The second of the two blogs with one iPod scheme I have going on here is to talk about one of the main reasons people come to this little patch of the planet: Korean barbecue. This is a tradition here that is definitely not to be missed! Sitting in a big group around a hot plate, you are presented with meat to cut up and grill yourself, alongside an assortment of other Korean delicacy. The idea is to grill the meat and whatever additives you fancy, garlic cloves, sticky rice, bean sprouts, spicy kimchi, and cold noodles, and pile it all into a lettuce leaf which is then wrapped around the contents and eaten in one mouthful. Now this is an age old skill, which I most definitely didn't get the hang of! Half the contents of my lettuce leaf wrap ended ip back on my plate as I failed to fit the entire parcel into my mouth. Note to self, the smaller the wrap, the easier to consume, no matter how hungry you are, and how tempting the food looks!
After this meal, we waddled down the streets of sinchon, trying to work off some of those calories. Sinchon is the student area of Seoul, where we saw two beautiful old universities, reminiscent of Cambridge and Oxford. Castle like and surrounded by beautiful grounds,these seemed oddly out of place in the middle of this vibrant district, surrounded by clubs and restaurants and dance floors. Street performers lined the streets, singers and magicians, artists drawing in chalk on the neon lit pavements, and us, holding our full tummies and walking in awe through our new surroundings.
