An Ode to Ondol

Ondol is the name for the Korean system of under-floor heating. This is my tribute to it.


Oh, ondol, how I adore thee.

I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I can foresee that this is a love that will last a lifetime. If I could, I would bestow a thousand bottles of soju upon the wise, wonderful Koreans who invented thy delicious floor-warming properties.

Nothing in this mortal world compares to the moment when I set foot in my humble home, kick off my shoes, and alight upon my toasty, warm floor. Thou, my wonderful friend, hast convinced me of the infinite superiority of sleeping par terre. Indeed, I have gone native for thee, ondol.

Behold: My bed is no longer my bed. It has, instead, been relegated to the position of mere sofa.  My ukulele and violin have taken up residence there, the way cats perch on their favorite piece of furniture. Now, the floor is my bed.

And what a lovely bed it is. Always radiating warmth and comfort, ready to embrace me at day's end. Who needs companionship when I have thee, ondol? Thou providest all of the cuddly warming benefits of another human, and yet I worry not about thee hogging the blanket.

Ondol, where hast thou been all my life? Ah, but it matters not. We are together now. Let us never be parted again.