A Honeymoon in Asia - Wonju

We woke up and left the base in search of breakfast which in Korea and Japan amounts to bakeries and coffee.  In Korea especially breakfast is just the same food from dinner and very few places are open at breakfast time.  We drove to Wonju to Jen's parents house.

pretty sweet that at a lot of the bike racks in Seoul there are installed air pumps 

We looked online for a good place for lunch on the way to Wonju and found Sandang in Yangpyeong.  The chef Im Jihowas called by someone on the internets as the Korean Thomas Keller (of French Laundry fame).  So this was a pricey lunch by Korean standards.  The lady told us later that there was a new chef now.  Food was still good though.

she was a very calm, soft spoken, slow speaking, low volume

tiny crabs under the moon.  You eat them whole.

great idea setting this chestnut on fire, it smokes and cooks them over the course of a few minutes.

and after all those courses (not all shown here), they brought out a main meal which of course includes all the Korean side dishes.  They had some funky side dishes, some of which Jen declined to eat, I try everything once though because I'm not a rude little dude.

they gave us a tea pot to take upstairs and relax in their lounge or whatever you want to call it.  Looks like they have some interesting/weird parties up here.  I described this place as an organic Korean hippie venture but I don't know if the other 3 peeps in our party agreed.

On they way we stopped at the Yoo family golf course, Respia, which is having a bit of a hard time these days and now Jen's dad is tasked with trying to bring it back to life.

at a spot near their house.  Steamed pork belly, Makgeolli

makguksu, a regional variation on naengmyeon, with darker noodles.  I vote for this as the best thing we ate in Korea.  Sure the highbrow expensive lunch was good but this is rib stickin' cheap soul food.

Mul Naengmyeon with those darker noodles.

never seen a pineapple done before.