After finishing a long lunch at Pierre Gagnaire, I strolled around Insadong to walk it off. Honestly, after such a satisfying lunch it would have been nicer to linger in the afterglow a bit longer, but my life has rarely been that leisurely..
Insadong street on the weekend
Lots of foreigners and lots of locals too. It seems to have really established itself as a tourist spot..
Nostalgic ppopgi (honeycomb toffee)
I remember eating these now and then outside my school as a kid.. In my memory they tasted a bit more like cheap junk, but the Insadong version somehow has a slightly international feel to it..
A fig stall
No idea why they sell figs in Insadong. Plenty of people can’t eat the beondegi (silkworm pupae) at the back.
Dragon’s beard candy
It seems to be getting popular lately as a travel souvenir.. it’s a candy-like sweet, and I’ve seen it at Incheon Airport too. Well, it’s unusual, so it should make a decent gift.
Showing off the production process in an open kitchen..
Still, it’s because places like this exist, and only as more of them appear, that a tourist area means something. I’m glad tradition and modernity, tourism and art and culture seem to blend together reasonably well here.
A stall selling carvings
It doesn’t seem to have much to do with traditional culture, but a tourist spot needs places like this too. Looks like it would make a great date course..
Ulleungdo pumpkin taffy
When I was little, guys like this used to go around the neighbourhood. I was a good kid who didn’t snack between meals -_- so I just drooled and hardly ever bought any. Maybe because I didn’t eat much of it back then, I’m still not especially drawn to it, but it did bring back childhood memories. Back then I was always short of money because I spent it all on books. Spending money on food, travel and fashion items is something that only started fairly recently.
Shaved ginger taffy
Another nostalgic item.. though not one I have any great memories of.. A bit like having no memories at all of the Sammi Superstars, our local team, back when the whole country was crazy about baseball.
Anyway, I rolled one up to try.
Memories differ from person to person, but I like how coming to a place like this naturally gets you talking about the old days. If I ever have a date, I’ll definitely have to stop by Insadong. Though I wonder how many people would enjoy hearing about the books I’ve read..
Insadong has lots of traditional tea cafes, and I went into one that looked decent.
It’s a place on the 2nd floor called Banjjak Banjjak Binnaneun (“Twinkle Twinkle Shining”),
Any way you look at it, that’s a Japanese-style naming sense.. kira kira hikaru.. Lots of Japanese tourists come here, so let’s call it charming.
The entrance.
Once inside, I saw that quite a lot of Japanese tourists come here. Every seat was taken. Nice to see the local economy doing well, I suppose.. But while a place like this is good for a short break during an Insadong outing, the comfy-looking chairs of an ordinary cafe don’t really suit my personality. I prefer smallish, snug chairs or sofas.. What I like is a cafe with an English garden spread out in front, where on a sunny day you can order an afternoon tea set on the terrace and chat quietly, so if you know of such a place nearby, please let me know..
Quince tea
I drink it often because it smells so nice.
Snacks
A little extra that should go down well with Japanese tourists.
I don’t really remember this one, but I think it was herbal tea..
The cups seem to be handmade by craftsmen too. Both the atmosphere and the taste were really good. It turns over quickly and the inside is small, so it felt a bit cramped, but it’s a place that stays in the memory far more than Starbucks, so I highly recommend it to anyone visiting as a tourist.