I walk into the mega grocery store that
resembles an airport hanger. It is gargantuan
in size. The generic soft listening music comically
contrasts the bright lights and the hectic pace
inside. The population of the staff is larger
than a small village. There are at least fifty cash
registers, and all of them are lined with customers.
As I walk through the thief detectors,
I am almost knocked over by a price check boy
flying by on roller blades. I think to myself, OK,
no need to panic, in and out as quickly as possible.
I stride purposefully towards the vegetable section,
but get lost in the labyrinth of geometric aisles.
I pass an area for clothes, electronic department
with one-hour photos. Where am I?
Maybe it's time for a new shirt, TV, VCR, CD's, Camera.
My mind wanders, but I focus on the mission.
I take a right and come upon books and magazines.
Maybe I should check out the Rushdie. I am lost in
a desert of everything you want but can't really
afford. In a daze, I hail a stocker and ask,
'Where's the corn?" Nothing difficult about such a
request, right! Suddenly, I am faced with a
friendly barrage of questions, utterly throwing me
off balance. Vertigo and confusion. My neurons
start smoking.
"Well sir, what kind of corn
are you looking for? We have fresh corn, corn
on the cob, frozen corn, canned corn, bagged corn,
cooked corn, boiled corn, raw corn, sweet corn,
baby corn, maize corn, American corn, Canadian corn,
European corn, Asian corn, homegrown corn, corn dogs,
cornbread, corned meat. If you wish, I will
direct you to their respective aisles..."
It is at this point my brain
overloads, the circuits start firing randomly. The
only clear thought is escape. Behind me I hear, "Sir,
the corn. Which aisle should I direct you to? Sir!"
Korea, what a different story.
It is here that your selection is relegated only to
which grandmother to buy from at the street market.
You can find what you're looking for, and if not,
a suitable replacement. Less of a dilemma, so much
clearer, easier!
So many mundane choices in the
West. You are given the choice, and you feel a sense
of pride and well being to be able to choose the corn
of your choice. This is our Freedom! You gotta love
it! I AM. A subtle, honey-tongued little voice whispers,
that's it, expend more mental energy deciding between
frozen corn and canned corn, MCains or Green Giant,
between Nike and Addidas. It feels so good! It's so
easy to get sucked into the mundane vacuum of choices.
Fake and sterile. Maybe we categorize the difference
first world, second world, third world; industrialized,
semi-agrarian/industrialized; poor, rich; West, East.
Whatever the
categories, Korea is different because the distance
between illusion and reality is less far. When you
go shopping in a 'sijang', you can almost smell the
manure. It's an orgy of people and life. You can see
the ragged, swollen hands which have planted and harvested
the food. How different it is with the genetically
engineered, perfect vegetables and fruit of the modern
day supermarket with the beautiful people selling
it. So many beautiful cashiers with white, smooth
hands. I've had many a fantasy about my local Safeway
girl. Truly, it's is an orgy of only the senses, negating
all the unforgivable and despicable in life: the sweat
and grief, shit and piss. Why has no Safeway I've
been in ever had a customer's washroom?
Thus, it was to my great horror
when I walked into Home Plus in Sasang with a girlfriend.
It was sic deja vous. It seems that the stamp of progress
has been mailed and opened in many countries, including
Korea. Of course their still exist the street markets,
but for how long. The inevitable enlightening tide
is slowly enveloping the globe. Nothing is wrong with
cleanliness, but one must not forget that forgetting
is quite easy to do. It's just a matter of pulling
the golden toilet hand and flushing down the unwanted,
easily forgotten shit down.
Ok everybody, let's go! Everybody
grab a hold of each other's hands, a multifarious
union of people, and let's walk together into the
new frontier. The bright lights of the MEGA this and
that beckon. FIGHTING!!
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