Happy Picnic

We can not hold any lie to the trembling which is as terrible as to intimidate you.

Busan...Pusan...it doesn’t matter?

June 13-15, 2009.

For the soul purpose of eating raw fish and other seafood, Bryan and I hopped onto the KTX and zoomed across the country to Busan. We left bright and early on Saturday morning and arrived three hours later because Korea is awesome (make up your rant about how it sucks that we have no bullet trains in Canada).
We arrived in Busan with no goals besides the aforementioned and no place to stay. We debated between staying in Haeundae, near the beach, or in Nampo-Dong, hear the Jalgachi fish market. The likelihood of the freshest and most delicious raw fish seemed higher near the market so we got on the Busan subway and went to Nampo-Dong. We walked into a hotel right beside the fish market exchanged 50,000 won for a room key, no questions, no credit cards, nothing. The room was nice enough: a bed, a TV, a shower, and mostly clean*.
We dropped off our bags and went to search for lunch. Having just arrived we played it safe and found all you can eat sushi for 9000 won. It was not nearly the best sushi I have ever eaten but for 9000 won, it is Ok, but not nearly the raw fish for which I came.
After lunch we shopped, Nampo-Dong being the best shopping district in the city. Bryan bought some close and I bought some Dalki products including a rad lunch box and a note book with a Dalki Canada flag. We also bought seven pairs of novelty socks. We may or may not have also purchased couple shirts. Don’t worry about it.
After were done spending our money on useless but adorable things, we got on the subway and went to Haeundae, the beach. The weather was nice, but not really beachy. It was very pleasant to just walk along the beach fully clothed and totally comfortable. We explored the area a bit and decided it was time for raw raw fish. (So yes, we did actually get our raw fish at Haeundae, but our choice of Nampo-Dong was still better, just wait.)
We wondered around a bit and found ourselves in the Haeundae Market, a street of fish vendors and restaurants. We walked the length of the street and back again. The many choices were equally intimidating so eventually we just to had plunge in, fortunately we plunged into one with English on the menu (assorted raw fish, we’ll take it).
36,000 won got us two bottles of soju, an assortment of side dishes, sandy shells to suck out, squid, dipping sauces, soup, one cooked fish (whole), and a huge platter of a raw fish. Moment before it was brought to our table it had been live fish, swimming contentedly in a fish tank outside the restaurant. I experienced a small piece of heaven that eveing. (I don’t doubt the soju may share some of the responsibility for that.)
We missed the last subway back to Nampo-Dong, so knowing we would have to taxi it back we decided to make the most of it and headed back to the beach. We walked the beach end to end. At one end we bought a giant Asahi beer and sat in the sand close to the water and watched the waves role in and drunk people stumbled about. The beach was populated with other couples and bigger groups all doing the same things. Eventually we walked a bit more and hit up a hof before flagging down a taxi. Fortuitously, I had thought to take a business card from the hotel, I just gave the card to the taxi driver and he brought us home.
The next morning we had Crispy Cream coffee and donuts (my first real crispy cream donut) for breakfast and then went up to Busan town and Bryan bought some shoes, not at Busan tower but near by. Busan tower is not really that impressive to look at, but it is still a tower and on the top of the hill so the view is amazing. Most of the city can be viewed from this tower and it has a really good view of the fish Market, which is actually a really nice modern building, designed similar to Incheon Airport and Seoul Station. Lots of windows and open spaces and seems rather streamed lined.
Later in the day we finally got to the fish market, brightly lit and many happy colours. We wondered a round a bit, but going to the fish market just to see and watch feels a little funny. Having no intention of buying a live fish, we are basically going sightseeing in an office. It just doesn’t seem cool. However, the ocean is right beside the fish market and it is kind of nice and relaxing area to hang out. There were lots of people chowing down on fresh fish that they just purchased on the second floor of the fish market where there are many restaurants. We continued to wander around by the ocean, which lead us to the fish market continued. We wondered past ajumma’s selling dead fish and then came to the restaurant area of the outdoor market. Real and plastic restaurants, delicious smells of stewed and fried fish wafting through the air, we were tempted but tentative.
Suddenly Bryan grabbed my arm. An ajumma had stopped him and gave him her pitch. She tried to explain what we could eat and kept saying 60, 60. I said to Bryan, I think the meal will be 60,000 won. He didn’t care and we sat down.
They brought us a stew, side dishes, and then four different large fried fish, whole. We dug into what was one of the best meals of my life. We had to pick and pull the fish apart. Separating the meat from the bones. Each fish was different, so after figuring out one fish we had to start again with the next fish. I was relived to see that ajossi’s sitting next to us had an equally massacred looking plate of leftovers when they were finished. I guess we did ok.
After the meal, we walked up to pay, uncertain how much this feast would set us back. Perhaps we could wash dishes to settle the bill. Man Oh Ship won. He ajossi at the front said. Man oh Ship won. I was trying to translate in my head, isn’t that only....
Bryan handed the man his credit card. Man Oh Ship won. 15,000 won. Fifteen dollars, that included a restaurant bottle of beer** for 3000 won. The ajumma meant 6000 won each. I love Korea.
After the fish fry, we headed back to the beach. This time we followed a boardwalk that goes around the Westen Chosin, a fancy pants hotel on the beach. There are many romantic places for couples to kiss and there is a neat mermaid statue. The path takes you along the coast to some sort of Modern Art Museum, perhaps. It was closed. As we passed the museum, I started to notice that Bryan and I were waling against the generally flow of traffic. We were the only people walking in that direction. Nothing came of it but it was very strange.
Eventually, the path curved back to the beach, I guess we were on a small peninsula. I decided there was one more thing we had to do to make our trip to Busan complete. Saturday evening we had wondered through the pojangmacha, a large area of plastic restaurants serving up assorted raw sea creatures. We wondered through the restaurant, eerily empty, I guess the peak season is in July and August. One, blearily eyed ajumma was able to tear herself away from her TV Drama long enough to give us a smile and an invitation. We stood in front of her tanks, slightly bewildered and finally ordered the small octopus. She gave us a seat and proceeded to fish one live octopus out of her tank. She chopped it up into bit sized bits and set it down in front of us, still wiggling. Using our disposable wooden chopsticks, we pried the octopus off the platter, dipped it in sauce, and put in our mouths, chewing really fast to keep it from sticking to our tongues. The suction cups still worked. The ajumma serving us seemed to appreciate our fearlessness and rewarded us with service**. She fished out an unidentified sea creature**, small and spiky. She cut it in half and spoon-fed us each one bite of the mushy salty insides. It was not delicious. San Nak Ji, the small octopus is not really that tasty either, it is not bad or gross, just kind of lacking in flavour. I guess it is exciting because it is kind of dangerous. Apparently a few people die every year because they don’t chew enough and the suction cups stick to their throats. I suppose that is what happens when you mix soju with San Nak Ji.
This basically brings our Busan adventure to a close. We left the next morning, just enough time to get home, change, and go to our jobs.

*There may or may not have been bed bugs, as small itchy bumps appeared on our skin.
**Restaurant bottles of beer are bigger than regular bottles. They are meant to be shared.
*** When you get free stuff, it is called service. Because we are foreign, we get lots of service. It is one of the few times I don’t hate standing out.
**** I looked it up, she feed us a sea chestnut, which on the menu was 30,000 won. Bryan thinks she may have been a little drunk. Speaking of drunken ajummas, Bryan and I went to a hof late one night a few weeks ago and we were served by two, rather tight ladies. They were so drunk they could barely function. It was hilarious