Real Korea with Flo

I have a dear friend I've known for 38years. We graduated from the same high school, raised our children, and somehow, all these years have passed. Now that our children are grown, our lives have become slowly our own again. And somewhere along the way, my old friend became my favorite mate for this new chapter of life. There is a Korean saying that people, like certain things, get better with age. We sometimes describe this feeling as “gusuhada” (구수하다) — warm, familiar, comforting, and deeply rooted. That's what she is to me. An old friend who has become almost like a sister. Few weeks ago, we had wine together at my house. The next morning, we went out for brunch. Our destination was Weather, a brunch cafe in Hanam. The moment I walked in, I loved the place. North African-inspired rugs, tiles, rattan furniture, plants and little objects everywhere. Nothing feels randomly placed, yet nothing feels too perfect either. Yo...

☔ Let the rain play while you read. Korea is a country with four distinct seasons. Spring and autumn are getting a little shorter these days as the weather gets warmer, but we still have four very different seasons — spring, summer, autumn, and winter. And it rains in every one of them. We even have different feelings for rain depending on the season: spring rain, summer monsoon rain, autumn rain, and winter rain. To me, each one feels and even smells a little different. I love rainy days. And I think a lot of Koreans do too. Maybe it’s in our Korean DNA — we love hot food and a very cold drink. 😄 Whatever the reason, when it rains, there are certain foods I immediately start craving. So here are my personal top three. 1. Kalguksu (칼국수) For me, kalguksu is pure comfort food on a rainy day. Hot broth that warms me all the way through, thick plump noodles, and spicy kimchi on the side. I don’t care if it’s from a famous restaurant or a tiny neighborhood place. When it rai...

Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province, a beautiful city surrounded by lakes and mountains. The air feels fresh, the scenery is beautiful, and there are plenty of little places worth stopping by. It’s also not far from Seoul. With the Seoul–Yangyang Expressway, I can get there in about an hour, which makes Chuncheon one of my favorite places for a spontaneous drive, a good meal, and a cup of coffee before heading home. I have a few favorite places in Chuncheon: 1. Gubongsan Observatory Café Street — a hillside café area with unique cafés and a beautiful panoramic view over Chuncheon. 2. The area around Kim You-jeong Station — especially for makguksu and dakgalbi, two foods Chuncheon is famous for. 3. Chuncheon National Museum 4. Jade Garden 5.    Yonghwasan Campground , when I feel like spending some time surrounded by nature. Today, I want to start with Jade Garden . I’ve visited many botanical gardens and arboretums while traveling, but there is something different a...

  1. The Origin of Seongsu When I walk around Seongsu today, it's actually hard to imagine that this was once an industrial neighborhood. Back in the 1960s and 70s, the area was packed with small factories, printing shops, workshops, and especially handmade shoe factories. If I walk a little deeper into the side streets, I can still find signs for the old shoe district, metal shutters, and buildings that clearly belong to another time. That's one of the things I find interesting about Seongsu. Around the mid-2010s, people started turning these old industrial buildings into cafés, restaurants and shops. Then came the brands, the pop-ups and eventually the luxury names. Now Seongsu is one of the hottest — and most expensive — neighborhoods in Seoul. But when I look at some of these beautiful cafés, I can still see the old factory underneath. Many kept the original brick walls and warehouse exteriors and completely changed only the inside. Sometimes I stand in front of one and thi...

Top 5 Soul-Food Noodles That Run Through Korean Veins A sip of piping-hot broth that warms you all the way down. Spicy sauce that makes me sweat and somehow takes the stress away. That chewy texture of wheat noodles, the smell, the broth... Koreans love noodles. Actually, we may love them a little too much. For us, noodles aren't simply something to eat when we're hungry. We have different noodles for different weather, different moods, different places, even different occasions. This is my personal Top 5, so yes, my taste is definitely involved. But honestly, I don't think many Koreans would say no to any of these. And if you're traveling in Korea and don't know what to order, remember these five. You can find them almost anywhere in the country, from tiny neighborhood restaurants to highway rest stops. 5th. Bibim-guksu (비빔국수) Cold noodles mixed with a bright red, spicy-sweet sauce made with gochujang and Korean chili flakes. It's a very simple dish. So simple,...

 There’s something very easy about shopping at Daiso. The prices are low enough that even if something turns out to be a bad buy, I don’t feel too guilty about it. But surprisingly often, the quality is better than the price suggests. And then there are all those clever little things I didn’t even know I needed. For me, walking around Daiso is almost like a treasure hunt. I go in looking for one thing, notice something new, pick it up, put it back, find something even more interesting… and somehow leave with a bag. It doesn’t help that there’s a Daiso just three minutes from my home. I probably go three or four times a month, sometimes just because I’m curious about what’s new. And almost every time, I come home with something, firmly convinced that my latest purchases are going to make my life easier. At least that’s what I tell myself. :) Recently, Daiso cosmetics have become especially popular in Korea, with some products selling out quickly. I’ve joined in too. I bought ...

Hot. Too hot. When it gets this hot, all I really want is just a bottle of ice-cold water. Ice cream or a sweet drink might help for a moment, but the sugar only makes me thirstier afterward. Water works best for me. Except for one thing. Bingsu. Bingsu Finely shaved ice is different. You can't really eat it fast. You take it one spoonful at a time, and each spoon is full of tiny flakes of ice that start melting as soon as they reach your mouth. It really cools you down from the inside. And there is another thing about bingsu in Korea. We usually share it. One bowl is often too much for one person, and frankly, eating that much ice by yourself is cold . So we put one bowl in the middle and share. There is a Korean word for it. Jeong (정). Jeong is one of those Korean words that doesn't translate very well. It's affection, closeness, caring—and something that builds between people when they spend time together. You share the cold on a hot day. You eat slowly and...