Sunday, September 7, 2008

Dongdaemun & Namdaemun...Chaos by any other name.

These markets opened in 1414 and sell everything you can think of to retailers. The markets open in the evening and stay up all night. They attract buyers from all over Asia who come here to stock places like the Christmas Tree Shops.

"Man-Hell" This is a city block of nothing but shoes.

Can't find the brand that you want? Don't worry, this store sells nothing but designer labels for you to sew into whatever it is that you want to list on eBay.

This shop was colorful. Nothing else special about it. Just made for a good photo.

You can't see it but the food on display at this stand consisted primarily of sea creatures with tentacles...and they were served raw and somewhat alive. We'll probably be giving that a shot sometime next week. Note: Don't drink too much soju when eating the octopus. People have been known to have a few drinks, forget to chew completely, and the tentacles hang on for dear life in the esophagus causing the diner to choke to death. Yes, this really does happen.

If cephalopods aren't your style, you can visit this sweet lady who is hawking silk worm larvae in ice cream cones. NYC hotdogs have never sounded so hygenic and appetizing.

2 comments:

Richele said...

We're in!

For the eB.ay.

The silk worm larvae?

Not so much.

Karyn said...

Diet jam jam?
How about Diet Diva - I can't think of many things I want to eat less than semi-alive octopus and silkworm larvae. Faced with a culture who hawks this stuff as actually edible and desirable, I think I'd be a diet success story in a few months.

The fake labels don't do anything for my appetite either, but the market itself - especially Man Hell, sorry - look wonderful.

Maybe I could get a coffee flake and just take it there to eat while I walk arond and try not to gag.

it's my choice now

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