Chung Gye Chun - A river DOES run through it

chun (stream)

The new lover’s lane of seoul.

And the path to Kwang Jang Shi Jang.


The Chun gye chun, until two years ago, was a stream buried by a road. The street was torn up to expose the stream in attempts to battle the intense summer heat of Seoul – where concrete and car heat raise the air temperature to unbearable levels. It’s not much to look at, but if nothing else, a place to take your shoes off and stick your tired feet in the water. It’s full of teens and lovebirds on their first dates, mom’s bathing their babies and old people eating.

From the East Gate (Dong dae moon), we followed the Chung Gye chun to Jong No – where old meets new in Seoul. And no better place to see the old than at the Kwang Jang Shi Jang. (Shi Jang = market). This is where you come for culture shock “fear factor” style eating that you hear about in the travel books. You can watch women making kimchi. And eat just about anything you never thought edible. It’s 2pm, hot as hell and everyone is drinking.

A lot of people come here to buy high quality chicken ass.

No English menus here. Point at something and take a leap of faith. Memory is key.
I had a drink of makoli (a rice wine) with some old men who had lots of questions for me. They gave me a lesson in proper drinking etiquette. Old men love talking to me, for some reason. They love to test my manners and then correct me. I learn something about subordination and they compliment how quickly i pick it up. Then we pour another.

A Bowl of Jeon.
This is “Modum Jeon”. Ie. Assorted. - Random meat, fish and veggies fried in pancake batter.
A traditional Anju – food eaten while drinking, in korea. (An=not, ju=alcohol).
My favorite anju is “nock doo jeon” – Korean pancake.

Koreans generally don't even think of drinking without food - and 99% of bars will insist that you buy food or start walking. They've hijacked the tradition and used it to exact a "table charge". The cheapest anju plate (because it's usually a formality and you suck it up), is the fruit plate. ie. the minimum. If you're lucky, less than $15. The fruit plate at the Hyatt Hotel in Youngsan is over $70. But that's not exactly the korea that i live in.

A tasty bowl of Dong Dong Ju.
It’s a traditional Korean rice wine drink. It can’t be bought at a liquor store or pub. You have to seek it out in specific places, little run down diners in the old neighborhoods of Seoul, like Insadong or Jongno, or out in the small towns. “Ju” is in the name of every alcohol in korea. “Dong Dong” refers, I think, to the last thing you hear before you hit the floor.
Yes, I passed out not long after this photo was taken.