Seoul So Sweet!

안녕하세요  (annyeonghaseyo-- Hello!)  ... from the Wandering Berkmans!

How we will miss this greeting every time we walk into a store or restaurant!  Put it on par with how much we love the “Provecho!” (Bon appetit!) we hear from other diners in Mexico City restaurants.  

To say we're having a great time in Seoul would be an understatement!  We're already scoping out areas for an even longer stay in the future, during the spring, to take advantage of more outdoor activities and parks.  Having said that, we're handling the cold weather like troopers, having purchased scarves, vests, thick socks, etc. to supplement our usual mild weather gear. We'll donate it all before we leave--  no need to travel around with all that when we won't need it until November in the mountains of NM.  

Hanging around bonfires helps!  Our friend Hogan (who we met via an Airbnb Experience during the pandemic) took us out for BBQ and then to this festival celebrating the Lunar New Year.  

Another help-- our Airbnb, like most homes in Korea, has radiant floor heating so our place is always toasty underfoot.  We chose a place about 40 minutes on the metro to Seoul central so that we could have a house with 3 bedrooms, knowing that Javi would be joining us for about a month.  We like the space (apartments in Seoul are notoriously small), the quiet and the locals are very kind to us, helping us out at seemingly every turn. We are the only Westerners in our area but we met two Koreans who work at our local convenience store who speak Spanish very well-- after getting over our initial surprise we've had a fun time speaking with them.  

We're going to switch it around a bit and start with the food, mainly because it's been such a highlight for Javi and me.  Don is good for one Korean meal a day but I can go 2-3 without blinking an eye.  

Banchan is made up of all the small dishes of "appetizers" you eat before and with your meal.  For me, this is one of the best parts of dining here and I often bought different banchan from our local outdoor market to make up my meal.  Coupled with seaweed sheets and rice, for me it doesn't get much better than this.  

From top left and clockwise, seasoned bean sprouts, fish cake strips, dried anchovies, kimchi, black rice, seaweed sheets and seasoned squid.  

Put it together in different combinations and pop it in your mouth.  Amaaaaazing.  

A common Korean breakfast is juk, a rice porridge.  It comes in different flavors-- chicken, vegetables, fish, etc.  It's always fun to use the translation app and find out what's inside.  This one was a surprise. Hmmmmmm?  

We were lured into this fish restaurant by the friendly English speaking owners Joseph and Josephine  (see pic of us all below) .  While the braised pollock wasn't Don's favorite I thought it was tasty.  We really enjoyed speaking with the owners-- they were married a few months before us! 

 

Anytime is a good time for one of our favorite snacks-- the charcoal-roasted purple sweet potatoes they sell outside of our local market.  

Our first lunch, jet lagged and weary, was thankfully a hit.  Db enjoyed a sampler of steamed dumplings (mandu) while I had a tofu and seafood stew.  And then we napped for 2 hours hahaha

Javi is a fan of the fried mandu.

Sikhye is a slightly sweet and refreshingly slushy rice drink topped with sliced jujube.

It seems everyone walks around with ice coffee around here, even in the winter, with the idea that eating and drinking cold things makes one feel warmer.  We don't see it but who are we to go against tradition?  This shaved ice treat,  Patbingsu, included mango, condensed milk and mango syrup.  Beats a popsicle!

This egg souffle,  Gyeranjjim , can include cheese on top and was a tasty partner to the amazingly delicious jjimdak (braised chicken),  also below.  And just when you think it couldn't get any better than this, they cook a thin layer of rice in the hot pan with the remnants of the sauce.  The result-- a paella-type rice sensation.  We ate there twice, it was so good.  And yes, the dish is decorated with eggs made into little chicken with carrot beaks.  Try not to think about it too hard!

Our Insta-savvy kid taught us the proper way to chronicle our cafe drinks as we cafe-hopped in Javi's old neighborhood (when they taught in Seoul in 2020).  Don is now putting in applications for hand modeling jobs.  

The drink in front is an ade, a fruit drink that comes in a variety of flavors.  

A Vietnamese cafe offered a mugwort latte and I took the bait.  Conclusion-- a bit grassy with a jolt of caffeine from the strong shot of espresso.  I would do it again -- mugwort seems to have a ton of medicinal properties and I'm a sucker for that.  

Our first dinner, still groggy from a 14 hour flight, was fantastic in three ways.  First, this squid and pork stir fry (osam bulgogi) topped with a tower of green onion and stewed on a hot plate was recommended by a local cafe owner and it did not disappoint.  Then came the trio of local teachers who insisted we toast with them not just once but 3 times with the rice wine liquor soju. (see the video in last month's blog post).   Finally, our server Minsu was just so fantastic, making sure we had everything we needed, practicing his English with us, and  translating for the owner who gave us a wonderful goodbye.  When we returned 2 weeks later, Minsu greeted us by name (!) and now we're Insta besties. 

First dinner, first friend .  Minsu is a gentle soul.  

Soup in an instant with these anchovy tea bags!  Add greens, miso paste, garlic and soy sauce and you have the perfect soup to go along with rice and banchan.  

Another of Javi's favs is gimmari, a fried seaweed roll filled with rice noodles.  Perfect for dipping in the braised chicken sauce mentioned above.  

The tofu house was a treat when we wanted to get away from meat for a spell.  Db ordered the spicy soft tofu soup (sundubu) while I went for the milder version, only because it was from North Korea and I wanted to see what that was all about.  Good, but needed the kimchi to add a kick.   As a gift to our veg friends and fam, here's a spicy vegan version of the stew.  

Korean grandma chicken soup?  Samgyetang, made with ginseng and rice, will make your belly thank you for all its deliciousness.  Db opted for the roasted chicken but after one taste of my soup we were sharing everything!

Need another cold drink on those 30 degree days but don't have time to cafe hop?  Just pick up a bag of coffee and a cup of ice outside one of the many convenience stores in the city and you're good to go!

  

My fav dessert here-- bungeoppang- is a cute little fish shaped pancake filled with a red bean paste.  Buy it from a street vendor and you'll be hooked!  (see what I did there?)

Javi's first dinner is their fav dinner-- chadol baegi (bbq brisket).    Yes, someone has to keep track of the cooking.  Yes, they took charge and we were happy to reap the benefits! 

This hobak buchimgae (pumpkin pancake) was a delicious find,  The version below was a little dense but worth trying again at another restaurant.  

One can't come to Korea without having dolsot bibimbap,  (meat, vegs, rice and egg in a hot stone pot) bottom right.  Javi tucked into gyeran bokkeumbap, a fried rice with egg. 

My beloved gimbap, a tasty cousin to sushi, for breakfast? Yes, please!

  

We love trying all the different types of drinks available in different countries.  Javi is partial to the raisin drink on the left while I prefer the burdock root brew.  Neither too sweet, both refreshing. 

Korean Chinese food offers a change of pace every once in a while.  My spicy seafood soup was good but Don waxed poetic about his combo of fried rice and jjajangmyeon (black bean sauce with noodles).  

This!! This!!! I think we all agreed that this dish was our overall favorite.  Thirty degree weather be damned, this naengmyeon, a dish of cold acorn noodles in a slushy broth topped with cucumber and egg had us licking the bowl clean.  

This manduguk (dumpling soup) didn't stand a chance next to the cold noodles and needed the added kimchi to give it the kick I've become accustomed to!

After trying  Dakgalbi in a restaurant (that Javi has introduced us to so many great, new dishes!) and going bananas over the paella-type rice used to sop up the extra sauce at the end, we were so excited to find a cooking class where we made this dish!  

The head chef loved Javi-- she only spoke Korean but we heard her say Javi's name over and over again!  Here she is feeding Javi by hand some of her homemade kimchi.  

Oy... we're stuffed!  On to our observations, of which we've had many!

Smoking around kids is a big no-no so in areas where kids are normally present (like at the Art and Music Center) they have these "smoking cafes" --- no coffee served but all the smokers huddle in here to keep the smoke in one little area.  

Our local market had a number of gift sets for sale for Lunar New Year.  Popular sets include SPAM with various condiments or soup sets.   

Fruit is pretty expensive out here.  More than anything because it's off season but probably because some of the stuff we're buying is imported.  We got a great deal on these apples at 30% off of 17,000 won, or about $9 after the discount!  Tomatoes were a disaster-- we paid a fortune and they went bad before we ate them.  With our tails between our legs, we'll stick to the season and the local produce. 

On the grounds of the impressive palace Gyeongbokgung (watch my besties BTS dance and sing in front of it here-- I dare you not to dance along!) there is a mound of stones on which people wrote their wishes for the new year.  Many had to do with health, love, exams and jobs.  Don's-- that he find pretzels before we leave. 

Update:  pretzels procured!  Finding pretzels on the road is harder than you think-- fortunately Javi's friend who lives here was able to order this 6 pounder for us-- should last him a week or two. 

Add this incredible toilet to items we would love to purchase when we next have a long-term home.  In the vein of modesty, we'll only show the buttons that work the magic of this cherish item.  While the numerous bidet functions are the prime selling point, I would put the heated seat in the battle for first place.  Fan function is a "nice to have" hahaha

Did we mention we brought Javi out a week early to join us?  And we're glad we did! Not only is there so much they wanted to do here with friends,  we've had a great time together.  Added bonus-- Javi's language skills in Korean are impressive and are saving us over and over, including how to navigate the fantastic mass transit system.  

A walking tour brought us to Suseong-dong Valley where we took a tranquil walk through this restored wooded area that used to be an apartment complex (as shown in the purple sign).    With paths and pagodas in which to duck in during the drizzle it was a beautiful place to escape the bustle of the city.  

The sewing aficionado in me appreciated this piece of art by Korean artist Koo Bohnchang at  the Seoul Museum of Art  .  

 

The urban design in Seoul is made for daily conveniences.  Closed in the winter, this huge umbrella is at the ready to provide shade and a seat on a street corner when the heat and humidity come roaring in this summer.  

If you're like me, I hate walking out of a  BBQ restaurant with my coat smelling of food.  These ingenious little seats let you pop the top up and put your outerwear and purse inside to keep them fresh. Perfect!

Javi spent 8 months in Seoul back in 2020 teaching English.  They loved their neighborhood Bundang-gu then and were excited to show it to us now.  One highlight is the beautiful Seongnam Central Park that runs through the municipality.  The canal has salmon swimming through it and stepping stones to cross.  

 

The money shot.

Larger stones are available to cross the river as well.  A little freaky with the running water but we knew we had to do it!  And yes, I almost knocked over the guy behind me in search of the perfect shot.  Tourists, sheesh... 

No, we did not play with the aspect of this photo-- Don is included to provide perspective.  We couldn't get enough of this sculpture at the Seoul Museum of Art. 

 

Phone battery dying?  These "pay for an hour" phone bank chargers are everywhere.  

Shoes off in the house are a must in Korea.  This park included an air blower to clean your shoes before heading home.  

Don stands by the Snake, his Chinese calendar zodiac animal, which just happened to be standing next to mine, the horse!  Don't know your animal? It's based on your birth year-- find out here.  

Don's explorations brought him to the Gungsan Tunnel, dug by the Japanese military during the occupation.  While they don't let visitors enter the tunnel (I'm good, thanks!) the elderly gentleman there insisted that Don stay to watch the accompanying documentary.   

 

Add this to the section on "public convenience meets whimsy".  We almost wanted to offer our pick-up services to passing dog owners just to be able to take one of these baggies.  Almost.  

You're not in Seoul unless you hit a karaoke bar or two. Or three in our case!  Javi wowed us with their Korean ballad favorite ("Gajima'!) and all three of us crushed the American Idol playlist from 2005. 

We left it all on the table 

We love the way they use straw to protect the plants in the winter, here on the walkway similar to the High Line in NYC,  Seoullo 7017.  We need to come back in the spring!

Coffee is king in Seoul-- even in our little neighborhood there is a cafe every third shop, it seems, and many come with themes (sheep cafe, anyone??) .  This cafe, in the Hyundai Card Music Library   in Itaewon (known as the International District) is a beautiful space with this sofa that invites a lovely nap before your caffeine jolt.  Javi and I were happy to oblige. 

Who needs tryptophan when you can just be covered in cats?  The moment Don sat down at Cat Garden, this large cat cafe with indoor and outdoor space for the many kitties, one cat jumped on his shoulders, another on his lap and another at his feet.  The calico stayed on his lap for the duration, lulling DB into kitty slumber.  I don't think we even had time for a coffee we were all so enthralled. 

Another one to file under "Why didn't I think of that?-- colored lights that change from red to green to indicate when to cross the street.  Just in case you can't take your eyes off your phone.  

Hangang Park  is made up of 11 different parks and runs along the Han River that separates the city. Rent a bike, play in the playground, pick up ramen and a blanket from the 7-11 barge and picnic on the grass, see a show-   this terrific stretch of parks has it all.  Included is cool architecture colorfully lit up at night. 

I had to have the 7-11 Barge ramen experience.  It lives up to the Insta hype!

Our official cafe where we worked on planning and blogging, Compose Coffee, has a second floor that gives us a great view of our neighborhood.

We took a tour of a Hanok Village in Ikseon with the knowledgeable guide Choi who laid down the history of Korea, places of interest and tasty eats, including a bakery that makes vegan bread (hard to find here! ) with makgeolli, Korean rice wine, instead of just water. The texture is chewy and the taste out of this world.  Below is an original hanok (home) that is now a restaurant. 

We get a kick out of being what seems as the only westerners in our neighborhood and the shopkeepers have been so patient with us! Adelaide (shown with Don below) works at the only bakery near us with vegan bread. She was so excited when Don found a bread he could eat and was so happy to teach us some Korean on our second day here. 

This post's SOL follows along the same theme.  Don wandered into our local Amateur Table Tennis Club and the almost exclusively age 70-plus players were intrigued!  He promised to return and when he did a week later they were happy to have him join in.  This player took Don under her wing and gave him some helpful pointers on his forehand.  Then proceeded to kick his butt.  This isn't your great- grandma's ping pong!

When our parents named us oh-so long ago (ok not that long ago!) little did they know what they were calling us in Korean.  Meet Cash and Cookie!  We're considering doing a legal name change and moving to South Fork Ranch in Dallas -- a Netflix reality show can't be far behind.  

Be well, happy spring, thanks for following along!

Cash and Cookie Berkman