Saturday, October 3, 2009

"Feels Like Today"

Happy Chuseok!

How's it going everyone? I miss you all back home, but I'm having a blast here! This is one amazing place to visit, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to experience Asian culture but not pay an arm and a leg for a vacation (like Japan can be).

I feel as though I had rode the subway all day yesterday, but I had a great time in the neighborhood of Insadong in Seoul.
It's an ecclectic area, similar to that of Greenwich Village, NYC. (or so I'm told)

I accompanied Hwayoung, to pick up a traditional rice cake for her fathers birthday and just to look around the area.



We had a great time, ate some amazing food, and visited Jongro to see some palaces, and just have some overall fun.



I got to see how rice cakes called "tteok" are made - and now and pretty much dead set against eating them raw. They're very sticky and have little flavor, but are not bad when cooked in some spicy pepper sauces.



I also got to see how a traditional honey based string candy is made. I don't remember the name of it, but it was simply amazing to see (if what the guy says is true in the video). They make it out of a block of hardened honey, and separate it by hand (you can hear them counting) all the way up to over 16,000 separate strands.



Here are some photos I took of our little excursion, plus you can find all of them HERE, or by clicking the photo itself.

Hwayoung mixing the seafood and veggie bibimbap 
that is served on a hot plate rather than a stone bowl.



I'm guessing we should go right...



I'm pretty much speechless at this one...



Traditional board games played during Chuseok...



The famous tin man of Insadong...


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