Wednesday, March 28, 2007
After waking up in Daegu for the first time, the first place we went was Cheongdo county for a bullfighting festival. Here, there’s no matador -- the bulls fight each other! Typically the bulls just butt heads until one of them gets a bit of an owie and runs away, leaving the winner to chase and taunt him, or just to gloat in the center of the ring. Often, they don’t want to fight at all, and have to be dragged around by their handlers.
The “festival” aspect included a lunch of spicy beef-and-rice soup under a tent, and other attractions similar to those you might find at a county or state fair. A refreshing introduction into the culture of South Korea, especially considering the stereotype of a fast-paced, high-tech, industrial country.
