My second teaser arrives and I have no idea what it is. The tiny dish in front of me apparently contains an open-face turnover.
March 13, 2009
I witness eight people struggling to maneuver an almost life-size paper elephant down the stairs of the Itaewon metro station in Seoul. It sounds like the setup for a punch line.
Where are they going? Downtown for the Lotus Lantern Parade, where they will be joined by dozens of large-scale hanji lantern-floats along with 100,000 individual paper lanterns. My anticipation begins to build.
In the meantime, there’s much to see. There are traditional lanterns on display at Bongeunsa temple along with vegetarian temple fare and tea.
One of my favorite places to pass the time in Seoul is Insadong, where, at a leisurely pace, I can peruse traditional to cutting edge contemporary galleries, while consuming too many cups of nokcha (Korean green tea). If you can get your hands on Ujeon grade, spare no expense.
The parade is the culmination of the Lotus Lantern festival celebrating the birth of the Buddha; the construction of such lanterns dates to the Silla kingdom (BC 57 - AD 935), one of the ancient founding dynasties of Korea.
Before the parade begins, I recommend a visit to the Buddhist street festival in front of Jogyesa temple. I try to make my own lantern, which becomes at twilight one in a sea of pink, yellow, and orange will-o-the-wisps, adding to the delightfully colorful profusion of dragons, phoenixes, pagodas, lotuses, and images of the Buddha, all wondrously lit from within.
This parade of light is spectacular. I marvel at the gently glowing procession that passes before me, appreciating the ironic juxtaposition of Buddhist monks bearing traditional lanterns against the backdrop of global trademarks and Seoul’s high-end designer boutiques.
What better symbols of the intriguing complexities of contemporary Korea?
still thinking about today...
Like Billy Joel sang, I guess its really is "all about Seoul".
Seoul food, in my experience, will practically leap off the plate and smack you around with all its pungency.