Eating has been an ongoing challenge for us in Korea, not because of any lack of tasty options, but because of our inability at times to access them. The biggest issue, of course, is language. After a month in Japan, where language was essentially no problem ( even though it’s rusty, I can make myself understood in Japanese one way or another), we arrived in a place where we didn’t know a single word. The cellphone translation apps only work where there is WiFi (and even then not so well), so that was out.  Since most restaurants only have the dishes written in Korean, we can’t even sound anything out. We are essentially limited to places where 1. there are pictures we can point at inside on the walls 2. there are pictures outside that we can take a photo of and then show to someone inside or 3. places that look like they only serve one dish (we judge that by the icons of pig or fish or chicken on the sign). In that case we sit down and hope for the best.  So far we’ve been lucky, and a combination of sign language, pointing, laughing and eating what’s put in front of us has been working out well. Last night we were on a hunt for squid sausage. We heard it was a local specialty, and were told to take the cable boat across to Abai to find some. Abai is a small village just across the water from downtown Sokcho, formed by North Koreans fleeing south during the Korean War.  The word Abai means “elderly” or “grandfather,” and most residents fell in this category as time went on.  The cable boat is basically a big platform hauled from one shore to the other by a couple of men and anyone else who wants to volunteer for a little exercise. It’s been around since the war, but became a popular tourist attraction after the lead actress in the Korean drama Gaeul Donghwa (Autumn in My Heart) often took it from her mother’s grocery in the series.  This is common all over the country as signs point out what scenes from what dramas were filmed on the spot. There are whole tours based on visiting these sites, especially popular with domestic and Japanese tourists. The K-pop (Korean pop music) and K-drama (Korean soaps) craze is still in full effect in Japan, with stars interviewed nightly, and Korean language tutorials and classes so enthusiasts can follow along more easily. Before heading out, we had typed in “오징어 순대, ojingeo sundae” just in case, but we got lucky.   We picked a spot with several older ladies sitting in the doorway chatting. They ushered us in, and we pointed at the handy photo on the way in. The free kimchi and other vegetable sides came out first, and we munched on those while we waited for our squid.  We also ordered a bottle of corn makgeolli (rice wine) which was served in rather large metal cups. The squid was delicious, everything we hoped for, piping hot grilled squid encasing a mix of squid bits, carrot, onion, spices, chopped noodles and other secret ingredients. After a little walk around the village to settle the meal, we paid the 20-cents (residents ride free, all others pay) for the cable boat back to the city. A new favorite dish has been discovered!