Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Insadong: Shopping & Eating

Insadong is one of my favorite areas in Seoul. Here you can find many shops selling traditional Korean arts and crafts. It is also within walking distance (about 10-15 minutes) to Gyeongbokgung and the Cheonggyecheon Stream. Although it is a little touristy, it is a great place to buy souvenirs (like these cute wooden rings above) and eat delicious street food.

(left) Cute display outside of a coffee shop; (right) Heading to a small mandu place for lunch

Fresh steamed mandu outside of the shop

James and I had a delicious lunch at a tiny mandu shop. All the locals were there so we knew it was going to be good. The mandu (Korean dumplings) were so fresh and delicious. Our favorite were the fried ones :)

We did a little shopping after lunch. I love these door knockers but they were too heavy to carry around!

It's so hard to resist buying souvenirs when I'm on vacation. It's not just me, right? hehe

These poo-shaped cakes are really popular there! They're a pancake filled with sweetened red bean and pieces of walnuts. They're quite good if you can get over the fact that it is suppose to mimic poo. Kids love them. Don't they always love things that are slightly gross? lol


(left) Cool wall outside of Starbucks; (right) Squid snacks

James love antiques but I find them kind of creepy. I like to look at them but I always wonder about the previous owners; who and what kind of people they were. Not knowing just creeps me out. (I think I watch too many scary movies lol.)

This old phone caught James' eyes.


(left) More antiques; (right) I love this traditional mini chest drawers. It's perfect for storing jewelry or other knickknacks.

This is my favorite street food in Seoul. It's called Hotteok and is a pillowy soft fried dough filled with cinnamon sugar and nuts. Since it's fried, the cinnamon sugar inside melts to a yummy syrupy goodness. It's so good! (Just be careful not to burn your mouth! I had a few close calls hehe)

2 comments:

  1. Oh my.......love trying local food when i go travelling. I've never heard of mandu before! They look yummers. I love the jap dumplings too!!! The poo shaped cake looks yummy and cute!!! Kinda reminds me of that Japanese cartoon "Arale" where this little girl with purple hair and a red cap plays around with this pink poo which has a happy face on it, lol... You know what im talking about??? lol....the hotteok looks delish too especially as i lovee cinnamon (hm..we like quite similar food from what i see in this post,haha). I can just imagine eating this warm dessert in the cold, perfect combo!

    And yes, i love buying souvenirs as well so i know that feeling very well. kinda like an addiction where you cant stop buying,hehehe

    I am the same about antiques and vintage fashion, always wonder who the previous owner was and their background. It's just the fact how you dont know who that person was that makes me not wanna buy vintage or antiques...lol, but i gotta agree, that mini chest drawer is soo lovely...did u buy it tho?

    Btw, i wanted to say a big thank you for commenting on my 2012 recap post. It really touched my heart and meant a lot that you actually took your time out to read my post and commented on so many aspects of my life that i mentioned. You're like one of only person that really commented on the stuff i wrote in my post:) It's just nice to know people actually care and read, ya know???;)

    I'm happy to hear that you liked the song from Namie Amuro. I've been a fan of hers since the 90s,lol...she's been around for a long time. she had a big hit back then with "can you celebrate" and "say the word" is a really fast beat song i like, check them out if you have time:)She's also the face for the jap cosmetic brand KOSE ESPRIQUE if you're ever interested to buy their stuff:D

    Yeah, you should visit Denmark for sure but please do so in the summer cuz you'll freeze in the winter,lol. James could try their good old Danish beer Carlsberg and Tuborg, and of course, the danish pastries;) Okay, i better jet, this is becoming an essay, lol.

    Take care for now girl:D

    Cinz
    http://cinzee.wordpress.com

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    Replies
    1. I have to check out Arale...never heard of it but it sounds so cute! So funny that poo can be cute hahahaha The hotteok is perfect for the cold weather. I love that we love the same things hehe

      I didn't buy the chest drawer...it was too heavy and we still had other places to go to. I would love to though...it looked like an antique but it was brand new! :)

      I feel the same way Cinz! I feel so happy that you read my posts too. So glad that we are able to become friends in this blog world :)

      I will definitely check out her other songs as well. Thank you! Have an awesome weekend!

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