The 7th Window Bakery Collection took place. There were shops I knew and shops I was curious about, so I went along, but unlike before, you needed an admission ticket this time. I was busy and thought I would not manage to get one, but with the help of someone I know I just barely got hold of one and could go. I seem to be blessed with good people around me.
At the entrance
As expected, a lot of people turned up. Good thing I lined up early and got in.
DesserTree
Warm Gangwon-do sweet potato cream soup, lime basil sorbet and a pavé chocolate. A lovely course meal served on a single plate. Very DesserTree. With this one plate alone, my goal for the day was as good as done. On top of that, I am not the kind of person who stands out, but maybe because I had visited recently, the staff recognized me, which made me a bit shy.
Gelateria Bottega
I heard it is a new gelato shop in Gangnam, and the quality was high. Korea has really gained a lot of decent ice cream and gelato shops.
Cookies from Reminis
I am not that fond of ordinary cookies, so..
Gâteau au chocolat
I think it was decent.
Madeleines from Milgato
I was hoping for a tart… but well, it was fine. I will have to visit the main shop someday.
Black tea cake and bread from Bread Lab
Maybe because someone I know was there, this was the booth where I got the warmest welcome. All the bread was delicious. I was also a little hopeful about the croissants from Old Croissant Factory in the booth right next door, but when I got there, there were no samples.
Valrhona chocolate at Piaf
They use good ingredients. It caught my eye, so I took a photo.
Chocolates from Piaf
Hmm.. well.. I feel like they used to be a bit more flamboyant, and I am not quite sure where they are heading.
A joint tasting from rice cake maker Hap and Piaf
Rice cake paired with caramel, and it was an interesting flavor.
At this Window Bakery Collection, just tasting DesserTree alone was worth the price of admission, and there were also giveaways at the entrance, so there was no way to lose by coming. The direction seems to have changed a lot compared to when it was held in a department store, which I suppose means Korea’s window bakery culture is developing just as much. I hope it stays a great event in the years to come.
—
This has little to do with the Window Bakery event itself, but there was a bit of a problem with how the entry line was organized before opening. The lines differed depending on how you were entering, and after the line had already grown long, they had people line up all over again. Being told suddenly that we had to switch lines caused some confusion right before opening. It returned to normal soon enough, but it was a slight letdown.
About two weeks before the Window Bakery event I went out to Hongdae, and the street got blocked by a street performance that suddenly started up. The road was blocked and cars could not move on the narrow street, but nobody was there to manage it. With the crowds pouring in, the cars that could not get through kept honking, so even people like me who were just walking nearby suffered for it.
And a week earlier there was the Pangyo accident.
Things like this are everyday occurrences in Korea, and you can see them anytime, anywhere. People who talk about their own society as if it were someone else’s business say it would all be solved if everyone had civic awareness and gave way a little, but that is nonsense. Educating uninformed citizens so that they respond the right way even in disorderly situations takes far more time and money than posting security staff so that a disorderly situation never arises in the first place. Naturally, dealing with each event individually is cheaper than educating every member of society. And posting security staff is just one part of that kind of education anyway.
It would be nice if we could invest the money, fix the systems and solve these frown-inducing problems, but Korean society is still reluctant to spend money that way, so these problems will keep happening. If you want to stay out of messy situations, the best thing is probably to avoid places where large crowds gather. For someone like me, who has always had a strong hikikomori streak, that is not hard at all, so I suppose that is a blessing of sorts.
Join the Discussion