Day 50: Casa at 50

I feel like I've been doing this forever now, but it's only been 50 days (well longer considering I hardly update on the weekends because I am out being cool and stuff). I figured, what better way to celebrate the halfway mark than with my favorite cafe in all of Korea: Casa Della Luce. I have actually been going to this cafe since they opened more than two years ago. I remember going in one October or so to study in the morning and, to this day, the most handsome coffee boy recognized me and gave me a free iced americano. Well, needless to say, i was hooked and continued to go there on a regular basis, usually 4 to 5 times a week. When they started serving sandwiches, it was a regular lunch place for me. The problem was, others soon caught on and started going as well. But the owner, and the boy, still recognized me and greeted me warmly every time I walked in. Then he just disappeared. I was sad for a while, until they replaced him with another cute guy, more feminine this time (pretty sure he swung this way), but still wasn't as nice as the first guy. He eventually left and they hired another guy, but he doesn't work downstairs anymore; he is reserved for upstairs along with the other cute guy who, I believe, manages the joint (at least the fancy Italian restaurant upstairs). I don't go there as often, I guess because it has become too popular and there is no good eye candy, but every time I do they recognize me, warmly greet me, and always manage to give me something free.

Day 49: German Pasta

The first time I saw this building I thought of the most natural thing one would think of upon viewing said building: Sausages. Come on now, I feel like this building was plucked out of Germany or Holland and am expecting to hear some yodeling one of these days. When I first moved to Korea, this building actually did house a restaurant that served meat, but it wasn't necessarily German or European meat. They soon closed down and the next best thing moved in: Pasta. When a restaurant or store closes down, one of three things will ALWAYS pop up to fill the space: Italian food, Starbucks, or a cellphone store. A few weeks ago this Korean restaurant all of 2 minutes away from this place closed down, and the put in another Italian restaurant. That brought the total number of Italian places in a 2 minute walking distance of each other (and my house) to six. This place pictures, though, is quite good. They have good soup and salad, and their pasta isn't half bad. But what I love more than the food is the image of Italian food overtaking German food; the image of Mussolini overtaking Hitler is quite a picture/ thought to ponder as it plays out in Korean-food politics.

Day 48: Vikings in Korea

From time to time, I wonder if Korea completely misses a time period, like they are aiming for something late 19th century and end up in Iceland around the year 900. This is a cup... sort of... on my desk that I use to keep assorted pens and pencils and the occasional pair of scissors. The thing weighs as much as a 2 year old Norwegian baby and made out of pure metal. The decor of the cup? It looks like something Askold would be drinking his mead out of as he eats large legs of elk and bangs himself a couple of village lasses. If you look carefully, or simply wander and get yourself lost, you can stumble upon some of the most out of place, in terms of time period, things in Korea. There is a row of houses in Hongdae that look to be taken from the 90s in San Fransisco, and also an entire apartment complex that looks as if it were built in the 70s or 80s in Tampa up in the mountain village of 부암동, the place with the Coffee Prince house that I posted about a while ago. I love these little black sheep architectural sites in Korea, but sometimes merchandise, not to mention fashion, seem to misconstrue something that should experience a revival and something that should simply stay on the D-Lo.

Day 47: One Day at a Time

You know, I'm the kind of guy who needs to write something down or else I'll forget it. So, it only makes sense, that I keep myself a planner to keep in order my schedule. In this day and age, I can easily keep my schedule on any number of electronic devices, including gmail. While I do like the gmail calender, something about physically keeping a schedule and the act of crossing things of a list is very fulfilling, something that no electronic schedule can do. Koreans have the right idea, then, making planners en mass with some of the most interesting ideas and concepts. At the end of the year, bookstores are lined with a massive amount of planners, ranging from very simple or business-like planners, to travel themed, kitten themed, and even Alice in Wonderland. As much as I love all these planners, for the past three years I've taken the road with multiple meanings: The Starbucks Planner. Basically, if I buy enough of their drinks, they give me their planner for free. I will certainly be sad when I go home and no longer able to have access to Korean planners, especially the specially made Korean Starbucks planner that I always look forward to.

Day 46: The Department of Department Stores

The two big department stores in Korea are of course Lotte and Hyundai. Both are fine department stores, depending on the location (Gangnam has the better Hyundai while Myeongdong has the better Lotte). But among all this bickering between these two department stores, few realize that actually the largest retailer and the oldest department store is Shinsegae, which literally means 'New World'. This particular one is a favorite of mine, located downtown near Namdaemun and Seoul Station, because the outside looks European and the inside is simply gorgeous. Luxury takes on a new name when you walk into this department store. The building itself is quite the fixture in Seoul, for during the Christmas Season it is covered in lights and lights up this famous intersection. Shinsegae in Busan is actually the world's largest department store, surpassing Macy's in NYC. They also own E-Mart, one of the largest discounted Wal-mart style stores in Korea. Needless to say, even though not many people recognize the mere existence of Shinsegae, it is the best Korea has to offer when it comes to department stores and luxury items.