Sorry, this post is a little overdue! We had the pleasure of visiting the town of Jeonju recently. Our Korean friends showed us a wonderful time! Jeonju is located about 30 miles south east of Kunsan City and has 1000 years of history. 1000 Years! To give it some perspective, that is more than 4 times older than our country. The city is filled with culture, ancient buildings, and some of the best food in all of Korea. The city is known for having the best Bibimbap in the country. Bibimbap is a hot bowl of white rice, topped with various vegetables, beef (usually), and a fried egg. Naturally, this is what we got for lunch, and it was delicious! It is normally served with red pepper sauce on top, but we often get the response "ohhh foreigners! too spicy, we will put on side". I don't think Korea is aware of Bdubs Blazin wings..... don't worry, we can handle it.
We also enjoyed some delicious soup, made with octopus, beef, and vegetables. It is brought to your table raw, and then it cooks on a flame and served hot. The first picture is the raw soup, followed by a picture of the finished product!
After a delicious lunch, we headed to the Hanok Village, which is a Korean traditional village. The village contains houses and structures featuring traditional architecture, as well as many restaurants, stores, and plenty of places to get a sweet treat.
This street vendor was selling a traditional sugar candy called Ppopgi, which is made out of brown sugar and baking soda. It tastes like burnt marshmallows! Each candy is branded with a shape. The goal is to break the candy in such a way that you keep your shape whole. I broke mine almost immediately :( but Mark and Jessica were successful with theirs!
McGyver showing us how it is done!
Success for Mark and Jessica!
There is no shortage of sugar at the Hanok! After our traditional candy, we got a more modern treat....cotton candy. GIANT cotton candy!
I was in a full on sugar coma! Next it was time to walk off our sugar highs with a walk over to the Jeondong Catholic Church, which is over 100 years old. Unfortunately we couldn't go inside, but we still enjoyed its beauty form the outside.
Next, we tried another traditional Korean snack, Strawberry Mochi. It is a fresh strawberry, surrounded by red bean paste, and wrapped in rice dough.
We finished up the day with a visit to the home of our Korean friends. We relaxed for a quick pre-dinner snack of fresh fruit. Then we headed out for some dinner of Sam Gyup Sal, or grilled pork, and copious amounts of Soju and Cass. As with many of our Korean meals, it is served with onions, garlic, kimchi, and red pepper paste. Mark made lots of friends - they seem to be fans of his blue eyes and dimples. I can understand why! :) We had a great time exploring historic Jeonju. Thanks to our Korean Friends for their hospitality!
Peace out,
The Vahle's
