Day 55: Baked Goodies

Perhaps one of the most surprising things I had found when I came to Korea for the first time was the deluge of bakeries, and the way these have turned into chains all through Korea. The one pictures here, Paris Baguette, is a personal favorite because when I think of Paris I do in fact think of yummy baked goods. So I naturally trust anything with the name Paris on it, besides that which could possibly be associated with one of the Hilton sisters. They recently re-vamped this chain into Paris Baguette Cafe, making it more of a date place rather than, what I use it for, a place to buy bread to eat in the comfort of my own home. The best bread will be bought not in grocery stores, but in bakeries (makes enough sense), but there are also tons of special baked goods. For example, hot dog bread, spinach scones, pizza bread, and so many more. You'd first think 'ewww' but surprisingly they are all quite good, and of high enough quality given the price. All in all, Paris does not necessarily have to feel as if their name is being sullied in anyway. Bakeries in Korea, they're a good thing.

Day 54: Sophisticated Taste

Underneath the Seoul Finance Center is a deluge of amazing restaurants and cafes. There are three full basement floors of stuff, most of it quite expensive. My friend and I were there today after lunch for coffee because it was raining outside and came across this place. On the B1 floor there is your regular Coffee Bean, but on B2 there is this Coffee Bean pictured to the right that looks like an old-fashion saloon of sorts. The entire inside is dark wood paneled with coffee barrels all around. There are only leather chairs, and not that many, therefore indicating a rather intimate setting as opposed to the loud coffee shops. This took me completely by surprise, because while it fits perfectly with the setting of the underground shopping, I had never seen a Coffee Bean like this. The menu, as well, only contained coffee and tea, either hot or cold, and no other variations. They had an impressive selection of different teas and roasts of coffee, for a little bit more in terms of price. But all in all, the atmosphere and shock of such a place, with a nice combination of jazz and big band music playing, made for a good time.

Day 53: Water Water Everywhere

Well guys and dolls, it sure is getting toasty outside, and not in the way that you could make yourself some toast, though that would be nice. The weather is hot, and I do hate hot weather, no matter how you look at it! In Korea, when it gets hot, water magically shoots up from the streets to cool its people down. This is one such spot, located on the backside of Myeongdong (명동), where not only does water pulsate from the concrete, it is lit up with greens and reds and blues and oranges. On weekends, you can see little boys and girls running through the water as if they hadn't taken a bath in weeks, parents talking about nonsense, and the vast majority of Korean guys between the ages of 18 and 36 taking pictures of the scene, or of their girlfriends posing awkwardly as if to really say 'dear lord, could you perhaps get a less sheep-like hobby that doesn't make you look like a total tool?' Ah yes, summer is certainly here guys and dolls, and you know what that means: sexy summer wear!

Day 52: Uh... OK

I always wondered if they sell different clothing in the Uni Qlo in Japan than in Korea, because I have to figure out which to blame/thank for the t-shirt to our left. Now two of the words I recognize: The first being Japanese and the last being, well, being sky. Now I've tried to figure out the middle two words, and am stumped. A simple google search has afforded me only a cute Asian guy wearing this shirt and talking to his shoe. So our choices are: Nothing in particular or lunacy. Like most things, I'm sure it's a combination of both. Therefore, I shall take it upon myself to declare that 'Hotto Num I'n Sky' is the new motto of summer in Korea (and sure, let's throw Japan in there as well, you know, because it's Uni Qlo). And what does this motto stand for? Well, as it looks like something written in Latin that only people who studied law or the Classics would understand, let's go with "Beware [of the] falling red sky". I feel like this motto summarizes summer quite nicely, because you know, if red stuff starts plummeting from the sky during summer, or really any other time of the year, you know something's up, probably the Apocalypse, stray fireworks, or falling pomegranates.

Day 51: Schools, Books, and Cafes

One of the first cafes I went to in Korea is pictures to the right: Princeton Square. With a name like that I'm sure you'd all expect something fancy, pricey, and filled with snobs. Well, you'd be correct. It calls itself a 'library cafe', meaning that there are walls with lots of books on them. But, unlike a library, you can't actually check the books out, nor are they in any particular order or following any dewy decimal system. Rather, they are just a bunch of random Korean books on shelves for you to look at while you drink your expensive coffee beverage. It was here, guys and dolls, that I discovered coffee boys. I talk a lot about these infamous coffee boys in Korea, but it was back in 2007 when I was sitting inside this cafe, studying with my friend, that I realized something very life changing: Cafes in Korea try to only hire good looking boys. This offsets the high cost of the coffee, and oftentimes the low quality of their product, because at the end of the day, you really only go into a cafe like this for one of two reasons: the atmosphere or the workers (or both). Hell, I don't even know how good the coffee at Princeton Square is, I only go for the eye candy. Anyone who tells you differently is lying, plain and simple. Because, guys and dolls, if you want good coffee you go to your regular joints that have good coffee (Starbucks, Caribou, etc.), you don't go to some unknown cafe. Unless they roast their own beans, which most do not, it's just coffee they buy wholesale, probably from COSCO. It's all about the boys, plain and simple.