In an effort to avoid this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95595486@N00/

the boyfriend and I have opted out of the Busan beach experience, and decided to head down to a less popular beach on Bijindo Island, a ferry ride from Tongyeong. 

The vacation starts Thursday and I'll be back in town on Saturday with pictures and posts on Tuesday!

Have a good weekend!

Dongdaemun Fabric & Craft Market: Embroidery Vendor

Art Cross Stitch: B5210

This little stand took some searching to find, but it was definitely worth it! Located on the 5th floor, Art Cross Stitch has everything you need to embroider. The couple who run the stand are very friendly, though their English is limited. You can find DMC 5 & 25 in the full range of colors here.

Namdaemun Flower Market

Flower markets are one of my favorite places to explore. The Namdaemun Flower Market has been on my mind for several months now. Many of my coworkers head out here on the weekends to pick up bouquet upon bouquet of freshly cut flowers. I finally made it out with my boyfriend this past weekend and picked up some lovely flowers!

It was a bit tricky to find, but we made it! It is located on the 3rd floor of the E-lengddang building. Here it is on the map with some photos to help!

View Namdaemun Flower Market in a larger map

Directions:

The easiest way to find the flower market is to head in through Gate 8 of the Namdaemun Market. Walk straight ahead from Gate 8 for about a block. You will reach a large intersection with Karl Optical on the northwest corner and a large, dingy white building on the northeast corner. Go into the white building (E-lengddang) and head up to the 3rd floor and voila!

We arrived in the early afternoon so I don't think the market was going full strength anymore. Still, there were  lots of flowers out.

These are the blossoms and greens I picked out!

Dongdaemun Fabric & Craft Market: Finding A Vendor

This takes time. A lot of time. If you are going for the first time, make sure you have at least a couple hours to burn and comfortable shoes. The first time I went, I was completely overstimulated. The market is bustling with porters walking sideways in the narrow passages and shoppers negotiating prices. The best way to get a feel is to go in with a goal - so you don't lose focus and turn into a zombie - and to be keep an eye out for things that interest you. That being said, there is a general order to things, though don't expect everything to be divided neatly.

Right before entering the building, you may see a guide to the market. It lists only the floor and the approximate materials available on each, but it does help a bit. Here it is with my personal notes added in italics.

B1: thread, bedclothes, handicraft, curtains, crochet material, sewing essentials, canvas

1: bedclothes, handicraft, curtain, vessel (this turns out to be kitchenware), suiting

2: silk goods, curtains, fabric subsidiary materials, cotton, linen, blends

3 & 4: fabrics, stuff (yes, it actually says "stuff."), denim, satin, twill, muslin

5: clothing accessories, beads, jewelry making material, jewelry, felt, quilting material, artificial flowers, embroidery material, leather, belts

Once you've found a vendor that you like, make sure to take a business card. Keep track of which card is which by writing what you got at each store on its card. Even if you can't read the Korean, you can always show someone the card and ask for directions next time you go to the market!

Here's a sample of my growing collection:

Dongdaemun Fabric & Craft Market: Prep Work

The Fabric & Craft Market is really a crafty person's dreamland. You can pretty much find anything there, but it does take a little more elbow grease than going to your local Joann's. The best way to get what you need in a situation where the sheer volume of stuff is overwhelming and you don't speak the language, is to put in some good prep work. With a little preparation and determination, let the crafting begin!

Prep Tip #1: Bring a notebook and a pen
I am a big fan of nonverbal communication. My boyfriend hates it, but in situations where the parties involved don't have a common language, it works. Draw a picture or make a gesture. And don't be afraid to repeat yourself a few times. Persistence, it pays off.

My trusty notebook and pen.

Prep Tip #2: Bring a sample or at least a picture
The best thing to do is to bring a sample of what you want. Bring a scrap of the cloth you want, or a bit of the thread. If that's not an option, download a picture of what you want onto your handheld device. Just remember that the vendors can show you something that looks the same, but it's up to you to judge whether it has the right texture or weight.

Prep Tip #3: Translate your shopping list
Go online and get your list of materials translated into Korean.  Google Translate does a pretty decent job of this.

Some drawing that helped me communicate.

With these things together, you'll be as prepared as you can be! Onward to finding the right vendor!

Kimchi Bokkeumbap

Still haven't purchased a rice cooker yet, but I managed to get my hands on some rice anyway. With kimchi still in the fridge, it is time for another attempt at Korean food. This time: kimchi bokkeumbap.

Kimchi bokkeumbap is just kimchi fried rice, so I didn't really need a recipe. I just kinda went with it.

Here's my version, made with the following:

1 egg
a bowlful of chopped kimchi, very sour
gochung to taste
two cups cooked rice
sesame oil
kim
chopped green onions

First, I fried my egg. The ajumas at my favorite diner do it in super hot oil sunny side up, but I am still not brave enough to leave my egg yolk jiggly on top. I did it easy over.

I put the egg aside and put the kimchi in the hot pan along with some gochung. I let it cook until the kimchi was pretty soft and then added some kimchi juice and the rice. Mixing it thoroughly, I let the rice and kimchi cook until the rice was soft.

I put the rice and kimchi on a plate, slid the egg on top, and sprinkled some kim and sesame oil on top. A bit of green onion, and it was ready to be eaten!

Next time I think I'll add some onions and some tofu, but even just like this, it was pretty delicious.

Dongdaemun Fabric & Craft Market: Getting There

It was back to the Dongdaemun Fabric & Craft Market for some more crafting supplies yesterday. I picked up some more embroidery floss, some elastic, and some very cute pink felt. I really love this market that is just bursting with possibilities. Suddenly all the crafts that I have been thinking about seem at my fingertips! So I've decided to do a series of posts about the Dongdaemun Market in hopes that you all will be able to experience the joy too!

Getting There:

Dongdaemun Market is located northeast of the city center, right by Dongdaemun, or the Great East Gate. The area is chock full of wholesale markets, but I am focusing on one particular building which I will refer to as the Fabric and Craft Market. You can reach the market by subway (Line 1/Line 4, Dongdaemun stop, Exit 9) or by taxi. All taxi drivers know Dongdaemun.

When you come out of Exit 9, walk towards the building directly to your left. There are several entrances on this side of the building. 

View Dongdaemun Market in a larger map

Getting to the market is the easy part. The difficult part is finding the item you are looking for and communicating what you want. But don't worry, I'll walk you through it.