Tuesday, September 24, 2013

I couldn't buy any peanuts or cracker jacks!

Koreans love many things about the US, but quite possibly, one of their favourite things is America's national pastime: baseball.

Shortly after my return from Canada, my friend Natallia and I joined a group from Meetup.com to check out a baseball game in Seoul.  I don't remember the teams, but I know one was local (there are 2 baseball teams in Seoul, I believe) and the other was from out of town (Busan maybe?).

Go team!


Having been to many Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays games, I understood baseball and knew the game culture well.  Or so I thought until I experienced a Korean baseball game.

Being good Canadians, we don't usually make too much noise during sporting events.  Have you ever been to an Ottawa Senators hockey game?  As soon as the play is on, it's pretty darn quiet.

Korean baseball is the opposite of that.  Every one is out of their seats, cheering, clapping their noisemakers together and happy.  It was fun, but also a little weird.

He decided to give her more than just a baseball diamond ;-)


Also a bit strange: you can bring your own food and drink from outside to enjoy at the stadium.  A good thing for sure, but unheard of back home.  I also find they don't price gouge as much at the concession stands.  I went to one to buy a bottle of water, which I would probably have to spend a good $3 or $4 at a hockey game back home.  Here, it was the standard price of $1. Quite a nice change!

Then: home of the 1988 Summer Olympics; Now: partially used as a baseball stadium


1 comment:

  1. I know just how you felt - my first soccer game in Germany was equally surprising. Btw, I love the pic of the guy proposing; now that's romance!

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