East Sea and beyond...

This past weekend, I went to the East Sea with my boyfriend and his parents.  It was our first trip together and I was kind of scared.  It was only supposed to be a one day trip but turned into the whole weekend.  On Saturday, we went for a hike in Sokcho and then went to a nice sauna after.  It was lovely.  We ate lots of fresh seafood and enjoyed the day.  Sunday we drove home and I cooked them all lunch (because they think I am the one who should cook and not JiHoon; nevermind the fact that that isn't how it works in our relationship but whatever to their oldtimey ways and patriarchy).

Some parts of the trip were great but I have to say it was draining.  His parents are so conservative and his mom is a bit idk.  Both of us got told to exercise more, even though we told them we work out before work every morning.  I was told that I need to only cook Korean food because everything else is bad for your health and only Korean food is healthy (which is hilarious because a lot of Korean food is high in sodium).  Korea is the best country in the world because our people work so hard and no other country works as hard as Korean people (not taking into account that most of the baby boomer generation were hard workers too.  Most countries can say this to some extent and it came off as rude and disrespectful)  You should kick the cat out of the house, they are dirty and no good animals (even though JiHoon loves the cat and the cat is clean).  "You must understand I am Korean."  It was insane what she decided to nit-pick.

Now, I understand that in many ways what she was doing was VERY Korean of her and that she was only acting like a Korean from her generation but seriously.  I bend over backwards to try and not rock the boat but I am to my limit.  She needs to understand that I am American and sometimes, I make American food or do American things.  AND KIMCHI DOESN'T GO WITH PASTA!!!

She also decided that next weekend we would make kimchi together because she leaves for Thailand and wants to make kimchi with me.  I had no say in this plan and had to reschedule plans I had already made with my friends.  Super annoying and over it.  I will be nice to her but sometimes it really drives me crazy because she is so conservative and nationalistic.  So over it.

Anyways, here are the nice parts of the weekend.  Some pictures from the hike and the fish markets we went to.  That was the fun part of the weekend.  Just some minor issues with his mother.

The fresh fish markets:

The Mountain "Hike":