Saturday, March 26, 2011

Korean Pillaging

Some call it an art, some call it stealing... others might just call it creepy and dirty.  We, at Captain and Clark, call it awesome. 

We're talking about pillaging.  Well, more like taking a load off of someones hands.

In Korea, when someone moves, passes away, or wants to clean and clear their apartment they often set their unwanted furniture and goods on the side of the street.  It's not uncommon to see a bookcase, drying rack, bed frame, or even a toilet laid out on the pavement.  We know plenty of people who've found their sofas or coffee tables waiting for them on the side of the road.

Our Korean co-workers told us that some people believe that the possessions of a deceased person are cursed and are therefore unwanted.  They've also said that while there are places set up where one can discard unwanted furniture, many people are too lazy and just set them out on the street instead.  It's a free for all, first come first serve kind of thing.  It's like a garage sale, but better since everything is free. 

It just so happened that our good friend and neighbor Owen Wilson (yes, that's his real name) left Korea last night in search of greener pastures (cough cough Thailand).  While the boy and I have everything we need, we decided that it would be an ample opportunity to teach our replacements, Christie and Brad the art of Korean pillaging. 

Did they find it enjoyable?  Take a peek for yourself.


Chrisie and Brad made out like bandits.  And yes.  Owen Wilson even left a plastic bag full of Korean change. Cha-ching!   In the end, the boy and I walked away with a few National Geographics (which I lurve), a set of speakers, and a small backpack.  Christie and Brad found a new bookcase, some books, dvds, a traditional hat, some bed padding, and a few other knickknacks. 

Not too bad for their first pilfering experience. 

3 comments:

  1. Awesome, looks like you guys had a blast. Great to see Brad and Christie are having fun and have you two vets to show them the ropes. Thanks!
    Lynn (Brad's Mom)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad you liked the pictures! Christie and Brad are going to do well here. I can already tell :)

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  3. Ahhh pillaging! Twas one of my favorite things to do in Korea. :) Although, we do it a lot here in DC too. The back alley ways are a gold mine of stuff. We find stuff, fix it up and then sell it on craigslist! We like to call ourselves modern pirates, arrrr...
    Anyway, I am excited for your upcoming travels. Best wishes winding down things in Korea.

    ReplyDelete

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