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What to do in Seoul, Korea for 5 days...


iamsam0913

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The pictures with the pineapples and apples is from Ahn (Coldrices's character is spot on). There are several locations within Apkujung (2 in Rodeo, 1 in Chungdam, 1 in Myong Dong). It's a good try but don't drink too much of this because it's packed with loads of sugar, which basically equates to nasty headaches. Another novelty item is the yogurt (yakult) soju.

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That restaurant is right on Rodeo drive in Apkujong. IT's called something like the 'Fruit House' or may be "Apple Bar'?? Something like that... Anyway IF you take the subway there (orange line i believe) make a right onto Rodeo Drive, go to the end, take a Left (still on Rodeo Drive). It will be on you left hand side, like 2 blocks down. There are apples in the window, and it's a downstairs restaurant. I think if you hit the laser tag place you went too far. - they have some english on the menu's - all you need to know is 'Apple Soju' !!!!! THE BOMB!!!! I would take all my guests there.

XCOLDRICEX - nice pics too!!!

Yeah it's called Ahn. No need to call it "Ahn Ahn" or anything, people will look at you funny.

clipboard01.jpg

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Just stick with the high-end BBQ joints and you'll be fine. Korean cows are the favored cuts with a higher premium. No marinade. Salt and some sesame oil+salt and its all good.

But yeah, the kids here are nutty but I'm thinking it's in the soju...

Fucked if I know...

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^sadly, I really dislike getting into conversations about Korean food because it just doesn't live up to it's potential at all, and Koreans just don't see it because they'll never know.... In short, Koreans don't take food and drink seriously, and I have this suspicion that Korean food may never come up from what it is today, at least in my lifetime.

Koreans don't bother to innovate with their food,

hmm not sure what you are talking about. If you are looking at the general population, then yeah of course the majority of koreans dont care. Same as the majority of americans dont care either, they are eating their McSalad or hot wings or pizza or olive garden on a daily basis.

Are you saying you wish there was more fusion, high end restaurants, or organic or healthy high end restaurants in Korea? There are plenty of these right now in many of the more affluent neighborhoods.

Still every national cuisine has the traditional vs. fusion. You go to Mexico City and they got some gazpacho fava bean fusion taco. It doesn't take away from the national cuisine though. Which is indeed every day cooking. Same for China, Italy, etc.

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  • 3 weeks later...
i thought korea was all about the food trends- a trend comes and a million identical restaurants pop up in the student areas... and just the amount of food shows that seem to be on tv, the guides to the restaurants for each type of food, etc.

Korea IS about food trends, we've sacrificed a good number of chickens for the cause (haha)...

I admit that I subconsciously compare Korea's food culture to Japan's, because on the surface Seoul and Tokyo are just two big bustling cities in very close proximity that need to feed themselves, but Tokyo just kills Seoul in all things food.

I have some discontent with the way Korean people eat; the Korean way of eating is either to shove down as much food as quickly as possible with little mind to savor anything, or to sit around pecking at food with a disproportionate amount of soju. Food is taken for face value and is for subsistence only in Korea. (perhaps I'm getting Tony_hige pho>ramen-level risque here...)

I'm not some angry American just picking on things here; I've lived in Korea for years and just take my food a little seriously too.

Koreans have very preconceived notions about food, usually negative ones. They raise their kids to beleive that everything not Korean food-wise is "neu kki hae" (greasy/oily), therefore inevitably Americans are fat/evil, blah blah. Coincidentally, Koreans love pizza with fake cheese and fried chicken and often buy the two together even. Carts selling vat-fried things line the streets, but of course admitting that one is wrong about something is not a Korean custom, in fact, it is always magically another culture's fault.

Another thing is that Koreans also believe their food is superior to all other food. I can take things for what their worth, but I just really find it hard to believe that cabbage fermented in raw fish sauce at 7am in the morning truly is the most delicious thing one can opt for.

While I can say nothing in the defense of the West either, Koreans eat a lot of crap food. Spam is consumed in copious amounts here, and while many people probably like Spam, it's still unknown whether that is actual food. Korean supermarkets are just packed with convenience foods, beyond produce and meat, it's tough to find decent whole foods here. In fact, finding a lot of ingredients is a real challenge, I have at least 4 different supermarkets I visit regularly just to cover the bases that I'd have in a normal supermarket in America. Some items my little old mother still sends to me in the mail because we just don't have it in Korea. New ingredients hit the grocery store shelves every day in Korea too, so things might be better in the future. In the past 4 or 5 years of living here and particularly in the past 1 or 2, Korea has been introduced to cilantro, fresh jalapeno peppers, asparagus, the avocado, tomatillos (not in stores yet, but grown domestically), the green bean, arugula, fresh basil, flat-leaf parsley, almost every cheese (there was a legal ban on the import of live dairy cultures up until 1998 I think, so even cheeses as basic as cheddar weren't available til last year), sour cream, a whole gamut of dried herbs and spices beyond the salt and pepper that was available 5 years ago; just a whole lot of stuff. A lot of it has to do with Costco opening in Korea, which has been a godsend for anybody who doesn't eat rice and kimchi 3 meals a day, and small business owners as well.

It's tough to find well-made ethnic foods in this country, and Koreans demand that most ethnic menus be bastardized to their liking. Also, as there are no expectations, quality is never up to par with other world cities. While I admit Tokyo offers up a huge selection of honestly mediocre ethnic foods, they at least take interest in it and there are a few gems over there. There is nothing resembling chef culture or chef worship in this country, especially if you contrast that with Japan; cooking is looked down upon as menial work in this immature society.

And lastly, I don't have a TV nor do I watch it, but i don't really think Koreans watch much food-related TV, again to compare it with Japan, which likes to document even the smallest minutia like 2 hour specials on konnyaku, tear-jerking documenaries on the invention of cup ramen, or some prefectural farmer who's spent 40 years perfecting the onion; we just don't have any of that in Korea like they have in Japan. If there is, it's usually a foreign syndicated program, Koreans have a weird obsession with Jamie Oliver and no one else. We have a Bravo-channel equivalent over here called Olive TV, and there's not much besides Jamie Oliver as far as food programming goes.

Anyhow, blah blah blah, this is food in Koren through my jaded eyes...

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nice post

cant argue coz youve probably lived in korea for longer than i have

but the good food thing isnt really about koreans having a bad idea bout food per se.

id say what you have experienced is more due to the consumer culture that is pretty rife in asia and the world in general, but a real issue in korea

esp trends and the need to be having the having the right stuff, that is brand spanking new . this IMO could stem from the fact that korea has only just emerged froma civil war (ending 1945)

anyways, the point i would like to get across is that it seems your experiences seem limited to a "forigner's" point of view. i hope your not offended by this and my aim isnt to offend.

but the food you would get if you were invited to someone's house for a homecooked meal would be very different from the experiences you say.

as for the lack of simple basics, the simple basics you are talking about, sound like western ingredients. of course you wont get that stuff except in higher-end boutique type stalls.

basic korean ingredients, you can pick up in open air stalls and markets and things.

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Dismal,

You should try Hannam Supermarket located right below the Volvo dealership in Hannam Dong. They offer a variety much more appealing to foreigners but of course with a higher premium. It's worth a try if you haven't been.

I'll admit I like SPAM but only in my kimchee chigae. Somehow the combination of fermented peppered cabbage and SPAM produces some flavorful shit. I can't believe how many different types of SPAM there are in the Korean markets! It's amazing!

And fuck Jamie Oliver. My girlfriend loves the dude for reasons that I cannot comprehend.

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  • 2 weeks later...

i'm going to seoul for 3 days while i am back home in japan at the end of the month...

i want to know if there are there any local brands / designers i should check out?

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What are your personal stlye points? Everything local is derivative and the Korean won is so strong it's not worth it. Just eat like a crazed person here and stuff yourself on Korean BBQ, play with the local boys and girls, and then go home.

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sure, it's derivative, but what isn't... :)

suh sang young is pretty dope. we used to sponsor his shows when i was at nike. i guess you could call it belgian derivative?

http://www.suhsangyoung.com/

he also works on the electronic music project group, byul ("star"). good homegrown electronic music is pretty rare, so check them out if you can.

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dismalfuture- i am planning on soaking myself in soon-dubu chigae and bibim bap while i'm there! i had no idea won was so strong, thanks for the tip!

joen- do you know if there is some sort of a show listing? i couldn't find it on his site, and when i googled that name i got bombarded with a k-pop idol... thank you for the tip. i will definitely try to hit his shop while i'm there!

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  • 4 months later...

bumpppppppppp i leave in 4 days.

i just re-read the entire thread. is there anything else to add?

dizzhizz, are you still in korea? we should meetup! (i didnt know that you were probably still in korea when you were offering me info on places to go)

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  • 3 weeks later...

reviving this thread as i am heading to seoul at the end of month for the first time in 14 years.

i am pretty up on food but any recs on streetwear and music would be much appreciated

ref points include:

nike sb/quickstrike, asia exclusives, w)taps, visvim, local equivalents to same

old korean vinyl (san ul lim, pearl sisters) or non k-pop cds

experimental / underground music (kang tae hwan, umm....?)

chill bars that aren't meat markets (will be with my wife)

also thinking about hitting up fc seoul if anyone has experience with going there (i think they are the only top-level team in the city?)

many thanks in advance!

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reviving this thread as i am heading to seoul at the end of month for the first time in 14 years.

i am pretty up on food but any recs on streetwear and music would be much appreciated

ref points include:

nike sb/quickstrike, asia exclusives, w)taps, visvim, local equivalents to same

old korean vinyl (san ul lim, pearl sisters) or non k-pop cds

experimental / underground music (kang tae hwan, umm....?)

chill bars that aren't meat markets (will be with my wife)

also thinking about hitting up fc seoul if anyone has experience with going there (i think they are the only top-level team in the city?)

many thanks in advance!

Streetwear

1. Premium - Apkujung & Myong Dong (Hundreds, Stussy, RVCA, Nike SB, Vans, etc.)

2. Worksout - Apkujung (Stussy & RVCA)

3. Zzubo - Apkujung, Dongdaemun

4. ROKD - Chungdam (PRPS, Ever, Alife, Creative Rec, etc.)

You'll have a hard time finding brands such as Visvim, Wtaps and other Japanese street brands here in Korea, and if you do, it will most likely be fake.

Records

1. Purple records - Hongdae

2. Sanga records - Sinsa

Bars

There's too fucking many. If you want to be posh and hip, you can check out any of the bars in the Chungdam and Apkujung are, but more so in the Chungdam area as there are more soju (po-jang-ma-chas) bars in the Apku/Rodeo district. You might want to check out About in the basement of the M-Net building, very nice and modern or head out to S-Bar, 74, Goshen, Tribeca, etc. Hotel bars offer a nicer selection but you'll be hit with the 10% + 10% (tax + service charge).

Since your going to be with the wife, I trust you will want to avoid college infested areas such as Sinchon, Hongdae and E-Wha.

I have yet to check any of the local football matches. I do recommend going to the baseball stadium to see either LG or Doosan and chase down some Cass beer. Ticket prices are dirt cheap - less than 10 bucks for seats down the 1st base line.

If you need any more recommendations, let me know.

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was in korea(home is there) for summer break, now back to school in the states..

didn't do too much shopping, cuz i was in tokyo before i went to seoul.

there was a multi shop in myeong-dong, right by american apparel, that sold nike sb/stussy/creative recreation stuff.

Thats Premium. Your better off buying streetwear in the states - cheaper prices and more accessibility. Don't waste your time. Buy Kimchee instead.

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Thats Premium. Your better off buying streetwear in the states - cheaper prices and more accessibility. Don't waste your time. Buy Kimchee instead.

just wondering if you're a gyopo living in korea right now?

also, does premium sell fake stuff? i remember i went there with a friend, and he bought a stussy shirt, and the guy ran off to some other building to pick up the shirt..reminded me of migliore,apm,doota..etc..and how they do their business.

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just wondering if you're a gyopo living in korea right now?

also, does premium sell fake stuff? i remember i went there with a friend, and he bought a stussy shirt, and the guy ran off to some other building to pick up the shirt..reminded me of migliore,apm,doota..etc..and how they do their business.

Yes, I am a gyopo and have been living here for the past +6 years.

Premium does not sell fake stuff to my knowledge. Unlike those high-rise swap meets, most of their stuff is legit.

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