Big Fun In The Big City

With a 3 week break in Korean classes, I have a little extra time on my hands right now.  So two weekends ago I headed into Seoul for a little market shopping. Shopping is everywhere in Korea, but the markets in Seoul are the best. Everything is available, and the prices are so much better than Songdo where I live, out in the burbs.  I'd been meaning to get back to Bangsan Baking Market, and
it was also time to explore the fabric market, with the arrival my new toy.

After what seemed like forever (and A LOT of help from a native Korean), my new sewing machine finally made it through customs.  I've always wanted a Brother (lol), and this one is quite computerized, very hi-tech!  So, off the the market I went…

The metro stop outside the baking & fabric markets has the most wonderful little fruit & veggie stand. 

   Even though it meant hauling them all the way back to Songdo, I couldn't resist the cherry tomatoes.

Enroute to Bangsan, one also passes Gwangjang Market food alley.  And if "one" is me, then you also go in, just to look...

But of course, that never happens.  One look at all those nokdu bindatteok (mung bean pancakes) and fried tofu, and I'm sitting down for a snack.

Nokdu bindatteok, fried tofu, potato & zucchini.

Of course I couldn't finish it all, so I ordered take-away and the rest went into my backpack with the tomatoes, for the journey home.

After a quick spin through the baking market, where I found the baking pan I was looking for (and resisted the Hello Kitty ice cube tray that I wasn't looking for), I finally arrived at fabric shoppers paradise.

The rows of fabric go on for blocks.

If you can't find the trim you're looking for here, I would like to propose that it doesn't exist!

Quite possibly the best part of the entire excursion, however, was being able to conduct most of my business in Korean.  Mercifully the words for wool, cotton and polyester are the same as English.  I successfully purchased fabric for 2 dresses with matching lining.  Next visit, the home decor section.

On a slightly unrelated, yet no-less important note, I found out that, despite earlier suspicions, Koreans truly do understand veganism.  Maybe better than anyone else. Turns out the literal translation for "I'm a vegan" (전 철저한 채식주의자예요) is "ideal-" or "perfect-vegetarian".  Nice!