Going Gaga in Gangnam

After a couple weekends spent on Survivor, Amazing Race, Bill Murray Marathons and Crazy Eight Countdown, my body signaled it was ready to go out and about again.  With a forecast of rain, the general consesus was to have a mostly indoor adventure.  After consulting movie theater schedules, my Korean Guide Book and the subway map, Gangnam seemed to be the best option.

Courtesy of Mongdori's Korean Movie Theater Guide and Showtimes (http://www.mongdori.com/movies/)

So, on today's to-do list:

*Red Mango brunch (check!)

*look for casual, yet work-appropriate tops (check! 2 shirts for 33,000 won and found a bomber-style Spring coat for Paul)

*head to Gangnam looking for the nearest Cafe Bene because of its delicious assortment of gelato and excellent people-watching opportunities (check!)

I opted for the delectable chocolate gelato, and Paul chose vanilla because,well, he is vanilla.

The view from 2F Cafe Bene --reminded me of a typical New York Street, including the larger-than-life build board.

*investigate the UNI QLO store that looks like the Korean equivalent of the GAP (aborted this mission for the greater good --buying tickets for everyone ahead of time)

*meet up with Hilary, Andrea and Chantelle at a previously planned location in COEX mall (check!)

*nom-nom New York Fries (check, as a snack! Then added a Chicken Ceasar salad and 100%, freshly-squeezed orange juice from KRAZE burger)

Kraze Burger's decor is much like a diner, but about one-sixth the size, as all Korean versions tend to be.  This picture was taken at closing time, or else you would see it packed with mall-goers, including our group of five play fighting with burger swords and trying to mow down the largest onions rings I've ever seen.

My yummy salad, brought to the table with five small plates and tongs.  Most meals in Korea are shared, but no one was getting their hands on my salad.  Also, the orange juice was supa fresh and perfectly thirst-quenching.

*sit down to This Means War and enjoy some brown-bagged theater treats --like the Gummy Bears that have been separated from their 6lbs of brother and sisters back at my place, courtesy of Costco-- (check! Good laughs, stunts, and not overly gushy in the romance department --great movie.)

**wear my newly purchased coral-coloured skinnies from Forever 21 (check --bring on Spring!)

Don't Try This At Home

After a severe craving for popcorn and a lack of microwave, Chantelle, Jason and I decided to try making stove-top popcorn with the limited materials we found in Jason's Korean kitchen.  Needless to say, it didn't end well.  Now that everyone is safe, it can hopefully serve as a hilarious anecdote of what not to do.

How to (almost) burn your apartment down on a Tuesday night...

Step 1: Pick the shoddiest pot you can find. In this case, Jason's ghetto pot-pan hybrid.

Step 2: Place pot-pan on burner and fill with 3 tbs of olive oil.

Step 3: Use another pot as a lid, creating a double-decker death trap.  Ensure the heat is on too high.

Dear Jason, please invest in a lid for your pots and pans soon.  With love, common sense.

Step 4: Test with three kernels, which consequently burn immediately.

Step 5: Ignore the signs of danger.

Step 6: Remove the pot as it catches fire and panic as you run it out the door.

Note the blurriness of the photo.  It really illustrates how much of a "mad dash" was made in panic mode.

Step 7: Decide that putting out the fire with tap water is the best option, even after an onlooker (Chantelle) warns you that "you're not supposed to add water to an oil fire... I think".

Step 8: Turn your back and sprint towards the bathroom (three paces away) while the fiery explosion engulfs the kitchen.

Step 9: Check your eyebrows and arm hair to ensure you haven't suffered any major damages.

Step 10: Breath, laugh while you replay the life that just flashed before your eyes and be happy you didn't just lose the deposit on your apartment.

Movie Matinee

Today I had my fourth movie-going experience in Korea and, as per usual, it was fantastic!  Feeling inspired by David Letterman's list making ways, here are my top ten reasons for loving Korean movie theaters.

10. Getting to ride an escalator up to the movie theatre floors from the concession stand --like Rainbow Theater in London, ON.

9.  Being able to bring in would-be contraband goodies without scoffing from movie theater employees; in fact they have vending machines stationed just outside of the theaters.

8. Visiting the nearby arcades before and/or after the movie.

7.  Having a chance to see a movie after hearing reviews from home since English movies often have a later release date here.

6.  Sipping pop through a straw in the "couples" pop lid which has two separate straw holes on different sides of the lid.

5.  The hook on the back of the chair in front of you, so that you may hang up you purse or man-bag with ease.

4. Relaxing in the most comfy movie theatre chairs I have ever sat in.

3. Not having to deal with noisy movie-watchers coincidently placed right behind you or extraordinarily tall people right infront of you.  Koreans aren't known for either of these traits.

2. The delicious "sweet popcorn ". They Unlike theatres at home, they cook the popcorn which particular flavours (original,  sweet, cheese and onion) rather than using popcorn shakers after its popped.

This is our large tub of popcorn, which is equipped with a divider so I can have my sweet popcorn without impeding Paul's desire to have original.

... and the number one reason I love going to movies in Korea...

1.  Reserving your seat when you buy your movie ticket, much like when we buy tickets for theatre productions at home. That's right,  you pick your seats ahead of time allowing you to walk in two seconds before the movie and get your favourite spot for movie-watching.

High Tech Security

Chantelle, Jason, Paul and I just made our way to I-Park Mall/Techno Mart at the Sinyongsan subway stop. With the unexpected beautiful weather (after yesterday's downpour)  we went looking for a place to dump our coats. The lockers, strategically placed beside the Children's Playroom, turned out to be far more advanced than the usual turn-key lockers you find in most malls.

 While still only costing 1,500 won for a locker of substantial size, this locker required a finger print for a highly sophisticated locking method. Good thing four people were wanting to use this locker because it took one person to read the instructions, one person to hold their fingerprint down, one person to feed the coins into the slot and one to take the picture. Now Paul holds the key to our jackets in the tip of his finger.

How many foreigners does it take to lock a Korean locker? At least four.

See if you can make sense of this.

Red Mango Brunch

Less than five minutes from my apartment there is a shopping centre called New Core Department store. Kim's Club, the aforementioned grocery store I usually go to, is in the basement of New Core, but on the 6th floor there are a handful of restaurants.  My first evening in Korea, my boss took me to a restaurant here to experience my first true flavour of Korean food.

While he had walked me around this floor to see my options I had been most intrigued by the waffle place, Red Mango, but I wasn't about to request dessert for dinner from my new employer. Since that night I have wanted to visit Red Mango for a post-dinner delight or a mid-morning treat but it just hasn't happened yet... until today.

The front counter of Red Mango, dedicated to fresh fruits and organic juices.

I am now sitting in Red Mango salivating for the arrival of my Banana Pecan waffle.  It's been about 10 minutes since we've ordered and we're the only two customers at this time (a rarity in Korea), so they must be making these waffles fresh.

Banana Pecan Caramel Waffle, with a special guest appearance by cherry.

...and the verdict is: yum! Over the past six months I had built up high expectations for a delicious brunch and this waffle, if anything, has surpassed my expectations. Mmmmmm!