A Night of Frolic and Reason to Run Amok

The modern day ritual of Halloween has no historical significance anywhere but America (except for maybe in the old and modern day British Isles where it is believed to have originated). However, over here in the Far East, far from any place where witch trials were held (I wonder if there is even such a thing as a 'witch' in the Korean vernacular) the Koreans have adopted the rituals quite well. Since the holiday this year falls on Monday, parties were held on Saturday night throughout the city but primarily in Itaewon where the expat community can run amok in costume and feel right at home.

For weeks leading up to this Saturday, bars and clubs have been promoting their Halloween hoopla, much like we do in the States for New Years Eve: pay to get in (in some cases a price higher than you'd ever actually spend on drinks and get one free drink and MAYBE some appetizers). For the holiday having no historical significance to them, the Koreans certainly know how to celebrate. Below are some promo posters of of some of the Halloween bashes that were happening in and around Seoul this weekend, all of which  I found undeniably 'American' but with an added level of Korean enthusiasm and creativity...

...and my particular favorite?
"Crime Scene Sketch Night - Death Drawing Session" -- A drawing and painting session at Big Green Studio where models do death and nude poses. So creepy AND creative!

I love Halloween, mainly because it gives reason to scary movie marathons. We kicked the weekend off on Friday night by watching the disturbing flick Deliverance followed by Disney's Hocus Pocus. As for Saturday night, RCP and I chose not to partake in any of these organized Halloween bashes and instead decided to get some delicious French cuisine in Itaewon, enjoy other people's costumes and meet up with friends for drinks. We ALMOST dressed up though; RCP as Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future and myself as an '80's ultra preppy country clubber....but due to lack of planning we just couldn't make it work so we opted for normal and comfortable.

Viva la France!

French is my favorite cuisine. I don't eat it that often which makes it even more delicious, always special, and never boring. I miss L'Express in NYC, where you could get a superbly roasted chicken and mashed potatoes 24 hours a day. I especially miss their goat cheese salad. There are quite a few French restaurants here in Seoul, but we have found a little gem in Le Saint-Ex in Itaewon. A small establishment, with a Korean waitstaff that speaks perfect English, the menu boasts only about 3 options and changes daily. It was also full of French expats and rightfully so. It was fantastic!

 Le Saint-Ex in Itaewon

I've never known a whole lot about the baguette, except that the French

are very discerning about what makes a baguette a real baguette. Now I know and know

where to get them: Guillaume, a salon du thé, which happens to be right at

the bottom of the U.N. Village hill.

Sunday Brunch in a Hanok

On Sunday we met RCP's friend Larry and his fellow LG co-worker and family in Insa-dong for brunch. Insa-dong, if you remember from a previous post, is an area full of traditional Korean craft shops, traditional restaurants and tea houses. Most of these establishments are located in hanoks, traditional Korean houses. I don't have any pictures of inside the restaurant or of the food but I've never had anything, in my entire life, like what we had here. It was quite the experience and far from omelets, toast and orange juice. We sat on the floor, in our own private room and I lost count, but probably received about 10 courses of food. I don't remember everything we ate, but it included pumpkin porridge, acorn jelly with cucumbers, spicy squid, a single mulberry on a giant green leaf, mushroom soup, fish, chicken, raspberry liquor, tea that tasted like wheat. and many many other unidentifiable things. This description does the actual meal and experience absolutely no justice. Things like mushroom soup and chicken sound pretty normal but they weren't. The flavors and textures were completely unidentifiable and like nothing I've ever tasted. I think someone said that the food and ingredients literally come from the mountains, so it supposedly has incredible nutritional value, purity and all of the above. It was probably the most natural and organic meal I've ever eaten and one that I will probably never eat again. However, just for the experience, we'll take anyone who comes to visit! Then afterwards we'll go for waffles.

Not the typical neighborhood diner!