In a last ditch effort as my final weekends dwindle away, I got out and finally did some 'touristy' things. A fun souvenir shopping trip to Insadong resulted in a lovely tea party at O'Sulloc Tea House, upstairs in the O'Sulloc tea shop. I've been to O'Sulloc several times over the past year. If you are looking for high quality, high flavor loose leaf tea, look no further than here. Their infinite varieties are unbeatable in Korea and they pride themselves on the fact that they are 'locally' grown and picked on Jeju Island.
The tea house upstairs was humbling, dark, quiet and peaceful - an almost impossible moment of peace from the bustle and jam packed crowds on the cobblestone street below. Oldies by the Beatles and others played quietly on a Haegeum - a traditional Korean string instrument played with a bow, allowing us to hum and sing along to familiar songs. The tea service was beautiful and the tea, delicious. We each received our own tray and set, which we realized after were sold in the shop below for W400 000 (that's about 400 Canadian folks - good thing we didn't break anything!) The tea cakes here are superb - I recommend for everyone to try the Earl Grey tea Cake if you find yourself here. I will in fact, make the bold claim that it will probably be one of the best desserts you can find in Seoul.
The following day, we went to a cafe of a different tradition. The Hello Kitty Cafe in Hongdae had been on my 'to-do' list since arriving in Seoul. This place, can only be described as the exact opposite of O'Sulloc tea house. It was loud, jam packed with people (we were the only one's in O'Sulloc for most of our tea) and the bright obnoxious pink walls were a stark contrast to the black and grey of the day before. This place is a novelty, everyone here brings a camera to take photos of themselves in this cult phenomenon and of course to take photos of their Hello Kitty drinks. How do they get the face on there?
If you come here, be patient and don't expect good service. I feel like the people working here hold up to a stereotype I would typically give to someone brave enough to work here - ditsy. Our service buzzer went off four times before we actually ended up getting all our drinks and meal. That was 4 trips up a narrow winding staircase to our table, with hot drinks and food. The coffee was alright. You don't pay for a quality, tasty drink when you come here, you pay for Hello Kitty's face in the foam. We tried an onion and cheese bread and true to Korea, was tasty until you reached the sweet coating. Note to Korea: PLEASE STOP MAKING SWEET BREAD. NO ONE LIKES IT. The French fried onions on the top however were a welcome taste of home I had missed. Going to buy a can of the French's ones when I get back to Canada!
The entire weekend got me thinking about how things that are so inherently similar in concept can be so different here. These two touristy beverage adventures couldn't be more different from one another. Both are in themselves 'Korean,' as Korea prides itself for both its Jeju teas, its love for the finer things in life, and it's devotion to Hello Kitty, pink, and all things cutesy. If there is one thing I have learned in Korea this year, it is to expect the unexpected.
Cheers for now,
Sarah
