8/6/2019 Philly Inquirer: SIzzling Seoul, 1st page

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The Inquirer

Getting in the know before you go

SEOULBy Matthew Crompton

FOR THE INQUIRER

SEOUL, South Korea I havemade it a general rule in life toavoid eating anything that fightsback. Nonetheless, here at Nory-angjin fish market, the dish before

me fully alive only moments before isstill squirming.

Chew vigorously, my friend Nick advis-es me, as I seize a particularly ambitiouspiece ofsannakji a freshly dismemberedbit of raw octopus tentacle between themetal blades of my chopsticks, dredge itthrough a small dish of sesame oil, and popit, writhing, into my mouth.

I mean, I like the flavor, he muses, as apeculiar sucking sensation takes hold of my

tongue and cheek. But its the feeling of itgripping as it goes down that Ive reallycome to love.

I shoot him a look and swallow hard,feeling the unmasticated suction cups working theirway down my esophagus.

This is Seoul. The sprawling South Korean capitalregion, almost destroyed during the Korean War, now ishome to nearly 25 million people, all living, working,and playing as they have since the cease-fire thatended the conflict in 1953 within artillery range of a

volatile North Korea. Still, that hasnt stopped the city,dubbed The Miracle on the Han River for its meteoricrise from war-ravaged poverty to global business domi-nance, from thriving in the shadow of the gun.

Like my vigorous octopus snack, its an offeringyouve probably heard little about, but one that holds

See SEOUL on N6

Senior TravelerBy Sally and John Macdonald

Sizzling

A vendor prepares bindaetteok, a savory mung-bean pancake,at one of Seouls night market stalls.

Dynamic Korea: A b-boy competition in July at Olympic Hall in Seoul.

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MATTHEW CROMPTON

View of the Seoul cityscape. The region, home to nearly 25 million people, is within artillery range of volatile North Korea. That hasnt stopped its meteoric rise from war-ravaged poverty.

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Sunday, June 5, 2011 # Section N A