Nau speak: Korea: Spicy jjampong on the way to Ilsan lake park

Oh, jjampong, what a delightful dish!

It's a spicy soup with seafood and crisp vegetables atop springy, chewy noodles. Served with pickled radish and savoury brown sauce here, it was a warming lunch indeed. This restaurant advertises their flare for spice with these cute posters adorning their walls;

I mean, look how satisfied he looks despite the sweats! What spice level would you dare? I tried to order the level 3 but the two people I talked to advised against it, and when the cook himself comes out of the kitchen to try to admonish you about your food choices it's probably time to sit back and listen. In the end my soup was plenty spicy, just enough to make my nose and eyes water without being inedible, so I was able to eat the entire bowl with little problem. I do remember my lips burning for a little while afterwards, but that's a reasonable price to pay for the thrill of the heat. I wonder what a level three would have been like...someday I hope to try it, but until then it was a good meal and I enjoyed myself. It gave me plenty energy for the afternoon hike around Ilsan lake park that was to come, and then the ambitious hike back to Hwajeong after that. If you've never had jjampong, I highly recommend it! You can find it in a lot of Korean restaurants in the US, like Island Style or at the food court of Greenland Market here in Las vegas, along with countless restaurants in most large cities. Tiny restaurants like these are all over the place through any suburban area of Seoul and they're one of my favourite things, so I'm always happy when I find places back home that remind me of that experience. It's a special kind of nostalgia, the kind that leaves your lips tingling and your belly full and satisfied. One of the best things about living in South Korea is how affordable the food is- this big bowl of goodness and all the side dishes were only 6,000₩, or roughly 6$US (give or take, depending on exchange rate) with no need for a tip. It was a fully satiating meal and had lots of fresh colourful vegetables and seafood so I'd consider it reasonably nutritious...I mean, it's a lot of carbs and likely a lot of oils too, but probably not the unhealthiest thing you could eat for that sort of value. Most fast food orders cost more than that, after all, and how many veggies are you getting in that typically that aren't deep fried? Suffice to say, I love and miss meals like this, and try to replicate them when I can. So good!

After lunch I made my way to Ilsan lake park, which was only one or two trainstops away from where I was staying at the time. During my first week living there I'd walked back from there to the apartment where I was staying after my guide had to leave for other matters. We'd ridden to the area in her vehicle, so i'd been able to watch the roadside landmarks as we passed through and was able to use those to guide myself back. It was a long walk, over 10 miles, but it felt good and this trip was taken with the intent to recreate that original trek. This time I had a pedometer and map with wifi so I was better equipped than the first time through...yet in the end I found myself getting rather lost... so it's quite a good thing I fueled up with a hearty bowl of jjampong before striking out on my adventure! Ilsan park is beautiful and I highly recommend giving it a visit at any time of year, as it's charms change and evolve with the seasons. There's even a toilet museum. How can you resist that?!