Getting Settled a.k.a. Finding a Local Bar

A good friend of mine, affectionately called Texas Dave, claims that there is one essential component to getting settled when you move to a new state or country. Aside from the obvious nuisance of securing a place to hang your hat

(in Dave’s case, a cowboy hat),

and a job to pay for said digs; the single most important aspect of New Towndom is finding a local bar.

The local bar is a Mecca for townies, and the best place to rub elbows, pick up strangers, shoot the proverbial shit, or just get sloshed. It is also the place to go when the day has been long, your patience is short, and you are feeling lonely, stressed, depressed, sexy, snarky, or any combination of the aforementioned.

So, taking my friend’s advice, I previewed several local bars that foreigners frequent in Pohang. There’s ‘Mindy’s’ which dubs itself an English Sports Pub and is the Navy and Marine boy’s hangout (Hello, my name is Hope. I’m not Semper Fi…but I can be for tonight). Here there’s no shortage of darts, pool, or soju cocktail. There’s also no shortage of testosterone, tight muscle shirts, and, I’m guessing, venereal diseases.

My daddy and Dave warned me about you, boys! So show me at least three condoms and a blood test, or I’m outta here…depending on how much soju I’ve had.

The Whistler is an eclectic mix of a sports bar and hooka lounge; it blares non-stop soccer games while the smell of mint and rose hang in the air. An Irish Carbomb costs 20,000 won (roughly 20 bucks), so stick with the mekju (beer) unless you brought a sailor who’s buyin’.

And then there’s ‘S Bar’, my favorite of the trio, which is owned by Tommy, a dapper Korean gentleman who sits at the end of the bar, sips scotch, and chats with all of the pretty women-sound like anyone we know? Just to spice things up, Tommy puts on what is called a “fire show” once a month, where the bartenders can show off their “flare”, Tom Cruise Cocktail style. I stumbled into ‘S Bar’, fully loaded and ready to make some new friends. On a whim, I struck up a conversation with Tommy and his premiere bartender, Rio. Rio is a gorgeous young Korean man who makes the girls squeal as he juggles 5 bottles of liquor, pours drinks, and lights things on fire. Hell, I’m no longer considered a ‘girl’, I’m a full-blown woman, and he makes me squeal like I’m back in pigtails and bloomers. I mean, this guy is good.

Really good.

So, in my drunkenness, I convinced Rio and Tommy that they should teach me “flare” in exchange for me teaching them English. Whether they were serious or just humoring a drunk girl, I’m not quite sure; but what I am sure of is that ‘S Bar’ is where I plan on hangin’ my hat, and neither Tommy nor Rio know what they’ve gotten themselves into.

Geonbae! Cheers!