The two of us constantly found ourselves in strange situations while in Seoul. We never sought them. Instead, strange events just found us.
First up: Paper Moon Diner.
Our time at our next stop, the Inner Harbor, was cut short.
Everything was going so well. We were ambling around, taking it all in.
Then it hit.
Snow. Lots of it. Accompanied by driving, biting wind.
For two girls completely unprepared for snow, the arrival of a snow storm meant the end of outdoor activities.
We hit the highlight of our trip a bit early due to the snow. But that was fine with us.
Joung Kak is a restaurant here in Baltimore. As soon as you walk in the door, it's hard to remember you're in Maryland instead of South Korea.. The food. The chopsticks. The rice bowls. The grills. Everything was authentic. The only difference? The wait staff actually spoke English well. Not quite all the staff--one woman didn't but more about her in a minute.
There was a smorgasbord of pickled and kimchi'd appetizers along with lettuce, garlic, red sauce and peppers for wrapping around the meat.
And then there was the beef. The glorious beef cooked to perfection right on our table over charcoals.
For a few hours, we were back in Seoul. It was after work and we were rehashing our days at our respective offices over a delicious meal.
The only thing missing? A bottle of soju. But how could we spend $13 on something we spent two months buying for $1? Preposterous. Instead we opted for our second favorite option: an ice cold Coca Cola.
Not very Korean, I know. But as my friend said, some things just go together.
The staff asked us to move after we finished eating. Joung Kak doesn't have very many barbecue tables with the charcoal pit built in and they needed our table.
If your nice to Korean waitstaff, they're incredibly nice to you. As compensation for moving to a regular table, they brought us dumplings and hot tea. The woman who brought the dumplings to us was the only one who didn't speak English as well; she had to ask a co-worker what she should say in English when the dumplings were delivered.
Despite the snow storm, the day was so perfect and just what I needed. Life had seemed to be settling too much into a routine. Time with a friend I hadn't seen since August was just the cure for monotony. Monotony successfully broken, I picked up my camera and restarted Project 365 today.
There's nothing going outside and spending time with friends can't make better.
Tomorrow's the last day in the poll. Did you vote yet?
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