Apple Prisoner

Fall has arrived in Seoul, and the weather is MUCH better. I actually wore a undershirt a few nights this week it was so cool. Having a typhoon pass over the country made for some refreshing breezes here in Seoul, although it caused quite some problems in the south and over in Japan.

This post features some odd things, so let's start with the "apple prisoner" liquor bottle. I saw this on display at the bar where SY worked - it was not for sale, just decoration. So far, I have gathered two popular theories about how they got this apple inside the bottle. Theory #1 is that they tie the bottles to the apple tree when the apple is small enough to fit through the neck of the bottle, and the apple grows to full size inside the bottle on the tree. Theory #2 is that a dehydrated apple is squeezed through the neck of the bottle and as it absorbs the alcohol, it swells back to full size.

The Apple Prisoner 

While on the topic of bottles, here is an interesting bottle with a cavity for putting ice. I guess the theory is that the drink will stay cool without being diluted by the ice. However, I can report that it did not work very well, and I ended up putting some ice in my glass. But it sure is pretty.

Strawberry Soju Cocktail 

Here are some interesting side dishes that went well with soju cocktail

Shrimp Wrapped in Potato Strings 

Fresh Salmon Side Dish 

This week we attended a couple of trade shows featuring some new Korean products. A few products caught my attention and warrant a mention here on the Stumbling Blog. To begin with we have the Korean version of a pop-up camper. It apparently sleeps two, although I don't know how comfortable it would be sleeping on your roof.

Korean Version of a "Pop-Up Camper" 

Korean Pop-Up Another View 

One interesting product was a specialized plastic bag that you put your camera in for underwater photography. I have seen large cumbersome plastic boxes before designed for a camera, but this looks easy to use and cheap enough to put underwater photography in reach of the average person. As you can see, it is hard to take a good photo in an aquarium.

My Camera is Underwater!!!! 

I really liked this product. When I first saw it, it looked like some instrument of torture. The handle contains many brass spikes that poke into your hand. Reportedly this will have a health benefit, something about pressure points in the palm. But the best part was the advertising slogan: "Leader's Baton added brass massaging beads on the grip of an existing baton. It is a useful baton that can massage your hands. It is expected to be very popular among teachers, military officers, lecturers, and others who need batons".

The Leaders Baton 

This is an interesting wine bottle holder, almost looks like magic. It is just a piece of wood with a hole for the bottle neck and the end is cut at the correct angle for a perfect balance.

Magic Wine Bottle Holder 

Finally, I saw this game of ping pong being played on the sidewalk recently:

Street Ping Pong