Not too long ago, in a place not too far away, I was joined by a few friends for a hop around Seoul restaurants and neighborhoods to try as many different types of food as possible in as short a period of time as possible.  Eat, move, set a screen, sleep, drive left, drive right, eat, drink, repeat several times a day.

The results are included below, a short blog and a short pictorial with some professional pictures taken by the stellar Sunil, who's incredible photos can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sthambid/.   Bombastic:  and that's guaranteed.

Get up early & get your ass in gear.  Shot from the Park  Hyatt near COEX.

Decadent waffles at Coffee Factory in Samcheongdong-- not the healthiest way to start your day, but damn its good!

Now hungry for greens, hit a colorful collection of monster greens from Butterfinger Pancakes with an ice-cold glass of OJ.

First snack stop:  Big Al crushes a freaking ddokbokki on a stick from your friendly neighborhood street vendor/pojangmaja!

What's lunch time Korea without a bubbling, boiling broth caressed with red peppers, stabilized with chunks of mouth-watering, hand-made tofu and garnished with stems of fresh, spring onions.  "Oh, jjigae, sweet jjigae, my heart beats only for youuuuuu..."  C'mon, you know the words.

Next snack stop:  the delectable vegetarian bindaedokk!  That golden crust, those crunchy, flavorful diced veggies, flash fried in a light oil and served with fresh kimchi!  Nap time, come to me....come to me!

If the scent of marbled, bbq strips of pork grilled with pine mushrooms and garlic doesn't snap you out of your slumber, nothing will.   Watch the fat shrivel as you grill the sam/oh-kyop-sal table side, providing a tender marinade to the pork.  Forget the smokey, high fire nonsense, appreciate the meat in its purest state!  

Don't you dare consider pork without a brewski and at least a sniff of soju.  Our friends below take it to the next level in this three step process for Tuesday night bombardment with a special treat called "so-mek!"

Step 1:  Fill the empty beer glasses with a half-shot of soju.  That's, so-ju, with a "so".

Step 2:  Pour half a glass of beer, aka mekju, into the glass.  That's mek-ju, with a "mek" aka ice-cold BREWSKI.  

Now cheers your dining mates and hey, why not those sitting around you with a massive "GAMBEI YIPPEE KAI AYE!" and slam your drink in one shot!    Can you feel that warm tingle already?  Steady...

Step 3:  Impress your friends and wow your dates with this next creative dance step, also known as the "Pain before Happiness."  A double shot of cola and soju in the glass, with a froth filled beer poured on top!  They say you can't appreciate love until you've known hate...

Well, don't lose that buzz now.  Time for an expertly made dirty martini at a hidden spot in Jongro, Seoul  I'd tell you where it is, but then I'd walk in this weekend and see you sitting there with that big grin of yours slapped across your face and it wouldn't quite be a hidden spot anymore, now would it?

But wait, no night is complete without a big plate of sliced pig's leg and feet!  Jjokbal is served along side sliced garlic and spicy green peppers, this dish also comes with a side dish of salty shrimp brine and soy for dipping.  Located in the Dongguk University area (diagonal from the school off of line 3, continue down the main road East and just pick a spot to eat!

Man, I'm hungry.  Anyone else got a favorite food to show your visitors from outside of Korea?

Many thanks again to Big Al & Sunil...

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