KOREAN SPRING

Dim sum, I feel, is very under appreciated here in Korea. Maybe it's because Korean food is just so culturally distinct, despite our proximity to China. Or maybe because the majority of the Chinese population here is more from northern China rather than the Guangdong area? I have no idea. Either way, I don't come across any dim sum places here in Seoul unless it's in a super crowded and popular tourist area, like Gangnam or Myeongdong. And incidentally, both the neighborhoods I just mentioned both have a branch of Din Tai Fung, one of the best known dim sum chains in the world! I'd actually been there years back before I even knew about dim sum, so going there a second time last week felt like a completely new experience. To be honest, I haven't had enough dim sum yet. I've been to Joe's Shanghai in New York for the soup dumplings once, and I went for regular Chinese food a few times here in Seoul (run and frequented by mainland Chinese), but there weren&#

I was in a state of complete numbness when I left home for Thailand, my first ever solo backpacking trip. I suppose the sensation could be attributed to nervousness, but I honestly couldn't feel a thing; not when I got onto the bus at five in the morning to catch my morning flight, not when I waited for security check and confirmed my backpack was light enough for cabin luggage, not when I hastily wolfed down a cheap red-bean bun at Paris Baguette as a last minute breakfast, not when I boarded and not even when I landed... though when I arrived at Krabi airport and stepped outside the gates to breathe in my first outside air in 10+ hours, I did silently give a prayer of thanks that nothing catastrophic happened on my first flight alone. The air didn't feel particularly fresh due to the humidity, but the scent was a lot more pleasant than what I was accustomed to in Seoul and it was then that I finally felt like I was in a different country. I was off to a good start. Thailand

Seoga & Cook is a Korean restaurant that has steadily been gaining recognition for its creative menus, both delicious and at affordable prices. I'd seen branches all over Seoul but only had the chance to dine there recently for my birthday last week. The menus are comprised mostly of Western foods like pizza, steak, pilafs, salads and such; but more important than the foods themselves is the way in which they are served. Seoga & Cook is known for its "Hansang" menus, which literally translated means something like "a full meal on a table." Simply put, it's a set menu served on a tray with all the plates built in, in portions perfect for sharing. In my opinion it's the perfect combination of Western food and Korean culture. We Koreans like to share food from the same plate/pot, instead of ordering individual menus to keep to ourselves. It's how most of our foods are; you'll know if you've tried. This is the pork hansang, which inc

I decided to finally start writing about my travel experiences (just the memorable ones). Today is the exact one-year mark since I arrived home from a two month trip to Southeast Asia and Europe - it's almost scary how a year just flew by while each day and hour and minute at work these days feels like an infinity. I kept a small notepad to use as a journal all throughout my trip last year, which I also typed up to keep online shortly after, but I believe a reminiscing blog post can actually be more detailed than events and thoughts I hastily jotted down along the way. It gives me more space to reflect. I like to think my travel experiences start from Couchsurfing in Seoul, before I even left home. I came across the website while looking for accommodation and created an account months before my trip to get acquainted with the system. Essentially, Couchsurfing (CS for short) is a community for travelers - "hosts" can open up their homes to "surfers" for free, o