Pizza on the Subway

The scene: One of the greatest subways systems in the world... and the most used.


The players:
A beautiful Korean woman standing in the subway car, headphones on, reading Jane Eyre completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

A doofus from Indiana carrying a pizza, our hero.


I suspect my friends are somewhat surprised how long it has taken for me to write about the subway. When I returned to the States last October after interviewing in Seoul, I raved about the subway system. I believe I was even mocked for how much I talked about the Seoul subway. Did that bother me? No, because the subway here is the greatest subway on the planet.

Okay, I have only been on the subway in London, Toronto, D.C., New York, and Tokyo. I really like the subways in D.C and Toronto. In 2004, I went to Japan on a business trip with a colleague from Greece. That was my first trip to a non-English speaking country, and I was a little intimidated. Fortunately, my Greek friend was well traveled and dragged me out to explore Tokyo.

Since cabs in Japan are expensive, we decided to try to use the subway. I remember entering the nearest station and being completely overwhelmed. The map on the wall was monstrous. The maze of lines was impressive. There were some English words, but that didn't really help. My friend and I just stared at the map trying to figure out how to get a ticket. Then a little old lady who didn't speak a word of English starts yelling at us as she points to the map. I smile at her, but she keeps talking and pointing. She points at the spot where we are. She points at another station. Then she points at the number above that station at the top of the map. She must have done this for several minutes. Then it hit me. If you go from here to there, you pay that. Suddenly, all of Tokyo opened up to us because a little Japanese lady who looked to be 150 years old was certain she could explain it to us. Awesome.

The subway in Seoul

It is not as complicated as it looks

So why do I rave about the Seoul subway? Well, There are English subtitles everywhere. The station announcements on the trains are also spoken in English. Transfer announcements are made in English. Those things are very helpful but those things don't set it apart. The first thing I really like about this subway is that there are glass doors preventing access to the tracks. For some reason, I sometimes fear someone will push me onto the rails just before the train arrives. Can't happen here (at least at most stations).

Outer glass doors will not open until train stops

Another thing that sets this system apart is the labeling of the stations above the glass door. Once in the New York subway, a friend who knew where she was going took the train in the wrong direction. I didn't mind. She was good company, but that is hard to do here.

The station the train came from and the station it is headed to has saved me many times.

A few months after my divorce I tried online dating. Many of my dates were in New York which meant taking the subway. "From the northeast corner of the subway exit go three blocks and take a right. The cafe will be on your left." Finding the right way out of the subway in New York drove me crazy. Granted, that is not a long drive but still... Here the exits out of the subway are numbered. "Let's meet at the Iranian restaurant. From Itaewon station take exit 3 and take the third right turn." Numbering the exits is simply brilliant.

Exits 1,4,5,8,9, and 10 are to the right. Exits 2,3,6, and 7 are to the left.

Finally, each subway train has its own wireless hotspot. Your cell phone will get a signal deep in the heart of the subway system. Many people watch TV on their cell phones as they ride the metro. Indeed, most people are online and in their own world which leads us back to the attractive Korean lady and our Hoosier doofus. Recall that she has her head phones on, reading a book. The train is crowded so she is standing near the end of the car. Having a pizza to hold, I make my way to the end of the car. I notice her book is in English. I love talking to people on the subway, but there is no chance today. She doesn't even see me. Then she sniffs. Another sniff. She looks up. She looks around. She spots my pizza and smiles. Off come the headphones, "That smells really good." The headphones go back on. Another sniff. Reading is no longer possible. I think it helped that it was near dinner time. "That smells really good."

"I'm sorry. I was in the mood for pizza."

"Isn't there a place near you? What is so special about that pizza?"

To me trains are romantic. Something about the chance encounter, serendipity. "I think the brick oven was imported from Italy. All I know is that it is really good. It's called the Canadian - pepperoni, mushrooms, and bacon. Would you like the menu?"

"I'll give it to my sister. I am visiting her. I live in Paris and leave in a few days."

She's Korean, lives in France, speaks English, ... and I have her complete attention. Offer her a slice. Suggest that we get off at the next stop. We won't leave the station. We will just wait for the next train as we eat a slice of pizza. Do it! It will be really cool. Pull the trigger. You will never see her again.

This wasn't about a pickup. It was just about sharing an experience. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. She might have said no. She might have said yes. I will never know, and that is what made me a doofus.  Still, I love riding the subway. Look for the guy with the pizza box. It's probably me.

Next week I'm in the States! I can't wait to see my daughter. I'm also a little worried about culture shock. "What do you mean, the bar is closing?" Hopefully, I will get to see the sun. That would be nice.