Guest Post
by Anastasia Vitksy
Food. If anything can
symbolize culture clash in one delectable—or disgusting—morsel, it’s the food
we put into our mouths. When Indigo Adams, a naïve farmgirl, travels to South
Korea for a blind date, she expects Koreans to think and behave like everyone
in her hometown. Norms for names, greetings, dress, and basic etiquette differ
so sharply that Indi wants to go home. Her horror with Korean culture reaches
its peak when a waiter serves her seafood mixed with pasta.
She
[Hyunkyung] gave a small smile, shrugged, and motioned for the waiter to set
down the heaping platter of pasta adorned with oysters and shrimp in their
shells.
Spillville,
Iowa, did not have much in the way of seafood, and my mouth puckered at a food
combination not found in nature. Shrimp and oysters, those were easy to
identify. What about the white round circles that appeared to be a cross
between tofu and marshmallows? And those purple-edged white rings lay next to
more purple-edged white strips with definite suckered tentacles.
CEO of the
multi-billion-dollar Han, Inc., Hyunkyung Han, shares Indi’s horror about their
match. Hyunkyung wanted a bilingual, bicultural Korean American who would serve
as a secondary figurehead. While she struggles to accommodate American
ignorance, she judges Indi by herself. Everyone loves kimchi, the Korean
national dish…right?
“It’s
a little bland,” I agreed. “The sauce needs some spice to cut through the thickness.
Here, have some kimchi to cleanse the palate.” I picked up a few choice pieces
of fermented, spicy cabbage and set them on the edge of her plate. She looked,
if possible, even greener. “Kimchi is good for you,” I said. “Full of vitamin
C, low in calories....”
Indi
Go picked up her fork and gave a weak stab at the limp cabbage. She patted the
tines on top of and next to the kimchi but not through it. Did she not know how
to use chopsticks, either?
Bold, confident Hyunkyung stares in gentle
puzzlement. She loves kimchi with pasta, and she loves pasta with seafood. Everyone does, don’t they? If Indi
doesn’t like the pasta, adding kimchi will make everything better. Right?
Don’t you giggle as you picture poor, horrified
Indi staring from the fermented cabbage to the noodles?
How does Hyunkyung settle their differences? If I
tell you, I’ll spoil the story. :D Instead, I’ll say that Ms. Han owns a
special box of toys and refuses to share.
Ask our dear Sara about refusing to share toys
and what happens to naughty girls who do not share. There were plenty of
witnesses at the Love Spanks 2015 event when someone declined to use her
safeword…
What would you find most difficult about living
abroad? Or, if you have experience living abroad, what do you guess would be
most difficult?
Ana’s note: I will give a small Korean-themed surprise to one random commenter on
this post.
Blurb
Broken-hearted when her
live-in boyfriend impregnates her best frenemy, Indigo Adams accepts a one-way
ticket to Seoul, South Korea, and a challenge from her Great-Aunt Matilda:
Forget that boy. Go and make something of yourself.
Instead, Madame Eve sends Indi, a naïve philosophy major graduate working for minimum wage at the local pub. Enraged to find Indi can’t speak one word of Korean, Hyunkyung orders her sent home on the next plane to Spillville, Iowa.
Then Hyunkyung shakes Indi’s hand, and the sparks fly. With all of her professional responsibilities, how can Hyunkyung allow herself to fall for the wrong woman? How can Indi feel attraction for a woman who despises her?
Seoul Spankings offers a light-hearted romp through the perils and joys of navigating an intercultural romance. Certain to delight all fans of a happily ever after with a kinky twist.
Author
bio
Cookie queen, wooden spoon lady, and champion of carbs, Anastasia Vitsky specializes in F/F fiction. She hates shoes and is allergic to leather. When not writing about women who live spankily ever after, she coordinates reader and author events such as Spank or Treat, Love Spanks, and Sci Spanks. Her favorite event is Ana’s Advent Calendar, a month-long celebration of books, community, and making a difference.
Cookie queen, wooden spoon lady, and champion of carbs, Anastasia Vitsky specializes in F/F fiction. She hates shoes and is allergic to leather. When not writing about women who live spankily ever after, she coordinates reader and author events such as Spank or Treat, Love Spanks, and Sci Spanks. Her favorite event is Ana’s Advent Calendar, a month-long celebration of books, community, and making a difference.
She is too afraid to watch Doctor
Who, but she adores The Good
Wife and anything with Audrey
Hepburn. In her next life, she will learn how to make the perfect pie crust.
She can be found at governingana.wordpress.com and on twitter @AnastasiaVitsky.
Social Media Links
Website:
https://governingana.wordpress.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AnastasiaVitsky
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/anastasiapvitsky
Printable Book List: https://governingana.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/printable-book-list-for-anastasia-vitsky.pdf
