Dakgalbi (닭갈비)

After hiking on the 7th, Kenny and I ate at Chonnam Back Gate, one of our favorite places to eat. The area is packed with a variety of "traditional Korean restaurants," as well as having some Italian restaurants, cafe's, and even a Mexican restaurant.

One of the best things to get there is the 닭갈비 (Dakgalbi). It's a cheap dish, and very filling, especially when split between only two people! We were starving from the hike, so it was exactly what we needed.

Dakgalbi is a spicy stir-fried chicken dish with a lot of intense flavors. The waitress will bring out a large pan and put it on the table in front of you. It will look something like this:



On the bottom is sliced cabbage and on the top is the chicken, onion, ddeok (rice cake), and spicy sauce (usually a mix of gochujang, red peppers, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, pepper, and sugar). You cook this by swirling it in the pan for about 10-15 minutes. This way, the chicken is cooked, but the cabbage still has a bit of crunch in it. You cook it until it's bubbling away and looks like this:



As you can see, it made a ton of food. However, we were still hungry, and opted to the get Bokumbap (fried rice) for an additional 1,500 Won. After that, we could barely move! If you're ever looking to get a big meal on a small budget, dakgalbi is definitely the way to go (if you like spicy foods)!!

Hiking in November

Last Sunday, Kenny and I went for a hike behind Chonnam National University. It was such a pretty hike, and a lot less crowded than hiking up Mudeungsan! We didn't know where exactly to begin hiking because the number 6 bus dropped us off at Home Plus, a short distance from the mountain. So we just started walking up behind some apartments in the area. We had no problems though, and the hiking was relatively easy, especially since I wasn't even wearing tennis shoes.

It took about an hour to get to the peak, where we enjoyed our snacks (apples and peanuts). The trees were so beautiful, different shades of red, yellow, green, and brown; I wish I could say the same about the view.

It's always hard to tell in Korea if you're seeing pollution, haze, fog, or what exactly the white "stuff" in the sky is. I've heard mixed things, the Koreans always say it's just moisture, but most foreigners know that it's gotta be a mix of pollution and clouds, because it's always there.

Here's some of the pictures. If only it was clearer, you'd be able to see almost the entire city!