In and around Myeongdong

Jjimdak and tea

As I proudly ate my jjimdak (찜닭) without wincing or gulping down a half gallon of water, I thought my tolerance for spice was improving, having been in Korea for half a year. That was, until, my friend informed me in blunt Korean fashion, "I asked them not to make it too hot for you."



I've always loved jjimdak - no, I take that back - the very first time I had it, I thought a fire had broken out in my mouth, and at that point, I only sort of liked it. But jjimdak - a braised chicken dish served in a shoyu based sauce (usually accompanied with chewy glass noodles, potatoes, onions, and the occasional carrot and mushroom) - has since grown on me. You see, its unassuming heat makes it all the more adventurous. As you begin to dig in, the first thing your taste buds notice is the powerful mixture of sweet n salty. It isn't until a second or two later that you realize you're dealing with a healthy dose of garlic and chili pepper.

Having eaten jjimdak with three people from Hawaii - they (and I) have all agreed that it somehow reminds us of home. Shoyu chicken, maybe? Sukiyaki, perhaps? As we try to wrap our heads around what makes it so familiar, one thing's for certain - jjimdak is packed with flavor. There are quite a few places that serve jjimdak, and based on personal experience, it seems pretty hard to go wrong. However, Andong Jjim Dak and Bongchu Jjim Dak are popular choices, and if you happen to be in the Myeongdong (명동) area, simply ask around, and you shall find.



If you're looking for a way to soothe yourself from all that heated flavor, I recommend taking a trip to O'Sulloc Tea House. According to Lonely Planet, "Everything is produced from the green tea picked on the company's tea plantation on Jejudo." We ordered the tropical dream green tea, which was recommended by our waitress. Quite rightly one of the most popular selections, it's a mild tea that packs a wonderful fruity scent. The desserts didn't disappoint either, but it was the cafe's light wood and green surroundings that topped it off, allowing for a relaxing break away from the busy crowds, bright lights, and noise of Myeongdong.



After having been rejuvenated, we continued our walk all the way to Cheonggyecheon. Despite the heat, the people couples were out in force!





I'll miss you guys! ㅠㅠ

Myeongdong Gyoza

Last year while on vacation and in search of dinner in Myeongdong, my family and I followed the crowd and decided to dine at the line-out-the-door Myeongdong Gyoza (명동 교자).

Myeongdong Gyoza has but 4 items on its menu (all pictured below): 칼국수/kalguksu (wheat flour noodles in a hot broth), 비빔국수/bibimguksu (cold noodles mixed in a spicy sauce), 만두/mandoo (gyoza/dumplings), and 콩국수/kongguksu (noodles in a cold, creamy soy-based soup).



(The photo above was taken in September of last year, and it pretty much looks/tastes the same now. A+ for consistency!^^)

Like the menu, service is simple and to the point - get a seat, order your meal, pay the waitresses up front, and dig in. Nothing more, nothing less.

Kimchi is the only "extra" you'll get at Myeongdong Gyoza. Good stuff, and on the extra spicy side. I saw plenty of people getting refills (including us)!



It wasn't until tonight that I had the opportunity to visit again, as I was really craving kongguksu - it's such a refreshing and hearty dish that always leaves me feeling satisfied.



Jihee had the mandoo, which I hear is excellent. (I don't eat beef/pork, but I cheated a bit and ate the mandoo pi (wrapper) which was perfectly cooked.)



You really can't go wrong here.

Unlike our lunch from a random basement restaurant near Ehwa Women's Uni.

Note to self:

• Do not wander into random basement restaurants, especially if they're empty. There's a reason they're empty.
  
• Curry and ddeok don't make such a happy couple.
  

More sights for the tourist

As I continue to recover, I figure I'd give myself another day or two before venturing into any food posts, so as not to bias my reviews, heh. Instead, here's a quick recap of some of MC's non-food related experiences. ^^

I've been to three palaces so far, and figured the average visitor (unless a huge royal palace buff) only really needs to see one during a week long stay. Would've preferred Changdeokgung, but it's closed on Mondays, so we opted for the next best option, an easy walk from Insadong.



This was my second time to this palace, and again, we had a little more fun taking pictures outside the dare-I-say-dull-folk-museum...



Here, MC and I pounded some rice cakes. The first time around seemed so much easier! I could barely lift the thing... perhaps the ddeok had a greater stick-effect.



Of course, we had to do the obligatory trip to N Seoul Tower. I knew we could catch a cab there, since I had done it once before, but the drivers wouldn't believe me. Apparently, Koreans aren't allowed to ride a taxi up there. The gate guard even asked us for our passports, and when I told him I didn't have it and showed him my US driver's license, he ignored me, peered into the window, saw MC (obviously not very Korean looking), asked for $2, and we were on our way.



However, the highlight of our Namsan excursion was definitely the dancing. Yep, the dancing. After failing to convince me to get my groove on in the middle of the light show, MC spotted an Asian woman who was dancing next to her husband, and decided to ask for her hand instead. He even got the hubby to bust a few moves at the end. I guess music really does bring the people together.



More...outdoor...dancing... at Next Floor, an outdoor club music festival along the Han River. (Thanks, SJ. ^^)



What's that you ask? OF COURSE, we have video! ^^ Except you can't really see anything... just the guys screaming. MC wanted to go back to the hip hop tent after getting wiped out with jumping up and down ("What else are you supposed to do with this music?!") but it was a pretty good workout, I have to admit.



Little did we know we'd find a "beach" along Yeoido! The wonders of a bicycle. And only $3/hour! I think I'll be taking some solo rides this summer... if anyone's up for joining, let me know. ^^



Walking along Cheongyecheon...



Running into yet another protest near City Hall, we decided to play a Seoul version of "Where's Waldo?" Can you spot MC in the crowd? Bottom left corner. Hint: he's the one wearing the bright Johnny Cupcakes tee. ; )



And finally, what would Seoul be without shopping? ^^



Korea is so much more FUN with you here, MC! ^____^ Miss ya already!

High heels and protests

It's amazing how removed I've been from all the recent political activity in Seoul.

Not a single person (MC and my parents excluded) in the US has asked me about the beef issue, nor the protests, which leads to the assumption that most Americans (or to more accurately put it, my friends, haha) aren't very aware of, or don't care about the issue. But it's exploded into quite an ordeal over here.

If you have no idea of what I'm talking about, you can get a quick rundown from the NYT here: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/10/world/0610-KOREA_index.html

After a night of eating and shopping around Myeongdong (명동), I made my way back to the subway station and ran into this:



It was the first time I'd seen one of these demonstrations in person.

I'll stay away from any political commentary (you can read about it from more informed sources elsewhere) and move onto what we had for dinner. This, I'm good at. Eating, that is.





Jjim dak (찜닭) is a marinated chicken dish with veggies and noodles in a spicy broth... emphasis on the (unassuming) spicy! I was actually hoping to find "the kong gooksoo place" that my family and I ate at last September, but gave up, only to later realize it was but 2 doors down from the chicken place!

Ironic. This happened a second time, when we were searching for "the really tall soft serve ice cream cones." We gave up, settled on gelato from Gustimo, and realized... of course, 2 doors down... I guess the moral of the story is... patience... determination? Or perhaps, "Learn where you're going."

On a separate note, I took a mini trip to Ichon-dong (이촌동) today, after having heard of a "Little Tokyo" in Seoul. My mission was to find teriyaki seasoned nori from one of the Japanese supermarkets. Unfortunately it was nowhere to be found, and you can pretty much find the same Japanese products in the import section from Lotte Dept. Store in Myeongdong. "Little Tokyo" was a little disappointing in the sense that, it didn't seem particularly Japanese to me - though I'm still not sure if I missed something? Perhaps a hidden street? I did, however, notice quite a few cute cafes and bakeries that I'd love to revisit one day. Ichondong (Subway Line 4, Exit 3 or 3-1) itself was quiet, residential (filled with apartments overlooking the Han River), and had a unique charm to it - for some reason, it personally reminded me of morning strolls in the Richmond (SF).

Strangely, I did run into a shop that sold CHEETOS PUFFS (excitement!) but refrained from purchase, mostly because I didn't feel like carrying it around the city all day. I was also impressed to find a GNC Store and small organic market on the street. But look what else I found!





Oh, Boston... I miss you. Sometimes. : )

Aunty Mina, tiny tanks, and Nike art

I've clocked in 8 hours of sleep in the past 2 nights (total), and I'm fully aware that come 6AM, I'll be wishing for these extra 20 minutes of my life back. As a kid, I hated the concept of sleep. These days, I revel in its glory.

But this post is not about asking for more hours in the day.

It's to show 엄마 my mini reunion with Aunty Mina! ^^



Look, you can pretend you were there eating the chicken jjim with us...



And sipping my awesome banana juice. ^^



We met up at the Hyatt today, and as I stepped into the lobby, a brief "I miss America" sensation came over me. There were lots of American suits walking about, and all I could think of was scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs! (Yes, there must be a hidden correlation...)

Thoughts of Sunday brunch danced in my head. Chocolate chip pancakes, blueberry waffles, eggs benedict, turkey bacon, chicken apple sausage, buttered toast, french toast, fruit salad, oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon... I was thinking of taming the craving by ordering an Egg McMuffin but 1) I shouldn't be going to Mickey D's and 2) I don't have enough motivation to walk all the way over there in the morning anyway.

I digress. (It's a specialty.)

Btw, Aunty Mina says hello, Onni.

And the rest of this blog is dedicated to you...

When you buy your new house, can you put a TV in the bathroom like this?



"Tiny tank..." Yes, I thought of you. ㅎㅎ



And without any catchy lead-ins (I'm tired), photos from the Nike gallery in Myeongdong for you, Miss Shoe Lover...











Happy April Fools. I'm curious to see what Google has in store for us this year... ^^