The day after going to Suncheon, I met a friend in Seoul. We met at Hapjeong Station and went to a restaurant for ganjang gejang.
Gejang is raw blue crab marinated in soy sauce. When I had eaten it before, the fishy smell bothered me. Since I do not usually eat crab, I assumed that was just how it was, but the crab at this restaurant had no unpleasant smell at all and was very good.
I think it cost around 30,000 won. You could also eat tteokbokki and instant ramen there. I did not choose the all-you-can-eat option, but the portion was more than enough. The restaurant was Myeong Hyeon-man Ganjang Gejang.
After that we walked toward Hongdae. I prefer Hongdae to Myeongdong.
It was only a few days before the presidential election, but the city did not feel dramatically different from usual, which was a relief. Still, there had been an arson incident at Mapo Station that morning. Even if it was not political, it was frightening enough that I lost motivation to go into central Seoul.
We went to Seonyudo Park, a few bus stops from Hongdae. It felt like an oasis in the city. Seonyudo Park was a beautiful place away from the noise of the city. It sits on an island in the Han River and apparently used to be a water purification plant. Concrete remains of the old facilities are still there, and there were friendly pigeons.
For dinner I ate samhap. Beef and scallops seemed like an unusual combination.
I still wanted to drink more, so we went to another place, an izakaya-like spot with the word "Japanese food" on it. They had draft Terra and Cass. I wondered about the wording, but the food and drinks were good. Drinking casually with friends is enjoyable in a way that work drinking is not.
