10 Responses for "폭탄영어 #5 - The Politics of Poshintang"

1. easy February 25th, 2008 at 1:38 pm 1

   this is funny. hehe..

   might as well have poshintang while having soju…

2. Kim February 25th, 2008 at 10:19 pm 2

   Loved it. This was a great episode, guys. I think I’m going to use some of these with my advanced students this semester.

   I’ve had boshintang twice, and I haven’t really liked it either time. It’s not the idea of eating something somewhat related to the four-legged guy sitting on my floor, either. The first time I was new to Korea and hadn’t yet acquired a taste for sesame leaves (깻잎) and so I really couldn’t eat it. The second time was maybe two summers ago on request of another non-Korean here working a camp. We went to a place particularly famous for its 영양탕 and really, it was quite mediocre. I don’t eat dog these days only because I like so much other Korean food better.

   As for my stance on trying new foods, I basically give it two chances in case I had an off batch the first time. If I don’t like it after two attempts, I figure it’s not for me. Unless it stinks like 순대. Blech. That said, 청국장 is one of my favourites.

3. Michael February 26th, 2008 at 2:09 pm 3

   Thanks for the props, Kim. We’d love to find out how you utilize this in a classroom setting.

   And yeah, I feel you on the stinky. And yet I eat 청국장 just the saem. That stuff’s got that nasty, dirty funk in the trunk!

4. JeoungMin February 27th, 2008 at 9:23 am 4

   More than 70% of Poshintang here in Korea is an aggressive fighting dog.The chance of having a puppy can unusual. I wonder what the foreigners look forward to .I mean,When they have Poshintang.With the object of curiosity?Well…..I really don’t know.
   Fighting dogs are almost all locked in a kennel for about 15 months until they go out for some people who eat Poshintang for stamina. And You can occasionally see the New that Fighting dogs bite people who once have been his neighbors and family.
   Thank you for your Podcasting.

5. Michael February 28th, 2008 at 1:07 pm 5

   I think no one has replied on the MOST IMPORTANT point of this podcast:

   How does Jennifer make those sheep sounds so WELL?

   (징그러워라!)

   ㅋㅋㅋ

6. Jennifer March 2nd, 2008 at 1:50 pm 6

   baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
   baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
   It’s a talent.

7. jihyun May 31st, 2008 at 11:48 pm 7

   “the reason that cows walk the earth is because we think they’re yummy”… hmmm maybe we should be putting endangered species on the menu so that we breed them - saving them from extinction for a life of mass consumption …

   baaaaaah….just kiddin’

8. Jim June 30th, 2008 at 1:26 pm 8

   This something that actually happened, there is a police report in Jinju that backs this up. There is also the video that my girlfriend took on her camera, I hesitate to post it on the internet because it may reinforce stereotypes. Anyway I posted this on a face book group and I am reposting it here:

   Disturbia

   Yesterday June, 29th around 7:00 p.m. I was downloading rambo 4, when I heard the sound of an animal in pain. My lady looked out the window and she said, “Oh my God.” I soon joined her.

   Two rooftops a way stood a man with a dog tied to a pole, he had a hammer, which he used to strike the dog’s head. With each strike the dog would make a terrible noise.

   I yelled out the window, this caused him to hesitate somewhat but he soon resumed his task. This prompted my lady to take a video with her digital camera, she then called the police who arrived a few minutes later.

   The aprehended the man and took pictures of the scene of the crime. Later they called and requested my lady to file a police report. At that time it was revealed that the man stole the dog and was killing it so he could make soup because he was sick.

   I know this sounds cliched because this is Korea after all and dog resturants can be found all over the place. What makes this story unique though is the fact that, this dog at one time was someone’s pet and he stole it. He then took it to his urban roof and proceeded to beat it with a hammer.

   I am not making this story up. I wish I hadn’t seen it happen. There is no moral to this story, there is no lesson. I am just reporting what I saw.

9. Jennifer July 1st, 2008 at 11:01 am 9

   Of course stealing someone’s pet and beating it to death is a horrible, criminal, and immoral act. Anyone who perpetrates anything like that should be arrested and prosecuted. As your story notes, Korean people also find this kind of thing horrific.
   This doesn’t change my mind about the politics of eating dog per se though. As long as the dogs are treated humanely and raised as livestock, I don’t see anything that separates a dog from a cow from an octopus from a cockroach. It is important however to treat the things we eat with respect and kindness.
   Stealing and eating pets is not completely unheard of in Korea, but it is rare. The reactions of your landlady and the police testify to this.

10. Jim July 13th, 2008 at 11:58 pm 10

    I don’t care if people eat dog either, I just wanted to share what I thought was an interesting story.