Seattle: Pike Place Public Market on Fourth of July

July has settled into the Northern hemisphere, with long sunny days baking away any vestigial chill from spring's showers, and lush verdant greenery bursting from any patch of fertile ground it can find. Seattleites have certainly noticed, and when they're not basking in the glorious sunlight and soaking in the vitamin D while indulging on some form of aquatic activity, they're likely thinking about food; as in, what they're going to eat tonight and whereabouts to procure it. Whether you're pining for juice-squirting stone fruits that dribble down your arm and chin with each luxuriant bite, or rich oceanic goodies served over ice, you can find your fix at Pike Place Public Market. And really, what is more American than the unadulterated consumerism and capitalism to be found at the market? You can find eager vendors vying for your pretty pennies, juxtaposing their shops' locales, the colorful arrangements, and witty signs just-so to try and catch the eye of the buyer. Shops live or die trying to manifest their destinies in the crowded aisles, and on this year of 2019's Fourth of July I opted to walk the deeply-packed and often soggy streets that wind their way through Pike Public Market and Post Alley. 

It's cherry season, y'all, and people are losing their god-dang minds up here! I enjoy a cherry as much as the next girl and have admired many a perfectly pink or pristine white cherry blossom while living in Japan, but people in Seattle are on another level when it comes to their obsession with cherries. You can find a wide array of stalls at Pike or any other farmer's market more than glad to sell you a cup of the delicious little stone fruits, packed with juicy tartness and sweet freshness. And oh boy, those little yellow-blush rainier cherries? They are the superstars of the show! Not unlike the curbside shrimp-selling vans of Arizona (any other fans of Small Town Murder here tonight?), you can find little tents propped up selling bags upon bags of cherries from any corner store, gas station, or vacant lot open with a modicum of parking. Pike's place is no exception, with ample opportunities to pick up a handful of the sweet little delights to snack on as you wander.  

Don't forget the chilly, slurpable delights! With temperatures reaching some sweltering (by Washingtonian standards) heights, there are plenty of cider and juice stalls open, taking advantage of Washington state's preternatural overabundance of the tree-growing fruits and access to ice. Pear will often make an appearance, too, as there are some nearby valleys that grow an inconceivably large amount of the juicy, sometimes grainy fruit. If you're lucky, you might catch a particularly animated vendor shouting an exuberant "Yeeeeeessss!" to the cup-grabbing curious hordes. If you find him, call him "boss". I think he likes it. 

No matter what time of year you find yourself exploring the Market, it's going to be an experience. In summer, the overwhelming verdancy of the various blossoms available, paired with the cornucopia of fruits and vegetables coming into the season, may lend it towards being a bit more colorful than in the winter months, but any market is well worth a visit for a glimpse into the communities that surround them. I'm glad I stopped by for the Fourth, as a patriotic (or anarchistic) vibe was rippling through the air. I missed seeing it, but there was someone running from the cops darting between the stalls! And tourists from the whole world over ambling by, whether they spoke in Mandarin or Russian (both of which I heard on this visit). A commingling of consumers over a veritable cornucopia of consumable goodies...again, I ask you; what's more American than that? You can load up on hot dogs, fresh corn on the cobb or any locally grown (or imported) produce you could possibly desire, if you look long enough. There are glistening, rotund fish upon ice, or slurpable stacks of oysters and other shellfish on ice ready to be taken home, or even shipped if you'd rather delay the gratification. 

There is no shortage of photos below! Enjoy!

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. 

Korea: 부대찌개 Budae Jjigae, aka Army Base Stew

With October now firmly upon us (holy crap), it seems especially fitting to bring bubbling hot cauldrons of brightly colored potions to the blog! For any witchy-woman or magical-maiden in training, few things can bring comfort like the percolations of bubbles through your own personal little pot of goodness, stewed to perfection over the long, steamy hours. Korean stone pot dishes, called 돌솥 or dolsot, make this dream a reality, though not everything served in them need be toiled over for hours. The stoneware bowls allow you to cook your food in the same dish you serve it in, so long as you remember to watch your hands (they get hot) when it's time to move things from stovetop to slurping station. If, like me, you're not about to go out and load up on all the ingredients necessary to make budaejjigae, or Army Base Stew, don't worry! Whether you're in South Korea or somewhere Stateside, chances are you'll be able to find a restaurant offering what has become a prodigious comfort food for Koreans, ex-pats or even visitors. It's an odd dish for this when you break down its constituent parts- typically there's some form of spam or processed tubular meat stuff, and along with the familiar (to Korean palates) kimchi there's often the addition of sweet and savory baked beans to liven things up and add an unexpected texture to the medley. Other ingredients, familiar to Koreans but not so much to outsiders, make their appearance too- sweet and spicy chili paste in the form of gochujang often lends the familiar smokey depth and gentle heat, while tofu and hearty vegetables often join the pot for a hint of texture or color. It has a warming, soothing sweet and savory, sometimes fiery (depends on the cook and the variant you're trying) flavor that's both familiar and homey while being uniquely Korean- and there's a very good reason for this! The dish originated out of necessity when the Korean war had slowed and the slaughter began to recoil from the land, but many Koreans were still left in incredible poverty and unfortunately, starvation was not uncommon. A lot of native Koreans did what they had to in order to survive, whether it was black market trading for American food rations from the soldiers or worse... the presence of many American soldiers lingered on after the war, meaning that their food rations often stuck around, too. Hence, we find the introduction of foreign foods (in the form of hot dogs, spam, baked beans and/or slices of processed cheese) into a traditional Korean means of cooking- 찌개, chigae. It's a bit of a kitchen sink food stuff, with ingredients from both Korea and America,  and it's good, guys. 

It's really good!

It was difficult to dine out and not be subjected to news reports on the drama hitting the nation, what with the president being found to have ties to a cult and all. Crazy stuff. But from here out, it's just good old fashioned food porn, guys. Enjoy!

Korea: Ewha university district

 Along with being nearly impossible for me to spell correctly, Ewha university district is an excellent destination for anyone looking to soak up some of Seoul's prodigious youth culture. Ewha Women's University happened to be the private educational institution where my good friend Carmen happened to be teaching English at the time of my stay in Korea, so her apartment was in the area, naturally. We had met up in different neighborhoods throughout my stay, but given her familiarity with the area we decided to explore it together on a chilly early-winter evening. The energy of the area is palpable, though, almost immediately after departing the train or bus station. Rich, densely scented plumes of steam billow from multiple street food vendor's carts, a heady mix of odors perfuming the air and young students and residents bustle buy in their quest for cheap sustenance and a safe, quiet place to study. Luckily, Seoul was pretty safe in my experience of it, but that doesn't mean it's an entirely idyllic location free of troubles...

Once your stomach is sufficiently satiated, you have a plethora of options to choose from when it comes to entertainment. Maybe you feel like dipping into a noraebang for Korean-style karaoke, or maybe you want to drop a few thousand won at the flagship Line Friends store and get your photo with the giant teddybear that resides inside. I mean, I didn't get my photo with the bear, because I'm a cynical bastard., but don't let me stop you from living your best life. There are endless shops throughout the area catering to the needs of all the students (and their professors) living near the campus, whether you need some cheap fresh fruit straight from the farmer or some fast fashion to keep up with the endlessly evolving fashion parading through the streets. One thing South Koreans seem quite good at is staying on top of the trends, as you'll quickly notice a very strong color palette present on most train rides through the city, or simply by walking through the crowded alleys of Hongdae and Ewha, where the color du jour will dominate the scene.  

Whether you're looking for a primo-photo opportunity or want to stock up on the latest skincare and fashion trends, Ewha is worth checking out on any visit to Seoul!

Vegas: Lights and stones

 One thing you may have picked up on while perusing this blog of mine over an extended period of time is that Antho and I are suckers for sparkly pretty things. We'll stop into any shop that has glittering stones and crystals on display if we have the time to, and since we've been on the strip quite a bit these days due to my work we've had more time to explore the variety of stores that proliferate there. Vegas, among many other things it does so well, is certainly a mecca for shopping, where any vast variety of consumer goods and material wants can be found and purchased, for the right price. While there's no shortage of major name brands with international recognition, there's also some smaller local stores fighting to stay afloat among the competition. This particular store focuses on fancy lighting, of a Turkish sort of design, and semi-precious stones...as a bit of a stone-geek, I've had a lot of fun going through and trying to recognize and identify different stones!

Another tidbit of information that may not come as any particular surprise, is the fact that Antho and I absolutely love color... maybe the fact we mention this in our Instagram and Etsy bios illuminates that aspect especially, but it's worth repeating because it's absolutely and unequivocally true: we LOVE color! My favorite color changes from year to year, depending on my overall mood and aesthetic, and has predominantly vacillated between shades of blue, green and purple the last few years, with pinks and yellows showing up as strong competitors, too. My favorite stones, too, changes with much regularity, as the more I learn about different stones and their meanings the more new stones I find to study up on and become fascinated by. I actually dabbled in jewelry making for a minute, adding some stones into our shop but they weren't flying off the shelves so I ended up wearing most of them instead. I've worn an amethyst pendant almost every day for the last two years, in fact, and get compliments on it fairly regularly even now. Righteous. Amethyst seems pretty universally popular, and with Pantone's color of the year being Violet I can see why. Purple has long been one of my top colors, but how about you? What's your favorite?

All photos in this post were taken by Antho Jay~

Vegas: Summer nights and nostalgia part 4

Believe it or not, it's not impossible to maintain some form of zen-like calm while in the city of Sin. I'm not saying that it's easy- this is a city that gladly swallows entire savings accounts and spits the sad, spent losers out onto the streets with hardly a cursory glance (though it's getting better with a newly opened secured 24/7 site open to the homeless population of the city). There's a strong religious presence both on and off the strip, whether it's the guys with megaphones shouting at people to repent on a corner of the Las Vegas Boulevard proper or the multiplicity of religious buildings, temples and centers dotting the city, so if you find your zen in godliness you've got plenty of places to turn to for your gospel. If you're more into stones, and hippie-dippie granola type stuff, there's plenty of that to be found throughout the city too! Whether it's the psychic eye bookstore or any of the countless stone and gem shops, yoga or a vegan lunch you're pretty well covered in the metaphysical shopping department. 

Given that Antho and I were both born and raised here in Las Vegas, we've had little interest in exploring much of the city geared towards tourists... it's just kind of what you do, when you're a local, after all. This adversion towards the most consumption geared center of the city might help in our efforts to stay zen... We tend to spend much of our free time at the Springs Preserve (if you haven't noticed by now, with the prodigious amounts of posts I have about it) or driving out to Valley of Fire or Mount Charleston...  but when we do make it out to the strip, as we have been doing more lately due to my working in the area, there's more of an excuse to explore the area and play tourist. Due to my having to work, I was unable to tag along on most of the adventure so the photos in this post were all provided by Antho... when I was free for the night we were able to catch up and sally forth together, though! 

Korea: Bangsan Wholesale Market

Bangsan market in Seoul is an excellent destination for any food enthusiast or amateur restauranteur! The market is close to Gwangjang/ Kwang Jang market but specializes in food related goods, like specialty pans, cookie cutters, take-out packages, and wholesale goods for a wide variety of culinary purposes and uses. After sampling gyerrangpang for the first time from a street cart food vendor, I was hooked on the moist little cakes with the creamy eggs on top. SO good! Of course, the cute little mini-loafs require specialized pans within which to bake them, otherwise you'd just be making egg muffins... I mean, essentially that is what you're doing, but the oblong shape makes them more like the kind you'd order steaming hot on a cold morning from the cart on the corner. Therefore, relying heavily on the value of nostalgia, I had justified the necessity of purchasing these specialty micro-mini loaf pans for the end goal of bringing them back to America to share the joys of gyerrangpang with Antho and anyone else I could foist them off on. Bangsan market was the place to go.

The narrow streets can get quite densely packed with cars and pedestrians vying for the same precious remainders of space. Be alert and try not to get run over if you decide to visit. This is a functioning wholesale market and many of the restaurants throughout the city and perhaps nearby regions, too, will venture here when they need supplies. This means a lot of harried businessmen trying to get what they need and go, with no need for gawking tourists blocking their path. I was able to survive my trip and after wandering around somewhat lost in the cornucopia of shops and alleyways between the buildings I even found what I was looking for, eventually. The shop owners I interacted with didn't speak a huge amount of English, and I don't blame them. Primarily they're doing business with locals day in and day out, so be polite and patient if you find yourself struggling with a linguistic challenge. 

Interestingly (to me, at least), some of the corridors I found myself turning down where surprisingly empty for the early afternoon of my visit. Perhaps the shops were closed early, or changing out inventory, or owners. Surely someone, somewhere, knows, but I do not. A bit of mystery is good for us, though, isn't it?

Plenty more photos below!