Travelfood

Our trip to Seoul was a continuation on our trip to Japan, so in this article it is easy to compare South Koreans with the Japanese. The purpose is not to insult anyone. After a thoroughly tidy and clean Tokyo, Seoul seemed a little more human with some dirt and a little sour customer service, something that is quite ordinary in our home countries. In Tokyo everyone had been so polite and friendly that you felt like being on another planet. In Japan it was impossible to find a trash bin anywhere, but even so there was no rubbish anywhere in the streets. In Seoul there was some trash, but no bins to be found.

Korean food is perhaps best known for its hotpots. I have had bulgogi, hotpot with meat, in both Europe and Seoul, and it is easy to claim that Seoul has the most intensive flavors. To my great surprise, kimchi (fermented cabbage with chili) was less hot in Seoul than my previous European spicy experience. Usually you barbeque your own Korean food as thin meat or fish slices on hot plates or gridiron. Gimbap resembles of sushi and bibimbap contains shredded vegetables with or without a Beef tartar. A Korean dessert specialty is snow flake, or a snow ball, or bingsoo/ bingsu, with added flavors such as rice cake or red beans! When we ordered “soda” as a drink in a restaurant, we were handed “soju”, a strong bamboo wine, and our culinary food experience had an added flavor by that…

In Tokyo you got used to crowds, but soon you found out a pattern: walk on the left side and you are not slowed down by the crowds. In Seoul this rule does not seem to apply and you have to make way when encountering people on the sidewalks. If the rule in Tokyo is to avoid talking in the cellphone in the subway, all people obey, even the busiest businessmen. But in Seoul and the rest of the world everyone seem to talk about their personal affairs on the cellphone in public transport.  For Europeans and Americans it might be difficult to use the multifunction toilet seats (with instructions only in Korean or Japanese). You might suddenly feel a shower towards your buttocks from some part of the toilet seat!

The sights of Seoul are perhaps not the most interesting in Asia, but there are historical temples, parks and architectural wonders for everyone. For example the Gyengbokgung palace in the middle of Seoul has a forest, or a national park, as its backyard! The closeness of North Korea was visible in Seoul by many young men wearing military outfits. Otherwise both men and women wear quite fashionable clothes in both South Korea and Japan. It feels as if the youth has a voice and that they are visible in these countries. That might indicate a promising future.

Asia, food, South Korea, travel, travel experiences