Unbounded Compass

This week we are talking about travel and how it expands our perspective. We contrast things like weather, expectations, and travel goals. Jenni relates her experiences, notably a trip to Seoul, South Korea last spring, and Inyeong contrasts her culture shock and reverse culture shock as she travels between the US and Korea.

This week we are talking about Portland's food culture. We touch on the diversity of authentic food (and where to find it) despite the lack of actual diversity in Portland and how this has led to accusations of cultural appropriation with regards to restaurants. We also discuss various diets, both cross-culturally, and across America. We focus on veganism, aka plant-based diets/lifestyles, but also touch on other types of dietary lifestyle choices and how they fit into the Portland food scene.

This week we are talking about Portland's hipster culture as a whole, but more specifically about the coffee scene. We discuss why coffee is so popular here and what this notion of third wave coffee means. We share our impressions of a Portland coffee tour we participated in. Also, we talk about our conversation with a local coffee roaster about the process from farm to cup, and the sense of community created by Portland’s coffee culture. Finally, we make comparisons between the coffee culture of Portland and Seoul, Korea.

This week we are talking about New Year's Eve/Day traditions including kissing at midnight, traditional foods, champagne toasts, noisemakers, and New Year’s resolutions. We also discuss various examples of slang and idioms.

This week we are talking about Christmas traditions including Christmas trees, Elf on the Shelf, 25 Days of Christmas, wrapped gifts versus Christmas stockings, and Christmas Eve dinner. We also discuss various examples of slang and idioms.