Noryangjin Fish Market, Seoul

Seoul's largest wholesale fish market, Noryangjin, is located on the southeastern outskirts of Yeouido amid the shadows of the imposing skyscrapers of the capital city's "Manhattan". Follow your nose to the fish market and you'll feel like you've crossed over to the proverbial other side of the tracks. Goodbye glitzy Trump building, hello dingy fish town!

Since I paid my visit in the evening, I missed out on the lively, fast-paced market atmosphere. For that, I'd have to hit Noryangjin in the wee hours of the morning when vendors from 700ish individual shops bid on the day's catch. Around 7pm, the market was quieter than I had expected, with retailers surly feeling the fatigue of a long day's work and suited businesspeople looking for some after-work grub. The vinyl-aproned staff of Noryangjin's shops are obviously accustomed to the wide eyes and camera flashes of tourists, and I was surprised by how amenable most vendors were to my particuarly intrusive photo-snapping style.

The wide array of sea life was a bit overwhelming for a novice, and coming from a country where consumers are largely removed from the process of how a creature becomes cuisine, it felt a little strange selecting a live fish to be killed, sliced, and served on the spot. Thankfully, my KBS cohorts were experienced shoppers and hagglers.

After bargaining for whatever fits your fancy, market employees quickly and deftly turn live swimmers into sashimi. Then they neatly arrange the fish on sturdy paper plates, complete with little oniony garnishes. The remaining carcass is bagged up and saved for a reappearance in tasty soup. Save room for the eyeballs!

One of Noryangjin's greatest features is its adjacent restaurants where you can round out your experience, and your belly, by digging right into your purchase. All the necessary accouterments (soy sauce, wasabi, lettuce, kimchi) are on hand, and restaurant staff begins cooking your fish remnant soup while you get started on the raw fish. It's not fancy, but it was fresh and very economical. My group of six paid about $20 each for as much sashimi, fish soup, seafood pancake (해물파전), and soju we could handle.

Media is the new U.S. beef

About ten years ago the government turned Yeouido asphalt slab into Yeouido Park. By the time I arrived in Seoul, it had become a lovely, verdant spot redolent of cherry blossoms in the springtime and the far less appealing beondegi (silk worm larvae) whenever food vendors set up to serve the passersby. I've heard the impetus for cultivating the park was the government's hope to squelch mass demonstrations by civic groups that had become frequent occurrences on Yeouido asphalt slab.

If that were truly the goal, however, perhaps they shouldn't have left a sizable amount of asphalt in the middle. Most days just bikers, rollerbladers, and basketball players occupy the space, but anytime the country becomes ripe with government distaste (which seems to occur frequently), the park revisits its past. The hot button issue of the month is a set of controversial media reform bills, which include the government and ruling party's plan to privatize the broadcasting sector (something I might even be convinced to fight against if protesting were my thing--instead, I just take pictures). Home to the nation's three top broadcasters and the parliament building, Yeouido was the perfect spot for unionists and other activists to gather Saturday afternoon for a good old fashioned protest. At least it's not about U.S. beef this time!

Happy Valentine's Day!

An orphan Valentine card collects rain drops Friday.

The 14th day of the month is almost always some kind of occasion in Korea. Yesterday was Valentine's Day, of course, a holiday which is gaining popularity by both lovers and businesses each year, but it's just one in a string of "Days" that call upon one subgroup or another to celebrate, bestow, mourn, eat, or get drunk whilst walking in the woods. For instance, the month of October utilizes a homonym for its 14th. Koreans give apples (sagwa) to apologize (also sagwa) for past infractions. Here are some shots taken around Seoul on Friday and Saturday.

Saturday morning subway traffic was sparse, but I did notice a few passengers laden with gifts, cakes, and flowers.

Despite what I thought was charming coaxing on my part to get Ms. Flowers to remove her hand from her mouth, she didn't oblige. Maybe she had chocolate on her teeth. Nonetheless, she and her beau seemed to be having a delightful Valentine's Day.

Korea's commercial sector has fully embraced the Western holiday.

Convenience store employees braved Saturday evening's cold temperatures to peddle V-Day goodies near subways and bus stops.

Valentine’s Day in Korea favors dudes, since it’s widely accepted as an occasion for women to profess their affection for the men in their lives through chocolates, cakes that look too cute to cut, and any number of other well-marketed goodies that spoony lovers can’t resist. For more about Korea’s unique Valentine’s Day customs, see last year’s post.

Saengil Chukhahaeyo, Sue!

If you've tuned into KBS World Radio-English in the last ten years, you've likely heard the sweet voice or skilled translations of Sue Park. Sue has a hand in almost all of our English programming and is certainly a listener favorite. She's a busy gal, but she took the time, and braved subarctic temperatures, to celebrate her birthday with the KBS crew last weekend. Here are some photos from the event held at "Ice Bar" in the Hongdae neighborhood of Seoul. Happy birthday, Sue!

Sue and Luke Micono smile through chattering teeth!

Can you spot the KBSers?  Sarah Jun, Chris Dykas, Jackson Kim, yours truly, Seoung-soo Kim, and Sara Kim are among the bunch.

What's an ice bar without ice glasses?  

Snow days

Here are some belated photos I took during and after a spattering of snow over the Lunar New Year holiday. As I mentioned last week, Seoul has seen warmer temperatures in the first couple weeks of the (lunar) new year, so these may be the last shots of the white stuff for awhile.

Braving the snow for a shopping trip through Seoul's Edae neighborhood, home of Ewha Womans University.  I'm not sure if using umbrellas during a snowfall is unique to Korea (maybe my international readers can help me here), but I've never witnessed it in other countries.  Makes sense, though!  

A romantic, and icy cold, walk along the Cheonggye Stream that runs through downtown Seoul.  

Interesting advertising strategy outside an Edae shop, but I didn't notice any takers during the five or ten minutes I spent observing the peculiar scene.   

No takers for the "Fresh Fruit Candy", either, but you have to applaud the tenacity of the vendor.

Has spring sprung?!

Probably not, but the balmy temps and sunny skies over Seoul today have me daydreaming about shedding the winter coat and pulling on the short pants. At 12 degrees Celcius (about 54F), it's hard to believe the city was covered in snow just a few days ago (I'll post some snow pics this weekend). I joined some colleagues from the English news department for a lunchtime jaunt around Yeouido and noticed many people out enjoying the break in wintry weather. I've been told it's typical for Korea to experience a string of three cold days followed by four warm days throughout the winter. It's called sam han sa on (삼한 사온), literally, "three cold, four hot".

Happy Lunar New Year!

When I return to work on Wednesday after a four-day vacation in the name of the Lunar New Year, my Korean colleagues will all be a year older. Never having adhered to customs associated with the moon, I'll still be 26 (not 28--Koreans are considered one year old at birth and add on one year with each birthday, as well as on the Lunar New Year). So I'm spared a year, but since I don't really celebrate Seollal I did miss out on something many across the country received as a token of love or appreciation on Korea's most widely celebrated holiday: a gift set. From the practical to the extravagant, the edible to the spreadable, almost anything can be found packaged neatly in a gift set around the Lunar New Year. A local newspaper reported that ginseng is this year's gift of choice, but multi-packs of Spam, soap, assorted nuts, cooking oil, toothbrushes, whisky, tuna cans, apples, instant coffee, and moisturizers are also in bountiful supply in supermarkets, big box stores, and even convenience stores. These economic arrangements are typical around Christmas in the U.S., but the variety pales in comparison to what Korea has to offer. I'm not sure what giving (or receiving) a two-year supply of toothpaste says, but I've certainly seen worse gifts.

Mushrooms and the like ranging from about $40 up to $100

E-Mart employees were decked out in traditional hanbok a day before Seollal and eagerly peddling gift sets.

Those oughtta be some tasty apples! 12 for ~$45