Oh The Food!

When we walked in, I thought, “Nope, don’t have to take our shoes off here.” The floor was the first thing that really made me distrustful. This place didn’t seem clean enough to be a restaurant with its decrepit walls and narrow walkway. Thankfully, the table we sat at was clean and the air conditioner, though run-down looking and dusty, still blew out cool air in 30 plus degrees Celsius weather that had us nearly melting. If my friend and I had been by herself, and not with her Korean-American boyfriend, we would have quickly strode on past this place without so much as a second glance.

To counterbalance being slightly uncomfortable, I ordered comfort food: Kimchi Chigae or Kimchi stew. It was the first thing I tasted upon arriving in Korea and I feel in love with its spicy goodness immediately, despite my taste buds being almost burnt off. The adjumma brought us a giant plate of panchan and told the only person among us who looked remotely Korean that she had given us extra. My friend and I just smiled and nod-bowed.

Though I had misgivings about the building itself, the food turned out to be delicious. We ate to our heart’s content and all for about 6,000 won a piece which is roughly $5.34 USD right now. Gotta love the Korean pastime of eating out. Unless you’re eating in major city like Busan or Seoul, most meals are around the 5-12,000 won mark. So, if you ever have a chance to make it to Korea and you’re looking for something to eat, “trust the adjummas” as my friend’s boyfriend remarked while we shuffled down the street, bellies full. I’d say that more often than not, that statement has been pretty true.

 I definitely underestimated this restaurant. I didn't get pictures of the inside, though. 

           

Panchan and Kimchi Chigae

Panchan

Other food I've had in Korea:

Dakgalbi cooking

Fried rice after dakgalbi

samgypsal, kimchi and sesame leaves

Bubble tea in Seongondong, Gyeongju

Raw fish at a teacher dinner

Goguma ( Sweet potato) latte

Traditional Korean fare

Indian food in Haeundae

Sad looking school lunch. Though I recently stopped eating school lunch, it normally looks better than this.

Porridge restaurant in Hwangsongdong, Gyeongju

Chinese restaurant with amazing lamb kebabs

Seongondong, Gyeongju

Grounds of a traditional Korean restaurant close to the tombs in downtown Gyeongju. This place is tucked away and I bet I couldn't find it again if I tried. My co-teacher and I got lost trying to find it.

 

The first time I had South African food was in Korea!

 This place is in Itaewon and definitely worth visiting if you are a fan of good meat.

It may not look tasty for some, but this was delicious!

Thai food in Itaewon, Seoul

           

Blue One Water Park in Gyeongju

           One of the coolest things about teaching Elementary English is that I get to tag along with the kids on their field trips. This past trip, we went to Blue One Water Park.

            I nearly got through the entire day without feeling awkward, but of course you can’t have a student outing without some sort of incident.  We arrived around 10 am and at about 1:45pm or so, my co-teacher said,"let’s go take showers before the students come back". This made complete sense. I really didn’t feel like exposing myself to anyone, least of all my students. I already heard about one foreign teacher who went to a Korean spa (the kind where you don’t wear any clothes) and ran into one of her students there. Could you imagine hearing, “Hi teacher!” completely in the buff and turning to see one of your students waving at you? No thanks.

            Unfortunately, we didn’t get to the showers fast enough. Even though I hid in the back, every few seconds some naked little girl would peak her head around the corner and then run away. I did not take my clothes off. I rinsed off in my capris and shirt. I didn’t even strip to my swimming suit.  Yes, I may be a coward, but at least I can still say that none of my students have seen me naked. I don’t even know where my co-teacher went or how she avoided it, but I ran back to the lockers after that.

        Anyway, here are some pictures of less awkward moments in our adventure at Blue One:

                                      

I forced my co-teacher to go on the scary blue ride first. Since you had to have four people on it, we went with a random couple. I wimped out, closed my eyes, and held on for my life. It was a blast!

                                      

                                          

                                          

This ride looks tame, but during certain parts of the floating trip, water would come gushing at us like a tidal wave and push us down through the tunnels.

Even at water parks, couples wear matching outfits.

During certain times of the day, this pool becomes an artificial beach with giant waves and everything.