Great beer commercials from the '80s

What better way to close out 2008 than with some classic beer commercials from the 1980s?

Busch

-this commercial has a definite Brokeback Mountain vibe to it

Stroh's

-What ever happened to Stroh's? These guys must be pretty upset right now.

Miller High Life

-High Life is for honest, hardworking Americans. Anyone who drinks Budweiser must be friends with the terrorists, or at least the Belgians.

Coors Light

-great Shooter McGavin cameo in this one

Coors

-It took me the entire length of this commercial to figure out that the guy isn't Scott Baio.

Pabst

-this is quite possibly the greatest commercial ever made

Put in a quarter and win a...lobster?

Last night I was wandering the streets with my fellow Tear Jerks when we stumbled upon what appeared to be a claw machine. You know those machines where you put in some money and try to win a lighter or stuffed animal by picking it up with a claw? We found that, but instead of winning a Spider-Man doll, you win a live lobster. Obviously, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to play, so John gave it a go. As happens with every attempt at the claw game, he failed. It was probably all for the best since none of us could figure out what we would do if we had actually won a lobster. White people get stared at enough in the subway.

Mr. Chi City's guide to getting women

Let the Right One In

Living in Korea has obvious drawbacks for a film buff. The only english-language films that make their way to Korean theaters are brainless action flicks and trashy romantic comedies. And, for obvious reasons, I can't really see anything unless it is in English. Luckily, the magical powers of the internet have allowed me to still watch films that I wouldn't otherwise be able to see until my return home. There are still some that I haven't been able to locate (Slumdog Millionare, Frost/Nixon, the Wrestler, Synecdoche, New York) but otherwise I have watched quite a few recent movies from the Western world. 

When I went to see Quantum of Solace back in November, there was a preview for a Swedish Vampire film called 'Let the Right One In." The imagery was startling, though I couldn't understand any of the language in the preview. A few weeks ago, I was finally able to watch the movie and was completely enthralled. This is by far the best film I've watched in 2008.

The story follows a 12 year old boy who lives in an apartment complex outside of Stockholm. The boy is a loner who often gets picked on at school. A girl moves in to the apartment complex and the two of them start to spend some time together, and eventually the boy finds out that his new friend is a vampire. I won't go into any more plot detail but I highly recommend this film. 

One thing I appreciate about European filmmakers is that they often hold their audience to higher standards than your average Hollywood director. They don't shove ideas in your face but rather allow the viewer to assess the film for themselves and create their own interpretation. 'Let the Right One In' is a subtle masterpiece, a film that will stick with you for days or even weeks. It is a story of loneliness, friendship, and the difficulties of youth. 

Please post your thoughts if you have seen this already, because I haven't heard anyone else's opinion.

Fan Death

Never go to sleep with your fan still running. It may end up killing you. At least, this is what the majority of Koreans believe. Fan Death is a bizarre myth in Korea; the belief is that, if you leave a fan on for a long period of time (overnight), it will suck all of the oxygen out of the air, causing you to suffocate to death. Now, this may seem silly to anyone who reads or hears about it for the first time. I still think it's quite ridiculous. However, the Korean Government takes it very seriously, listing "asphyxiation from electric fans or air conditioners" as one of the most common summer accidents. How is this possible? According to medical professionals, it's not. According to every Korean I have spoken to about this issue, it is very possible.

I first broached the topic with my teacher's conversation class. This is a class I teach every Monday afternoon for any teacher in the school who wants to practice their conversational English. I usually find an interesting article to read or discuss but the conversation almost always ends up directly relating to me, my beliefs, and all-things America. A few weeks ago though, I decided to begin the class by asking everyone if they believed in Fan Death. I didn't exactly put it in those terms, but I got the general idea across. I asked something along the lines of, "Do you believe that a fan can kill someone if it is left on overnight in a closed room?" To my surprise, everybody in the room believed in Fan Death. They turned the question back at me and I said that, no, I do not believe in Fan Death. In fact, I have been sleeping with a fan on every single night for at least the past four years. This comment garnered a mixed reaction of concern, shock, and horror. Gasps, murmers, and OH NO's spread throughout the room. It was almost as if I just explained how I have been cheating death for the past four years. In a sense, this is what they were hearing. The mood in the room started to feel a little heavy, so I decided to change the topic. Incidentally, there had been complaints that some of my lesson topics were too heavy or morbid for some of the teachers, but that is a whole different subject altogether. 

Anyway, I continued my quest for a Korean who didn't believe in Fan Death the following weekend, at a bar in Hongdae. Somehow I started talking with three Koreans, all of whom were probably in their early twenties. After a few drinks and a few laughs, I decided to give it a shot. Almost immediately after asking about Fan Death, I could tell that this was a bad idea. All three of them looked at each other, said a few words in Korean, and told me that they did indeed believe in Fan Death. It didn't appear like a topic they wanted to discuss in any detail, so I didn't ask any follow-up questions.

Now, as I sit alone in my apartment at 12:30 AM on a Saturday morning, I am wondering one thing:

Is tonight the night? Is my fan finally going to suck all of the air out of my shabby apartment, thus causing me to die a horrible and painful death?

This is my fan:

Upon first glance, it looks harmless enough. I have no complaints. It kept me cool during those hot days of September. It provides me with the required ambient noise I need for sleep in the cold nights of December. It has shown no signs of evil intent. Is this the look of a secret killer? Perhaps, but I'm just going to keep on cheating death, one night at a time.

A Night Out with the Co-Workers

On Tuesday I was informed that a few teachers from my office were going out to dinner and they wanted me to join. According to my co-teacher, Mr. Lee, the dinner was a end-of-term celebration of sorts. I eagerly accepted the invitation, knowing full well that 'going out to dinner' to a Korean means a small dinner followed by massive amounts of booze and, most likely a trip to the Noraebang (Karaoke Room). The night started out as I had expected. We had dinner in a small restaurant, and I was actually told by one of my co-workers to save some room for beer. After dinner, Mr. Oh told us that he wanted to take us to a famous Korean microbrewery and treat us all to some beer because his son had just gotten into a prestigious science high school in Seoul. This was music to my ears seeing as how, besides two Sam Adams Lagers at Thanksgiving, I have been drinking nothing but Korean Busch Lite for four months. 

When we arrive, I quickly realize that this is like no Microbrewery I had ever seen. The set-up was more akin to a nightclub. A large stage in one corner was showing a live concert of Beyonce on a 20x20 projection screen. Blue Christmas lights hung along all of the walls. Waiters walked around with in-ear pieces and walkie talkies attached to their belts. Every seat in the room had at least three 50-inch flat screen televisions within their line of sight, all of which were showing the Beyonce concert. Beyonce was on mute however, and the speakers blasted today's K-Pop favorites instead.

So we take our seats, get a few samplers of beer to decide which one we want to dive into, and then order. Two minutes later, the waiter brings out this giant tube of beer with its own tap. The tube held exactly ten pint glasses worth of beer. Mr. Oh wasted no time in slamming his first glass. By the time he was halfway through number two, his face was starting to turn red, a sure-fire sign that a Korean is well on his way to getting drunk. Meanwhile, Ms. Lee and I discussed some of her favorite bands: Skid Row, the Clash, Nirvana, and some Japanese speed metal band that I had never heard of. What made this conversation so awesome was the fact that Ms. Lee is a very quiet, unassuming, middle-aged Korean woman. She is quite possibly the last person in the world who I can picture rocking out to Japanese speed metal in her spare time. 

Right as I was finishing my second glass of Pilsner, a group of Filipinos walked on to the stage, all clad in matching Santa Claus outfits, all except for the female lead singer, who was wearing some sort of Santa/dress combo. Their set opened with a bland instrumental cover of Jingle Bells, followed by a few other Christmas tunes played with almost no emotion. Needless to say, I was unimpressed, though very attracted to the lead singer. Here is the band during the second or third song of the set:

After about twenty minutes, the band leaves the stage...set break. Ten minutes later they return, and immediately shift gears. The set opens with a funky take on Sade's "Smooth Operator" followed by a rousing performance of "Killing Me Softly." At this point, the female singer removes her Mrs. Clause sweater, a sign of things to come. The band then drops into "Shake Your Booty." The singer starts dancing around the stage as the guitarist and keyboarder trade solos before the band segues flawlessly into Kool & the Gang's "Get Down On It." This song really gets the crowd going, and Koreans start dancing all over the place. I have never seen anything quite like it. "Get Down On It" flows right into "Celebration," another 70s funk classic before things start to inevitably slow back down. 

To be honest, I don't remember what they played after this. I was too busy getting hassled by my co-workers for "not drinking enough beer." I do remember that they were playing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as I walked out. I turned around to glimpse the stage for one last time and noticed that the singer had put her Mrs. Clause sweater back on. I guess the funk was short-lived.

Luckily the night ended there. No Noraebang this time. Maybe my co-teachers had heard about my provocative performance of "Like a Virgin" back in November....

Anyway, here's a great shot of two of my co-teachers, Mr. Lee and Ms. Choi, getting a little loose, as I like to say. 

Merry Christmas