Chris Tharp > Quotes

“Korean people are proud of kimchee, and in some ways it perfectly represents the Korean character: spicy, sour, strong, unique, and difficult for outsiders to really fathom.”
― Chris Tharp, Dispatches from the Peninsula: Six Years in South Korea

“Travel is often compared to a drug, and though it is a cliché, the analogy is a strong one. Traveling, like a mind- or mood-altering substance, is often exhilarating; it gives you a rush, and can be absolutely addictive. And like drugs, the more you do, the bigger dose you require to hit that special receptor in the brain-the place that made the experience feel so good the first time. In a way, you're always chasing that first hit.”
― Chris Tharp, The Worst Motorcycle in Laos: Rough Travels in Asia

“For all the sickening stuff one finds below the surface, Japan is a very safe, civilized place. Maybe they had something figured out. Maybe it's better to recognize such taboo subjects and create a space to contain them, rather than suppress them to the point to where they burst out in more harmful ways. Maybe the Japanese are just more honest about our dark sexual impulses, and their seemingly lax attitudes reflect a more realistic approach to the problem-a kind of societal harm reduction-like experiments in drug decriminalization.”
― Chris Tharp, The Worst Motorcycle in Laos: Rough Travels in Asia

“The Philippines is a one-beer nation and San Miguel is the brand.”
― Chris Tharp, The Worst Motorcycle in Laos: Rough Travels in Asia

“It must be said that the Japanese are notorious perverts.”
― Chris Tharp, The Worst Motorcycle in Laos: Rough Travels in Asia

“As foreigners, we're totally out of the communication loop. We're really considered off the totem-pole in this status-obsessed culture. It's not that we're too low or too high-we're not even there to begin with. This cannot be changed. A foreigner in Korea will always be just that. No amount of language acquisition, soju tolerance, or chopstick dexterity will make up for it.”
― Chris Tharp, Dispatches from the Peninsula: Six Years in South Korea

“Korean beer is basically limited to three brands: Hite(Shite), Cass(Ass), and O.B. (Oh Pee!)”
― Chris Tharp, Dispatches from the Peninsula: Six Years in South Korea