So I am sitting in a bar (as usual), drinking a beer, watching the Yankee game. [Please see photo of me at this hof (pub), a familiar seen, night after night, here in Seoul]. Before you think I’ve become an alcoholic in Seoul, think again. All bars in Seoul serve food—they are different than American bars. It’s not like in America where you can go to one place to drink a lot and then another to eat. As I type this, the scent of barbecued chicken is filling the air; most hofs are in fact chicken and beer places, and they serve not only barbecue or fried chicken, but a lot of other stuff as well. And besides, what else am I supposed to do at night? Heck, I’m on sabbatical! So sue me if I want to sit in a hof, type on my blog, and watch the game.
In a little while I’ll have to decide whether I’ll make an attempt to ask the waitress if there is anything vegetarian on the menu; more likely, I will go to another restaurant down the block that I’ve been to before, where there are pictures of the food on the menu. So I’ll just point to one of the few non-meat items and say “Igot joo say you” (This please).
Today I went to Yeouido Island, which is a huge sand bar in the middle of the Han River that over the past 20 years or so has been converted into a large complex of office buildings. It’s known locally as the “Manahattan of Seoul” because of all the high-rises and skyscrapers. Indeed, the look ad feel was a lot like midtown Manhattan, although most of the buildings housed companies and there were very few restaurants and retail shops. I went to Yeouido because many Seoulites had recommended it; in particular, they said there was a huge park on the north side of the island where I could see the city from that side of the river, and also rent a bicycle. Well, the view was pretty nice, sort of like looking at Manhattan from across the river in Long Island City (but not quite). But apparently those who recommended this island had not been there for a while. The entire waterfront area on the north side is now just a bunch of dirt and bulldozers. Seoul is in the midst of making it into a beautiful urban park, but not even close to being finished. So whatever used to be there is now gone and has been replaced with dirt. [See photos of the ‘future plans’ of the site, and what it looks like right now]. At least there were some nice views of the rest of the city across the river.
Anyway, it was still worth going to. I had a beer by the river (you can buy a beer at street stands here and drink on the street; however, you seldom see anyone doing thins even though it is legal). And then I walked further inland where I encountered a large park in the center of the island. I could’ve rented a bicycle there, too, but decided not to since I had a 6pm appointment with Olivia and didn’t have time. Instead I walked around the center of the island a little more, feeling extremely out of place, because there I was wearing a Yankees t-shirt and shorts, surrounded by hundreds of businessmen and women suits. It was an interesting experience and I am glad I saw it. But the island lacked any culture and cuisine (come to think of it, it was a lot like Crystal City near DC—all glass and steel; new, cultureless, and boring). I did manage to try a sweet potato pancake bread sold at a street stall near the subway, and it was delicious. (I think it’s called hotteok).
It was a hot day here in Seoul—I’m still wearing the t-shirt and shorts—and I wanted to walk around more, but as mentioned, I had an appointment with Olivia so I went back to Sangdo. At Sangdo, I finally tried bindaetteok, which is a fish-shaped bread filled with semi-sweet mung bean paste. Like all the other street food I’ve tried, it was tasty.
So the Yankees just lost their fifth game in a row to the Red Sox and now I’ll have to decide whether to stay here and (try to) eat, or head to the picture-menu place. I think I feel like pointing at a picture tonight. So I guess that’s it for today.
Oh, by the way, for those who ware interested, here is a map of the Seoul subway system (metro):
http://luveeyore777.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/seoulsubwaymap.gif
Look at the center of the map, where the river comes to its southernmost points. Then follow the river to the left. You’ll quickly find Yeouido Island, where I went today. The go about one centimeter south of the island, and find the army-green subway line. Follow it two stops to the right and there is Sangdo, where I live. Most, but certainly not all, of the places I’ve described on this blog are north of the Han River. North of the Han is more “city” (like Manhattan), and south is more like Queens or Brooklyn. But then again, this whole city is city…there’s hardly a tree in sight. So it’s more accurate to say the more touristy areas are north of the Han and the less touristy areas are south of it.
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