Dinner in the Country!

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like without Mr. Chun!   Most of the coolest experiences we've had have been thanks to him!

Tonight, he invited us  to dinner at his friends house in the countryside!  It's a very rare pleasure to be invited into someone's home in Korea and this was the 1st time we had been invited.  It was one of my favorite experiences to date!

When we first got to the house, his wife's friend had these "appetizers" out on the table!  Yes, in Korea, you CAN'T expect crackers and cheese, or chips and salsa before dinner... What you can expect is fresh lettuce, random leaves, and vegetables picked from their garden!

After we sat for a little while, eating the lettuce, Mr. Chun took Kevin and I on a walk around the neighborhood!  The pathways through the countryside were breathtaking!

On our walk, we walked passed a honeycomb farm.  This was the biggest bee I have ever seen!  It was literally 2 inches long!
 

This was the sweetest little labrador puppy!  Mr Chun told me not to pet it, because it was for food.  You can imagine the look on my face!  Apparently it's common for Koreans who live in the rural areas to raise and eat their dogs.  Every dog we saw after that, I would ask, "for food?" and Mr. Chun would shamefully nod his head, yes.   

Mr. Chun is an extremely chivalrous man!  He always makes Kevin carry my stuff and tells Kevin to hold my hand while we walk, or to give me massages after we go hiking!  I love it!  :) Today, on our walk, he told Kevin to carry me on his back!  Isn't that hilarious?!   

One of the thousands of gorgeous trees in Korea!

When we returned from our walk, there were 4 other couples at the house!  Apparently all of the husbands have been friends since Junior High and over the years, they and their wives, have met once a month for dinner!  We were so excited we were essentially at a Korean dinner party! 

I loved that one of the wives was sitting on the table, and loved it even more when she motioned to me that I could join her!  Really, when do you ever get to sit on the dinner table?! 

When we were leaving, I asked all of the wives if we could take a picture together!  And by "ask", what I really mean is that I motioned with my hands and said "picture!"   Never a dull moment when you have a language barrier the size of the Mississippi!