Full to the Brim: Friends, Fun and Food

Do you ever feel like your heart could burst? Not from pain, but from the feelings of joy and love? Lately, as I've settled into Chiang Mai, stayed in touch with family back in the U.S., and then come here to Korea to visit friends, I feel like my heart is so full! I'm so thankful for all the loved ones who are part of my life. The last few days here in Soul are a prime example of this, as I got to see some of my favorite girls!

Most stories start with a food story, of course... hehe  I met my good friend HyunJu for lunch in 녹사평 (Noksapyeong) area (just west of Itaewon, the foreigner area). We had intended to go to a restaurant called Bao, where you can get made-to-order stir-fries (think Subway but with noodles), but it was closed.  So we found a place called Le Saigon just down the street. Yes, eating Vietnamese food in South Korea is still a good way to take advantage of my time here! Seoul has soooo much to offer when it comes to food!  I got this dish, 비빔국수 (Bibimguksu), which is fairly similar to my all-time favorite Korean dish, 비빔밥 (bibimbap).

The main difference is that rice noodles are used instead of rice, and instead of 고추장 (gochujang - red pepper paste) it has a sweet and vinegary sauce to pour on top. I got the vegetarian option, for 8,000 KRW, which included those nicely sauteed mushrooms. Just like bibimbap, bibimguksu usually comes with a fried egg on top, and sometime some meat, but I asked them to leave those out. I'm not sure if this dish usually comes with the chopped peanuts on top, I'm assuming so, but it's interesting that they were spooned on to the middle of the dish, right where the fried egg is usually placed. Protein swap perhaps?

So there it is all mixed up. Nice and cool, with six different kids of fresh veggies! It was great for a warm day, and perfectly filling. After gabbing over our food for a good few hours... we headed out to take goofy pics and enjoy the sunshine.

After a teary goodbye, I headed over to Hongdae. Mipa and I walked around a bit, then decided to get a sweet snack from a place called Laksheme: (accidentally) vegan donuts! They're not donuts in the sense you would normally think of; they're steamed, not deep-fried. I'm sure they're a bit healthier than regular donuts, and they just happen to be very tasty!

I got the chocolate one on the right, for just 1,400 KRW. Since it was nearing the shop's closing time, the owner actually offered Mipa a donut for free! Score! She got a cinnamon one, which had the surprise of walnuts inside.

My chocolate doughnut had mini chocolate chips inside. And both doughnuts were a nice balance of soft and chewy. They went great with the iced hazelnut coffees we had. We actually bought the coffee at a 7-Eleven, Mipa's economical little secret. ;) For just 1,500 KRW you get a vacuum-sealed bag of coffee from the refrigerator section, complete with a plastic cup and a bag of ice cubes! (You could even buy some soy milk to add in, but it tasted nice and sweet already, so we just drank them black.)

For directions and info on Laksheme, I will once again direct you to Mipa's blog (see this post).

Hongdae area is a fun area to walk around, especially on the weekend. Even though I lived in Korea for over a year, I see things with new eyes since having been away for awhile. So I couldn't help but take pictures of "normal stuff" that we walked past.

 Modern clubs, traditional sweets, cutesy trinkets...

 Creative sales displays and cafe decor...

 Varied architecture...

Plenty of health and beauty products for sale, and Doritos being endorsed by sexy young ladies...

As interesting as it is to just walk around and explore, we didn't just wander aimlessly. We headed to an art exhibit where the subject inspiration was animals.

Deceivingly simple black and white charcoal drawings of all different animals that evoked such deep emotion of compassion!

If I understood correctly, the artist was inspired by companion animals and shelter animals.  But there were a few drawings of non-typical "pet" animals, like cows and pigs, too. So I think the artist has a heart for all animals, even the ones that are usually recognized for their "meat" than their lives.
It was kinda sad to see all these images of animals looking so lonely and downtrodden. The artist said she often felt sad when she drew them.

But it's good to be reminded that these animals exist. The exhibit gave a voice to these animals: how they can be overlooked, abandoned or even abused by us humans, but also how we can love and appreciate them, because they often bring something positive to our lives. They are worthy of being cared for.

There was even a short video made from charcoal drawings about the friendship between a boy and his dog. It was really cute and touching! The whole exhibit was pretty unique, and I was happy to see animals be given some love and appreciation through art! Spread the love, spread the joy, spread the peace... Another great day in Korea.