Fall weather is perfect for Insa-dong

Fall is the best season of the year, no question. Those two or three weeks where it isn't scorching hot anymore and it hasn't started to be freezing yet are the perfect temperature. You can layer jackets and sweaters nicely, and still go out while enjoying the actual act of being outside. Namita and I lucked out that when we went to Insa-dong, it was one of these weeks. We didn't have to be bundled up in layers and layers of clothing, and we had no need to know precisely where we were going since simply the act of walking to the next potential destination was enjoyable.

Insa-dong is the perfect place for this type of weather: the leaves are changing colors and the neighborhoods, especially closer to Bukcheon, are filled with traditional style buildings and homes. The day we went in particular had a lot of families and high school age kids out, as the week before high school seniors had just taken the college entrance exam. This weekend was therefore their first free weekend in a long time, most likely since they started their senior year. In Korea, the senior year of high school is dedicated entirely to the preparation for the college entrance exam. While students might have taken music or other classes in their previous years, the classes they take senior year are exclusively on what is covered in the exam. This, in addition to the culture of hagwon (after school classes, normally translated as academies) makes it difficult for students to focus on anything other than passing the entrance exam. Therefore, it was refreshing to see the students and families out together that weekend. 

The most popular activity seemed to be eating street food at the vendors that litter the main street in Insa-dong, which are interspersed with various types of traditional craft shops. While we were not in Insa-dong to eat street food, stay tuned for the next installment for when we do eat street food in Namdaemun Shijang. We were more interested in seeing all the traditional craft stores as well as the tea houses. The craft shops specialize in a variety of items including: ceramics, embroidery, paintings, music boxes, and calligraphy materials. My love for all things art was very much alive and beating while looking around, but I managed to have self-restraint (mostly from remembering how I already have to space in my luggage), and left without buying anything. That is not to say that the pieces were not impressive; it is more due to my worry that I will shatter any pottery by cramming it into my bag that I did not buy a full tea set.

It was a much better idea for me to enjoy the ceramics while they were being used at the tea house and be able to couple that with the experience of sitting on a warm ondol floor. Sitting on cushions on a warm floor and sipping tea while chatting with your friend is perhaps the best experience you can have, and if you don't take my word for it, just look around at all the older ladies who are doing the same thing with the friends they have known all their life. The chatter isn't loud like it is when you go to barbecue restaurants in Korea, it a more hushed chatter that feels like an appropriate accompaniment to falling rain or crunching leaves. Even for I who struggle to sit on the floor for long periods of time, due largely to my legs falling asleep, the experience made time seem like it was at a standstill and I could sit forever. If you are looking for a tea to try, jujube is the way to go. It is thicker than you probably expect a tea to be, but the flavor and viscosity is fantastic. It is a bit of a more earthy flavor, rather than fruity, and was oddly similar to something I have eaten before, but could not place. Other teas that would be good are Chinese quince and Sujeonggwa, a Korean specialty cinnamon punch. Sujeonggwa, unlike Chinese quince or jujube tea, is served cold. While this may be a deterrent to some, the amount of cinnamon in the drink will leave your throat feeling just a swarm as a regular hot tea by the end. Make sure to accompany whichever tea you get with the traditional Korean tea snacks (hangwa) which are both somewhat sweet since they are prepared with either grain syrup and sweet rice flour or honey, wheat flour and sesame oil.

Another interesting food to try if you like this somewhat sweet, but not overly sweet in the traditional American way, is the purple sweet potato soft serve at Bora. Bora is a little cafe that is located on the way out of Insa-dong and towards Bukcheon Hanok Village, down a little side street. Bora is the Korean word for purple or violet, which is exactly what this little cafe specializes in. There is a whole range of bora desserts, like crème brûlée and the soft serve. The purple sweet potato soft serve has a light sweetness to it, in a different way to the hangwa, and a subtle sweet potato taste. Maybe there should be more purple sweet potato flavored foods and desserts; it's refreshing in comparison to the normal strawberry or dark chocolate flavors. 

Refreshing doesn't always have to take the shape of food or weather, sometimes it's simply refreshing to see something that you don't normally. That is the feeling that was evoked from seeing the hanok style houses nestled in between yellow and red leaves. While the largest concentration of hanok style houses is perhaps in the hanok village, there are other buildings that share this style that are located in the areas nearby as well. One of these buildings happened to be an art gallery, which was nestled amongst some small houses and shops. I would advocate taking pictures in front of these buildings, as they are businesses and are open for customers to come inside, unlike the hanok houses in Bukcheon which are residences. It was an odd experience for me to witness these historic looking houses crowded with people taking pictures in front of them while knowing there was likely a family inside going about their afternoon. The neighborhood are is pretty, doted with persimmon trees and interesting architectural pieces like a hanok style raising garage door. It is overall a nice area, but if you are interested in quieter, less packed places, walking nearby and seeing the businesses done in the same style are enough. The view, however, from the neighborhood is beautiful and makes you realize how the Korean mountains exist almost exactly how they were painted in Joseon dynasty landscapes.