Chengdu falls neatly into the orbit of massive, bustling Chinese cities that the West has given almost no thought to. Certainly I hadn’t, beyond a vague sense that it was in Sichuan and was where people went if they wanted to go see pandas. I was not expecting an immense, modern metropolis with a Metro […]
Tag: east asia
Taiwan: Taipei Night Markets
Night markets are likely Taipei’s most iconic attraction, and probably the one most visible to those who have never visited the country before. Food Adventurers like Anthony Bourdain regularly traipse through them with a camera crew following behind, sampling this and that from different carts, beneath a canopy of red-and-yellow lights. Not that I’m going […]
Today I Went to Taiwan
On Monday, I arrived in Taipei. I have gone through the airport in Taiwan many times on the way to Phnom Penh, because it’s a convenient Eva air hub and a nice place to get noodles and beer as you await onward transit. But I had always wanted to properly visit Taiwan, bolstered as I […]
North Korea Video Hi-Lites: Kim Jong-Il’s Only Public Speech, Dear Leader Impersonators
The Dear Leader only gave one public speech during his time as ruler of North Korea, and it wasn’t exactly lengthy. In fact, all he said was “Long Live the Heroic Korean Army,” according to journalist Nate Thayer, who was present at the time. It’s kinda like the King’s Speech, but 80% less touching. Gentleman: […]
Kim Jong Il Invented the Hamburger, and Other DPRK Culinary Highlights
No, the hamburger was not invented in Hamburg. It did not first appear in New Jersey at Louis Lunch.The hamburger in fact first appeared in 2000 at the personal behest of Kim Jong Il, who really wanted top university students to be fed top-quality fast food in-between classes. Eternally enterprising, Kim Jong Il decided in […]
Incredibly Overwrought North Korean Mourning, Rumination on the Future
No one can mourn like a North Korean. At the very least, no one can PRETEND to mourn like a North Korean. In a country where not writhing on the ground overcome with emotional pain over the loss of a political icon may land you in a freezing work-camp, the ability to weep on command […]
YouTube Reacts to Death of Kim Jong Il, as World Mourns Death of Punchline
As Kim Jong Il’s death permeates the public consicouness, expect public displays of exceptional cheesyiness for at least the next month out of North Korea. And public upheaval. Lots of political upheaval. The response of my fellow foreign policy nerds? TAKE TO THE INTERNET, BRETHREN. I am accepting educated guesses (or total guesses) vis a […]