냉반쫄면 Naengbanjolmyeon

냉반쫄면 or literally translated into 'chewy noodles on a tray'. Yes, that's it.

I did not know what it was or let alone how it would taste in the first place.
쫄깃쫄깃하다 (jolgit jolgithada) means 'chewy' or 'al dente'. So, this should've given me a hint what it would taste like actually.^^
I ordered it simply because it had no meat on it.
I looked at the picture and it seemed so nice and looked so delicious, especially it had lots of vegetables that go with it.
...
Ok. It was 5,500 Won or about US$ 5.
Cheap for a diner in a place like this. (Well, it was about 2,500 Won at campus:)^^
Then, here came the naengbanjolmyeon that I ordered. After a device that I got from the food stall 흔들 흔들하다 (heundeul heundeeulhada) or vibrated, I got up from my seat and went to the food stall to receive the food I ordered.
You see, there are no waitresses  or waiters whatsoever in most places in Korea, well of course there are...but not as many as we might have expected. So, that means we--the customers- should be ready to be the waiter of ourselves. A different culture.

yummy, eh?

This is it.
I tasted it first.
Then....I kinda liked it and kinda felt not sure if  I would be able to eat them all...because it was spicy and sour at the same time.
It turned out that the goju (red chili) paste was mixed with the vinegar and sesame oil. Well, that explained.
But, it was nice though...especially lots of veggies are mixed into one place (tray): carrots, cabbages, onion leaves, sprouts, and others that I did not know of:)
All in all, it was a great dinner we had.
Oh, I am sure that my wife would love to have this....it is soooooo Meity's since it tastes exactly like asinan Bogor..only that it uses the noodles instead of fruits.

Dinner @ Doota, Dongdaemun's Fashion Shopping District

Doota.
I think most of youngsters in Korea or those Seoulites must know this so-called Doota.
or..Doota Tower.
Ok. first thing first..this is the pic of Doota Tower that boasts itself to be one of the must-see fashion haven for anyone interested in Korean-style accessories and latest & hip-to-date styles.

X-mast already!

But, I am not gonna tell stories about this mall.
I just had dinner at the 7th floor of the building where a food court is widely laid out there. With a night view overlooking the crowded mass of people with the intersecting cars passing by the over crowded street in the midst of cool temperature in Autumn night, the diner could not have been better.
What's more...I was having the dinner with my new Korean friend from Korea University, my new Malaysian friends who are studying and traveling to Korea, and my student who is on a 2-week trip for both academic and leisure activities. ^^
Ok.
The fun part was that...the price is relatively + reasonably cheap for a place like this. I mean....it's not so much different from the prices at my campus. Ok, then.
The interesting part was that...I could choose a lot of non-meat dishes. A big surprise for me.
The cool par was that...the ambiance of the place itself was OK-lah. ^^

Oh about my friends:
There is Minju, a Korean who is fairly fluent in Bahasa Indonesia since she learned it in Bali and Jogja. She visited Jogja twice and I got an impression that she loves it. I was surprised to know that she speaks Indonesian, especially she is not majoring in the language....for she is attending the Geography department.^^ Hmmm...
Then, there is Yahwe, a Malaysian who is currently studying Korean language at Korea University.
Then, there is a traveler, a Malaysian who on purpose came to Korea for a week or so to explore the city. His name is Ryan. He's now studying in Singapore--that's what I learned--and had this off-season period to travel to Korea. With the sophisticated camera on his shoulder all the time, he looks just like a pro photographer. It was a great advantage to have him around..coz he took indeed splendid pictures. (too bad that I haven't yet got any from him since he must not have uploaded them into the net).
Then, Dita...my student who's visiting Korea for a cultural and social visit thanks to the PAS invitation.
She seemed to be enjoying her time here.
Well....with the full stomach, we were then ready ....and heading ourselves toward Cheonggyecheon...^^
(see my entry about this...)