View From The Porch: The world is a strange, strange place...

Sunday, May 15, 2011

The world is a strange, strange place...

I learned that, in Seoul, South Korea...

It is not rare, either, to come across book-vending machines stocked with classic works of Babylonian Judaism.

I had no idea. Sometimes real life can be weirder than a Mel Brooks movie.

13 comments:

DanH said...: I'm not sure what is more strange, that there are book vending machines of this type in Seoul, or that there actually exist classic works of Babylonian Judaism.
But then book vending machines strike me as rather strange anyway.; 12:57 AM, May 16, 2011
Drang said...: I don't recall seeing anything of the sort, but it's been over a decade since I was last in Seoul, and I was mostly looking for a meal and a drink, although I nice souvenir for Mrs. Drang would have been nice--actually, come to think of it, if they were in English, she probably would have found "classic works of Babylonian Judaism" interesting...; 4:13 AM, May 16, 2011
Spud said...: Things have certainly changed in Seoul since I was there 35 yrs. ago.; 5:58 AM, May 16, 2011
Roberta X said...: Book vending machines! --We so totally need them here.; 8:01 AM, May 16, 2011
jimbob86 said...: Were I in a country facing down invasion by millions of Godless Communist NorKs for the past 60 years, and my former superpower ally insists on feeding my enemies while wrecking himself financially, I'd get religion, too. That, or emigrate.

wv- "aterd"=My ally's leader that struck this deal: "OK, Mr. Kim Tinpot, you stop making nukes, and we'll feed yer army for ya..... deal? Deal." Aren't you SO glad they held up their end?; 8:50 AM, May 16, 2011
BobG said...: Kosher kimchi?; 8:51 AM, May 16, 2011
Anonymous said...: I love the bit about how there's a national sterotype about "jews being smart" etc.

As nice as it is to see a place on earth where jewish sterotypes are positive, I have to admit I want to introduce them to a couple of Jews of my acquaintance who would disabuse them of that particular notion.

They are even "public professional jews" so it's not like it'd be violating their privacy.; 9:24 AM, May 16, 2011
Anonymous said...: Talmud vending machines and Slavic bar girls in TDC.What a change the Land of The Morning Calm has undergone since I ETSed from there 20 years ago.

Evidently no more Imjin Scouts either.I remember watching NKPA soldiers through the 10x Leupold on my M24 as they patrolled inside the demarcation line while the rest of the US Army was in Iraq smashing Saddams army during Desert Storm.

I wonder if TA-50 alley still exists?

hootie11bravo; 9:36 AM, May 16, 2011
Outsider said...: @jimbob

I'm fairly sure South Korea has some secret nukes loaned by the US to be used in event of a Nork invasion. NATO countries in Europe had such nukes on loan, some still have.

Better to have bits of radioactive wasteland, than to suffer under Norks.

Besides, they do have a pretty serious army. Norks may be fanatical, but they are not bulletproof, nor are their tanks and artillery indestructible...; 1:28 PM, May 16, 2011
Moshe Ben-David said...: Wow, I thought I felt very isolated being Jewish in the mountains of North Georgia. I'm an even rarer breed being Messianic.

There must be a dozen Baptist churches within a radius of thirty miles but we'd have to drive almost 60 miles one way to find a synagogue.

We were asked not to come back to an Episcopal church.; 5:42 PM, May 16, 2011
Steve Skubinna said...: For me the biggest and most wrenching change in Korea is Texas Street in Pusan. It's now run entirely for the patronage of Russians, mostly merchant seamen. The hookers are especially scary - I think Pusan is the third string for Russian hookers, where they go right before retirement.

Lots of steel teeth.; 11:45 PM, May 16, 2011
Joanna said...: We were asked not to come back to an Episcopal church.

We seem to be in the same boat, although I come at it from the other side: Christian who moved away from the developed church toward the Jewish roots. Add in my views on creation, and ... let's just say I don't fit in well. Maybe we should start a club. We could get jackets!; 9:37 AM, May 17, 2011
The Infamous Oregon Lawhobbit said...: Dunno....lived and worked there in the civilian sector for three years and never saw anything like that, and I spent a lot of time wandering the highways and byways. But maybe it's relatively new.; 11:06 PM, May 17, 2011