Strip Lion

Prices of meat are soaring on the peninsula, but my local supermarket may have found a rather exotic solution. Strip lion anyone?

Politically Incorrect

On our Worldwide Korea Bloggers trip last week there was one thing in the Cheongwadae Sarangchae museum that seemed a little off... Obviously they weren't using the spell check when writing the British Prime Minister's name. But hey, what's an "n" between friends.

Funeral Food

There are some aspects of Korean food culture that not everyone who comes here gets to see. I happened to go to a Korean wake (sadly not my first and most definitely not my last) about a month ago and thought I would share just a few pictures of what was served.

When someone dies in Korea there is usually an area set aside in the hospital for friends and family to visit and pay their respects. Over a period of two or three days and nights, guests come and pray at an altar and then head to a dining area for a meal and perhaps a drink or two. The family of the bereaved will normally spend the whole time at the hospital greeting guests day and night.



Visitors will usually be given a bowl of soup, a bowl of rice and a variety of side dishes to snack on. There will almost always be some steamed meat, some pancakes, some rice cakes and a selection of fresh fruit.

There's beer and soju on hand for those who want to drink to the memory of the deceased, with the normal dried snacks you might see at bars across the country.

There's something quite comforting about this tradition, people come and go, chatting amongst themselves and paying their respects. Many visitors lend a helping hand with serving food and drink, and the three days give people coming from out of town enough time to visit.

Not the happiest of meals, but an important one nonetheless.

Self Portrait

Taken down the backstreets near Ehwa Women's University.

Worldwide Korea Blogger Ajosshi

Thanks to KOCIS I am now an official "Worldwide Korea Blogger" for The Korea Blog. I'm still not quite sure exactly what this means, but they treated a group of us to a lovely day out this week culminating with a tour round the grounds of the Blue House (청와대).



After a brief meeting and the presentation of some rather spiffy looking certificates, we were ushered along to the Cheongwadae Sarangchae Museum and into the Charim restaurant. KOCIS had spared no expense and provided us with a choice between bulgogi or bibimbap. Knowing that I had to stroll around the presidential palatial grounds later on, I decided on the meatier option.



For 12,000 won (though free for us lucky few) you get a beautifully presented bulgogi, with a rather minimalist selection of side dishes.



The food was well cooked and had a little bit of a chili kick to it. Certainly a pleasant place to lunch at if you're in the area.



Next it was off into the museum itself for a little exploration.



Not quite sure if this was one of those robot English teachers. However, I would like to point out that I did not touch the robot. I promise... there was no touching involved.



Most of the bloggers took the opportunity to have their photo taken with President Lee and the First Lady (see my previous post for my stunning portrait).



Some even deigned to sit in the chair of office (disclaimer: probably not actual chair of office, but certainly an office chair of sorts).



This was the best photo in the whole building... possibly the best photo of Obama ever taken...



For those wishing to imagine themselves as last year's politicians, they even have a mock G20 summit room.



After all the museum frolics it was off on a special bus accompanied by special agent Kim all the way to the Blue House.



If you fancy taking the tour you must book well in advance and remember to bring your passport. The security screening is reminiscent of a polite airport and as we entered we were fortunate enough to be given to wonderful Cheongwadae tea cups. Unfortunately, I prefer to sip my tea from mugs decorated with the sinister drawings of Ralph Steadman (nothing like a casino full of lizard people to brighten up your morning cup of tea).



After a rather amusing video (including shots of President Lee cycling) we were taken on the rather brief, but interesting tour of the grounds. We were warned that pictures could only be taken at certain times and only of certain things. I accidentally took this picture of the tree that Lee Myung Bak planted when he was inaugurated. I didn't mean to, I promise, my finger sort of slipped and happened to press a button on my camera...



The tour was made more interesting by the hordes of older Koreans that accompanied us. Not content with pushing to the front and talking over the guide, several of the older ladies were seen to be scampering on to forbidden fields and pathways and had to be shooed back into line by the secret service. If this tour was one of your first tastes of Korea, then you might get a rather skewed impression of the locals. The ugly side of ajumma culture comes out in large tour groups.



We weren't allowed too close to the Blue House, I would have liked to get a little closer and take some more interesting shots, alas, security was fairly tight and time was pressing.



Still, a tour of the Blue House should be on everyone's list when staying in Korea. It's a chance to see where the rich and powerful make decisions and you get to meet some very personable secret service agents.

At the end of our excursion the good people of KOCIS were generous to provide us with goodie bags (stuffed with a book, cd, business card holder and usb dongle thing). Not a bad haul for the Worldwide Korea Bloggers and all in all a very enjoyable day.

Much thanks to The Korea Blog, KOCIS and all those who had a hand in organizing the day...



And finally the obligatory group shot.

Back row - Asif, Roger and Francesco.

Middle row - Ana, Belinda, Alex, Yelena, Eleonora, Jordi and Kimberly.

Front row - Myself, Jennie and Joanna.

Chris in South Korea and the Qi Ranger were also there, but couldn't make the tour.

More photos of the day can be found here.

A View Of The Blue House

The closest I could get to the Blue House without being taken down by the secret service...

Me and President Lee

Just back from The Blue House... President Lee says hello... More to follow.

Buns For Sale

Some of the shop displays near Ewha Women's University are raunchier than others...

An Unexpected Chinese Treat

Sometimes the food gods smile upon me when I least expect it. I spotted a friend of mine munching on a pack of Hawthorn cakes (though I used to know them as Haw Flakes). I asked her how she obtained these delights and she told me that I Chinese friend had brought a a fair few packs over to Korea, she then proceeded to hand me five of those sacred little packets. My luck was well and truly in that day...



If you've never had these odd little Chinese sweets then be prepared for a rather strange taste sensation. Made from the berries of the Chinese hawthorn tree, these thin mini-discs of sweet/sour goodness are incredibly addictive once you get a taste for them. I'm not quite sure when I first tried them, but I have happy memories of Saturday afternoons going out for Chinese food with my parents, then popping into the little grocers next door and picking up ten packs of these sweets. A childhood addiction that hasn't been sated for many years, tasting these flakes again brings a happiness to my taste buds.

I've never seen them for sale in Korea, but if any of you, my dear readers, know where I might get my hands on them then please do drop me a line. I have a craving for more Haw Flakes...

Neon Crab

Some restaurants get a little more excited than others about their pickled crabs... Seen near Incheon station.