Come to dinner with me in Seoul:

The weather in Korea has been mild and springlike. Min, Hiroko: my Japanese friend, and I went to Seoul's National Cemetery to admire the cherry blossoms, but it was closed for the night and we couldn't get in through the gates. I'd recommend the cemetery to anyone who has an eye for beauty. The trees in bloom were breathtaking, on grounds where 160,000 soldiers and patriots were laid to rest.

I said, "wow," over and over but, to be fair, I'm like that. I "mmm" throughout dinner and gasp when I see something pretty:

I had a great evening, but I'll zoom into things that might be of interest to you:

The Statue of Liberty was in town. As a result, security was heightened... you know the drill:

This photo peels back the curtain on Korea's night culture. You'll be hard pressed to find a store open Sunday morning, but Saturday at 1AM? Buy a new bra. A house plant. A container of pumpkin soup:


Min informed me that men eat turtles with phallic necks, for their stamina-increasing blood properties. These little guys are like Korean Viagra, though they look a little sluggish to me:

Check out our spread of food, all at 10,000 W (10 USD) each. The 10$ includes sweet ginseng wine, for all, and cups of shikhye: rice juice, as a post-dinner refreshment. I wasn't keen on the fish eye glaring at me, from the plate, but he tasted pretty good dipped in Gochujang. The eyeball is high in protein:

Here Min pours boiling water into the left over rice dish: "noo-roong-ji" (literally, scorched rice), to make a delicious soup that we all fought over:


I took this photo because ever since I posted about the "devious" dual-spinning barber poles, after midight, I give these shops the 'I know what you're up to, don't try to fool me,' nod.

Once again, highlighting the commercial use of English in Korea: Visit the Barrel in Wine: