Welcome to Korea

My first day out in Korea was marked by the smells first and foremost. They seemed to drift out from every store front, off the table tops of street vendor carts, and from the sewer unfortunately. But I didn't mind the difference between here and home. After all, this is the city and a different country. So with an open mind I decided to simply focus on the first two.
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And that is how I wound up stumbling upon yakumandu. This wonderful little dumpling snack is filled with some meat, rice, and bean sprouts before being fried. The beautiful crescent dumplings were excellent on their own but were amazing dipped in the soy sauce the vendor provided.
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Best of all was the fact that the snack was 8 dumplings only cost 3,000 Won. So it was cheap but still hit the spot when it came to my adventurous taste-buds.
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This snack led me to the market. And the market has all the fixings I will be using in the days to come. There were fish, squid, crabs, clams, poultry, beef, lamb, and eels. On top of this was the offerings of wonderful veggies and fruits of all sorts. Finally the spices and mushrooms topped off the market offerings to tantalize my imagination.
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So with my feet sore and my stomach emptied... I decided to plop down at a local eatery.
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Gogigui is the greatest way of dining ever made in my opinion. This Korean dining experience was a check mark on my bucket list. It is defined by the grill embedded in the center of the table. The meat is brought to the table raw and is then cooked right in front of you. While you wait for the meat to cook the sides are available to eat.
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Bean paste, soy sauce, and kimchi mix with the banchan to make a meal in and of themselves. Rice here is sticky so it is easy to eat with the steel chopsticks Koreans use. And all of this can be put on a leaf of lettuce to make what we have been calling "Korean Tacos".
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All and all, I am loving Korea. And this is just the start of a new chapter of foodie adventures for me and you the reader.