Lazy Sunday in Gangnam…
Yesterday I had a craving for Keitan Sushi, Samgyetang (Gingseng Chicken Soup), and Soondoubu (Spicy tofu stew). The person at the concierge desk found three restaurants where I could them, wrote the restaurant names down on a piece of paper and after supplying me with a crudely drawn map of the area, set me on my way.
I went in search of the Samgyetang place, which from her dot on the map appeared to be closest to the hotel. However, after walking up and down the street for 15 minutes, not recognizing the Korean characters on any of the signs, but passing by a Pho place, which was screaming out to me in English, I decided that Pho was what I really wanted. When I peaked inside the Pho shop, I saw several diners hungrily slurping down big bowls of white noodles and this enticed me even more.
Unfortunately, in my haste to feed my hunger, I completely forgot to snap a picture of the beautiful vermicelli noodle dish before it disappeared into my belly.
But in order to walk off my lunch and prepare myself for a little dessert, I walked down Gangnam Street, a busy street, lined on both sides with shops, cafes, restaurants. As I walked, a few things caught my eye:
Exposed construction sites…would be a lawsuit waiting to happen in the US. When I see exposed construction sites like these or I have to walk through a dirt site with a big hole in the middle and no protective barriers or warning signs, I am reminded of China, India, Kosovo, Bulgaria, i.e. developing countries.
But then, as if Seoul wants to prove me wrong, I encounter something new and unexpected, high-tech even: an interactive touch-screen with various menus of options for entertainment. She’s bursting virtual plastic bubbles.
And a little further down the sidewalk, I encounter this man and his entourage who are filming him. I wonder if he’s a celebrity of some sort. I don’t recognize him but several other passerbys stop and stare.
He and his video man pose for their picture, which is taken and capture by the media post. Then, the man braces himself and starts to write something onto the touch screen. He’s writing in Japanese. Maybe he’s a Japanese celebrity?
To be continued…
Popping electronic bubbles? Ha! Too cute! Can you imagine anyone in NYC slowing down long enough to do something like that? It wouldn’t survive the east coast “hurry up and GO!” mentality.
Your posts always make me hungry. I’m going to have to make a note to read only AFTER eating, so I don’t immediately get up and have a snack afterwards.
Actually, the Koreans also have a ‘pali pali’ mentality. It means ‘hurry, hurry!’ However, in the high-traffic shopping districts, many Koreans seem to have all the time in the world to slow down, spend money, eat ice cream and pop electronic bubbles.