Nau speak: Korea: Noryangjin Old Fish market part two

Noryangjin Fish market, especially the old building, is one of my absolute favourite places in all of Seoul. Being someone who grew up in a desert, my exposure to seafood was limited to the tanks at our local markets and the occasional aquaponics set up. I remember finding a crawdad at Lake Mead once as a kid and being super excited about the "mud bug", much to the amusement of those around me. Suffice to say, exposure to aquatic life was extremely limited growing up... we might have the sporadic surf and turf specials at various local casinos when they were affordable or my dad had gambled enough on their premises to earn a "comped" meal (which is always considerably less money than was lost in the casino, unsurprisingly), or I'd find some shoreside creepy crawly while playing at the beach, but the desert doesn't really afford a lot of beach time without associated travel. My time living in Japan gave me many more opportunities to sample various sea life I might not have otherwise been fortunate enough to find (like shirako and shirasu), and my fascination with all things slippery and seaborn still runs deep like the Mariana Trench. I can't help but be simultaneously fascinated and horrified by the beasts that lurk below, and entranced by the ways people have found delicacies and ways to uncrack and work with the mysteries within.

After all, sea level is going to be the highest elevation at which any of these creatures might possibly live, right? So they're generally going to be living at much lower elevations than our air-borne brothers. If, like me, you share a curiosity about the oceans and things that dwell therein, you too will find Noryangjin market a highly interesting experience. There's no shortage of variety available, with each vendor selling multiple species and sizes of assorted sea-creatures. There are shrimp as big (or bigger) than your hand, crabs that could take your face off, crustaceans in an incredible array of shells, slithering daebul (aka penis fish) who look like uncircumcised members who've liberated themselves from their hosts, whatever your flavour there are massive slabs of fresh glistening fish flesh abounding for you to take your pick from. Of course, if you don't like seafood, this will not be a destination that ranks high on your to-do list... but then, why are you here? Don't be scared, my friend. As scary and alien as some of these strange little things are, most are truly quite tasty when deftly handled by the restaurants nearby. That's right; if you find yourself too intimidated to try to cook up whatever curiosity you find, you can simply take your bagged up merchandise to one of the many restaurants just beyond the market doors. If you need guidance, don't fear. One of the staff members, such as this woman in the vest, will likely guide you to where you need to go. I wouldn't be surprised if there were deals between different vendors and restaurants, but I'm not complaining. I've always had a great meal when dining here! With such fresh seafood available it's really hard to go wrong.