Our Peoples

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

On the day we were leaving we took an hour or so to walk through Central Park starting at around 72nd and Central Park West. We were tempted to rent a horse drawn carriage or a pedicab but in the end we decided to hoof it. This may have been our most brilliant idea ever. I can’t imagine getting “driven” through the park, you’d miss the spontaneity of stopping at Strawberry Fields or taking a moment in to watch the rowboats drift by. It seems like a silly way to see the park if you only have a couple of hours.

If we took a pedicab, we probably would never have come across the first annual Korean Food and Culture Festival – “Please come and feel familiar with the various selected Korean foods, cultural recreations and performances.” A thousand times yes, please. Seriously. Of all the days, in all the weeks of my lifetime, I go to New York City when there is a KOREAN FESTIVAL. The FIRST annual Korean festival at that. It’s like the City was calling out, “Kimchee is here! Chap chae! Bulgogi! Follow your nose, Giyen. To the Bandshell Terrace!”

Aside from the food, Paige and I also got to enjoy some traditional music and dancing. While in America, we like to make up little girls to look like Vegas showgirls and dime store hookers for pageants (Have you seen the show Toddlers and Tiaras?), we Koreans like to make little girls look like little Korean dolls.

Though philosophically I think it’s completely weird to put makeup on girls who are 6 or 7 – when they are so obviously lovely already – I can’t help but think these girls look adorable.

Posted in Daily, travel | 5 Comments »

Sketch Artist

Monday, August 30th, 2010

At around Broadyway and 42nd in Times Square, Paige and I ran across a group of Chinese sketch artists who were sitting on the sidewalk trying to hustle you into buying either a caricature (ONLY FIVE DOLLAH!) or a realistic rendering of your face (EIGHTY DOLLAH!). Much to my surprise, THIS was the New York souvenir that Paige could not possibly live without. “Please, Mom! Please!”

If you stop in front of any them for even 1 second, you will be bombarded by one or ten of them trying to get you to sit down. I chose the guy who did a rendering of Miley Cyrus’s face. It looked just like her. Good enough for Miley. Good enough for Paige.

Me: “We’d like to get a sketch done, please.”
Artist: “EIGHTY-DOLLAH, look just like your daughter!”
Me: “No-way. Too much.”
Artist: “Okay, for you forty dollah. Asian discount.”
Me: “I don’t even have twenty dollars to spend on this.”
Artist: “Okay … FIFTEEN DOLLAH! FIFTEEN DOLLAH! You cannot get better.”
Paige: “Moooommmmm.”
Me: “Fine. Fifteen dollars. I’ll wait right here.”

Fifteen minutes later he was done with the sketch. He started putting it in a mat with a plastic sheet to “protect drawing.” Initially, I thought – That’s so nice! He’s framing it for me and now I won’t have to worry about taking it on the plane. I should really pay $20 for this.

I felt a bit sheepish for haggling him down so much.

Artist: “Okay. Fifteen dollah for picture. Forty dollah for frame. You pay me Fifty-five.”

Any guilt I was feeling, quickly dissapated.

Me: “I don’t think so.”
Artist: “Protect picture. Look very nice.”
Me: “No way. Thirty dollars and that’s it.”
Artist: “Look how beautiful I draw.”
Me: “Yes it is beautiful, you did a good job. Thirty dollars.”
Artist: “Okay. Thirty-five dollah.”
Me: “Thirty or you can take it out of the frame.”
Artist: “Okay.”

I paid my thirty dollars and walked away feeling a bit proud of myself for not entirely getting hoodwinked. Paige was completely mortified, of course.

******

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Posted in Daily, travel | 15 Comments »