For the LOVE!

The 14th day of every month is special in Korea.
As if one holiday to commemorate love wasn't enough they have drawn out the festivities all year long.

Awesome.

So, today was White Day. What is that you ask? Well it's the male reciprocation or initiation of the love! You see, Valentine's Day is for the women in Korea. The ladies give the fellas chocolate and other trinkets ... and wait. Tis the woman's job right?

March 14th is when things really heat up. This is the day to man up. Guys either reciprocate the love in the giving of flowers and chocolate (or pitifully massive, stuffed fluffiness of bear), or initiate some love action in a similar way. Here's where I guess things could get pretty juicy. What if the receiving man wasn't interested? He snarfed the chocolates before realizing who gave them, only to rummage unsuccessfully through the trash to find name of the giving lady. What about her? Uh oh. No chocolate for her? No flowers? No massive zoo animals? Operation "Find Myself a Man" has failed. Miserably. I can imagine it would be a rather tearful day. Oh, and horribly embarrassing of course. The month spent waiting in hopeful jubilee quickly turns to a month of mourning.

But, fear not just yet friends. There is a special day for this poor maiden too.

You see, April 14th is for the loveless. The chocolate deprived. The flower failures. And the barren, alike. Their less than lush love lives are lost in loneliness among the luxury and laughs of those lousy love larks. They must, sadly, lay low in the days that follow. One month to be exact, and lament over their losses as love blooms (or looms) overhead.

April 14th comes as a ray of light in the darkness. The losers emerge. Link arms. Dress in black. And, of course, enjoy a steaming bowl of Jajangmyeon. The traditional black bean noodle soup, for losers. April 14th is Black Day. A day dedicated to the losers finally finding camaraderie, joining together in the richness, and meaning of the days motto, "No to couples, and yes to singles!"
It's quite epic i would imagine. Empowering. Liberating. Revitalizing.

I spent the night of March 14th alone. I washed my whites. Took a nap at 5pm as i watched The Holiday. I got up around 7 and made some delicious vegetable curry... for myself. I sat at my table listening to, i'll admit it, my "Always the Love Songs" Genius Mix on itunes, enjoying Chilsung Cider (Korean equivalent to ginger ale) in a wine glass. I think that might put me in the loser category for sure. Which, i think, presumes that i'll be joining the loser masses in a month to eat some soup.

Awesome.

It's a good thing i like black beans. I mean, how awful. End a month of morning with a horribly disgusting soup? That would be sad. (Maybe that's why i can't find any black beans at Emart. They're hording them for Black Day. Ah... things are starting to make sense.)

Anyway, I have one thing to say to you White Day- "You can keep your stinkin' bear. And you can keep your chocolates, too. I'm holding out for June 14th."