgwang-sa -- famous for it's Seon (Zen) master.  The temple is about 50 years old, making it one of the older temples in the Seoul area (Buddhism was kicked out of the cities by the last royal dynasty which adhered to a form of neo-Confucianism).  Thus the temple looks more traditional for the most part than many other temples here, including the one where I live. 

Anyway, we went to one of the monk's rooms and sat and had tea.  He likes music, so we listened to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" and some Andrea Bocelli.  He called himself a "Bourgeois monk" with a chuckle. 

After that, we headed home, but stopped at a convenience store on the way to pick up a few things.  I've discovered a love of banana milk, so I picked up one and a small soda for later.  We got back right around 11:00 pm, but I had to get up for morning chanting by 3:30 am, so I haven't had much sleep.

Almost time for breakfast!

Comments

[whiskerfarm]

I'm with you on the muscle weighs more than fat thing. I have proof! The food sounds kind of icky. If you need a good PB&J, just let me know and I'll ship some to you!

Carrie

[Rinchen Gyatso]

I should have mentioned that if I get really desperate, there's a Mac and a KFC nearby. Dunkin' Doughnuts is down the street, too. Luckily, there all just a bit too far for me to run down there for something, but I may make the trip if I really need a fix. I haven't been so far, though.

[scruffysmileyface]

Rev. Gyatso, I can relate in a minimalist sort of way. Last summer, after the Short Term Monastic Retreat at Hsi Lai, as soon as the retreat was over I was running down the hill - literally, running - towards the McDonalds.

LOL - I pray your perseverance is stronger than mine. :)

~scruff

[Jae-Min]

As a lay person, I know I have no right to say much about the conduct of a fully ordained bikshu but I just wanted to ask, knowing that you have probably taken Bodhisattva vows with the Vietnamese ordination, whether you maintain a vegetarian diet as well as avoiding the five vegetables. Being Korean, I find it rather strange that the monks there would eat nang myeon (which is a personal favourite, but uses meat based broth in the soup) as they take the Triple Platform Ordination (which includes the Bodhisattva vows from the Brahma Net Sutra).

As for the white fruit, it's most likely Korean (a.k.a nashi) pear (much better than Western pears, I have to say).

[Jackie]

I hope you are putting your blog notes into a book. I love your style - I can visualize you in your surroundings and almost taste the food you describe. I have to admit that I have consulted Answers.com many times while reading your blogs so you are doing a very good thing in broadening my knowledge base. Take care and be safe. Jackie

[Rinchen Gyatso]

Jackie--not sure if I'll put this in a book, but I think my mother prints off most of the entries and saves them. We'll see.... I had pizza last night for dinner. Ahhhh.

Jae-Min--I didn't taste anything meat-like in the broth. Maybe there'sa vegetarian version of Nang Myeon? As for what I eat, it's almost exclusively rice, fruit, and various forms of kimchi. Most of the other stuff...well I'm not sure what's in it so I can't really answer your question about the five vegetables. As for meat, I have the bodhisattva vows from the Tibetan tradition (I didn't do them at the Vietnamese temple) and the Tibetans eat lots of meat. I was vegetarian for many years, but then I got lyme disease after my ordination and one of my lamas told me I had to eat meat again. I prefer vegeterian, but I just eat what's in front of me. The temple, though, is so far all vegetarian...I think.

[whiskerfarm]

We don't even have a Dunkin Donuts here! But I'm not flying over water to get some...

[Trisha Lamb]

Ven. Gyatso,

Please contact Trisha at The Garchen Institute. We have some news that may be of interest to you.

May all be auspicious!