Guilty Pleasures

Today has been a long day. I don't wish 12+ hour workdays on anyone, but it definitely makes me more…blunt, which I could get used to. 

A few hours ago, a colleague was going back and forth about eating some chocolate, claiming that he had gained a few and didn't want to slide down that slippery slope of sugar and deliciousness. 'Everything in moderation. I eat a piece of chocolate almost every day and I have no qualms about it.'  was my response. He stopped, tilted his head, and then asked me what my 'guilty pleasures' are. And then seemed rather taken aback by my response. 

'Guilty pleasures? I have none. I don't like the term. I don't feel guilty about anything that I enjoy.'

And I don't think anyone should, regardless of how "out there" or "abnormal" their pleasures may be. Don't feel guilty about anything that you enjoy doing (as long as you aren't harming others, obviously) because you aren't doing it for anyone but yourself. I resent the fact that I should be made to feel bad or uncomfortable for things that I like.

So here is a friendly reminder: You don't need to justify yourself to anyone.

Until next time x

Edit:

"No one will ever accept anything. I think the goal is to not want anyone's acceptance. The goal is to just do you. You're not gonna tell me who I am. Imma tell you who I am."
- Nicki Minaj

Restaurant Review: Left Coast Artisan Burgers

As an American (but mostly a Californian), I love burgers. I laaahhhvvveee burgers. Unfortunately, Korea is not the place to get a decent, American-style burger. Most of them have been Koreanized, and rightly so because we are in Korea, but Itaewon was my best shot at leaving a burger joint satisfied.

Which is why I felt the need to write about Left Coast Artisan Burgers.

Located near Itaewon Station, Left Coast is on the second floor and has a very casual-cool atmosphere, and no wonder: the restaurant is oozing with California love. It's self seating, and really made us feel immediately comfortable. We grabbed a seat in the corner to people watch, ordered our food and prepared our stomachs for the feast.

So to begin with, we ordered burgers and fries. A classic. Strangely enough (but not-so-strange in Korean dining culture), our menu choices came out piecemeal, with the fries arriving 5-10 minutes before our burgers. That aside, the boyfriend and I still exchanged glances. My first thought: Are these McDonald's fries??? Not that I'm ripping on McDonald's. Their fries are delicious and everyone could use a McMuffin every now and again. But…really? 5,000 won for fries that are comparable to Mickey D's? Not off to a good start.

Now onto the main dishes. The real reason why you came here. THE BURGERS. 

[[ Side note: The last time I went to Left Coast, I got the Green Supreme, (I believe it is still a specialty item and not on the menu), which left something to be desired. It was decent, but forgettable. It's a lot of vegetables, which is what I was looking for, but a bit bland. ]]

John Wayne: Beef patty. Melted cheddar cheese. Bacon. Crispy onion rings. YUM. A solid 7 out of 10, this burger had a delicious patty with just the right amount of crunch. And as I'm sure you know, bacon makes everything taste better.

Okay. I saved the best for last. 

Popeye: TEN. Possibly an eleven, because it was just that good. Beef patty. Carmelized pork (yes, you read that correctly). Grilled onions. All sitting atop a bed of creamed spinach. Disclaimer: I go crazy over spinach. It is ridiculously expensive in Korea, so any chance I have to eat some in a restaurant, I immediately jump on. And, as usual, I made the right decision. While the John Wayne was good, the Popeye was on another level. The staff say that the Juicy Lucy (a patty with melted cheese inside) is their best seller, but I don't think they're pushing this bad boy hard enough. Best burger I've had in Korea: WINNER.

Tip: The Popeye comes with red onions, but change that for grilled onions and you won't be disappointed. In fact, Left Coast will do substitutions on all of their burgers, so go wild. Great customer service for a diverse clientele equals one more reason to check this place out!

And to top it off, the drinks come in cute (and a bit hipster) Mason jars! I got the lemonade, which was definitely on the sweet side, but still delicious. For 5,000 won, I'm not sure if I would get it again, but we had just come down from the Namsan Mountain adventure, so we needed to quench our thirst!

Most (if not all) of the burgers are between 10-15,000 won. With a side or an appetizer and drinks, this will run you and a friend about 40,000 altogether. Not a bad weekend lunch, and I'll definitely be back to try those bao buns!

Namsan Mountain

So, being the terrible foreigner that I seem to be, my first time visiting Namsan Mountain and making the trek up there was yesterday. In my twenty-second month of living in Korea. 

How? A couple reasons. 

One. In Gyeongju, most of the locals wore their hiking gear on a daily basis, whether that was to walk up a mountain or walk to the grocery store. Legit hiking outfits, those walking poles and all. Just strutting their stuff. Which I obviously had no problem with, but it did make me give a few side eyes.

Two. Most of my students 'go mountain climbing' or 'hike mountains' on a weekly basis. Young and old alike. I guess I'm just not buying it? Lost in translation moment? Possibly. 

But seeing as how we had an extra night of sleep and were looking to do non-alcoholic activities, Namsan seemed like the perfect place to get our exercise on before heading into Itaewon for some weekend food. Besides, everybody's doing it. So upwards we went.

Before the journey up, sans sweat

Well, it's definitely a tourist spot. There are buses (both local and tourist) that drop off their persons at the convenience store located about 90% of the way up. At the top, there are some restaurants (and a COLD STONE CREAMERY!), and lots and lots of love locks. And selfies.

Anndd after the whole experience, I'm left feeling a bit meh. Up until the bus area, the walk was nice and mostly not crowded. It's a mixture of paved road/walkways and stairs, and some of the areas are a bit steep. I actually kind of wish that we lived within walking distance of it, because it would make for a great gym alternative on those days where you just want to get outside. 

But the view is nothing to write home about. So much, in fact, that we didn't take any photos of the scenery at the top…because there wasn't any. You can see the Seoul skyline, but unless you go at night and pay the 15,000 won to go to the top of the tower (and I'm not even sure if that's worth it), it's just a lot of buildings and a lot of grey.

Exercise: YES.
View: N/A.

2 for 2, baby.

American Cookies!

To celebrate this glorious three day weekend, I used the oven that has not been touched since Mother Earth decided that Seoul needed all the humidity she could offer.

On that note, bring on the cinnamon, because these babies are my all-time faves. Say hello to my little (massive) snicker doodles!!

Thirty.

Because it's now "official", I can finally share the news publicly.

After going back and forth and mulling over the decision 'should we stay or should we go?', the boyfriend and I have decided to leave Korea. …again.

We have thirty workdays left before we finish our contracts at Pagoda and (hopefully) spend as little time as possible starting our daily commute before the sun comes up. Here's to wishful thinking!

On that note, I have come up with a goal. Over the past few months, there have been a lot of ups and downs that I haven't wanted to share through social media, and it's hindered my blogging abilities. Personal relationship lows don't really belong on a public blog (my public blog, anyway). So because I now have a very limited time left in the ROK, I've promised myself that I will write a blog post for every workday that I have left. There's no theme, and it's definitely not Korea-specific.

Here's to new beginnings!