A Weekend in Tokyo
In: Japan
23 Nov 2009Japan was fun. And very expensive.
Ramen shop in the Tsukiji area Tokyo. Ramen originated in China.
Shinjuku area in Tokyo. Lots of young Japanese people.
Ticketing consoles in a Tokyo subway station. The subway map and pricing charts above the machines are really easy to understand (yeah).
Subway train in Tokyo. Has a retro look to it which adds a cool factor. The subways are really well maintained and clean. People don’t talk on their phones in the subway trains in Tokyo out of courtesy for others. Quiet.
Coolest scooter ever.
Design and utility.
Princess for a day. I wasn’t the only who thought she looked tip-top. This photo was taken at a place called Meiji Shrine in Harajuku, Tokyo.
Maybe a wedding? Not sure.
Fancy Toyota limousine with a swinging roof for those of us who feel that ducking our head getting into a car is just too uncomfortable.
Sign posted on the wall of a bathroom stall.
Shop-owner with a sense of humor.
Food ordering computer at our table. Kind of like in “Back To The Future Part 2″ when Marty orders a Pepsi at the diner. The tablet is removable for ease of use. That’s our friend Jeong Eun. She is Korean, but studied at a famous design school in Tokyo. She is now working for that school in Tokyo.
Japanese Izakaya style food. Izakayas are Japanese bars that serve appetizer-sized dishes.
Little cubby holes where everyone puts their shoes. Typical in traditional Japanese restaurants.
Appeared ordinary. Just one of many, many vending machines in Tokyo.
Until I read this.
It seems like everyone smokes in Japan. Everywhere. That’s why hotel management decided to put a “no smoking in bed” sign on our bed. Certain Hollywood movie scenes would be in trouble if this was a rule everywhere.
Can’t stop smoking. Indoor smoking station with an exhaust system. Every McDonald’s in Tokyo I went to had a designated smoking area.
This was our toilet in the bathroom. Toilets in Japan need to be installed near electrical outlets. Bide and seat warmers come standard on most models.
That’s what Tokyo looks like from Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. It cost us 1,500 yen each to get in, which is just under $20 USD. That’s the Tokyo Tower on the right side, aka “the fake Eiffel Tower.”
Our big night out included Womb, a nightclub in Shibuya (this is the club where the Japanese girl in the movie “Babel” took ecstacy for the first time). Shibuya is know as the center of nightlife in Tokyo. A little pricey. Cover was 3,500 yen, which is close to $50 USD.
We almost missed the club because it was so quiet outside the club. It was unbelievable when we got inside. Probably a thousand people in 3 different levels of the club. They were also very particular about photo-shooting. When I tried to take a picture of just the front door, the bouncer freaked out.
Drinks were expensive, but not outrageous. Beers were 500 yen – about $7 or $8 USD. Kinda cool – they have beer vending machines on the first floor.
Busy Tokyo subway tunnel.
Building security at the Shinjuku Metropolitan Government Building. Better view than the Mori Building, and it was free.
You guessed it. The sign means, “don’t get your fingers caught in the elevator door because you will cry.”
View from the 45th floor of the Shinjuku Metropolitan Government Building. They are actually twin towers. We checked out the views from both buildings, although they were very similar. You can see Mount Fuji on a clear day.
Weird.
Weirder.
Weirdest.
The First Ever Korean-Built Car
In: Korean Brands| Korean History| Technology| Transportation
15 Nov 2009
Have you ever wondered what the first Korean-made car was?
The Hyundai Pony was the first Korean-developed car in the world, built in 1975. Being also the first car to be exported out of Korea (to Ecuador in 1976), the Pony helped South Korea become the fifth largest producer and sixth largest exported of automobiles in the world.
The Hyundai Pony in the photo above is a second generation 2 door pick-up model built around 1980. It’s been modified to be used as a nicknack store on wheels. I took the photo above in the Gangnam district of Seoul.
Delivery Pizza in Seoul
In: Daily Life in Seoul, South Korea| Fast Food in Korea| Food in Seoul, South Korea| Korean Culture| Restaurants| Restaurants in Seoul
23 Oct 2009I was starving, and it was late. I was lazy, and I had money to burn. The perfect storm for a delivery pizza craving. So, with help from Eunmi of course, I ordered a pizza. Not just any pizza, I ordered the “18″ Launching!!! Super Large (45cm)” pizza from Jun’s Pizza. I ordered the most normal looking pizza (to me) from the options available.
This was what I was looking at in deciding whether or not to take the plunge. It’s 14,900 won for take-out before 10pm. The same pizza delivered is 18,900 won. After 10pm, add another 1,000 won late-night surcharge. I was awaiting anxiously.
While I was waiting for my pizza, I thought it might actually end up looking like the disgusting pizza above. It’s actually a Pizza Hut advertisement for one of their premium pizzas. I had my fingers crossed. The typical Korean style pizza has lots of random goodies like shrimp, potatoes, fruit, and corn to name a few. I really didn’t want any extra goodies on my pizza. I was nervous.
The typical pizza also has lots of colorful sauce (usually bright colors like neon yellow) sprayed all over (I always ask for sauces on the side when I can, an attribute I owe to growing up with my mom). The pizza above was delivered from a Dominos’s pizza in Korea. Yes, that is a Star of David.
That’s what I was looking at 20 minutes later. It was Jun’s Pizza’s 2nd day, and I was his first customer taking advantage of his credit card payment service. He couldn’t use my Korean bank card because he hadn’t finalized the contract with them. I was on the phone with Eunmi, who was translating for me. She said, “he’s going to come back tomorrow to get payment.” I ended up just using my American card after 5 uncomfortable minutes of looking at a Korean pizza delivery guy at my doorstep struggling to process a payment.
Part of his opening promotion was a oven-baked spaghetti dish for an extra 100 Korean won (about $0.10). You’re looking at a Korean made Italian dish. Tasted a little weird. Strangely sweet, but not bad.
You’re looking at 45cm of Korean-Italian goodness.
That’s my hand holding the first piece of pizza. I couldn’t eat any more than 2 pieces. It wasn’t bad. It looked similar to the pizza on the flier. It tasted similar to delivery pizza in the states. It was close enough to get the job done.
For 20,000 Korean won, I got a 45cm supreme pizza, a spaghetti dish, and a free liter of Coke, delivered. Decent value, decent taste, and a decent blog entry.
Taipei 101 Skyscraper Engineering
In: Taiwan| Technology| Traveling Abroad
9 Oct 2009When I was riding the elevator, I couldn’t really feel how fast it is. It accelerates and slows its acceleration on the way up and on the way down (maybe to prevent people from jumping in the elevators and hitting the ceiling). But, after you step out of the elevator to a view of the city half a minute after entering the elevator, you realize how fast it was.
The video above is the dampening system in Taipei 101. It’s the largest of it’s kind. It’s some sort of suspension for the top portion of the building to prevent damage from strong winds. The system reduces swaying of the building by 40%, as mentioned in the video. There’s two more of these devices above the observation decks.
Taipei 101
In: Taiwan| Technology| Traveling Abroad
9 Oct 2009
The photo above is of the “dampening system” that’s exposed on the 89th floor.
Night view from the 89th floor observatory of Taipei 101.
Dali-esque trippy painting. On the 89th floor, they showcase different artists’ works. They also have a huge collection of natural crystals, fancy globes of the world (they had one for sale for $30K USD), and coral.
Eunmi pointed out the “Sea of Japan” on some of the globes for sale in the Taipei 101 observatory. This is somewhat of a controversy in Korea, because Koreans believe it should be called simply, “The East Sea” to be fair to both countries. If I was a betting man, I’d bet that every globe or map you’ll find within Korea’s borders will surely label the sea as “The East Sea,” or maybe even “The Sea of Korea.”
Structural support for Taipei 101 viewed from the 5th floor. Pretty neat how they designed what would normally be ugly, with aesthetics in mind.
Kenting, Taiwan
8 Oct 2009
Gorgeous beach in Taiwan, about 5 kilometers east of Kenting.
Kenting was definately my favorite city visited in Taiwan. The easy-going vibe everywhere, clear waters, big waves, and friendly natives, matched with lots of surfers in the area draws the obvious comparison to Hawaii. There was actually a big surf competition wile we stayed there (Pro Australian surfers and photographers with huge telephoto lenses).
Kenting is located in the southern coast of Taiwan. If you fly into Taipei, it takes about 3 and a half hours to get down to Kenting. Hour and a half by bullet train (about $40 each way) to Kaohsiung, and a 2 hour taxi ride to Kenting (about $20 per person if you share the taxi with 2 or 3 other passengers).
It is regarded as the Hawaii of China and Taiwan. In fact, we even stayed at a hotel called “Hawaii.” Everything at the hotel was Hawaii-themed with a Haiwaiian shop in the lobby of the hotel. The owner of the hotel’s name is Duggar. He was very helpful and basically gave us a whole tour of Kenting. He’s from Hawaii but has lived in Kenting for 17 years now. He’s got 4 hotels operating in Taiwan along with a few shops, all “Hawaii” branded.
The cost of our stay in the hotel was only 1,200 NT, which is about $40 USD. Cheap. Well appointed hotel room on the second floor with a balcony facing the ocean. Definately give it a look if you plan on staying in Kenting.
I was cruising by on the electric scooter when this car caught my eye. Penghu must be the name of the beach of something.
My ride in Kenting. It was twice as expensive as renting a gas-powered scooter, but it was our only option. I didn’t realize you needed what’s officially called an “international driver’s permit,” not “international driver’s license” which many mistakenly say.
So, we were limited to an electric scooter that barely got us 60 kilometers with a max speed of 30 km/hour. That’s under 15 mph. If you want to go anywhere, you need to calculate the distance to make sure you have enough juice to get back to the rental place to swap out the battery pack. We negotiated the rental fee from 500 NT (New Taiwan Dollar) for 3 hours to 500 NT for 5 hours.
To tell you the truth, it was actually quite nice. The electric motor was virtually silent and since it wasn’t gas powered (or maybe because it was just too slow), we weren’t required to wear a helmet. This was nice since it was sunny and 90 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity. If you get pulled over for not wearing a helmet, you’ll get a ticket for over $100 USD.
Cute guest houses/ hotels in front of the beach. Eunmi saw an ad for a room at the yellow house pictured, but it wasn’t within walking distance of Kenting, and there weren’t any units available with views of the ocean.
Beautiful beach in Kenting.
Lush greenery on a breezy, beautiful day in Kenting, Taiwan.
Me and Eunmi getting tanned at the beach in Kenting.
Close to sunset.
Just about sunset. Eunmi’s camera does something with the lighting to create the weird effect you see in the photo above. Notice the waves aren’t just little bumps. As the winds picked up, and with the news of the THREE typhoons coming, it was an unsettling feeling hanging out in the water.
Cute Mini copy-cat you can spot all over Taiwan. Must be a domestic car. I’ve never seen these before.
Creative second-life of a compact-car. The owner of the hotel we stayed at told us this guy with the food stand above gets lots of business every night.
Nasty. Smelled really bad too. But, had to take the picture. I was wondering why all the foods are fried. Someone told me it’s because with the hot and humid weather, the food spoils quickly.
Taipei, Taiwan
In: Taiwan| Traveling Abroad
8 Oct 2009
Winds were picking up when I took this photo. The typhoons (three typhoons were suppose to merge in Taiwan) were expected to arrive during our visit, but arrived after our stay.
Scooters are driven all over Taiwan, night and day, rain or shine. You’ll see rows of sometimes 50 scooters perfectly parked along the streets. Totally forgot to take pictures of those.
Somebody taking a picture of me taking a picture of somebody – using Josh’s huge, badass camera.
Wasn’t completely sure what these were when these first caught my eye – Taiwanese mail-boxes.
That’s me and Beth waiting to order western food at a cute restaurant called “Grandma Nitti’s.” For some reason, the whole place had a Greek look to it even though they served just about every foreign food you could think of.
I have wanted to visit Taiwan for a few months now, but the deciding factor in visiting Taiwan last week was to see my friend Beth. She came to Taiwan to visit her friends Josh and Tessa, and to see her newborn niece in Tokyo, Japan. Beth and I have had a special friendship for almost 10 years now. She and I met in Minneapolis when she was attending the Aveda Institute and I was attending the University of Minnesota.
Day’s end at a reggae-themed bar near Taipei 101. Eunmi, me, Beth, Tessa, and Josh. Everything was reggae-themed, but they had a solo act, a single guy singing the blues with his guitar, harmonica, and some sort of a drum machine he operated with his foot. Pretty good, but pricey drinks.
Eunmi waiting in line for her drink at a club in Taipei. Popular in Taiwan, clubs charge a cover (usually around $20 USD) with free drinks. Very different atmosphere in the bar since everyone is on a level playing field. This is not where the “ballers” hang out. As you can see in the picture, everyone has to wait in line for their drink – it doesn’t matter who you are.Everyone was well-behaved. No idiot alcoholics causing problems or issues with bar tabs. It was actually a little boring because that whole glitz and glamour of a nightclub just wasn’t there.
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
In: Night Life| Taiwan| Transportation
8 Oct 2009When Eunmi and I landed in Taipei last Thursday, we took first took the bullet train to Kaohsiung. For about $40 USD, we were traveling at 300 km/hour and made it there in an hour and a half. Kaohsiung is the second largest city in Taiwan and is located on the southwest coast.
Kaohsiung was nice. Humid. About 30 degrees Celsius, or close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Too hot when the air wasn’t moving, but with a slight breeze, the evenings especially, were perfect.
Scooters EVERYWHERE. Everyone has a scooter. Often times, a family of four with teenagers will have four scooters.
Twin towers. I don’t know what they’re called, but they’re famous and are popular with the tourists.
Walking around in a night market in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Smelled really awful (turned out the “aged tofu” was the culprit), but had a lively atmosphere. They sold everything from weird street foods (almost all deep-fried) to nail clippers.
Eunmi and Ashley posing inside a huge tiger’s mouth. We showed up right when they were closing the interior, so I can’t tell you about what’s in there.
That’s Chris (from Ireland), Charlotte (native Taiwanese), Ashley (Korean living in Taiwan), and Eunmi (holding a Taiwan Beer).
Here are those nail clippers I was talking about. I have never seen more than 4 different types of nail clippers in one place before seeing this. Never thought I’d have a picture of nail clippers on this blog.
Some sore of addictive chew that all the taxi drivers in Taiwan keep in their mouth all day. The taxi driver that drove us the 2 hour drive from Kaohsiung to Kenting had one in his mouth at every moment. When he was taking one out of his mouth with one hand, the other had was reaching for another from his bag. His teeth were black and half-deteriorated. All of his taxi driver buddies he was waving at also had black teeth when they smiled back at him.
Internet Speed in Korea
In: Daily Life in Seoul, South Korea| Korean Infrastructure| Technology
6 Oct 2009Have you ever wondered how fast your internet speed really is in Korea?
Korea has the fastest internet speed in the world!
Eunmi told me she downloaded an entire show in just a few seconds. She says that you can download 1 gigabyte movies in just 10 minutes in Korea. I told her that can’t be right.
She looked around and found an article that shows South Korea ranking 1st in internet connection speeds. It turns out that South Korea has the world’s fastest internet, with average connection speeds of 11 Mbps. That’s the average.
I tested the speed of the internet connection at my place in Seoul, and my download speed was 45 Mbps. Thats ten times faster than a cable connection in America. A study states that Korea has the fastest connections, with the US placing 18th in the world.
That means that I can download a gigabyte in less than 3 minutes. Insane.
With integration of wireless technologies such as the WiMax egg, watching streaming HD movies wirelessly anywhere in Seoul has become a reality. Just imagine what will happen when WIFI is available via iPhone when it finally arrives this fall.
Look below, that is a screenshot of an internet speed test from speedtest.net on Eunmi’s laptop at my place.
Traditional Korean Dance for Chuseok
In: Korean Culture| Korean History| Korean Traditions| Uncategorized
30 Sep 2009Traditional Korean dance. Women dancing in circular arrangements.
Really interesting:
This dance originated as a military tactic in the Joseon Dynasty when women and their daughters dressed in hamboks and danced in circles on mountain tops to intimidate Japanese invaders. I suppose when the Japanese were looking up at a mountain-top with a constant stream of women dancing, there was no way for them to gauge the population of their village or city. Hence, the Japanese would be confused in estimating the size of the opposing Korean military force.
Today, masters of traditional Korean dance are considered “national living treasures.” While Korea was occupied by Japan between 1910 and 1945, the knowledge of traditional Korean dance was secretly kept alive despite attempted “cultural genocide.“ The more I learn about Korean history, the more I realize why there’s so much tension between Korea and Japan still today. I wrote a post on the history of Korean pottery a while back, uncovering what was a similar political situation between Korea and Japan during the Pottery Wars.
While I was eating at a Korean restaurant earlier today, I noticed the same patterned dance at a Chuseok festival on the news.
Chuseok Holiday in Korea
30 Sep 2009Chuseok, originally called Hungjunheok (흥준혁), but sometimes called Hangawi, is the equivalent to Thanksgiving or Christmas in America. Based on the lunar calendar, the actual date of the holiday varies each year. This year, Chuseok falls on October 3, next year on September 22. It is the biggest family holiday in Korea. It’s also the biggest gift-giving holiday in Korea.
Chuseok is a celebration of harvest and usually brings Korean families to their traditional roots. Family gatherings during this holiday are often in the countryside where their families originate. Families pay tribute to their ancestors by visiting their graves and holding memorial services.
Some women spend days preparing and cooking traditional foods. Some Korean food typically served include songpyeon (a rice cake that is most representative and particular to Chuseok), bulgogi, and of course kimchi. Many of the foods originally prepared for Chuseok used newly harvested food such as rice.
Hamboks are traditionally worn. Big payday for kids – the elderly give money to them.
Common Chuseok gifts include:
-Spam and cans of tuna. The most common gift exchanged. An indication of how poor Korea was not too long ago. Both items are protein sources that require no refrigeration. I was unaware until my arrival in Korea that South Korea was one of the poorest countries in Asia, with North Korea being the economic powerhouse pre-World War 2. A complete reversal of today.
-Bonuses from employers. Eunmi mentioned she received a $1,000 deposit for Chuseok when she was a designer for Cyworld, the Korean equivalent to Facebook or Myspace. Eunmi also mentioned that employee bonuses for Chuseok were originally meant to enable everyone to have enough money to visit their families for the holiday.
-Olive oil. Primary oil used for cooking.
-Expensive Western liquor. Ballantines seems to be the pinnacle of liquor in Korea. If you want to impressive someone, you buy them the oldest bottle of Ballantines whiskey you can find and present it in gold gift-wrap (gold is the most desirable color for gift-wrap in Korea) – that goes for any special occasion.
Typical gift package of Spam and cooking oil. I couldn’t stop laughing when I first saw this, until Eunmi explained to me everything.
A whole array of gift packages with Spam, cooking oil, cans of tuna, and coffee available at your local Home Plus.
The Best Bibimbap Restaurant in Seoul
In: Food in Seoul, South Korea| Restaurants| Restaurants in Seoul
27 Sep 2009
Those of you who read my blog regularly, you have noticed that I periodically put up posts about different restaurants I’ve visited. I don’t cook, an basically out of necessity, I eat out every meal. And just to let you know, there’s no economic benefit in me writing these reviews. If there is one, it’s just in providing good information for those of you either visiting or living in Korea.
I would say I have had bibimbap from 10 different restaurants in Korea, plus a few more in the US, but hands down, the best bibimbop I’ve ever had is at Min Seong Mak Kuk Soo near Geubendari station. Geubendari is near Cheonho, so if any of you readers are near the area, definately make a visit to taste one of the best executed traditional Korean dishes in Korea.
Just look at the pictures of the bibimbap in the Wikipedia entry versus the ones in the blog post. I don’t need to say anything more.
I switch between the dol sot bibimbap (hot, temperature-wise) and the yang poon bibimbap (cold), although the dol sot bibimbap is my favorite. Dol means “stone” and sot means “pot” in Korean. Yang poon is simply the name of the metal container. Eunmi commented that the yangpoon bibimbap was served in a “real” yangpoon pot at Min Seong Mak Kuk Soo, and is particularly hard to find in Seoul.
(Eunmi told me the owner can’t believe how I can eat bibimbap almost every day without getting sick of it).
10 Reasons Why Min Seong Mak Kuk Soo Has the Best Bibimbap
1) The overall taste is awesome.
2) All the ingredients are fresh.
3) The ingrediants are thoughtfully used, i.e. onions on the bottom with oil in the dul sot bibimbap to add more flavor to the rice.
4) They use the right pots.
5) The complimentary side dishes are high quality and generous (you know this places doesn’t “recycle” their side dishes)
6) All the customers leave the restaurant without leaving a single morsel left in their dishes (including the side dishes)
7) Fast and friendly service.
8} The bathrooms are impeccably clean (a rarity in most family restaurants in Korea). Generally, I check out the bathrooms before the food in a restaurant. If the bathroom is digusting, just imagine how they prepare the food, or worst yet, the hygiene of the employees.
9) Paper towels and toilet paper in the bathrooms. Some of you may laugh that I even mention this. But those of you familiar, you know what I’m talking about. Paper towels in a bathroom are a rarity in Korea. I’ve been there at least 50 times and I have never seen the paper towel dispenser or toilet paper dispenser empty. There’s nothing worse than needing to go #2 and realizing there’s no toilet paper.
10) The entire restaurant is spot-less. An indicator of the freshness of the food and the cleanliness of the kitchen in which the food is being prepared in.
Spicy red kimchi. Excellent, authentic Korean kimchi (not the cheap kind that is often imported from China). I have never left this side dish empty.
Baek kimchi. Baek means “white” in Korean. I have never left this side dish empty either. This one’s hard to find in Seoul.
Dulsot bibimbap (black stone pot) and yang poon bibimbap (metal pot) with assorted side dishes in the middle (there are more that are left out of the picture).
Store front of the restaurant located about a block and a half away from Geubendari Station.
Min Seong Mak Kuk Soo. You can give them a call at 02-473-8349 or 010-5123-5143. Both the dul sot bibimbap and the yang poon bibimbap are 5,000 won each. Taste one the healthiest traditional Korean dishes, in what is my humble opinion, the best bibimbap restaurant in Korea.
What’s funny is that the restaurant name Min Seong Mak Kuk Soo literally means “Min Seong Korean Noodle Restaurant.” This restaurant is known in the neighborhood for their noodle dishes, but really, the hidden gem is their bibimbap.
Driving in Korea
In: Daily Life in Seoul, South Korea| Korean Brands| Transportation
21 Sep 2009
I have a theory: the way someone parks their car is partial evidence in how they drive. As you can see in the photo above, if my theory is correct, this driver should not be on the road. They are probably a terror on the road.
Eunmi warned me that Koreans are crazy drivers. After driving in Seoul, I’ve realized she is absolutely right. In fact, it’s a little scary at times when driving here. It’s hard to capture this on film, so you’ll have to just believe my theory in parking vs driving.
Driving in Korea is a pain. Difficulty in parking and crazy Korean drivers are just part of the story – the traffic is unbearable. The freeways were a parking lot at 7:30 pm on a Saturday night in Seoul. It took us over an hour to go 40 kilometers to “Global Gathering” near World Cup Stadium. It was no different than driving in Los Angeles on the 405 on a weekday afternoon. Seoul is similarly sized and populated as Los Angeles.
Unique to Korea, you have to leave your phone number on the dashboard of your car. Due to lack of real estate, parking is often difficult in Seoul, so you are inevitably going to block someone else in or out with your car. Everyone has their phone number on their dash out of necessity – some even have customized/fancy plaques with their number on it.
Phone number in the dash. Sounds old-school and ridiculous, but it’s effective.
This is the Daewoo I rented this weekend. I’m pretty proud of my parking job. Notice how people park both ways on each side of the street, instead of just in the direction of the traffic. I remember getting a ticket in Minnesota for parking the wrong way, even on the correct side of the street.
Eunmi found a guy who owns a car rental company, who happened to live near my neighborhood. We met at a grocery store to sign the paperwork. He said, “Go to my house tomorrow… my father will have the keys for you. It’ll be parked in the garage below.” I asked, “What about the gas tank? Do I return it full?” He replied, “Just bring it back with a little left in the tank.” I guess this is how business is conducted in Korea sometimes. Small-neighborhood feel. Much of Seoul actually feels small-town. I kind of like it.
Decent parking job, but still needs work.
Burger Joint
In: Food in Seoul, South Korea| Restaurants| Restaurants in Seoul
21 Sep 2009Since my arrival, I’ve had Korean food for just about every meal in Seoul. Since Korean food is so good and so cheap, there’s really no point in eating anything else. I’ve had maybe a dozen burgers while in Korea, most at McDonald’s or Burger King. I also had a hamburger at a popular Korean burger joint called “Kraze Burger” when Sam was in town, which was mediocre.
But, tonight, the American in me was craving a genuine American hamburger. Eunmi suggested a place called “Smokey Saloon” in Itaewon. Quality beef is expensive, so I was prepared to spend a little extra for a good burger.
Line outside the restuarant. Capacity is only 22, and this photo was taken at 8pm on a Sunday night. Very popular restaurant. Be prepared to wait. There’s actually 8 locations, but it sounds like the Itaewon location is the original and maybe the best.
Eunmi ordered the “Volcano” which has chili, cheddar cheese, jalepenoes, lettuce, and tomato. We both had “halvsies.” She had half of mine, I had half of hers. You can choose from maybe a dozen different specialty burgers, but I wanted to create my own. I looked for a kimchi hamburger, but maybe it’s better they didn’t offer it. The waiter said I had to order only what was on the menu, which made sense since they were so busy.
I ordered the “Cowboy” which has monterey jack cheese, mushrooms, grilled onion, tomato, and some special sauce (I told them to hold the sauce and instead asked for jalepenos). Eunmi said I didn’t say anything when the food came.
“Real” french fries. Most fries I’ve had in Korea were gross either because they weren’t fresh or because they had some weird sauce drizzled on them.
A few differences I noticed with this Korean burger joint vs burger joints in America:
-they serve the french fries before your hamburgers, like an appetizer (with mayo and ketchup)
-nobody eats their hamburgers with their hands, they use forks and knives – I even saw some people “mulch” their hamburgers so that all the contents of the burger including the bun were in small pieces and mixed together
-they cook each of the burgers on a griddle with little metal tops so the meat cooks faster and more evenly
-most of the customers ordered soda beverages in a bottle with multiple straws so they can share (just the couples, or if its two girlfriends)
-expensive…. 45,000 Korean won for two burgers, one side order of fries, a garden salad, and 2 beers.
-unbearable wait to get a table, especially if you’re hungry… I saw several people waiting outside looking noticeably impatient
-tiny restaurant – capacity of 22 people, or 12 tables to seat two….if you have a large group, you will be waiting a very long time, or it just might not work..the restaurant is really arranged for small groups or couples
-bad pickles
Of the hamburgers I’ve had in Korea, here are the current Kimchi Soup rankings:
1) Smokey Saloon in Itaewon
2) Hooter’s in Apguejang (the burger was actually really good, and very friendly staff)
3) Kraze Burger at COEX mall (half the price of Smokey Saloon, half as good)
4) McDonald’s cheeseburger (just as good here as I remember when I had my first when I was 6 years old in Mpls)
5) Burger King Whopper (usually after I get my haircut at Hyundai department store)
6) TGI Friday’s in Jamsil (it was really bad, I think I got sick from it)
Although a little overpriced, and there is that wait to get in, Smokey Saloon was definately worth it. Smokey Saloon is located behind the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon near “Bungalows.” If you want to check it out, you can ask away in the comment section of this blog, or go ahead and call them at 02-795-9019.
Book Release Party
In: Celebrities| Korean Culture| Night Life| Nightlife in Seoul
15 Sep 2009
This is a photo of me and Ryu Seung Beom, 류승범, a famous actor in Korea. I had no idea who he was until another of Eunmi’s friends at the party mentioned him. He was a really nice guy and very polite. Recently, Ryu Seung-Beom was cast for the movie “29 Years” with Korean actress Kim Ah-joong.
This party was a small get-together with some of Eunmi’s friends, and friends of theirs. Lots of models. Some of the girls must’ve been over 6′ tall. Everybody was dressed down a little bit, but trendy (particular emphasis on trendy). It seemed like everyone there had their own unique style.
I don’t know if Belvedere Vodka sponsored the event, but that’s all they served and there wasn’t any sort of cost associated with the event unless you bought the host Fhifan’s book, Slow Recipe.
It was a rare occasion in that there wasn’t a single other foreigner present at this party.
This is Lee Berre,이베르, a designer on the left, me, Eunmi, and Ashley. Lee Berre is a prominent architect in Korea.
This is Jimin, 지민, Eunmi’s best friend from high school. Her nickname is 쥐, which means “mouse” in Korean. She was really nice and seemed to love her humongous camera. I named this picture “mouse,” so, if you Google “mouse,” this photo might come up. Ha ha.
This is me, Fhifan, and Eunmi. He was the host of the party. Fhifan is Korean, but was born in Japan, just finishing his book titled, Slow Recipe. His book is about his personal journeys and development into modeling. He is a fashion model in Korea and Japan, as well as a DJ, and now an author.
This is me and Eunmi with “Mouse’s” boyfriend, Kim Won Sun, 김원선, a famous graphic designer in Korea. Also a really nice guy. Basically, everyone I met at this party was really nice. I’m trying to use bigger and fancier words than “really,” “nice,” and “very,” but it’s a struggle for me. English, after all, is a second language for me.
This is Eunmi with her friend Varkjiwon,박지원. He is some sort of stylist or designer, and works with “Mouse’s” boyfriend.
Exterior of the venue called onFriday in Gangnam. Everyone migrated outside since it was such a nice night out and the weather continued to cooperate.
DJ at the party. Solid house music.
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- Tags: Famous Koreans, Fhifan, Korean Celebrities, onFriday, Ryu Seung Beom, 김원선, 류승범, 박지원, 이베르
About Kimchi Soup
Kimchi Soup is a blog journal managed by a Korean-American-Jewish adoptee (this is not a joke). Its sole purpose is to document the adventures of the author's return to Korea and to update his family and friends.
The author of this blog journal was adopted form Korea at the age of 6. He was adopted and raised by a Jewish-American family (not a joke). The purpose of his extended return trip to Korea is to learn more about his birth-family history, learn the Korean language, and immerse himself in daily Korean life to fully experience true Korean culture.
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- squeak: you have forgotten to mention how the ajuma, at the age of ~45, sprout a darth visor from their fore [...]
- Winnie: Hey Kee, I'm a Korean American who is going to Korea this May with some Jewish friends. Would you [...]
- july: i love all the seafood, even i only eat several typr but i like to try them all =) [...]
- Daphne: our civil defence "trucks" (we call them Rhino, i believe) don't have water supplies as a fire hydra [...]
- Daphne: Cool... I wish Singapore has got such fast speeds! but is that speed wireless or cabled? [...]
