Eating streetfood with the locals@ Gwangjang Shijang

I searched the internet for a wet market in my area where I can buy fresh fish, meat and vegetables cheaper than frozen ones in the supermarket. I stumbled upon Gwangjang Market. The problem is I suck at reading maps and still get confused following subway exit signs. Nonetheless, I just might try going to Gwangjang Market on foot one of these days. 

Last weekend Mannie and I took a long stroll over at Chonggyecheon Stream. We got so hungry afterwards we hurriedly looked for a place to grab a bite. After walking further downtown, we came across an alley jam-packed with food stalls and lots of people. This must be a pretty popular place I thought. There were mostly men engaged in animated talk over bottles of their favorite alcoholic drink. 

We went with the flow of the crowd and were lucky to find empty seats that two locals just left. The stalls have a wide array of food from which to choose. We ordered what looked palatable and easy to eat. 

I asked a couple seated next to us where we were. They said we were in Gwangjang. Great! So we discovered Gwangjang Market by chance. It was not difficult to find after all, just follow the Chonggyecheon stream towards Dongdaemun. It's right next to Jongno 5-ga, subway line 1, exits 7 and 8. 

The middle picture shows a food stall selling bindaetteok, a pancake made from ground mung beans, one the best-selling snacks in Gwangjang Shijang.

Get ready to be served by the star of the food stall they fondly refer to as ajumma.

With more than 5,000 stores selling a variety of items, it's a bustling market with a long history that dates back to 1905.   

Gwangjang Market is known for a lot of products, mainly fabrics, handicrafts and other household goods. Besides shopping, the novelty of the place is the food and the fun that come along with it - jostling for space on a bench, eating traditional street food and having a cheek-by-jowl encounter with "real" Koreans.

I am not very picky with food but I get squeamish with animal innards and blood. There are plenty of stuff in there probably worthy to land an episode in Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern - sondae, sausage made of cow or pig intestines stuffed with blood and other ingredients, jokbal, pig's feet cooked with soy sauce and spices, dakbal, chicken feet in fiery red pepper sauce, nakji, stir fried octopus, etc. Though I must say I really love kimchi and other spicy eats. 

Interesting and flavorful experience but not for the faint of heart

What we had for dinner was good except that it was greasy. Well almost if not all the food are greasy, that is why we had to wash it down with makgeolli, Korean rice wine traditionally gulped down from a bowl. 

The dish we ate is called jeon, a pancake-like dish made with various ingredients such as sliced meats, seafood and vegetables mixed with flour and egg batter then pan-fried with oil. There is a certain awesomeness to it when eaten with soy, onion and chilli dip and matched with makgeolli.

The best place to shop for affordable silk and hanbok, Korean traditional clothing.

So that was my fun experience at Gwangjang Market. I totally enjoyed myself. I wished we had taken more pictures if only it were not as crowded. Check out this interesting place for that unique shopping and food tripping adventure in Seoul. 

The closest we ever got to experiencing genuine Korean culture was at Gwangjang Shiju - a place where locals and visitors seek cheap tasty food or simply a place to hangout and unwind after a day's work. Seen here with new Korean friends I met in Gwangjang, Jin and Stella.