PDC05: Day One (Korean Barbecue & Billiards)

I was out of my last session almost an hour after Robert finished. As soon as we met up dinner was the only thing on our minds: Korean barbecue at Seoul Jung. We met up with two guys from Pitney Bowes, one of whom was in the same session as I. On the way back to the Wilshire Grand we passed this car, which Robert and I had seen earlier as part of a movie set. At the Wilshire I fetched my bag from the bell captain and made the nervous treck to my new room. It is absolutely perfect. The whole floor is set aside for non-smoking rooms so there is only good to say about it. Thank you front desk! After unpacking I went downstairs to meet Robert for dinner.

The Seoul Jung was the adventure we had hoped for when we picked the restaurant. We were seated in just a few minutes at a table near a carved granite sphere which was spinning on a bed of water. The menu had a number of interesting items, but the Robert seized on the dak bool go gi (marinated chicken breast) and I eventually settled on ka ri bi gui (marinated jumbo sea scallops). Somehow Robert and I had managed to exude a certain "we know all about Korean barbecue" air so as dishes started to arrive there was no explanation. I looked over to Robert and asked if he knew what he was doing, "Nope." I was in precisely the same boat. When the waitress came back by I confessed our utter ignorance of the dishes before us and she said "That is salad," which made both of us laugh a little bit. She then gave a thorough introductiont to the various items we were to snack on while the barbecue was cooked in the center of the table.

Robert enjoying some of the dak bool goo gi (barbecued chicken).

I am looking frighteningly wired and posing with a tasty morsel of ka ri bi gui (scallops).

We both ate heartily after so many trips back an forth to the Wilshire and extremely long sessions today. The sound of the barbecue was the dominant one at the table until we had finished. After dinner we decided to head over to Point Moorea again for a nightcap. The two pool tables were free and so we played, quite terribly, until I noticed one of the guys from Pitney Bowes walk in. Pete indicated that he had not played pool regularly in a long time. I too have not played regularly in a a long time, but the difference between our games could not be more striking. He had a long, clean stroke with perfect follow, great selection and excellent leaves. It turned out that a long time for Pete was four months and a long time for me was nine years. Robert enjoyed contemplating the mechanics of the game as we three played cutthroat. Actually, Robert and I mostly watched in awe as he consistently won game after game. Finally, time to hit the sack arrived and I gave him a card in hopes that we might watch him play again. Pete was a great guy who we both look forward to meeting again soon.