Seoul, South Korea
Gochugaru for sale at Seoul Central Market
Our impressions of Seoul
Strong flavors and strong drinks: After two weeks in Mongolia eating meals of rice, vegetables, and meat for sustenance, we were happy to be back in a country with strong and diverse flavors. We didn’t have too many meals in Korea but savored the opportunities we had to dine on some of our favorites like banchan, ttetbokki, manti, and bibimbap. What we weren’t anticipating were the strong drinks! We had quite the evening thanks to Shoju and will likely be taking an indefinite break from the ubiquitous rice-based hard liquor
Surprisingly burdensome to navigate: Korea is one of the most developed countries we’ve traveled to. Still, it is surprisingly difficult to navigate. GoogleMaps does not provide detailed walking instructions which is interestingly due to the fact that Korea purposely restricts detailed GPS to keep sensitive information hidden from their neighbors to the North (who they’re still technically at war with). While they do have robust public transportation infrastructure, it still takes a long while to get from point A to point B due to the large and spread out nature of the city
Gangnam Style: We based ourselves in Gangnam which is a part of Seoul we had never been to before. We enjoyed walking the streets and gawking at all the fancy cars, fancy stores, and plastic surgery centers (Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgery in the world!). Very different from the old markets and combination of tradition and modernity that we had grown accustomed to in Seoul. Whoop, whoop… Gangnam Style!
What we saw in Seoul
Gangnam: Gangnam is an area we didn’t make it to during our visit to Seoul in 2019. The only exposure we had to the neighborhood was through PSY’s “Gangnam Style” (which we have heard multiple times during our travels). We spent much of our limited time in Seoul staying in and walking around Gangnam. We were intrigued to find that it is mostly super luxurious brand-name stores and pockets of hip but expensive boutique shops and restaurants
Doosan Bears vs. Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium: We love experiencing professional sports in other countries. Luckily, the local professional baseball team, the Doosan Bears, were in town when we were. We had a blast at the game and enjoyed the differences between the MLB and KBO. Some of our favorite differences included the ability to just show up at game time and find affordable, solid seats from the ticket window. The “convenience store” type concessions where you can find cheap tallboy beers and snacks like you would any other 7/11. Most importantly, the incredibly enthusiastic and organized fan sections representing each team – the Hanwha Eagles (who we ended up cheering for since we accidentally chose their fan section and they commanded the game from start to finish) were up 10-3 towards the end of the game, but the Doosan Bears faithful stayed the whole game singing their songs and rooting for their team! This is much different and more admiral than an MLB game where many fans head out after the 7th inning stretch if their team is up or down by a few runs
Karaoke: Feeling good off of a few beers at the baseball game, we set off to find some Korean Karaoke. We researched a few places in Gangnam which turned out to be way too expensive or non-existent. We were feeling dejected and had virtually given up on the prospect while walking home when Jessie spotted a giant inflatable microphone outside a nondescript building in a quiet alley… perfect. It was a modest operation to the point of feeling underground – definitely not on GoogleMaps. The lovely woman behind the makeshift lobby desk escorted us to a private room with a bottle of Shoju (the classic Korean hard liquor made from rice) and sent us on our way. We spent hours in that room singing our hearts out while downing several bottles of Shoju. The end of the night was a total blur and we paid the price the next morning with our severe hangovers, but we wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything. Some of our favorites included Doug’s rendition of Rocket Man by Elton John and Jessie’s rendition of Live Your Life by TI and Rihanna. All video evidence of the evening has been locked away in archives until the end of time…
Korean War Memorial and Museum: Doug continued his cold, rainy, and hungover day to the Korean War Memorial and Museum to learn more about a war that both of us admittedly did not know much about. It was Children’s Day in South Korea, a holiday dedicated to the country’s youth where families visit museums and other sites for special programming, which meant that the museum on this particular day was packed with kids running around and putting on performances (read: not ideal for a hangover). The Museum was very well curated and it was interesting to learn about how the war began following liberation from Japan (with North Korea seeking permission to invade and support from China and the Soviet Union), the occupation of Seoul by the North Korean army (we didn’t realize they advanced that far!), and US involvement in the war representing a key turning point
Where we ate and drank
Gwangjang Market: We first visited Gwangjang Market, Seoul’s oldest and largest food market, on a food tour during our visit to Seoul in 2019. We were totally enamored by it back then and wondered how we would feel returning after the many night markets we’ve experienced around Asia on our travels this year. After our second visit we can confirm – Gwangjang is up there with the best food markets in the world. We began by visiting a casual restaurant that seemed crowded with locals off one of the many stall-lined pedestrian streets of the market. We snacked on some delicious pickled white onion swimming in soy sauce and sesame oil before feasting on market staples such as freshly fried mung bean pancake and Ttetbokki. We made one last stop at Cho Yonsoon’s hand-pulled noodles stall made famous by Netflix’s Street Food Asia that we also visited in 2019 for a hot bowl of noodles and some kimchi mandu. It has not skipped a beat!
BHC: Doug went on a solo mission and sought out BHC for Korean fried chicken to curb the aftereffects of a heavy day and night of drinking. BHC, which ironically stands for “Better, Healthier Choice” even though it is everything but, is a popular fried chicken chain with a location in the heart of Gangnam. The crispy, boneless chicken pieces coated in a red spicy sweet sauce was exactly what he was looking for even if it left him in worse shape leaving than when he walked in
Food Cafe Cheongdam: Jessie spent the day after our Karaoke and Shoju-filled bender recovering in our hotel room. It was a cold and rainy evening and Doug convinced her it was worthwhile to head outside for some fresh air and dinner. We luckily stumbled on Food Cafe near the Aloft in Gangnam and it was exactly what we needed – a cozy and comfortably lit fast-casual restaurant serving up homey Korean staples. We sipped on some lifesaving broth before Jessie indulged in the bibimbap and Doug a comforting skillet of spicy chicken covered in melty mozzarella cheese
Where we stayed
Aloft Gangnam: We were excited to stay in a proper hotel room after spending two weeks in traditional Mongolian Gers. The Aloft in Gangnam was clean, comfortable, and surprisingly hip. Despite the inconsistency in US Aloft hotels, this one was perfect for our few nights in Seoul
