delesseria

Every wednesday I teach a half day so my work day doesn’t start until 6pm. I usually try and get out and take some type of adventure in the morning and this Wednesday I chose to spend my morning wandering around the Chilseong Market (칠성시장). I believe it is second to Seomun Market in terms of size and popularity but I actually found it to be far more interesting. I took the Daegu Subway to the Chilseong Market station, walked through exit 1, and found myself surrounded by fruit and veggie stands that stretch along the street for what seemed like miles. I walked past stand after stand after stand filled with apples, bananas, clementines, grapes and every type of potato or greens you can imagine. I was starting to get a little hungry so I sat down at one of the many lunch stands which turned out to be a bi mi bap buffet!!! It was amazing, for only 3500won (abt. 3.5$) I could sit there and refill my bowl with veggies, rice, tofu and fish as many times as I wanted. The women working the stand as well as the people eating there were very helpful showing me what to do, although there was a serious language barrier. 

After lunch I wandered across the street to the used furniture market, purused for a bit and then found myself in the seafood section of the market. Every time I wander past a fish shop here in Korea I am blown away by the variety of some of the creatures they have for sale. One of the things I am going to miss most when I leave KOrea is the diversity of their food, especially the seafood. When I arrived at the end of the fish row I took a right down another section of carts, not knowing what I would find and I had suddenly arrived in pig alley!!! I was surrounded by pig heads on stands, pig skin hanging from the ceiling, vendors blow torching pig feet and every other part of the body you could imagine. I was pretty grossed out but way more interested so I walked all the way to the end of the row taking in some of the equally delicious and disgusting sights and smells. Unfortunaley at the end of this row I happened upon puppy alley. Yes, they do eat dogs here in Korea, and the Chilseong Market is one of the places you can go to find dog meat. Unlike the pig alley, I could not stomach a walk down puppy alley so I turned around and high tailed it back to the subway. 

I didn’t buy much, I left the market with a single banana and a package of kimchi mandu (which I made for dinner last night and were AMAZING), but Im definitely going to go back soon. I feel like the Chilseong Market has hundreds of hidden alleys and secrets that would take me a lifetime to discover them all!

Everything you need for an amazing lunch @ Last Sushi in dtown Daegu.

Making pizza Korean style. So here in Korea there are no limits to what you can put on a pizza and I have to say I feel the same way. Common toppings found on pizza here: Corn, potato, squid, mayo, and pickled anything. The only problem is ordering pizza can sometimes get a little pricey, so Greg and I decided to make our own. Using the random assortment of things in my fridge and my toaster oven, Greg and I had our own mini-pizza party in my apartment. I can’t quite remember what we put on the pizzas but here is my best guess:

Tomato sauce mixed with sweet chili sauce

red chili pepper paste

corn

onions

peppers

pineapple

spinach

pickled radishes

cabbage

chicken

…..and a million other things i forget! 

While Greg and I were in Busan we took a trip to the Haedong Yunggung Temple aka Seaside temple. This Buddhist temple was carved into the wall of rock along the Eastern coast of Korea. Definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in Busan!

Saturday night in Busan summary through pictures

Busan Night 1: Trip to the Jagalchi Fish Market. Busan is famous for it’s seafood and the fish market is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the city, and for good reason. The second we walked off the subway from Haeundae we were surrounded by fish, both living and dead. But Greg and I had only one thing on our minds: Sannakji. Sannakji is live octopus, cut into pieces, seasoned with sesame oil and served immediately. I had been hearing about this strange dish since I arrived in Seoul for orientation and was determined to try it. We picked our restaurant based exclusively on the personality of the woman working at the door. We sat down, placed our order and soon had a plate of squirming octopus tentacles in front of us! The strangest thing about eating these little creatures is how strong their suction cups are! I am not a pro. with chopsticks by any definition so pulling these little guys off the plate while they were clinging on for dear life was quite a challenge. The biggest advice I can give to anyone who wants to try this in the future is chew a lot before you swallow! People have been known to die from sannakji that suction to their throats or stomach walls. Another word of advice: get seated next to the drunkest guy in the place who speaks a little English. He’ll most likely pay for your meal. 

So Greg and I finally decided to act like the broke college/post-college kids that we are and have a night in! It was dubbed Korean-African fusion night because Greg taught me how to make chapati, and I threw together a Korean stirfry that we paired with some makkeoli and rice wine. Chapati is a flatbread made from flour, water, salt and oil (i think) that Greg learned how to make during his semester abroad in E. Africa. You roll out the dough, circle it up, make a little flower and the squish it down into a ball. This lets air pockets form in the dough so when you fry it up its really airy and wonderful. The stir fry consisted of rice, hotpot sauce, spicy chili paste, cabbage, carrots, peppers, chicken, tomatoes, spinach and onions. When put inside a folded chapati it made for a pretty dank Korean/African taco.