Hong Kong WTO: the kimchi & soju factor

Mister Bijou can confirm that Korean soju is mighty powerful. Try mixing vodka, gin and tequila together and then drinking a few generous glasses of the stuff. Life enters an alternate reality, warm, glowing, hallucinatory, trancelike. Everything is fine, until you stand up. Or, rather, try to stand up. Yes, Mister Bijou had a love affair with soju, twenty-odd years ago in Seoul, South Korea. Even bought a t-shirt in Itaewon with that cartoon character Garfield demonstrating the 'four stages of soju': (1) you are handsome; (2) you are rich; (3) you are powerful; (4) you are invisible!
Oh, well... I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now. Still, it's good to see kimchi and soju remain mainstays of the powerhouse that is South Korea. Justin Mitchell writes:

Ever wondered what keeps them fueled for those long marches and gives them the spirit and stamina to hurl themselves into the harbour or throw themselves repeatedly against police shields?
It's soju, a distilled clear rice-based liquor, usually about 30 to 40 percent alcohol. "Rocket fuel" might be the western translation. The KPL members were knocking it back from jars Friday prior to forays to the US consulate and other targets and offering hefty samples to the crowd.
Strictly for professional reasons, I accepted three large shots and found myself shouting mansei! ("victory") and "down down WTO" before orbiting back to the newsroom.

Thirsty for more? Curbside