Seattle: Capitol Hill broadway Farmer's Market on a rainy day

Washington's license plates proudly proclaim the state as the "Evergreen State", which isn't just a bit of bravado in this case, at least as far as I've seen in Seattle and Western Washington. It's not to downplay the fact that wildfires are a very real issue here, as in many areas along the west coast, but there's generally a lot of humidity in the Seattle area much of the year between the abundance of lakes and small bodies of water along with the Puget Sound carving up the land. This bounty of hydration, however, leads to the lands being fairly fertile, and once you escape the sprawling suburban tendrils of Seattle you'll quickly find yourself among farmlands and progressively smaller, more rural towns. In about an hour's drive you can stand among vibrantly blooming fields of meticulously manicured daffodils dancing in the early spring breeze, or drop in for corn mazes and apple picking- there are an array of different farms and florists who welcome visitors from the Seattle area with open arms. For those not wanting to leave the city, never fear- there are regional farmers markets dotting the city, though not all of them are year-round like the Broadway Farmer's market in Capitol Hill. I've mentioned before that I tend to spend a fair bit of time in Capitol Hill, and the farmer's market is predictably timed for every Sunday at 11am to 3pm, which times out with my lunch break from work rather nicely. I've absolutely stopped to pick up a bouquet of flowers before darting off to another destination across town for a few hours, before properly getting them home and into a vase. Thankfully, it was still relatively cool out the last time I did such a thing, and the vendor was clever and kind enough to have a small bag filled with water rubber-banded to the bottom, keeping the flowers hydrated during their long commute to the safety of home. 

Having spent most of my life living in a desert city, I only got small glimpses at the seasonal beauty of nature through a communal school garden in elementary, sporadic peaks at my grandma's tomato garden during visits back to her home in Ohio or the brambling bushes of wild blackberries growing at the farm, as big as my grandpa's thumb, which seemed inconceivably massive to my childhood brain. These snippets of nature's wonder piqued my curiosity, and farmer's markets provide an accessible, colorful way to take in the seasonal shifts and gawk at some of the varietals of otherwise familiar vegetables you might not have encountered before. If you're looking for groceries, it's even better to purchase them from your local farmer's market, as the food will generally be much fresher for having traveled far less of a distance to reach you, and will usually retain more nutrients. Flash freezing can do wonders for mineral retention, but few things beat the juiciness of a farm fresh tomato or the crispy crust on a boule of freshly baked sourdough. Plus, when it comes to accountability and food safety, it's hard to beat having the farmer standing right there to answer any question you may have. There's a pretty good variety to be found here, too, so don't let the larger Pike's Place draw you away from giving this market a fair shot. You can warm up with a delicious bowl of freshly made chowder, followed by a massive chocolate muffin so decadent you'll wonder if you might have died and gone to a better plane, not to mention the rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables beckoning to go home with you and do delicious, savory and/or sweet things in your mouth. (that's what she said) There's mead for taking back to the hotel room or home, too, made by some very kind-hearted people. 

Don't forget to say hi to Jimi while you're there!

Seattle: Capitol Hill: Dino's Tomato Pie

Hello again, my dear blog and any readers who may have found their way here! I know, it's been an age and a half since I'd last written, and for that, I'm truly very sorry. It's been a wild ride here at 710 Headquarters, AKA my life, and I've been dashing all around with hardly any time left to plop my butt down and get to writing. On the upside, I certainly have ample new material to share with everyone! All this roaming in Seattle (and various areas nearby) has afforded me a rapid familiarity with the area, and some incredible sights along the way. Did you know there's a park here with a giant pair of cowboy boots? Apparently! It's especially surprising to spot from your peripheral as you wind your way through unfamiliar streets for the first time. This post, however, is about another location, one in Capitol Hill that we found ourselves standing in front of on a cold, hungry night. It's a little grungy, a little divey, with brilliant buzzing fluorescent red lights beaming through the night, guiding you like a moth to the warmth. 

I tend to spend a fair amount of time in and around Capitol Hill, whether I'm taking in the farmer's market on Broadway, drooling over the restaurants (and often bookmarking ones like Top Pot Doughnuts, Momiji, The Wandering Goose, Dao Tai House, or Bakery Nouveau), there's generally a buzz of activity and lots to see and do. Naturally, parking can be a bit difficult, which is why we tend to favor finding a spot we can leave our vehicle and go about our adventures walking, biking, or using ride-share. On this particular outing, we'd gone all the way down to MoPOP to take in their limited run Marvel exhibition while it was still going on, and then walked our way back up and then along much of Denny Hill. It was during this uphill slog that we happened upon Dino's Tomato Pie, a dimly lit bar and restaurant slinging up round or square pies in a variety of different topping arrangements. Our tummies grumbling in hunger, and our glutes barking, we opted to take a brief load off and refuel. Our timing was fortuitous, as it was happy hour and we were able to grab a couple of cold brews and some garlic knots along with our slices at a reasonable price. Costs in Capitol Hill haven't exactly remained low over the years, so it's always nice to know there's a place to grab a good meal without breaking the bank. If you want to hop in a time machine, I highly recommend checking out their website, which is a shrine to a bygone era in internet aesthetics. So many blinking items and all the scrolling text! The gifs! It's a site to behold, friends. 

You'll have to go up to the bar and flag the attention of one of the employees to place your order, but there's a handy sign to guide you in the darkness. The food was delicious, and we totally enjoyed the dive bar vibe. The crew seemed to have a good banter going, and their menu was pretty extensive, with a lot of different choices for everyone. We kept it simple with our happy hour brewskies, but they had a pretty impressive cocktail menu with some creative offerings if that's more your thing. 

Las Vegas: Taco Y Taco

Las Vegas, Nevada, is a great city to find something delicious to eat, especially if your pockets run real deep. If you're willing to shell out top dollar, you can find some of the most luxurious meals served in some of the culinary celebrity worlds biggest names' own restaurants, from opulent sushi spreads to the latest in creative, avant-garden cuisine. Personally, I prefer to veer off The Strip (aka Las Vegas Boulevard and all those glitzy casinos) to find my meals, and Taco Y Taco is one of my favorite neighborhood spots for a satisfying, affordable, and consistently fantastic meal. There are other, more famous, restaurants that you could grab some tacos at, and some of those even have locations dotting that main-drag, but during my brief visit to my old stomping ground I made sure to pop in and get my fill on all the delicious offerings I could stuff into my face. CeeDro joined me on this venture, and we both got down on some taco goodness before parting ways for the evening. It was great to catch up with him over the evening, and who would complain about tacos?  

Taco Y Taco has a self-service salsa bar with an almost overwhelming array of options to choose from. I recommend the grilled jalapenos, who add a fresh pop of flavor with a smokey sweetness to contrast their shop bite. The ordering system can be a little confusing, especially if it's your first time, but the staff are used to it and are generally friendly and happy to steer you in the right direction should you get lost. All the meats are good, but they do offer vegetarian options (and maybe even vegan ones) for those who'd prefer that so you can bring everyone along! I ordered a ridiculous amount of food for just myself, but managed to devour all of it with gusto. I waddled my way out of the restaurant a very happy, very satisfied lass. Should you choose to visit Taco Y Taco, you too should feel that stuffed-to-satisfaction glee. 

So good.

Seattle: Pike's Place Public Market

On the list of places that almost no tourist can leave Seattle without visiting, you'll often find Pike's Place Market ranking pretty high. While this status as a must-visit destination bodes well for the old market's reputation, it also means that you'll likely be confronted with some serious crowds vying to jostle their way through for their own photos, merchandise, or purposes. It's the nature of these sorts of things, I suppose. With popularity comes foot-traffic, and with increased visitors and crowds come wallets stuffed with currency eager to buy up a unique souvenir to surprise someone back home with. Hell, sometimes you'll even catch locals wandering the halls, though they may be loathed to admit it when out-of-town visitors aren't around to justify it. I'd dipped a toe in the market once or twice, back in yonder years, but was excited to explore it with Antho! We were immediately taken by this statuesque beauty, the uncannily lifelike likeness giving pause and causing some to squeal out in surprise when she blinks, or lifts her arm to delicately wave hello to the curious onlookers.

We left her a tip and she allowed us some photos, which we appreciated. It's not easy to put together an ensemble like this, so I hope y'all can appreciate and respect when you encounter a character such as this. She made us smile, so we felt a tip was fair trade. I can't imagine how long it takes to wash all that paint off her face at the end of the night...labor of love, right there. 

Of course, the main focus of Pike's Place is in it's name: the Market. There are so many different vendors throughout the winding corridors of the buildings, with both the old and new markets standing near each other. We stuck with the old market for this trip, and due to the crowds we didn't linger for as long as we might have, had it not been shoulder-to-shoulder in so many places. We'll definitely be making another trek out at some point, but we may plan it for a weekday instead of going on the weekend. Antho's gone on his own volition, and those photos will be upcoming in a future post, but this was the only time we visited together. 

It's such a colorful, iconic place. There's really truly something for everyone, whether you're into anime figurines, rare instruments, fashion, fresh produce, jewelry or flowers. I get why it's so crowded, and why it ranks so highly on so many lists for things to do in Seattle. With the plans to expand the waterfront over the upcoming years following the demolition of the Viaduct, I'm curious to see how Pike's Place evolves alongside. 

Seattle: Dog in the park

Dog in the park is a small, unpretentious food stall nestled in to a corner of a park just around the corner from Pike's Place Market. That means it's in a primo location, surrounded by luxury names and high-end products, endless swarms of milling, often quite hungry, tourists. Like I said, it's a pretty primo spot for a place that sells food, especially at such reasonable prices (considering it's in such a high-traffic, high-end area). The food is not going to be overwhelmingly fancy; there's no foie gras to be found, no flourishing of the plate, nay, there aren't even plates. Your food is wrapped in paper and meant to be eaten, now, before it gets cold. The premise, like most street food stalls, is pretty simple: after examining the menu and deciding what you want, you tell the friendly fellow manning the grill and he'll heat it up for you, fresh, so your food is steaming hot when handed to you. A novel touch, for us, was that he sliced the weiners in half, but this is genius in that it gives you even more of those delicious crispy seared edges of sausage. Yum. I opted for the Seattle dog, because it seemed appropriate and I like cream cheese, so it was an easy choice. I don't recall what style Antho ordered, but he prefers to keep his dogs clean and simple, so it was something classic without too many additions or toppings. We were both quite happy with our choices and devoured our hot dogs in glee, hardly wasting any time on photos or erroneous conversation. You know the food is good when it gets notorious chatterbugs to quiet down and focus.    

If I remember correctly, we ended up paying about $12 for our two hotdogs. Yeah, that's a lot when you consider the hot dogs at Costco that retail for only $1.50, but tourist tax is a real thing, and this is definitely one of the more affordable options in that particular corner. When you're hungry and need something quick, hot, and delicious, this isn't the worst sausage you could find going into your mouth on a street corner... 

 

Was that too much? I know, sometimes I just can't help myself. Anyway, it was a gorgeous, albeit slightly chilly, day when we were visiting the stand. It had a pretty regular turn over in our short time of waiting and then eating, and most people seemed to get their food in short order. I imagine that at peek tourist traffic times of year there may be something of a line to wade through to get your fix, especially if they've garnered any awards recently. 

 

Washington: Ikea trip!

Ikea is one of those highly envied and much imitated monolithic institutions that have managed to secure one of the rarest and highly desired consumer commodities: trust, familiarity, and a feeling of comfort felt almost unilaterally throughout their diverse consumer base. Is it that unpronounceable word Hygge manifest that makes their stores so deeply loved and universally appealing, or an ingenious marketing schema tailored to the minute details of the consumer cultures each of their stores adopt to? There's a similarity throughout Ikeas worldwide that makes them a comforting, familiar sort of place, whether you're shopping outside of Tokyo, South of Seattle, in Vegas or China... but, naturally, the store does adapt some of its design aesthetics to suit the needs of the particular location's culture and needs. That's just smart marketing and business, right? You probably won't find many Japanese homes with extensive, open design kitchens so there will be little tweaks to their displays to make their designs work in the space given your typical consumer. Even with these little details taken into consideration, there's that ever present familiarity of wandering in a perpetual state of nearly-lost through the winding labyrinth and neon-glow of your local Ikea. Surely the same technology used for the Doctor's TARDIS can account for the immensity of the spaces once you're inside because they never seem quite so big enough to account for it all on the outside.   

Not only are there countless tasteful, or trend-conscious, or outright outlandish, furniture and decoration choices to be found in your local Ikea, but their food counter is legit, too! And, naturally, most of the food available for consumption in their cafeteria is also available to take home to enjoy from their small grocery corner, which, after building up an appetite winding your way through countless displays and mock bedrooms, may end up being all the more appealing. We were hungry upon our arrival, so we opted to grab some food before shopping, which was a good idea, I think. We ended up ordering a lot of stuff, and between the food coma slipping over Antho and my guts deciding to revolt against life, the universe, and everything, it was a shopping trip made more interesting due to digestion. Good stuff. In the end, I did manage to find a desk and a new desk chair, after retiring my much beloved and long-suffering desk and chair from Vegas, which has followed me through multiple residences and been stuffed into multiple vehicles. When it came time to move our lives, and all of our collective STUFF, up to Washington, I was happy to let my old desk and chair go, for free, to a new owner. While we'd been putting a lot of our stuff out on the curb to awake and find it gone, during our last day or two of clearing out we met one of the neighbors who'd gathered most of it and simply gave the rest to him to do with what he pleased. We had old bicycles that needed a little repair to be usable, furniture we wouldn't be taking, all sorts of stuff. Worked out well for us, and for our friendly neighbor! 💗 

As far as our visit to Ikea on this particular day, I managed to find a computer desk that works well for me. While, originally, I'd had my eye on a particular model with an attached shelf, I'm happy with the options I ended up selecting. It was a lot more affordable, thanks to Christina explaining more of the Ikea hacks to me, like selecting your table top and then buying legs of your own choosing. Naturally, I ended up picking out legs that didn't really work with the holes pre-drilled into the desktop I chose, but Antho managed to make it work. A true #Ikeahack! Might make it a little more iffy when we have to move the desk at a later point in time, but, uh, let's save that obstacle for the future for now. As of this moment in time, I have a wonderful desk that serves its purpose with ample space for me to obsessively work at my planner, my morning pages project, our Etsy, my blog, and all the photo-editing and video-editing to come. It's a real workhorse, my desk. 

Korea: 설렁탕 Seolleongtang, again, because it's delicious AF

South Korea is something of a wonderland when it comes to delicious food, regardless of your preferences! Are you a total carbohydrate fiend who can't get enough of the starchy stuff? You'll be pleased to learn that there's not only the spicy noodles you've probably heard about or seen on places like Youtube (or even here on my own little blog *blush*), delicious things like steamy jjampong loaded with seafood and vegetables in a warming red broth or chilled mixed noodles like bibimguksu, but there's plenty of non-spicy options to get your fill, too! One of my favorite hot noodle dishes combines a rich and milky beef broth with ultra-tender pieces of beef, chunks of aromatic vegetables and silky mushrooms with thin wheat noodles to slurp it all up with. This delicious, warming, soothing cauldron of goodness is known as 설렁탕 Seolleongtang, which can be found throughout much of Seoul as well as in any community stateside with a large enough Korean population. If you're out somewhere where you're unable to find this delight served in a restaurant, you can always opt to make it yourself! It's a labor of love more than anything else, as the ingredients used aren't especially scarce or rare for the most part, they just require a long cooking time to extract all their goodness into that unctuous, ridiculously-good broth. A point of note is that in many recipes for seolleongtang salt is added at the very end, as in by you at the table, so don't be surprised if you eagerly dip your spoon in and ladle up a big unseasoned slurp of soup! It's okay, my dears, don't fear. Happens to the best of us sometimes when we get over-eager about our tasty treats, right? Once you regain your composure and whereabouts, you should find a small bowl with a salt and pepper mixture to add seasoning to your preference. This is pretty ingenious, really, as it prevents the dish from being overly salty when reduced further and allows salt sensitive patrons to limit their sodium intake, or for those without any sensitivity what-so-ever there's the freedom to go as hog-wild with your salt as your heart desires. You do you, booboo. 

Korea: Samgyeupsal dinner with egg river!

One of the greatest joys in travel is discovering new foods and exploring the different cuisines of the various cultures of the world, and Korea is an exceptionally excellent location for any food-obsessed fellow. Each culture, each region, dramatically influences how the food culture develops and what ingredients will be most abundant throughout the area. South Korea is lucky in that it not only has ample access to the sea and all the wonderful fresh (and sometimes frightening) foods that can be dredged from its depths, but they also have a robust agricultural community and system throughout the country and a good growing season during the spring through fall, though the harsh winters influenced the development of pickled and fermented goodies like kimchi to preserve and extend the harvest. This also means quite a wide array of delicious regional goodies to choose from, whether it's apples from Andong, dakgalbi from Chuncheon, or grabbing some sizzling hot samgyeupsal in the Jogno-3 area. On this particular outing, I didn't venture all the way into the city for my porcine fix, but instead popped into a small restaurant (part of a larger chain throughout the country) that was just across the street from my residence. A lot of the restaurants in my smaller suburb catered solely to larger parties, turning me away at the door for being a solo diner, adding insult to any potential shame one might feel at having attempted to feast alone. I guess that's just not how food culture in Korea operates, though- while in Japan it's not at all unusual to go to a restaurant and pull up a stool at a counter to grab a quick bite, dining out in Korea seems to be generally more of a social endeavor. This restaurant, however, had no qualms with allowing me to get my pork belly barbeque on in solitary fashion! Not only that, but they provided a river of egg along with the delicious grilled meat, a first-time encounter for me. It was delicious, and an all around filling and robust meal that is perfect for celebrating any occasion, whether it's with a large group of friends or you just so happen to go solo. Be forewarned that it's not always easy to find restaurants in South Korea that will accommodate single diners, though, so you may need a smidgeon of patience in your pursuit of deliciousness. 

Korea: Roasted bird and fire's goods

There are few things that harken back to our primordial days as proto-hominids quite like fire-grilled foods, whether it be slow-roasted rotisserie style duck (like above) or crispy crackly fish on sticks broiled over charcoal, charred and oh-so-creamy eggplant grilled whole, sweet and softened onions in kebabs next to blistered tart and juicy cherry tomatoes and hearty chunks of flavorful meat, or full-on-whole-hog slow-cooked to crispy, succulent perfection. All humans hark from a time where the invention of fire served as the literal spark for that catalytic change from beast to a beast with a torch and toasted foods. With fire, we were able to spread from the milder climates of the fertile valley or whichever particular garden our species sprung up in and spread out into colder reaches. With fire, we were able to cook our food, as my quixotic rant above demonstrates, but this also meant making some foods accessible that previously hadn't been, along with improving the overall quality and safety of the food. Cooking makes a lot of foods more easily digested, after all, freeing up more of our energy towards things like growing our brains to adapt to our evolving lifestyles, or experimenting with tool-making.  Fire provides light, and warmth, and all those cozy things that make surviving a harsh, cold winter more bearable, too. 

Is it getting cold where you are, yet? Winter was beginning to sink her claws deep into Korea by this point, though snow hadn't fallen enough to stick just yet. A flurry here or there, though, definitely added a romantic touch to the days, especially when I worked at the Ssamji location, though the outdoor nature of that location meant we had to take proactive measures to keep from freezing our hands to inoperability.  Even with our blankets and scarves and portable space-heaters, the cool seeped into your bones over time, making warming foods all the more necessary to get through. And what more warming or soothing foods than those roasted over a fire or in an oven? Roast bird and breads are a popular pairing the world round, even in a country that came upon bread later in the society's culinary evolution such as South Korea. These little loaves of bread had sweet beans and nuts, a lovely treat to round out a cold evening!

Vegas: Dining at Ichiza restaurant

In the city of Las Vegas, the only predictable constant seems to be perpetual change itself. Celebrity chefs rise to the pinnacle of their careers and open their namesake restaurants along the glistening Las Vegas Strip, where they either rise to become a towering success or crumble into mediocrity. While there may not be as much drama surrounding the restaurant reviews, openings, and closings, as in say, New York City, there's still plenty of drama to take in. Take, for example, the recently opened Hell's Kitchen restaurant, which rumor claims was booked up to capacity within moments of opening for business, not to mention the show's own egregiously theatrical turns on the television. You can find everyone from Guy Fieri to Nobu, Bobby Flay to Wolfgang Puck... a veritable who's who of famous cheffing, and even Anthony Bourdain stopped to sip the brewskies at the Huntridge Tavern on his own show. The Strip itself, the hub of Las Vegas's goings-on, is in a perpetual state of flux, as namesake casinos are imploded and replaced, new structures seek to dominate the skyline and old try to cling to relevancy with new thrill rides and attractions. This endless churning  of change makes it all the more satisfying and surprising when a small restaurant, without any big names attached, manages to hold on for a long haul. Ichiza is one of these small joints, an unassuming little restaurant tucked into the second story of a Chinatown shopping center, that has been a staple of my restaurant outings for the better part of the last decade. I don't know when they opened, nor do I consider it especially relevant... The important thing here is that Ichiza is good, and their longevity is a testament to this fact. 

While it is entirely possible to spend a couple Benjamins at dinner here, it's not really a high-end restaurant. If you're looking more for luxury, try Raku on the opposite side of the road. Both restaurants share a similar approach; delicious small plates of Japanese food, high in quality and small in portion. Raku, however, is where you go if you want your salt to be laced with meticulously sourced and extracted green tea leaves and the same approach is applied to each individual ingredient and its preparation, whereas Ichiza is the place to go for a pitcher of Sapporo and some reliably good grub from yakitori skewers to ramen. It's a build your own adventure in meal form, whether you stick to the small paper menus they provide or wander the restaurant to select from the additional "secret" menu that winds through the entire space. Don't miss their daily specials, where some of the best dishes reside! The grilled salmon belly or collar is always a hit, but they can sell out fast. We managed to secure the last grilled salmon collar on this outing, a cut that's basically the bacon of the fish it's succulent flesh so studded with layers of unctuous fat and juice you almost wouldn't believe it's a fish. Our neighbors at the bar tried to order it as well, prior to our's being served and were disappointed then audibly jealous and annoyed when it arrived. Sorry fellas, them's the breaks.  

Whatever you decide to order, know that it's going to be delicious. We were celebrating my birthday with this meal, and between the two of us our bill ran about $100, which isn't terrible, all things considered. I'm always happy when I eat here, whether it's the authentic izakaya vibe bringing on the nostalgia from my time living in Japan or the delicious food filling my belly, I love Ichiza!

Korea: Midnight snackies & Korean convenience food love

While big sexy dishes like their fabulous fried chicken and grilled meats tend to steal the show when talking about Korean food, there's a lot of other areas in which the South Korean food scene excel. One especially under-respected arena in both Japan and South Korea are their highly innovative approach to baking and bakeries, where uptight beliefs about traditional techniques can be tossed aside and unusual (at least compared to those who view French baking as the standard) combinations proliferate. Red beans and cream cheese? Sure! Handheld pizza with corn kernels and spinach? Why not! For a savory food lover like myself, who will generally reach for something salty or cheesy long before eating sweets, this seemingly endless variety of handheld baked savory goodies is a blessing. Any grocery store, whether it was the smaller farmer's market near the train station I loved to frequent, or the larger supermart buried underground down another corridor inside the train station itself, there was a bakery doling out goods. Heck, if I walked outside of the building I lived in with Yonie, there was a small standalone bakery just across the street churning out wholesome loaves baked in-house to fancy fruit-decorated cakes for special celebrations. Some of the best, though, were the ones you grabbed while hauling through the train station during the morning commute, heated to steamy eggy goodness as you mow through it waiting for the train to arrive... 

Speaking of which, coincidentally, brings me to another arena in which South Korean ingenuity avails: Convenience foods. Not only is there a convenience store nearly a stone's throw away from you at any point in the city of Seoul, but they are replete with an incredible array of ready-to-consume or can-be-consumed-after-minimal-effort-exertion foods, from hot and cheesy pizza buns to questionably made tubes of meat-like substance ready to squeeze into your face hole as your drunk ass stumbles home. There's also plenty of desserts, too, like this tasty little Cookie and cream parfait I devoured one chilly evening on my little sofa-bed in Hwajeong. Not the most glamorous thing, but tasty enough and undeniably convenient! Plus, it was marked down because with the cold weather rolling in ice cream sales had tanked. Is it weird that I like to eat ice cream when it's cold out? Maybe it's because I'm from a place where the summer temps are routinely over 110 degrees, so ice cream on a hot summer day doesn't stand much of a chance...

So, while it's maybe not the kind of thing you're used to finding at your local bakery or convenience store, don't be afraid to try new things when traveling! You could miss out on some real hidden gems!

Korea: Ssamji snacks

One thing you really have to applaud South Koreans for is their ingenuity. The country was absolutely decimated, economically, politically and socially by the Korean war. Their people were starving and made do with (what may have been questionably obtained) rations from American soldiers who stayed after the slaughter, and what foods they could grow or have stashed away, often fermented goods like kimchi, other pickles, and seasoning pastes. It was important to ensure their foods could hold out through the long, brutal winter. From these humble beginnings, though, the country was able to rebound and build themselves up into one of the most dynamic and energetic societies on our planet with a booming economy in both imports and export goods. This does not happen without serious work and dedicated effort, and young Koreans can quite literally thank their grandparents and great-grandparents, recent ancestors who legitimately built up the culture and society they're able to enjoy now. 

If you didn't know the history, you might not guess by looking at the city of Seoul. Young people happily wandering around, seemingly carefree as they nibble on street food snacks or shop for the latest trends. The frenetic pop culture industry churns out hit after hit, manufacturing new bands at a pace that seems surreal. It's only when you know about the past, and learn to look for signs of its presence, that you'll find traces lingering. Perhaps its the shockingly stunted stature of an elderly lady as she creeps her slow, bent-back and aching way through the train station, or maybe its the bullet holes in a tree along Seoul city wall, traced back to the war. Part of the rebounding period, however, was the need to fuel the workers in an affordable and easy way- this leads to a proliferation of processed foods and snacks that you'll find throughout both Seoul and Japan, both countries that had an extremely difficult rebound from warfare. These processed snacks provided a means of preserving meats and offering protein that wouldn't rot in the heat and humidity waiting for you to get to it as you went about your day. Fish cakes, like the big guy above and his fancy shrimp hat, provide a robust and surprisingly varied approach to a snack. Now a days, you can also find these bread pockets, stuffed with japchae or buldak (fire chicken) and griddle-fried to crispy greasy goodness. Not the kind of thing you should eat on a day to day basis, but for a treat it definitely worked!