I met up with a friend in Gasan, and while we were wondering where to go, this was the only place in the underground shopping arcade that was busy, so we went in.

A place like this

You still need a decent number of people sitting inside to work up the courage to go in. Even at an awkward hour there were quite a few customers.

Bean sprout soup

Basic side dishes

Jokbal (braised pig’s trotters)

There’s a hint of herbal medicine in the aroma, and the tender, slow-simmered jokbal is delicious. I guess the skill is in boiling it so it doesn’t turn dry and tough. That day they were taking a group booking, so we couldn’t order anything other than jokbal, but with this level of skill I imagine the other menu items like makguksu (buckwheat noodles) would be tasty too.

But when I chatted with the owner, he was worried that even a jokbal place of this caliber has been struggling since Chuseok last year. I wonder where the Korean economy is headed…

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