Sunday, September 7, 2008

Meditating on a Big Mac

One of the joys of living in Korea is the constant juxtaposition of East and West in everyday life.

Here's an example: It was a beautiful morning here in Bundang and I went for my early morning walk along the river. Along with the usual assortment of walkers, joggers and cyclists a common sight is people doing push-ups, sit-ups or a variety of exercises we don't usually see in Portland; hand clapping, stomach slapping or just walking backwards.

But this morning I saw a man sitting in the full lotus position, facing the horizon and meditating. OK, nothing much unusual there. But directly in front of him was a McDonalds drink container and at his side a Mac burger bag. My conjecture was that perhaps he had developed a new mantra on which to meditate. "Frrrrrrrriiiiiiizzzze" maybe. Or possibly "Mmmmmmaaaaakkkk". Anyway, whatever works.