NOVEMBER 1,2006
Smoke Signals 9
ful of small stoves onto which are
placed pans that are in turn filled
with broth, beef, onions, and these
delicious clear noodles, evidently
made of potato starch. There are
also tiny sardine-like spicy fish,
whole baby crabs with shells so soft
you can eat them. Plus different
vegetables, two or three variations
of kimchee and pork. I love hot
food, so this is heaven. The baby
crabs are a bit much, but over all,
anybody who appreciates food
would savor this.
We are treated to a similar meal
that night, after the opening cer
emonies for the ginseng festival,
which feature a whole lot of drums,
and drumming. Our ever-present
guides and translators walk
us through parts of the expo that
might interest us, including one
area that is museum-like is nature,
and explains, through words, diora
mas, animation, art, and preserved
specimens just about all I will ever
need to know on ginseng, nick
named "the root of life". Geumsan
is world-renowned for theirs, espe
cially the red variety, and before
this trip is over, I will have ingested
the root in more forms than I can
count. If the plant really lives up to
the reputation of promoting longev
ity, then by this trip alone I'll have
added 10 years to my life.
By the end of our second day, the
entire delegation will be present, in
cluding Youngman, Bob Donaldson,
a local attorney with his wife Julie,
and Dana Miller, the president of
George Fox University. I see the
same tiredness on their faces that
I myself just endured. More impor
tantly, I get to see the look on their
faces as they sit down the next day
to an epic Korean meal. Not only is
there plenty of raw fish, but quail
eggs, a different sort of crab, some
very unusual looking mushrooms,
and some food that we just can't ever
figure out, and pretty spectacular
fish. By the end of this five, six, or
seven course meal, I am glutted to
the point of dizziness. Youngman
chuckles, Koreans, he tells me, take
their hospitality very seriously.
The Friday and Saturday of our
trips end up being the most eventful
by far. Our hosts haul us off to a lo
cal University, and also to a shampoo
factory, where they make ginseng
shampoo. My own personal highlight
is when we drive out into the Korean
countryside, where on all sides of us
black plastic awnings blanket the
landscape. Those awnings conceal
Geumsan's version of Texas tea,
ginseng plants. Many visitors are
here clamoring around for their op
portunity to yank from the Earth
their own root of life. I do the same.
Ginseng farmers squat nearby, tak
ing a rest from the surprisingly hot
weather, calmly smoking cigarettes
and smiling, amused at the keen '
interest these visitors take in what
for them is incredibly routine. I pull
out a couple of four-year old plants,
not quite old enough to develop the
vermillion berries above the leaves.
The roots look enigmatic and plain
at the same time. The fascination
lies in that this root could possibly be
one of the most valuable, and healthy
plants on the planet. I remember at
the expo one of the guides informed
us that a mature wild ginseng plant
can command nearly $10,000 from
willing buyers. There is that much
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After two or three gates, visitors arrive at the main hall of Gyeongbukgong, a lavish and colorfully painted throne room
faith and reverence in this plant's
nutritional powers.
That night we are treated to the
public opening ceremonies of the
ginseng expo. Drummers prance
around in set patterns, and beat
their drums at such an up-tempo
rate that I can only surmise they
are in great physical shape.
The following day we dine again
with Chung and his associates.
During lunch Yamhill country
presents them with gifts, portraits
of the Willamette Valley, wine,
and of course hazelnuts. Following
lunch we drive over to a spiritual
meditation center that is stunning
and peaceful. We are informed that
this is a very popular retreat center.
At dinner I present our hosts with
gifts on behalf of the Tribe, which
are beaded necklaces, a Pendleton
blanket and beaded pins. Chung
apparently loves the West Valley
Veteran's Memorial pin I give him.
During the gift exchange there is
some slight miscalculation in num
bers, and as Chung's wife stands
before me, I am empty-handed
and somewhat bewildered. Chung
nods and points to the necklace
around my own neck. I take it off
and gently place the necklace over
her head. She gasps, and bows. I
learned early on that many of these
people have a deep respect for In
dian culture.
Chung later asks me my age, and
when he realizes that I am younger
than his sons, informs me that I
am now one of his own. Off and on
for the rest of the trip, he calls me
"son." He also asks me about Mark
Mercier, whom he remembered
fondly from 1996.
We are given one last chance to.
run through the expo and purchase
the myriad ginseng products that
vendors have made available. That
of course is on top of the numer
ous ginseng gifts the province had
already supplied us with. When
I arrive back in Grand Ronde, I
place the ginseng out on the table in
council chambers, including some
honey-soaked red roots. To date,
only Wink Soderberg has tried any,
and our Secretary Colleen Branson
puts the rest in a ziplock. So if
you're interested...
The rest of our trip goes nicely,
and peacefully. Chairman Chung
greets us that last day, inquiring
as to when we will come back.
Honestly, I don't know, nor does
anybody else in the delegation. We
all agree though that once every
ten years doesn't quite cut it. The
sister county relationship has been
very helpful as a cultural exchange,
maybe to a degree business as well.
It is something that hopefully the
county will look at developing, with
the Tribe's ongoing support.
My last day and a half is spent
in Seoul, where before I leave I
meet with Jin Won Kim, the State
of Oregon representative in Korea.
Kim has been through it all with us,
often stepping up to the challenge to
serve as interpreter, and at times,
guide. He asks me if I have any
calendars left, or "Smoke Signals" I
inform him those' went long ago, but
promise to mail some later. What I
do have left, though, are golden and
silver logo pins, which he seems to
genuinely like. His office is dotted
with photos of Oregon, and a dream
catcher is nailed to the wall beside
his door. Kim tells me that only two
months ago Governor Kulongoski
also paid him a visit.
My time in Seoul is spent checking
out the nearby palace, and visiting
Insadong, the city's art community
where vendors have their works all
over the sidewalks and in shops. For
lunch I dine on chicken and ginseng
rice porridge, so astoundingly good I
return to the same spot for dinner.
Seoul is a city in love with light, spe
cifically neon. The view from my hotel
room on the 32nd floor is stunning.
Like New York, Seoul is a beautiful
city at night. For such an enormous
metropolis, some 10 million I'm told,
the people here are very friendly.
Must be the ginseng.
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Who says agriculture can't be artistic? Tribal Chair Chris Mercier kneels
before an exhibition at the World Ginseng Expo during his trip to Korea.