Mexican...in Korea

I can't really explain how hard it is to find good, ethnic kinds of food in Korea. Granted, it's easier in Seoul than in the rest of the country but still. In Mt. Laurel I have pretty much all kinds of food within a short drive. I can even choose between which restaurant I want to go to! (Chili's or On The Border? Olive Garden or Carrabbas? P.F. Changs or Chinese takeout?) ENJOY THE LUXURY OF CHOICE! I have become used to the fact that certain foods are just not an option. If they are here, they are located far away, and there's just one option and it's ridiculously expensive. I guess this makes sense. In Korea, soju is cheaper than bottled water (about $0.40). In America a bottle of soju is $18! I shudder when I think that I haven't had Chinese takeout since November 2008! Aaah. Speaking of years, it just hit me. It's almost October and I haven't seen a single member of my family yet in 2009. Aaah. That's horrible. I can't even let myself think about it.

Back to food. Aaah food. The point of my story is that through some miracle of wonderfulness, Korea has obtained the unauthentic Mexican restaurant chain known as On The Border, just a 15 minute subway ride away from my house. Now I know this is not real Mexican food. But I don't care. It's tacos and burritos and fajitas, people, and you just can't find that kind of thing in Korea outside of the tiny foreigner's area (think Chinatown but full of non-Koreans) which is over an hour away (and in a scary part of town, too). I almost never go there. When the landscape of your day-to-day life is dominated by millions of Asians it's disconcerting to be around large groups of foreigners. It makes me nervous! Don't ask me what I'll do when I get back to the States. Probably go into some kind of shock and live in a cardboard box until it passes.

So when I heard they were opening an On The Border nearby I immediately arranged for a group of my friends to go. So we went last night and we apologetically gorged ourselves on all things Mexican and it was AWESOME. A day later I'm still full and so satisfied. While I like having the choices we enjoy at home (and can't wait to have them back) waiting a year to eat a certain type of food really makes you appreciate it.