Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Busan - Port City

Woke up early for my 1st trip to Busan to meet new partners..it was a 2hrs 45 minutes high speed ride at 245km/hr from Seoul to Busan. We caught the 8.45am KTX to Busan at Seoul Station. The ride was noticeably comfortable.

Busan is Korea's second largest city with close to 4 million people. It also serves as the country's main port for international cargo, as well as passenger ferries to Japan and Jeju Island. This city was hotter and humid than Seoul. In my business suit, I was perspiring and wet under the suit.

This city is famous for its seafood. So, for lunch - we had sashimi, and the fish is called "Jul Dom" - the chef remarked that five Jul Dom fishes was prepared for us. After lunch, we made our way to the Busan station for the 2.45 hrs back to Seoul. It was a very tiring day but the night was not over - we had to meet another partner for dinner and further drinking.

I missed eating "Unagi" (Grilled Eel) so I was explaining this to the concierge but he had no idea what I was talking about. So, I called my good Korean friend, Chae in Singapore - for the correct name of "Eel" in Korean - and it was called "Jang-uh". We went to the restaurant and had a delicious meal plus many rounds of Soju. There was 2 choices of grilled Eel - with sauce and without sauce, I like with sauce on my Eel. We also had Eel bones as tit-bits or snacks - very crisy - taste is good.

What is the difference between Sea snakes and Eels?
A:The only differences between eels and sea snakes is an eel is not venomous. Also, eels do not have a flattened tail for swimming. Since sea snakes are reptiles and eels are fish, their behavior is noticeably different.They differ from eels in that they don't have gill slits and have scales. Due to their need to breathe air, they are usually found in shallow water where they swim about the bottom feeding on fish, fish eggs and eels. Eels are fish and use gills to breathe, whereas sea snakes are reptiles and use their lungs. Most sea snakes have a paddle like tail, which they use to propel themselves through the water. Sea snakes also moult their skin frequently to grow and to aid in the removal of parasites from their skin. Sea snakes are air breathing reptiles, which all have venom glands and fangs to capture prey, including some species which are dangerous to humans. Eels are not venomous, although they can give a nasty bite while protecting their territory. 30% of air is absorbed through their skin from the water via osmosis.

The preparation of the Grilled eel was alreadsy grilled at the kitchen and brought to our table. To Koreans, Eel is good for men's health...never the less it was in good company of friends that made the difference.



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