Antique, fine foods make for great autumn

This is the 43rd in a series of articles highlighting tourism spots in Seoul. The guide for planning weekend trips in the capital city will help readers rediscover Seoul. - Ed.



By Annabelle Lee





Koreans refer to the autumn as the season of "Cheongomabi." Translated literally, this means the season when "sky is high and the horses are fat." In Korea, the sky during the autumn is particularly blue and clear. The autumn harvest means it`s also a good season for eating - and not only for the horses.



Dapsimni Street

A walk along a quiet street is always good in autumn. If Insa-dong is the street for modernized antiques, Dapsimni is the best street to find traditional antiques.

On the outside, the buildings are not very different from those on the edge of Seoul, but peek inside and you will be amazed at the array of everyday items, old books, ceramics and antique furniture. Because most of the stores moved to this street after the Cheonggyecheon area redevelopment started, most are about 15 to 20 years old.



The Dapsimni ancient art complex comprises three buildings (complexes 2, 5 and 6) at the Samhee Complex located three minutes away from the Dapsimni Station. Including the Janganpyeong ancient art complex 10 minutes away, a total of 150 outlets deal in Korean antiques.

Naturally, items are priced according to their scarcity and state of preservation. There are many diverse articles including wooden moulds that were used to press patterns into rice-cakes ahead of festivals. You can also find examples of the small chests that new brides would bring with her when moving into the groom`s family, and Hotop (tiger`s teeth), which the ladies of rich families used to keep. It is also fun to look around and try to figure out what each article was used for.



Getting there: Leave through Exit 2 of Dapsimni Station on Subway Line 5, walk for about three minutes, and there are three large buildings lined up along the street, numbered 2, 5 and 6. The complexes are closed on the first and third Sundays of the month.

Sindang-dong:Heaven

for `tteokbokki` lovers

Seoul has plenty of alleys full of mom-and-pop kitchens. Sindang-dong food alley is renowned for tteokbokki, a broiled dish of sliced rice cake, meat, eggs and seasoning. In Jangchung-dong, there are pork hock restaurants. Gongdeok-dong is famous for assorted pan-fried delicacies, while Hwanghak-dong is filled with small broiled beef tripe kitchens. Euljiro is famous for restaurants that specialize in golbaengi muchim - a spicy mix of sea snails, salad and red pepper paste.

Tteokbokki is made by adding on numerous supplementary ingredients to the round shaped rice-cake made of rice. This food is usually sold at street stalls and snack bars, and is one of Korea`s favorite snacks. However, tteokbokki was originally one of the royal dishes eaten in January, packed with meat and vegetables, and seasoned with soy sauce instead of Korean hot pepper paste.

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Likewise, it was considered a delicacy reserved only for kings - one that ordinary people had only heard about.

The tteokbokki in Sindang-dong has a wide range of tastes. Outlets add ramen, jjolmyeon (wheat noodles), egg, dumplings and fried food to the usual ingredients - rice-cake, fish cakes and Korean hot pepper paste.

There are also variations with seafood, cheese, and curry designed to cater to foreign palates. There is a super-hot taste called "tears tteokbokki" - it`s so hot it will make your eyes water. Along with bibimbab and galbi, tteokbokki is one of the most popular dishes with tourists. There is even a research lab for tteokbokki in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province to focus on the globalization of the dish.

Most of the Sindang-dong tteokbokki kitchens operate 24 hours a day, and offer valet parking. Stores such as "I Love Ddeobokki" (www.ilovesindangdong.co.kr) have DJs that play requested songs. The tteokbokki stores also serve ice cream, the perfect dessert after a spicy dish.



Getting there: Get off at Sindang Station on Subway Line 2. Go out of Exit No. 4, and walk toward Dongdaemun Stadium Station for about 300 meters, and you will arrive at the Sindang-dong Tteokbokki alley.