Letters from Seoul: Traditional Korean Food and Surprises - November 2014 Day 3

After our tour in Changdeokgung Palace and Huwon, Joni and I walked in a narrow street filled with small stores and restaurants. The stores...

After our tour in Changdeokgung Palace and Huwon, Joni and I walked in a narrow street filled with small stores and restaurants. The stores and restaurants were not luxurious but they all carried the "local feel." We found a small restaurant that offered various Korean dishes. Most of the people who dined inside were locals. An authentic Korean food experience, at last!



Since we had no idea how big the servings were, we just ordered pork bowl and one vegetable bowl for one person first. Surprisingly, our order consisted of a lot for just one person! The ajumma (middle-aged woman or older woman) who got our order even gave us two cups of rice and lots of side dishes which we did not request. Honestly, I did not expect the side dishes. We felt that we made the right order because there were still a few leftovers. Skinny Problems, eh? Haha!


Since there were a lot of fresh vegetables in our meal, I began to notice that most Koreans eat healthy. There was a vegetable soup (like miso), mushrooms, kimchi, cabbage, bean sprouts, and spinach. I found out later on that these vegetable side dishes were called namul.





While the ajumma was taking our order, I wondered for a split second how Korean owners/waiters/waitresses (especially middle-aged men and women) feel when a foreigner walks in their restaurant. For young people, especially students, speaking in English is common since they studied the language or are studying the language. But for some who have not learned to speak in English, they must have been nervous or scared. Or if they did not feel either of the two, they must have gotten used to it and found a way to avoid speaking in English. When I observed the ajumma, they were not interacting with their customers at all. It seemed like they were avoiding or ignoring instead of confronting the language barrier. Or is it because they were just plain busy with their tasks? Until now, I am not completely sure.

After eating, our next stop was Insa-dong. We rode the subway and alighted at Anguk Station. We found this incredible subway art.

Anguk Station

In Insa-dong, God surprised us. He keeps on speaking in a timely manner during our trip.
Dearest Kaye,
             "They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." 1 Timothy 6:18-19
              You do not need to be rich in order to give. You just need a heart of a giver who gives willingly. Without worrying about being paid back or anticipating to be blessed more, just give. A generous heart will be your treasure instead of money. This is an example that I want you to emulate. All of these came from me.
Your Giver 

Apart from God, I am very grateful to our roommates, Mona and Caroline. With a simple act we did for them, we received so much. I know God loves them both. He will surely bless them for their generous hearts!

Before heading to Gyeongbokgung Palace to check out the evening entrance passes, we passed by a booth named Seoul 'My. They asked us if they could take our pictures in the photo zone. It was a fundraiser promoting Run @ Seoul Week. We just have to sign up and post our pictures online with their hashtags #My Seoul, #Seoul My and #Seoul. There was also a raffle draw. The winners would get a laptop or gift card/certificate. Honestly, we did not care about the raffle but only getting our pictures taken in the photo zone. ((:


Due to overflowing happiness, we bought a big brown leather tote bag that you can spot on the lower left in the picture below. I bought the bag in brown while Joni bought the bag in navy blue. Just like 'friendship bags'! Good thing we have the same taste! This bag was also recommended by our roommate, Mona. (:


Since we were supposed to visit three other areas (Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seokchon Lake, and Domdaemun Plaza), we did not walk around Insa-dong anymore. We decided to come back on another day. Instead of taking the train, we walked to Gyeongbokgung Palace. It took around 15-20 minutes to get there. We were not able to reserve entrance passes at night. Tickets could not be purchased or reserved in advance. The tickets were given to a limited number of people on the day that you intend to enter. We talked it over and came to a conclusion: Seeing Gyeongbokgung Palace at daytime was already good for us. Our visit to the palace was scheduled on Day 5.



Up Next: Seokchon Lake - Day 3

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