Location: Seoul, South Korea

I woke up and decided to kick it around the hostel for a bit. I had planned to maybe go to the DMZ (demilitarized zone between North and South Korea) but the government shut it down with no explanation. When the tour company messaged me to let me know they could take me to the Northern Limit Line (still within viewing distance of North Korea) I decided against it. If the gov shut down access to the zone I probably don’t need to go… thanks but no thanks!

I spent the morning catching up with friends from home instead. Just as I was heading out to explore and get some food, a half Korean half Canadian guy in my room named Kale, asked if I wanted to go to a market. Heck yes. Food! I was starving!

We hopped on a train and I was so unprepared for what he actually had in mind. He has spent quite a bit of time in Korea and speaks Korean pretty fluently, so was able to tell me about all the dishes I should have tried the last few days. I tried weird purple pork sausage, and pig liver. Ok weird start but ok it’s fine. It kind of all just tasted like mystery meat. I can get behind this. I wouldn’t pick it but I will eat it!

But then. Oh just you wait.

He asks if I want to try the octopus. Okay I’m a little less keen but ok. I was pretty nervous so I was talking a whole lot and sort of trying to distract myself.

Because.

This thing.

Was still.

Moving. Moving!!!

The lady holds up a small live octopus, sort of gesturing like ‘is this one good?’ When Kale gives her the go ahead she just SLAMS a cleaver over the legs and puts in in a sauce. She hands us the plate and I’m sure I just look completely white as a sheet. The nerves in the legs were still firing so the bits were all squirmy-wormy on the plate.

God damn.

I have to eat this?

I ate it.

Mind you I squealed and freaked out a whole lot but I did it. I ate three pieces before I said ‘alright f*** that you eat the rest.’

And he did.

We spent some more time wandering around the market, he suggested I try pig stomach. No. What about chicken feet? I think I did enough to my stomach for one night. I ate a much less traumatizing sugary pancake dessert and some rice wine. We walked for a couple of hours along the wall that used to protect the old town when Seoul was just small, getting an amazing view of the city lights from the top. We talked and talked the whole time and I asked what was probably an annoying amount of questions about Korea.

We grabbed bubble tea (Tiger Sugar for me of course) and watched some street kpop dancing before returning to the hostel. One thing I didn’t know is that all the dances are song specific. Each song has its own unique dance and like… everyone knows them. So on the street when people are dancing, anybody who knows could theoretically just dance right along. The dance is almost as important as the music Kale said!

With this new information in mind we spent the rest of the evening watching kpop music videos with a few other people from the hostel. I made leaps and bounds in my understanding of Korean culture tonight thanks to Kale. Too bad I leave so soon!

Sav

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New People:

• Kale – Canada / South Korea