in which...

... i show a photo of work people and talk more about namdaemun. sorries for the lack of capital letters. too lazy tonight.

work folks:

don't we look silly waving? the photographer wanted us to wave. oh well.


~ Namdaemun, trip II ~

went back to Namdaemun on Sunday with my co-workers Michelle and Helen. Michelle is another Korean adoptee from the states (she's in the red blazer in the photo), and Helen is one of the Korean counselors at work (she's at the far right in the black sweater). We had a super time. Ate lunch at a restaurant in Namdaemun and talked for a few hours, wandered around the market, went back to Cheonho, went out for dinner and talked again, and then went grocery shopping at E-Mart. ~lol~

namdaemun gate:


ginseng:


knock-off purse heaven:

necessity dictated the purchase of a new purse. the handles on my little black purse are finally going to disintegrate after five or so years of use. a moment of silence, please. [-----------] cool beans, thanks. ;P five years out of a $10 purse isn't bad. i paid $25 for my new knock-off, probably too much, but oh well. i hate bartering. the seller was asking $35 or $40, i think. my co-worker Michelle talked him down to $25. thank you!

delivery:


i have yet to explore all of Namdaemun. it seems like most of the market is divided into sections by goods. a few smaller sections are designated food spots. there are a few alleys crammed with small restaurants, where ajimas stand outside the door and try to forcibly yank you inside to eat their food instead of a competitor's. yikes. another area of the market has outdoor food stalls.

at the stalls, heavy plastic encloses several small plastic tables, plastic stools, a grill, piles of food and drink to order, and numerous stand-alone heaters. i think (?) that the Koreans generally go to these stands for a snack and drinks. though, to me...
~ skewers of barbecued chicken or pork,
~ grilled clams,
~ grilled squid,
~ mandu (korean dumplings),
~ dukbokki (rice cakes and fish cakes in a sweet and spicy red pepper sauce),
~ bindeduk and pajon (mung bean or flour pancakes with vegetables &/or seafood),
~ and many other items i didn't recognize
...are more than just a snack. maybe people only order one thing? i'd like to eat at one of these someday soon, have yet to try them. i've tried the street food around Cheonho, which is a little different.

wandering between food stalls.


food:


more food:


pig, and lots of it:

this woman was busy carving pork. are these ham hocks? i don't know my cuts of meat, wouldn't do well on Letterman. her stall was set up in front of a restaurant, but the entire glass or plexiglass sheet above the meat was covered in plastic wrap. for cleanliness? to wrap meat? i have no idea. it looked neat, though.

very tired. must go to sleep. more posts soon on street food in cheonho, shopping at E-Mart, kids at school, and the profusion of caucasian faces in advertising here. it's so strange. i thought i'd be in a place where asians faces would finally play a dominate role in mass media, but it's not the case. bugger. but. more on that later. sleep now. :) g'night!