The Amber Road

My family comes from Latvia, a beautiful Baltic country made up of various trees, rivers and lakes, and a very wide range of biodiversity. While Latvia is well known for its amazing architecture and extensive liquor making, Latvia is also often sought after its beautiful and very resourceful Amber coast.

Since I was a child, special beads, bracelets, necklaces, and other ornaments made of Amber have been passed around in and outside of the family. My elders and even young cousins still tend to ooh-and-ah over all of the various colors, shapes, sizes, textures, and even insect surprises they find in their amber pieces. Needless to say, it has always been an honor in our small Latvian-American culture to receive a new piece of Amber.

Amber essentially is translucent, fossilized tree resin which varies in color from orange, yellow, cherry, green, and in rare cases, blue. Although over 90% of amber is found in north-eastern Europe on the Baltic Coast, there is a surprising amount found in the Caribbean and Dominican Republic. In the Dominican Republic, blue and florescent amber is dwelled out from big tunnels and shipped around the world for profit. Amber can be sold in its rawest, most natural form, or it can be modified, reconstructed, and even bonded.

What makes Amber so special? Perhaps it is the way it is made. Perhaps it is the prehistoric and legendary history. For my family, it has always been the heart-warming feeling when holding onto something from ‘home’. For Latvians, Amber generates a lot of trade and tourism for the country. For others, the amber may be considered special because of its natural beauty as it is often used as jewelry, in glass blown smoking pipes, as folk medicine, and even in perfumes.

Amber is often referred to as “The Gold of the North”, as it has been used as a trading resource since before the Stone Age. Even more interesting, there are pieces of amber which contain flies and mosquitoes which date back 40-60 million years ago.  Amber has also  been found in the ancient tombs and temples of popular ancient rulers throughout Egypt, Syria, and surrounding the North Sea. This is includes ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen and even Apollo of Delphi. The best way to trade and ship amber in the past and today was by use of the Amber Road. The Amber Road makes up multiple routes throughout the Baltic States, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, France, and other parts of Central Europe. The Amber Road continues to bring trade and tourism to the continent, especially in the Baltic States.

Culturally, amber is the result from an Amber Palace bursting at sea in The Legend of the Sea Queen, as told by many Lithuanians. In the Baltic legend, Queen of the Sea, Jurate, lives in an Amber Palace. When her father finds that she in love with a fellow named Kastytis, he jealously destroys her palace leaving the sea and shore with pieces of her beautiful-resin made estate.

The real Amber Palace perhaps is the Palanga Amber Museum found in Lithuiana. This beautiful museum houses all forms and sorts of amber from all over the world. My family and I cannot wait to go and visit.

6 Things to do in Macau

My friend and I went abroad to finally see what the Macau hype was all about. It’s actually more fun than I had imagined. However, our low budget restricted us to a few brief but exciting outings. Casinos lined up against each other, great food, and beautiful women (some were working women) are just some of the sights you take in as soon as you set foot on the island. Even if your pockets aren't that deep, there are still many things to do.  We stayed there for about three to four days, and here are the things you must do while you’re in Macau.

1. Macau Tower
   
   The Macau stands 338 meters tall and is located right at the foot of the bridge that connects the northern and southern part of Macau (Macau is divided into two main islands). The view from the observation deck is breathtaking, although fog hazed our vision throughout our time there. Parts of the deck are made with glass so you can peer straight down to the ground floor (which is quite disturbing for people like me who are afraid of heights). From the observation deck, you can take the elevator up to the upper observation deck, where the roof is semi-open. The entire experience up there freaked me out because of the high altitude, but I soldiered on, taking pictures as quickly as possible.
   
   There are two extreme attractions at the Macau Tower: the Sky Jump and the Sky Walk.
   As you can probably guess, the Sky Jump means bungee jumping from the tower. The Sky Walk is walking outside on the ledges of the main tower. Oh don’t worry, you can’t fall off and plummet to your death because you’re roped to the tower. I saw the promotion videos for the attractions and it seemed fun, but everything is ten, nay, hundred times scarier when you don’t have the safety of the ground beneath your feet.


2. Poker
   Though there are a lot of casinos in Macau, gambling is quite expensive unless you’re willing to bet 500 Hong Kong Dollars (roughly 70 USD) per hand. Thus, I stuck to Texas Hold’em at the Live! Poker Room in the City of Dreams. The minimum buy-in was 2000 HKD for the 25-50 game. Poker isn’t too popular in Macau because it doesn't generate as much revenue as the Baccarat tables. However, because the poker games are cash games, you can just have fun playing against other players, and you can even participate in the tournament game (2000 HKD buy-in). Like I said before, if you have the money, go nuts on the other casino games, but if you’re not really looking to gamble a lot but want to get in on some casino action, poker is your safest bet. Oh, did I mention you don’t have to tip the dealer?


3. The Venetian
   
   The Venetian Macau is the largest casino in the world. That is no boast. I've been to Vegas and the Venetian there is smaller than the one in Macau. My friend and I lost our way more than a couple of times while we were sightseeing there. The artwork at this massive casino is very intricate and the architecture jumps out at you. It really makes you think about the other casinos on the Cotai Strip (kind of like the Vegas strip) and how they fade when compared to the Venetian.
   
   The Bellini Lounge in the Venetian was amazing. The bar features live music and the waitresses are ready to cater to your every needs. Plus, it’s one of the few bars where smokers can enjoy their drinks and smoke simultaneously (most bars are non-smoking).


4. House of Dancing Water
   
   This is a MUST. Make this one of your top priorities when you get to Macau. The show is so popular tickets sell out quickly. I reserved my tickets a month prior to my arrival.
   
   Acrobats, tons and tons of water, dangerous stunts, motorbikes – need I say more? Ticket prices range from 700 – 2000 HKD, depending on your seats. If you sit close enough to the stage, you’re in danger of getting splashed with water – multiple times. But don’t worry, the staff provides you with towels well before the show so that you can keep dry (but where’s the fun without a bit of watery risks?). Also, as long as you’re not videotaping or using flash photography, you can take as many pictures as you want (unlike shows in Vegas). I won’t ruin the story for you, but it keeps you occupied and really has you on the edge of your seats. Did I mention the amazing acrobatic stunts? Imagine cirque du soleil but with a huge pool of water and motocross.


5. Senado Square / Ruins of St. Paul
   
   Welcome to the shopping district of Macau. The entire area, decked out in beautiful Portuguese-style buildings, is filled with places to go shopping. At the forefront are modern shops you expect to see in any major shopping district around the world. However, take to the back alleyways and you find yourself immersed with traditional Macau shops. It felt kind of like Seoul’s Myeongdong district. As you explore and go eye-shopping, you’ll easily wind up at the infamous Ruins of St. Paul, which is a staple landmark of Macau.
   
   All that stands of the once divine cathedral is nothing but the southern stone façade. The cathedral was once the biggest of its kind in Asia during the 17^th century. Unfortunately, a fire in the 19^th century brought the entire structure to what it is now. Still, it’s a true mark of Macau’s religious history, and you can’t help wonder about the local history and how it shaped Macau as it is today.


6. Egg Tarts
   
   No trip to Macau is complete without tasting these small delectable pastries. The pastry is originally from Portugal, but Macau bakers have found an outstanding recipe to make them truly stand out. There are many bakeries in Macau that boast of having the best egg tarts, but because of my tight schedule (as well as insufficient funds), I had time only to try one bakery. Lord Stow’s Bakery & Café had delicious egg tarts. There are two shops in Macau – one at the Venetian and the other in Coloane. Because we were hopelessly lost, we had to settle for the one at the Venetian. At nine HKD per tart, the investment is more than worth it. Whatever you do, be sure to make time for authentic Macau egg tarts.

I wish I could’ve explored Macau a bit more, but thanks to my lavish spending on booze, I was limited to a few select sites. If you’re interested in enjoying the gambling scene, Macau is the biggest place in Asia. Even if gambling is not your forte, there are many things to see and experience while you’re there. In terms of partying, Macau may be a bit dull compared to its Western counterpart. But that’s not to say you won’t enjoy a few drinks with your buddies while you’re there. Macau is definitely one place you will want to visit if you want to explore Asia.

5 Things to know about Koreans

What comes to mind when you think of Koreans? Kimchi? Soju? Or the Youtube sensation, Psy? Those are pretty famous staples of Korea, but what about the Korean people? Here are a few traits of Koreans you should know if you plan to interact with them.

1. Hasty
   Whatever you’re doing – work, studying, or even drinking – do it fast. That’s the general rule for Koreans.  If you had a Korean mother like me, the words, “빨리 빨리 (Pfali Pfali; quickly, quickly)” should be stuck in your head. No matter the task, Koreans (especially the older generation) want things done fast. Of course, doing things correctly is also important, but in Korea, it’s do it fast, do it right. That’s why you see commuters rush onto the subway train or bus while disregarding everyone else. If you’re waiting for the bus or metro during the morning or evening rush, please stay away from the doors. Even the Almighty himself could not save you if you come between a Korean and an empty seat on the metro. There’s an old expression often used in the military: “hurry up and wait.” Soldiers mutter the phrase when they’re trying to point out the irony behind the statement. However, in Korea, the irony is lost on its people.
   
   [caption id="attachment_1542" align="aligncenter" width="682"] Many taxis race through the streets of Korea[/caption]
   
   If a shop is crowded or jam packed with customers lined outside, the rationale of Koreans is to hurry up and wait. Once in line, the complaining begins. If you’ve ever been in line with a Korean 아줌마 (ahjuma; elder lady), I’m sure you’ll have noticed how much they fidget, hoping to get a glimpse at how much longer they have to wait. Koreans need to get to places quickly, which is why you’ll often see reckless driving.
   Get into a taxi, I dare you. Taxi drivers pay no heed to speed signs or even traffic lights. For many Korean drivers, green means go, yellow means go faster, and red means stop – maybe. As Koreans are always in a hurry, their emotions run high as well.


2. 2.      Hot-tempered
   Koreans flare up easily. If they feel offended, their first reaction is to get angry. Never mind who wronged whom. Both parties yell at one another, and there appears to be no end to it. Then just as suddenly, it’s over. It’s one of the most distinguished characteristics of Koreans. In Korean, it is called 냄비근성 (naembi geunsung; quick to heat up but quick to lose steam).
   
   [caption id="attachment_1543" align="aligncenter" width="399"] People protest against the North Korean regime.[/caption]
   
   When a controversy erupts in Korea, the majority of people don’t waste time criticizing the parties involved. Korean netizens assiduously point blame at this and that. However, after about a week or two, no one cares. Someone in the government took bribes from someone? Criticism pours in throughout the nation about how corrupt Korean political officials are. After a brief period of time, Koreans will move onto a different issue. Thus, the popular saying, 냄비근성.
   
    


3. Competitive
   At a very early age, parents raise their children to be the best. This is more true in Korea, where parents enroll their young toddlers in academies and institutions to learn English, math, and other various academic subjects. They are pitted against one another to try and outdo the other. Once they get into college, the real competition begins.
   
   [caption id="attachment_1544" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Job seekers prepare for an exam at a cram school.
   Korea Times Photo by Kim Ju-young[/caption]
   
   The courses are set so that only a certain percentage of the students get A’s, B’s, C’s, etc. Nowadays, most Korean college students focus so much on raising their GPAs. On top of that, they study relentlessly to achieve other qualifications or certifications that will help their resume stand out more. Why you ask? They want to work for big corporations like Samsung. Even if they aren’t recruited right after graduation, they will wait another year or so to get into places they set their eyes on. Thus, there’s a labor shortage for SMEs (small-medium enterprises) at the moment. Success is everything for Koreans, and the most commonly thought of success is money. With the power of money, they can buy luxury goods and other valuables they can show off to other people. Koreans like to show-off, which is why they are so concerned with…


4. Appearance
   Korea is the place to go for cosmetic surgery. According to International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, South Korea had the highest rate of cosmetic plastic surgery. Many Korean women, along with some men, go under the knife to improve their facial features. So many people do it that it has become the norm to have double eyelid surgery or rhinoplasty (nose job). Appearance is crucial in Korea, and I’m not talking about just physical traits.
   
   [caption id="attachment_1545" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Cosmetic surgery clinics advertise through before-and-after pictures.[/caption]
   
   Unfortunately, Koreans are quick to judge. They form opinions on others based on their jobs and occupations. Hence, many people will hold you in high regard if you attend a prestigious university or work for a large corporation. That’s not to say they will look down on you if you don’t have a fancy job or degree. It just means they’ll most likely choose not to associate with you. However, there is one thing that brings all Koreans together. That would be…
   
    


5. Rice
   Rice is the basis of most Korean food. It’s hard to find any Korean food without those white sticky grains grouped together in a bowl. Sure, there are some who don’t eat rice, but for Koreans, it’s a necessity. In most, if not all, restaurants that serve meat such as 삼겹살 (samgeubsal; pork) or 갈비 (galbi; marinated pork or beef), customers have an option of fried rice after their entrée. One food Koreans really enjoy is the spicy ricecakes, or 떡볶이 (tteokboki). Some restaurants cook the ricecakes right in front of you. After the meal, most customers choose to mix rice with the leftover ricecake sauce. This goes to show how much Koreans adore rice. Even outside Korea, most Koreans can’t live without rice.
   
   [caption id="attachment_1546" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Fried rice with leftover ricecake sauce[/caption]
   
   I remember when my sister and I would leap in joy when our family would go to McDonalds or Burger King. For us, it was a rare treat, and we savored every bite. However, my parents would go home and have rice instead. From the many accounts of Koreans who had lived abroad, they could not go long without rice. For Koreans, rice is not simply food. Rice runs in their blood.

There are more characteristics of the Korean people, but these are just the basic five you should know. Despite how they may look on the surface, always remember they are a proud race and it would be in your best interest to keep that in mind. You just may learn a thing or two from them.

Beauty Rituals: Teeth Chiseling

Countries worldwide participate in various unique, and at times, disturbing beauty rituals and body modifications. For example, it is not uncommon for the Japanese to partake in beauty facials that are battered up with Nightingale droppings, and it is not strange for the Austrians that use leeches as a form of detoxification for their bodies. An interesting ritual is that performed by an Indonesian tribe known as the Mentawai, is that of tooth chiseling¹. Although it is uncomfortable for most Westerners to understand and accept as a true beauty ritual, the Indonesian tribe finds tooth-chiseling a necessary ritual for physical and spiritual beauty. The Mentawai tribe resides on a jungle-like island just west of Sumatra, Indonesia. The historical ritual is usually performed by a priest, or Brahmin, that chisels the teeth of young men whose voices will deepen and for young girls who begin menstruating. The beauty ritual is believed to keep the soul from wandering and to also rid the human of evil spirits. What is interesting about this ritual is that it is not advertised in popular media like other beauty rituals. Perhaps because it is very painful, unique to its own culture, and can appear to be very terrifying to other cultures. What popular media has done for this particular beauty ritual is broadcast through documentaries, Internet websites, and journal articles the uniqueness of such a beauty ritual. The ritual of teeth chiseling thus becomes more interesting to learn about, and perhaps intrigues people worldwide to attempt the ritual and make it a part of their own culture. Exploring other culture’s beauty rituals not only opens one’s mind, but also makes an individual reconsider their own culture’s unique beauty rituals. For instance, I’ve had to question why it is almost mandatory for Western women to shave their body hair… Although this beauty ritual is nowhere near in competition of the Indonesian tooth chiseling, it makes one wonder why it is so important to our cultural traditions. To appeal to the opposite sex and build personal confidence? Ultimately, whether the culture is involved with popular media and technology or not, every culture partakes in beauty rituals for two reasons. One being social status, the other being group identity. Every culture is different, in that some cultures apply popular media and technology to their current and ongoing fashions and beauty rituals whereas other, indigenous cultures use their bodies to show off their personal and group’s creative outlook on life and the human body.

[caption id="attachment_1538" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mentawai Woman flashing her pearly, chiseled whites.[/caption]

Thank you! Come again! Ah... Convenience.

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxwnrR8WbVc[/embed]

We all have generic names for convenience stores – Mini-marts, Kwiki-Marts, Piss-n-Smunch – and quite often we never pay much attention to the actual names. How many convenience store chains in Korea can you name off the top of your head? CU (formerly Family Mart), 7-Eleven, Mini Stop, Buy the Way, GS-25… You can't swing a dead cat in Korea without knocking some Ramen off the shelves of one of these little shops. In fact, the only other industry that occupies as much random street space in Korea would be the many, many, many coffee shops. Quick, how many coffee shop chains can you name in South Korea? Angel in Us, A Twosome Place, Tom N Toms, Holly's Coffee, the ever-present Starbucks… at last count, and depending on whom you ask, there are today around 13,000 coffee shops in South Korea – compared to the 15,000 convenience stores. And both numbers are growing.

Are you taking a bus ride through Seoul today? Try this little game: Sit on opposite sides of the bus from a friend. Each of you gets a point for every coffee shop or convenience store you pass. If you pass a gym on your side, you lose all your coffee shops and/or convenience stores and must start again from 0. Who has the most when you get off the bus?

That game actually sounds kind of lame, doesn't it? Well, fear not – there is a better one. It is called Go-Stop, and you can get a deck of the little plastic cards for this game in any convenience store in Korea. The cards are called Hwatu (화투), and the game is a hoot, once you learn how to play. You can sometimes see older men (ajeossis) playing this game at the little plastic tables set up outside most of these same convenience stores. Often, they are surrounded by empty soju bottles. Do you want a night out that will save you a little money and provide you with an atmosphere conducive to conversation? Then the plastic tables at a convenience store are for you. Sit back, crack a beer (or a makkoli if you really want to save some money), and do some people watching. It is a marvelous way to kill an afternoon. Pick your location wisely, and there's no telling who you may meet. If you get hungry, just grab some snacks off the shelf when you go in to pick up your next drink. Shrimp chips, bag o' squid, assorted fruits and nuts, samgak (triangle) kimbap, ice cream, and those marvelous little sandwiches of questionable content… the banquet is considerable and varies from shop to shop. Forgot to brush your teeth before heading out to slum it at the local GS-25? No problem. They sell travel toothbrush kits for around 2,500 won. Rip your shirt twisting the cap off that last imported beer? Pocket sewing kit, 1,000 won. In fact, you can often find everything you need to survive contained in one street of these remarkable convenience stores.

[caption id="attachment_1477" align="aligncenter" width="228" class=" "] Samgak kimbap and other assorted munchies.[/caption]

Convenience stores in Korea bring in on average 6.2 trillion won (USD$5.8 million) per year for their segment of the total retail market. The biggest of the franchises is Family Mart, which was rebranded in 2012 as CU in order to expand the franchise's business globally under an independent brand. Family Mart was a subsidiary of BGF Retail, a joint venture between Korea's Bo Gwang Group and the Japanese brand, Family Mart. This move was intended to establish CU as an independent retailer rather than just a knock-off of Japanese models, according to BGF Retail Chairman Hong Seok-Jo. The label CU is an abbreviation of the slogan "Convenience for You" but many locations have retained the words "with Family Mart" on displays to maintain customer loyalty.

[caption id="attachment_1479" align="aligncenter" width="271" class=" "] Other assorted convenience store goodies.[/caption]

CU still faces stiff competition from many other established convenience competitors, including GS-25, another leading contender in the convenience store wars in South Korea. GS-25 is run by its parent company, GS Retail, although it was originally under the control of LG. Both GS and LG originate with the older company name, "Lucky Goldstar." 7-Eleven also has a heavy presence in Korea with over 7,000 locations licensed under the Lotte Group. Lotte then acquired the Buy the Way chain of convenience stores and brought them under the 7-Eleven umbrella, although some still retain the Buy the Way name on their signs. Although the shop name is the same as the U.S. stores, products closely associated with U.S. 7-Elevens – namely the Slurpee and the Big Gulp – are not available in the Korean stores.



Whether you choose to plant yourself in the open air outside a CU, a 7-Eleven, a GS-25 or a Mini Stop, each of these convenience stores has a lot to offer, and at very affordable prices. Although many of them carry many of the same items and brands, each one is unique in its own peculiar way, and none of them carry exactly the same items. Some of the most fun you can have in Korea is sitting around a little plastic table outside a convenience store on a busy street. Some may pooh-pooh the idea as "low class" – and it is, to some degree – but in Korean culture, it is considered much, much lower-class to stroll down the street with an open alcoholic beverage in your hand. So take note, wagooks – if you want to drink outside in Korea, you can do far worse than getting comfy outside your local Kwiki-Mart.  No matter what, when it comes to selecting a business, the three key points are always the same: Location, location, location. Some of the best ones are the CU in Haebangchon, a GS-25 located around the corner from subway exit 4 in Apgujeong, and one, the name of which I forget, that is up on the back street in Itaewon, near the Rose and Crown pub (exit 1, fourth alley on the right). There is also a really small one conveniently located across from the park near Hongik University in Hongdae, which is also a marvelous place to socialize outdoors when the weather is nice. If you are tired of the bar scene but would still like a sociable atmosphere and yes, maybe even a light booze buzz, go commandeer a table at a convenience store – but be warned: It is addictive. It is much more comfortable – and convenient – than it looks.

But don’t take my word for it – just ask these folks.

Gangnam, COEX Style

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCgd5bOdj_Y

 

On Saturday I took a rare trip to Gangnam with my boyfriend for a leisurely stroll around COEX Mall, the largest underground mall in the world—nope, sorry, just Asia (darn you, Canada). Short for COnvention Centers and EXhibition Halls, both of which populate its higher floors, COEX also boasts an aquarium, a movie theater, a Hyundai Department Store—with all the food court goodness it implies, as you, dear reader, shall soon see—and a kimchi museum.

Every time I muster up the energy to take the long subway voyage down to COEX (which is not often, given the high density of great shopping and, more importantly, food, elsewhere in Seoul), I swallow a laugh as I remember my first visit to the mall last summer. Mistakenly believing that it was “the largest mall in Asia” and (in)conveniently failing to realize that it was underground, I spent an hour wandering around outside Samsung Station wondering why all I could see were a bunch of hotels, some statues, and an exhibition hall. A shameful peek at my tablet confirmed my folly—and the importance of at least Googling a place before you (try to) go there.

 

We entered from Samsung Station on Line 2, following the throngs of people marching steadily through the labyrinthine tunnels between the subway and the mall proper. Along the way we passed several signs apologizing for the current construction, which had begun last summer. According to a large display near the mall entrance, the building is being remodeled to make it more environmentally sustainable, a process that apparently involves the installation of large, swooping skylights over much of its area. I imagine that these windows are somehow layered and glazed to provide “sustainable” insulation, but the display did not offer that kind of important detail.

Our first stop was Bandi and Luni’s (반디앤루니스) bookstore, a sprawling maze of literature that (almost) gives the Kyobo Mungo (교보문고) in Gwanghwamun a run for its money. I had just finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami and was looking to escape the empty lost-friend feeling that comes from leaving the world of an incredible story, so I wandered over to the fiction section and picked up 노르웨이의 숲 (Norwegian Wood) and 스푸트니크의 연인 (Sputnik Sweetheart). Even though the latter was a locally published paperback it still cost over 10,000 won. I had forgotten just how expensive some stores in COEX can be, I mused as I sadly put the book back on the shelf.

Outside the bookstore was a small exposition on new games for the Nintendo DS, complete with several rows of consoles loaded with games for trial by the public as well as a large display of Luigi’s Castle trailers being presented by two women with microphones. I tried out a game called 동물의 숲 (Animal Forest), which, at least for me, involved a lot of running through different buildings and hitting townspeople with a butterfly net. Then I played through a level of Mario Brothers 2 DS, with graphics that were almost depressingly better than the original despite being run from a computer about a tenth the size. After a while the swarm of children, mostly boys, pushing and shoving around me started to jostle my activation energy of annoyance, so I managed to tear my boyfriend away from what was apparently a life-or-death match of Mario Tennis and be on our way.





We started to get a bit hungry, so we strolled over to a sign that promised 中国料理 (Chinese food) at a stand-alone restaurant not seemingly attached to any food courts. Surprised at the 6000-won 짜장면 and similarly inexpensive boiled and fried dumplings (水饺/물만구 and 煎饺/구운 만두, respectively) my boyfriend and I took a booth and ordered a bowl of beef noodle soup (牛肉汤面/우육탕면) and dumplings. The beef soup was standard—big slices of meat with scallions and mushrooms, salty, tangy base, noodles cut from dough. The fried dumplings were nothing like the ones I had seen during my nearly three years in Beijing–larger, crispier, and more reminiscent of deep-fried American-Cantonese crab rangoon than the lightly pan-fried Northern fare to which I am accustomed—but still delicious. The food came out with kimchi, pickled daikon, and a bottle of cold water. One of the downsides to eating Chinese food in Korea is that it lacked both China’s complementary looseleaf teas and Korea’s generally extensive banchan services.



After lunch we wandered through rows of small brand-name clothing shops, looking but not thinking to purchase anything. I remembered my dad storming out of a Great Outdoors in COEX the summer before after having seen the 120,000-won price tag on a spandex shirt that could have cost anywhere from $20 to $60 in the United States (and, admittedly, elsewhere in Seoul). The prices in the mall were really hit-or-miss; you could easily be put off by $11 paperbacks and $100+ undershirts, but then, the two of us had just enjoyed a delicious and filling $15 lunch at a clean and comfortable restaurant.

At one point we found ourselves inside Asem Hobby (아셈하비), a hobby store selling puzzles, action figures, and all manner of wooden and diecast model. I curled my lip at a few $50 puzzles, played a bit with a set of (really cool) predatory animal action figures outfitted as some kind of fantasy MMORPG-esque warriors, and marveled at the predesigned do-it-yourself (sort of) model cars, planes, boats, and buildings—and at the swarms of boys, slightly older than the Nintendo DS crowd but still male in depressing proportions, inspecting the merchandise. I thought back to my own childhood days building popsicle stick boats and scrap wood dollhouses in the basement and wondered whether hobby shops in the United States saw a similarly homogeneous demographic.

We wandered a bit more, finding ourselves back at the other end of the bookstore (it really was huge, with multiple entrance points) looking at various non-book items. Hardcover diaries. Pens. An eraser installed into the end of a paintbrush holder for easy handling by artists. Scraps of leather folded into various animal shapes and sold at ridiculous prices. More action figures, this time dinosaurs and unicorns.

We left from a different exit and walked past an external display of discount books (only after crying through a photograph book about rescue dogs) and meandered through a series of cafes and ever-present snack shops—yogurt, waffles, red bean shaved ice (팥빙수/pat bingsu). We stopped briefly to look inside an imported foods shop, where I got overly excited about a package of Rocky Mountain fruit-flavored pastel mini marshmallows (pink, mint green, and white) that I hadn’t eaten since I was about five, as well as about a package of Japanese sweet chewy dried seaweed snacks that I haven’t seen elsewhere in Korea.





We were starting to get hungry again (this tends to happen a lot), so we took a detour to the Hyundai Department Store in hopes of raiding its food court. We were not disappointed. As we traveled down the escalator we were graced with an extensive fiesta of myriad food stations, including several bakeries, dumpling and chicken sellers, salad bars, sandwich shops, cafeteria-style Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, and fusion restaurants, and dozens of dessert oases—ddeok, mochi, gelato, cheesecakes, pastries, even a Mrs. Field’s and a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Oh, yeah, and a full-on grocery store. My boyfriend, ever the fan of European-style food (like many of the other pretzel-chowing coffee-guzzling Korean food court guests, it seemed), bought some unprecedentedly soft and chewy whole-grain-walnut-cranberry-date bread at the bakery and a modest sampling of imported sausage and cheeses at the grocery store. I chose a small seltzer water and a bottle of kiwi-kale juice, and we sat for a bit on a cafeteria bench near the Vietnamese restaurant to nurse our newfound treasures.







I checked my watch—time to go home. We had spent a thoroughly entertaining four hours inside the mall and had only partially covered two of its four zones. Granted, my boyfriend and I might share a greater affinity to food than the average mall-crawler and COEX is certainly dominated by more than its share of delicious snacks, but isn’t that precisely part of the mall’s charm? Whether you’re a money-laden fashionista, an exposition enthusiast, a book fanatic, movie aficionado, budding marine biologist, or just a window-shopping food-shoveling pig like me, COEX, enabled by its size to offer a high density of attractions appealing to all sorts of different people, is a justifiably recommended destination for anybody with a free afternoon and a thirst for some novelty.