One end of the Insadong neighborhood is marked by The Artist’s Brush. Notice the “stroke of paint” in the square, as if made by a giant hand.
The Artist’s Brush
Not sure what to make of the Korean culture or sense of humor given the theme of this nearby restaurant. No, I didn’t try it!
DDO–ong Cafe
One couple who had signed up for the tour cancelled based on Trump’s inflammatory comments toward North Korea. They were afraid of the reprisals threatened by Kim Jong Un. I noticed the South Koreans went about their daily lives while we were there. You would not have known there was any problem. This photo op bench makes comment on how they seem to feel about it, poking fun at both leaders.
Trump and Kim Jong Un
Cultural tidbits:
- When you go to a restaurant they don’t ask if you would like anything to drink, even when there are drinks on the menu. They simply put a bottle or jar of water on the table and refill them as needed, then you refill your glasses yourselves.
- Many of us thought tea would be offered at each meal. But no. As one of the Korean-Americans explained, there is no tea ceremony in Korea as in Japan or China.
- Tea doesn’t necessarily mean tea as we know it. We had Barley tea as a dessert one evening and Solomon’s Seal tea with anonther meal. Solomon’s Seal is a plant, which I happen to have growing in my yard.
- Don’t throw your TP in the toilet. It goes into the waste basket next to it. There were no instructions at my hotel, so naturally, I plugged up the toilet by day four. Who knew?
- Starbucks hot chocolate is better in Seoul than Portland. I don’t drink coffee or tea and usually have milk for breakfast. One morning I decided I wanted something hot. There was a Starbuck a few streets from the hotel, and I had time before we left for the day. I bought the drink and took a sip. Delicious. The chocolate was bittersweet. Needless to say, I had hot chocolate a few more mornings before I left. While in Seoul, I had an offer on my house, which is for sale. The buyers’ inspection was a couple days after I returned home. I had nothing to do that morning so decided to go to the Starbucks by my house and have a hot chocolate while I finished a book started on the flight home. Disappointment. Regular hot chocolate. Why don’t we use bittersweet in the U.S.? Didn’t we invent Starbucks?
