1. XX www.travelife.biz OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012
I
first traveled to Korea in the winter of 2007, staying all of 39
hours in Seoul just to visit Gyeongbukgong Palace and a temple.
But in that short time, I instantly fell in love with the city’s
youthful vibe and I vowed to come back one day.
PUMPED AND ENERGIZED
I took the night flight from Manila to Incheon International Airport
on Jeju Air, arriving early in the morning in time for a full day of
sightseeing. Immediately, I headed for Insadong, an area well-known
for art galleries, antique shops, and stores selling traditional clothing
(hanbok) and handicrafts. The main street was truly a multisensory
experience, with aromas of grilled squid and octopus, colorful hanbok
and trinkets lining the sidewalks, and the cheery, almost theatrical
voices of the kkultarae vendors filling the air.
Kkultarae is a traditional court cake made of 16,000 strings of honey
and filled with a paste of walnuts, almond, peanuts, pine nuts, black
beans, and black sesame seeds.
PhotosbyCeiaYlagan
FOODTRIPPING IN
KIMCHI LAND
CEIA YLAGAN eats her way through South Korea
Banchan at Si Wha Dam
Radish Kimchi

2. OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012 www.travelife.biz XX
My first Korean lunch was samgyetang, a ginseng chicken soup made
from whole young chicken, cleaned and filled with glutinous rice,
ginseng, dried jujubes, garlic, and ginger. It’s boiled in water until the broth
turns white, and usually served with radish kimchi and salt and pepper.
This is usually eaten during hot summer days—particularly on the four
hottest days of the year—as Koreans believe it energizes the body and
prevents illness. This was the perfect beginning for my hectic trip.
FOODIE PARADISE
Next, I visited Gwangjang Market in the Jongno district, the oldest
market in Seoul. Built in 1904, it’s also one of the biggest markets
in Korea, with an estimated 35,000 visitors daily. Locals come here
to buy ready-made hanbok, fabrics and accessories used on special
occasions, and mother-of-pearl decorations, among others. But its
main attraction is the food market, where locals head for snacks and
meals. Vendors don’t speak much English, but you can always point
your way through a satisfying meal.
Walking through the food alleys is pure joy for a certified foodie. The
smell of fried vegetables covered in crispy batter is enough incentive
to look around, while large pots of noodles topped with bright orange
carrot strips and dark green spinach leaves tease your appetite. Trays
filled with chunks of pig parts and unfamiliar, almost menacing-
looking, thick and dark sausages covered the counters of many stalls.
One of the must-tries in Gwangjang Market is bindaetteok, a fried
pancake made of ground mung beans, pork, bean sprouts, and
vegetables. I loved the golden brown crust on a freshly cooked
bindaetteok dipped in a soy sauce, vinegar, and onion mixture. This
snack is filling and also fascinating to watch in the making. Bindaetteok
vendors make the batter from grinding the mung beans on a turning
stone grinder, mixing it with spring onions and other ingredients, and
simultaneously frying about 12 large bindaetteok at once.
There is also the popular gimbap. Gimbap is similar to sushi—a strip of
dried seaweed is filled with sticky rice seasoned with sesame oil, strips
of pickled radish and carrots. Those looking for a more filling meal
can also order a serving of fish cake broth or a plate of chapchae, stir-
fried glass noodles seasoned with sesame oil, carrots and spinach.
More adventurous eaters should try soondae. This is a steamed pig
intestine stuffed with glass noodles, rice, vegetables, meat and pig’s
blood. It’s similar to blood sausage, but is often served with boiled
pig’s liver and heart. Although made from blood, the flavor isn’t
overwhelming and, in fact, it’s even slightly bland; so it’s best to dip it
in salt seasoned with red chili peppers.
Locals recommend pairing soondae with tteukbokki, which is a rice cake
in a spicy red sauce. Boiled pig’s feet or jokbal are also available with
soondae, served with a dipping sauce of fermented shrimp. I also tried
the jeon, which are fried pancakes made with kimchi, seafood, meat,
green onions, mushrooms, and even whole chili peppers.
It’s best to visit Gwangjang Market on an empty stomach and with a
spirit for adventure, as there are so many delightful dishes to try. Pair
these snacks with a bottle of makgeolli, a milky-white, traditional rice
wine, for a truly local experience.
Dak galbi
Chapchae, tripre and jokbal
Assorted jeon

3. XX www.travelife.biz OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012
ISLAND FARE
The next day I set off for Nami Island, a
half-moon shaped island in the Chuncheon
region, named after General Nami, who
defended King Sejo’s kingdom from rebels in
the 15th century.
Nami Island is popular with local families for
its serene surroundings. Meanwhile, K-pop
fans the world over are very familiar with
this destination because some of the most
famous scenes in the Korean drama, Winter
Sonata, were shot here. The island is lovely
in autumn when the gingko, birch, chestnut,
and maple trees turn a beautiful golden hue.
After exploring the island, I had lunch at
Sumhyanggi, a local restaurant that serves
dak galbi, a special grilled marinated chicken
originally from Chuncheon City. Dak galbi
is traditionally made by stir-frying pieces of
chicken, cabbage, scallions, onions, sweet
potatoes, and rice cake in a red chili paste
called gochujang. It’s a favorite picnic food
of the locals, and the top choice for lunch
among university students low on budget.
However, the version I tasted at Sumhyanggi
was slightly different. The chicken thigh was
instead marinated in gochujang paste, and
then later cooked on a charcoal grill. Like
any Korean meal, this came with a selection
of banchan or side dishes such as cabbage
kimchi, radish kimchi, and bean sprouts.
Dak galbi can be eaten with rice or wrapped
in lettuce leaves or a variety of greens such
as perilla, along with sliced garlic and your
choice of banchan. It’s always dipped in
ssamjang, a red pepper paste with fermented
soybean paste.
DINNER ON A MOUNTAIN
After lunch, I drove to Mt. Seorak, near
the eastern coast of South Korea. It’s the
second largest national park in Korea and a
very popular destination in the fall. A short
cable car ride and a 15-minute trek up to Mt.
Gwongeumseong revealed the full beauty of
this rocky mountain range.
By then, it was growing chillier by the minute
and I was craving for a hearty dinner. It was
the perfect night for a galbi and samgyeopsal
dinner at Sik Gaek at the Seorak Del Pino
Golf & Resort.
Samgyeopsal is a slab of unmarinated pork
that’s grilled on a tabletop charcoal grill.
The pork, when cooked, is cut into bite-size
pieces with scissors then placed on a leafy
green vegetable, along with a slice of garlic
and your choice of banchan—kimchi, bean
sprouts, sautéed spinach, pickled radish.
Then it’s topped off with a dash of ssamjang
and gochujang, rolled up and eaten by hand.
The samgyeopsal is usually served with a slice
of white onion and oyster mushrooms.
An alternative to samgyeopsal is galbi or
marinated pork. This is very similar to dak
galbi, but it uses beef or pork that is typically
marinated in soy sauce, garlic, and sugar and
eaten in the same way as samgyeopsal. Other
variations include sesame oil, rice wine, or
chili peppers.
Samgyeopsal and galbi are best accompanied
mulnaengmyeon, bibimnaengmyeon or soup and
rice. Mulnaengmyeon are buckwheat noodles
in a cold, sour broth while bibimnaengmyeon
are buckwheat noodles in a spicy sauce.
Both are topped with pickled radish and
cucumbers, hard-boiled egg, and meat. The
cold noodles are said to lower one’s body
temperature, so these are perfect for a hot
summer’s day.
Nami Island
Lotus tea
and jelly
from Si
Wha Dam
Samgyeopsal

4. A KING’S FEAST
On my way back to Seoul, I stopped by a restaurant that served hanjeongsik,
a full-course Korean meal traditionally served to royalty and aristocrats.
The variety of side dishes for this Korean version of a degustation meal
depends on what ingredients are in season within the region.
I tasted shredded cabbage salad, creamy pumpkin soup, pickled
vegetables, kimchi, kimchi pancake, noodles, and raw fish salad. Rice
is served last, in a special cooking vessel. The proper way to eat this
it to take all the rice out from the cooking vessel and transfer it to a
bowl. Water is then poured into the now almost empty cooking vessel
with the toasted remnants of rice. Once the meal is finished, the
soaked rice and water are eaten as a soupy dessert.
A hanjeongsik meal is usually expensive because it’s labor-intensive
and it uses premium ingredients. However, the price is worth it as it
best showcases the variety of ingredients and cooking styles in Korea,
as well as the country’s colorful culture and history. The dishes range
from simple to complex textures, colors, and flavors, for an enjoyable
evening and a real multisensory experience.
PLATES OF POETRY
A beautiful contrast to the hanjeongsik meal is the full-course lunch I
had at the Si Wha Dam restaurant in Insadong. Si Wha Dam is a fine
dining restaurant known for serving Korean fusion cuisine—where
art and poetry meet on the plate. The restaurant’s name itself speaks
volumes about their cooking: “Si” means poetry, “Wha” means
painting, and “Dam” means story.
Each dish served was either an artwork, a poem, or a story, with enticing
names like “Korean Lunch Box,” “When Kimchi Meets Pasta,” and
“Bowls of Blowing Wind from Salt Ponds and the Flower of Salt.” They
were carefully put together, using local ingredients and incorporating
traditional cooking styles with modern techniques, to create delicately
flavored food that reflected both tradition and modernity.
Even the dishes used are symbolic of Korean culture. The kimchi
pasta dish, for instance, was as picturesque as it was tasty; it was
placed on a bowl shaped like an inverted Korean farming hat.
EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY
On my last night in Seoul, my hosts took me for an authentic night
out, Seoul style. We had a hearty dinner of andong jjimdak, a chicken
dish that is typically boiled in Korean soy sauce and cooked with
vegetables, resulting in a slightly sweet and spicy dish.
After dinner, we proceeded to Nonhyeon-dong in Gangnam. Glasses
with a shot of soju were filled to the brim with beer, and I watched as our
hosts downed one after another the beer-soju mixture which fizzed and
bubbled excitedly. Our industrial-strength drinks were accompanied by
bar chow including grilled fish, soondae, and Spam and an omelette (go
figure) generously drizzled with catsup and mayonnaise.
INSTANT SURPRISE
But the highlight of the night was the stainless steel lunchbox (dosirak)
filled with rice, fried egg, luncheon meat, and kimchi. My Korean
hosts showed us how to eat this bento box of sorts: you hold the lid
tightly, shake vigorously, and – voila – you instantly have your own
bibimbap. They said it reminded them of their school lunches back in
the day.
I realized that Koreans truly love their cuisine and are extremely
proud of their culinary heritage. Each meal tells the story of their
history; each dish reflects their appreciation and respect for the
bounties of the earth.
On that last cold autumn night in Seoul, drinking soju and beer by the
roadside, my companions and I looked back on our adventures with
full stomachs and just a little bit of a high. n
Special thanks to Jeju Air
and the Korean Tourism Organization
Ceia Ylagan flew Jeju Air to South Korea. Jeju
Air departs daily from Manila’s NAIA Terminal
1 to Incheon International Airport.
www.jejuairph.com.
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012 www.travelife.biz XX

5. OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012 www.travelife.biz XX
NAVIGATE
YOURSELF
Seoul
NEED TO KNOW
Seoul is the capital of South Korea, one of
the most developed countries in the world.
It is the headquarters of some of the world’s
biggest brands, including Samsung, Hyundai,
and LG. In the past few years, Korea’s
entertainment industry has become more
popular around the world with the younger
generation with the spread of the Korean
wave known as “Hallyu.”
TRAVELER’S CHECKLIST
A visa is required for tourists visiting South
Korea. Contact the Embassy of Korea:
122 Upper McKinley Rd., McKinley Town
Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig | Tel. (63)(2)
856-9210 | embassy_philippines.mofat.go.kr
EXCHANGE RATE
1 USD = 1119.50 Won
TIME DIFFERENCE
Seoul is ahead of Manila by one hour.
PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN SEOUL
#5-1 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
www.philembassy-seoul.com
WHEN TO GO
South Korea is beautiful in the autumn –
from late September until November –when
the temperature dips and the leaves turn a
rusty gold. Spring from April to June is also a
lovely time to see the flowers, particularly the
cherry blossoms in bloom.
WHERE TO GO
GYEONGBUKGONG PALACE
The “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven”
stands at the heart of the city and it’s the
largest palace from the Joseon Dynasty. It
was severely damaged during the Japanese
occupation and restoration is still undergoing.
Don’t miss Geunjeongjeon, the main throne
hall, and Gyeonghoeru Pavilion where the
formal banquets were once held.
royalpalace.go.kr
NATIONAL FOLK
MUSEUM OF KOREA
Learn more about Korean traditions
and culture from the prehistoric times
to the present. Don’t miss the “Life
Passages” exhibit which showcases
the Korean life cycle, marking
important events in a lifetime.
www.nfm.go.kr
NAMI ISLAND
Couples looking for romantic
getaway and families seeking a
relaxing holiday should not miss
Nami Island. The half-moon shaped
island boasts of tree-lined pathways that are
beautiful in autumn. Rent a tandem bike
and explore the island’s memorable Winter
Sonata spots, or just ramble through the
island’s many gardens.
www.namisum.com
MT. SEORAK NATIONAL PARK
Take a cable car ride up to Mt.
Gwongeumseong, and then trek for 15
minutes to the peak for a view of the
stunning landscape of the Seorak mountain
range. Nature lovers are encouraged to
explore the valleys and waterfalls within the
park, as there are a number of hiking and
trekking trails. english.knps.or.kr
EVERLAND THEME PARK
The largest theme park in Asia is the perfect
place to take the family. There are five zones
with rides to appeal to every age group.
Adventure seekers will be thrilled with the
T Express, the first wooden roller coaster in
Korea and also the world’s steepest wooden
roller coaster. www.everland.com
LOTTE WORLD
Seoul’s largest recreation complex, Lotte
World is a shopping center, museum,
entertainment hub, and indoor and outdoor
amusement park all in one. K-pop fans will
gravitate towards Star Avenue, an exhibition
area featuring Korea’s hottest actors, singers,
and bands, while shopaholics will be pleased
with the Lotte Duty Free and Lotte Shopping
Center. Experience the thrill of your life
with popular rides such as the Gyro Drop,
Pharaoh’s Fury, and Atlantic Adventure.
www.lotteworld.com
MBC DRAMIA
Fans of Koreanovelas must visit this outdoor
set where popular Korean dramas such as
Jewel in the Palace, Jumong, and Queen Seondok
have been filmed. The compound houses
several period sets including a palace,
a peasant village, a village market, and
battlegrounds—all of which have been
carefully researched and recreated.
withmbc.imbc.com/dramia/main
Lotte World