Posted on 01/06/2019 8:46:02 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Lee Oui-ryuk was on the verge of dying of starvation when he stole a block of tofu in a market in North Korea at the height of a nationwide famine. Too weak to run away after he swiped the food, Lee continued eating as the seller cried and beat him with a metal rod, staining the white tofu red with his blood.
At nine years old he knew the theft would end in violence, but in his head he repeated over and over: “Even if you are beaten, keep eating.” He eventually passed out and when he awoke, took a morsel that remained on his hand to his sister.
“Even today I don’t have the words to describe the hunger,” Lee said. “My head was too big for my body because I was so malnourished and my neck couldn’t support the weight, which meant my head was always at a slant.”
More than two decades later Lee is no longer starving. The 31-year-old lives in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, where he can have virtually any dish delivered to his home with a few taps on his smartphone. But his experiences in the North forever changed his relationship with food and he often craves dishes invented by a chronically hungry nation.
“In North Korea every single thing I ate was related to my life, and even the smallest things would seem really big,” he said. “But here I just eat food because it’s a part of living.”
Many of the roughly 30,000 North Korean refugees living in the South are awestruck when they first arrive at seeing supermarkets stocked with items unseen back home. But they also find it difficult to cope with the plethora of choice and still carrying the trauma of growing up hungry.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
There were a couple of teachers at my high school who were Soviet dissidents. They couldn’t believe the abundance in an American supermarket when they first saw it, and this was a tiny IGN in a more rural part of the country.
I’ve also heard through a friend who’s father recounted the experience of hosting some Russian scientists that they wanted to continue to visit different supermarkets as they were convinced the tour was only showing them the “special supermarkets” shown to foreign visitors. They also were in awe of a typical Waldenbooks (this was some time ago).
Yep, I use to live in her district and it has one of the highest illegal populations in the country if not THE highest and I know for a fact they are being allowed to vote. Why? Because when I lived there about 10 years ago the NY Post did a whole front page expose on how illegals are ripping off the city with fake IDs, they did a tremendous job reporting it. They went step by step showing how they buy fake IDs with stolen social security numbers, $200 bucks, then they hit the welfare office, get paid, get food stamps and they send this all back to Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador. They even had Jamaicans doing it, putting the food in boxes and shipping it and do you know what happened when that story broke? NOTHING. They busted I think one guy and that was it. Bloomberg was Mayor at the time and he did NOTHING. Instead he said “Getting rid of illegals will destroy the NY economy” He ALLOWED them to rip us off! So it goes without question they are being allowed to vote as well, and why would they vote for a commie like Cortez? Because she promised them more free stuff. It’s utterly outrageous. Here’s another story I found on it from 2012.....
He was Clinton's guest in the White House in 1994. That story was hilarious because Secret Service agents discovered Yeltsin alone on Pennsylvania Avenue, dead drunk, clad in his underwear, yelling for a taxi. Yeltsin slurred his words in a loud argument with the baffled agents. He did not want to go back into Blair House, where he was staying. He wanted a taxi to go out for pizza.
Source, history.com: When a Russian President Ended Up Drunk and Disrobed Outside the White House
We should send AOC and the freshmen Dem in the house to North Korea for 6 months...it might cure them...
I think what cements conservatism in most Americans is the bone-deep understanding that the Blessings of God are bestowed upon those born in this country. I had that revelation at about age 8 and never looked back.
Amen!
The useful idiots are always gotten rid of early on.
The useful idiots are always gotten rid of early on.
/Scene from Moscow on the Husdon: coffee, coffee, coffee
Yup. I think of that scene frequently. We have so much choice, it can be overwhelming. I’ve stood mesmerized in front of shelves of food myself at times.
You know...if they’re working and paying taxes that’s one thing and I guess I can see how it might affect the economy if they had to leave and labor prices doubled. Restaurants and lots of other service businesses would be in a tight spot probably.
But if they’re on welfare there’s no way they’re doing us any good. And personally I suspect that’s why so many of them are here - to reap the rewards of our hard work. After all, they were invited to come live a much better life here and not have to work for it - all they have to do is vote rat.
Nevertheless, I know there are many good hispanic families who want what we all want - the chance to make their own way to a successful life. In the construction business the Mexicans have a reputation for being very hard workers.
Hi, Ladyforest,
I recall visiting my several of my southern cousins (Mississippi) and learned a thing or two about what constituted a full meal.
For lunch, buttered bread with scallions topped with salt. I cannot recall what we drank. It was a bittersweet visit. They had a beautiful side by side (and this was when they cost top dollar, being new on the market) and only a bottle of ketchup, the butter (margarine) and scallions in it. My aunt was really proud; my mom was quietly agast.
The twin sister to this aunt lived in PA, with I think 4, maybe 5 children and the husband drove a truck. They were a completely different mindset and it showed through all their actions. Self-providing, complete with gardening/farming to help get through the year when driving cross country wasn’t that safe.
I don’t know what your life was like. I am truly glad you came through it and are a Freeping Partner on this side.
We need all the input, from every perspective on this site. Even when my foot is inserted in my mouth clear up to my knee, I am truly grateful for having found this site.
At 21, I weighed 120 lbs.
“...we have morons ...”
_____________________________
Trust me, GrandJediMasterYoda, these folks are not morons. Not about what they want, not one bit. Now, they might not be the sharpest knives in the drawer in how they present what they want...and that’s another discussion altogether.
They know it won’t work, long term. The do know it will work short term, in that it will give them the power they crave. Once they’ve their power, well, the poor saps under their control ‘deserve what they get,’ will be their mantra.
It’s taken me a long timer to learn to never mistake evil with how evil is presented.
There was a story of a Soviet dignitary who was taken to a supermarket. He scoffed and said it was a facade. They told him “You tell us where to go”. They went 10 miles on his random directions and went into a store. He was unable to comprehend it.
At 17 I was 5’8” 128 lbs when joined the USN.
Got out at 25 6’ 148lbs and stayed in the 150 range till I turned 50(1990) at which point I stopped drinking (at least 1.5 cases of beer daily) and smoking (4 packs Camel Regular daily)....
It was like a rebirth...I shot up to 225+ in virtually no time, I won’t even drive over truck scales today-HA HA...
Granted till I stopped drinking etc I was in the Asphalt business and even though in high management, did a lot of walking etc.
Found out that the only thing that kept me in Asphalt was being ‘drunk’ all the time and also had the same effect on my ‘better half’ which I parted company with after 40+ years in the mid 2000s...
stopping smoking crashes the thyroid severely.
In 1979, I was a junior in college and had run out of food. I finally got down to 117(I was 5’10”) when I discovered I had $45 in the bank due to a class action lawsuit against a former employer. Within 3 months, I was up to 150 lbs from lifting weights and eating gobs of protein everyday.
I think I weighed 80 lbs in 8th grade but I am on the autism spectrum so that is not unusual.
Now I weigh 205. I think I overcompensated.
I smoked for 10 years and when I quit, I didn’t gain any weight. When I felt a craving, I went for a walk.
Lived in Logan WV we always had a small grocery store and lived upstairs. If I helped stock shelves i would have what i wanted. My grandmother cooked and we had to eat what was on the plate. They all were depresssion kids and adults so food was considered a sign of success.
Was on welfare in 1970 but ate steak on food stamps. Always addicted to ice cream. No discipline diabetes will probably kill me. Food has been my stress relief my comfort and my pleasure I often wonder what i would do without it. Probably live longer.
In 1979 we went to Jamaica. I went to the store with our cook. Lot’s of chicken and rice. Many shelves empty. Beef: go to yhr Sheraton and have a 15 dollar hamburger. Imported from florida.
It used to be that the character of America was so overall superior to that of the countries of immigrants that most were essentially converted by it. But when it becomes more and more like a prostitute, less will love it as a mother or see it as worthy alternative for their patriotic affections.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.