27 May 2022
I put on pants
Eating a formal Korean dinner in Suwon
As threatened, for dinner I went back to the Lotte mega complex near Suwon main station, up to the top level, and then had my pick of every single place because I was there right on 6pm for the senior citizens sitting.
I joke about putting on pants, I wore long pants some other nights too, it is certainly cool enough, and I would have no qualms about going into such a place in my Steve Irwin style shorts anyway, but it seemed apt that I would wear pants for a formal Korean meal.
Other than my meal, which I will gastronomify further below, I wandered the streets, both around the main station, and then the other side of the main road near my hotel, which is located near the Suwon City Hall.
Over the road from me is very busy, and on a Friday night, a lot of Rolls Royce's getting about blowing their horns at pedestrians. Unfortunately this night life area is one where cars are banned at night, unless you are important, at which point pedestrians are expected to move for your lazy rich ass.
I made sure to brush up against every illegally parked fancy car.
Here is a street full of bbq places near the station. I would like to have bbq but it is hard to do as a solo diner. Some of these ones here use hot charcoal, they were not really open yet.
The local doggy day spa. I actually saw this out the bus window earlier, so I was thrilled to go past it again on my walk.
A random street scene with some nice angles, shadows and wires.
I enjoy taking photos directly into the sun.
Nice fire hazard architecture.
To get to my dinner I had to get to the other side of the tracks. I don't think Lotte and AK (the department store on this side) have come to an agreement to make that easy. After going through a car parking building with stream of people doing the same as me, I found a way, but for some reason they have roped off the best spot to enjoy the view.
And here is my dinner. The soup is boiled beef and flavourless seaweed. Then you get all the side dishes (Banchan if I am not mistaken). There is hot and cold Kim Chi, bean sprouts, spinach, some great pickled chilli things, tofu, mushrooms, potato noodles, rice in the metal bowl... all good so far, and fermented sardines. The sardines is the only one I don't eat. But this style of eating as well as hot pot where you leave half of it, is why Korea wastes so much food and had to invent ways to deal with it. Also it is common to get a pair of scissors with your meal here.
Now here I am back near my hotel. Nice sunset street scene.
Bonus street scene.
And for the final pic of the day, a Renault Twizzy. I last saw one of these at the Palace of Versailles in France where the police use them, but here in Korea, normal people buy them and drive them. I doubt you can legally drive them on a road in Australia, which is weird because motorbikes are ok. Oh yeah, tomorrow I go to Daegu.