"After hopping off the train, I walked for such a long time that my legs became stiff as boards. But finally, I got to Hyesan. I hadn't eaten for two days, so I headed for the market. It was huge, and there were so many products, I felt dizzy. Rice . . . flour . . . walleye pollock roe . . . you name it. Some people were clearly shopping for something to buy, while others looked like homeless people, unable to do anything but look on enviously.
"I had no money, of course, so I tried to find something on the ground. I eventually spotted some abandoned corncobs. There were no kernels on them, but I fastened my teeth on the cobs and ate what I could."
~~ from A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa
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