Seomun Market

So this week, my English Conversation group wanted to help me experience Korean Culture by taking me to a traditional Korean market. In Daegu, this would be Seomun Market. I had already been to Seomun Market before, but was game to see if they could show me something different.

So this is a common sight around shopping areas. Usually you will see street vendors with their goods set up along the walkway, which just makes it really hard to walk. A lot of times, it's usually really old ladies who are selling vegetables from their gardens so they can make some cash to live. Which really makes it hard for me to walk by a rather old lady especially when it's cold without wanting to buying something, but I digress.

So in Seomun Market (서문시장) you can buy anything from fish, to expensive china. One of the things that you can find a lot of is hanboks (한복), the Korean Traditional Dress. Normally worn in Korea on special traditional holidays (like we would wear suits and gowns) but because of their high prices, they are mostly worn by children, especially on the child's first birthday, or by those who are wealthy. Here is a picture of children's hanboks; they run approximately $50, and for the girls comes with a top jacket, skirt, socks, a coin bag, and a headband or cap (The girl's outfit are on the bottom row). The boys get a little hat, you can see it on the first outfit on the 2nd row, a outer jacket and an inner vest, coin bag, and a pair of pants.

As we were all starving, we stopped and had some lunch at one of the food vendors (no McD's here!). I had some sort of noodle dish that I can't remember the name of, that was quite tasty.

James, who was starving, ordered a double, and the lady was so amused she gave him 3 bowls! LOL! He ate 2 1/2 bowls, he had to get Bruce to help in with the third bowl. Then afterwards, the group helped me spend a lot of my money. LOL! I got some great presents and let me tell you, if you need to go shopping, go with some Korean girls, they sure know how to haggle! I got this China set (2 rice bowls and 2 soup bowls) for $32 and I got a free gift of 2 spoon & Chopstick holders.

So here's my English Conversation group. Bruce and James.

Rachel and Amy.

And me and Ji-Hye.