The "Yakuza" Cat

On Tuesday, James and I went to the Incheon Immigration Office to pick up our multi-entry visa stamps so we can take future trips to other places in Asia. Since we're in Asia, why not take the opportunity to make the most of it while we're here and travel to a few places? We just might.

So we fight through bureaucratic heck to get it. This place is the equivalent to the Maryland Vehicles Administration, and if any of you have ever been to the MVA, it sucks. Don't get me started on that mess. However, we finally get in line, only to be told to fill out a form to be turned in, pay 50,000 Won for stamps (to get the Visas ratified), and go back in the line again. So we had to pick up another ticket number. So, after facing pain in 2005 at the MVA (don't get me started), I said, "screw this, I'm going back up there." So with my foreign super powers, I "waygoogin" punched my way back in line, and the lady acceptedly took our forms and got us out of there in half the time. Phew. In fact afterwards, I asked James if I could pick up a form for an F-4 Visa so I can fill it out for the future, and James gives me an answer to my F-4 Inquiry: "Eff that."

So we travel to Incheon Station, then back to the city of Incheon's China Town to have a look. Every part of the world has its own China Town. Its not as big or bumping like the China Towns in San Francisco or New York, but its a neat part of town that is authentically Chinese. We even had Mandu for a snack, 3,000 for 3 "Wang Mandu," a Chinese-style steamed bun. "Nomu mashissoyo." ("Very tasty" in Korean)

Anyway, we were walking around town when we saw this really BIG cat. It was a normal-bred stray cat, but it was really big, like a small wildcat. And this cat looked like it has had a hard life. We (James and I) were remarking that is one huge cat. In my mind after meeting the Korean Gangster a month ago, I dubbed this konquering kitty "Yakuza Cat." So this cat is strolling down the street, while there is this old ajoshi ("older man" in Korean) sitting on the side of the road with this huge rotweiler dog. It was the biggest dog we have seen in South Korea since we got here, because most owned dogs are small due to lack of space. So this cat is about to walk towards this dog...you see where I'm going with this.

Mark: "That cat is about to run into that dog, let's see what happens."

So the cat stops, looks at the dog, and the dog looks back. It was like a Western shootout, two rivals facing off, like Japan vs. Korea. Then, the cat walks around the man and the ajoshi, who were both sitting near this Chinese restaurant. All of a sudden, the doggie in rage rushes towards the cat, and the cat smoothly scurries away, like it was like, "I'm too cool for you, dumb dog." But the ajoshi stopped the dog in time so the rugged "koyangi" ("Cat" in Korean) could make his escape.

Bobby's explanation today at our July 4th Dinner at TGIFriday's? "The cat is rough looking because it had to fight off all those people trying to eat him!" Bad joke.

The "Yakuza Cat" fights to live another day.