Korea Trip 2022: Seeing and Eating in Incheon, Part I
Most of my extended family lives in Incheon, so I’ve spent most of my time in the city during my designated “family time” period. The purpose is to spend time with my family and really get to know them after 13 years of minimal contact. While a lot of that time is spent indoors, I do get to head outdoors once in a while to see what’s around, sometimes accompanied and sometimes by myself. This is a summary of the places I’ve been to here in Incheon.
Chuseok
After spending a week in Seoul, I left the city in time for Chuseok, which was on September 10 this year. I spent the morning with my mother’s side of the family and then the afternoon with my father’s side. As a celebration of the autumn harvest, Koreans gather from across the country at their ancestral hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors and share a feast of traditional Korean food.
For my mother’s side of the family, my cousins - most of whom I had met the day before - arrived at my 외할머니 (maternal grandmother)’s home, and my uncle and one of my cousins helped set up a memorial for my late grandfather and bowed deeply before it. Afterward, we enjoyed a breakfast that consisted of various 전 (jeon - fritters), beef soup, marinated raw crab, 간장새우장 (marinated raw shrimp), and a whole pan-fried fish. A group of us then got on the subway at 임학역 인천1호선 (Imhak Station - Incheon Line 1) | Naver link and exited at 부평삼거리역 인천1호선 (Bupyeong Samgeori Station - Incheon Line 1) | Naver link to head to 인천가족공원 승화원 (Incheon Family Park Seunghwawon) | Naver link, where my grandmother, my oldest aunt, and her husband lay at rest. There, we paid our respects, and my uncle performed 벌초 (beolcho), which involves tidying the grave by removing weeds. Afterward, we hurriedly took the subway back to my grandmother’s place, as one of my uncles (and his wife) from my father’s side was waiting to pick me up and head over to my paternal grandmother’s home.
At my 친할머니 (paternal grandmother)’s place, I spent my first moments greeting and meeting my grandmother, my uncle, and their families. The last time I had met my 큰삼촌 (older uncle) and his family was back in 2010, when they visited us in the U.S. right after I finished my freshman year of college. As for my grandmother, 막내삼촌 (younger uncle), and his family, I last saw them during my previous visit in 2009. After we settled down, I set up a video call with my family back in the U.S. so we could speak with them, and then we had a lunch consisting of mostly similar dishes that I had during breakfast. My younger uncle and his family still had the wife’s side of the family to see, so they had to leave not long after. Before they left, I took the family outside so we could take some family portraits. The rest of us kept my grandmother company for another hour or two before we too had to depart.
청라호수공원 (Cheongna Lake Park) | Naver link
I had shared my trip itinerary with my older uncle when I arrived in Korea, and he knew that the Cheongna Lake Park was one place in Incheon I wanted to visit, so the day after Chuseok, his family took me there. The park, located near 청라국제도시 (Cheongna International City), a development project, takes up quite an impressive amount of space, and it’s not quite complete yet; the park’s center island was walled off, with advertisements proclaiming what is to come. Still, the park itself is very pretty thanks to its well maintained gardens, and I would definitely come here to run almost every day if I were to live here. There’s also a good number of sculptures worth taking photos in front of, not to mention plenty of rest areas that offer shade.
Near the center of the park is a stream that runs for several blocks, similar to Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon. What does set this one apart from the Cheonggyecheon is that there are sculptures and plenty of businesses located just along the stream. We stopped at 수엔 (Sooaen) | Naver link, a coffee shop as well as a soap shop so I could treat my uncle’s family to some drinks. As our owner made our drinks, I asked him if he made the soaps himself, and he said he does. While we waited for the drinks, we admired the soaps that were on display and for sale, and I was very impressed with the level of craftsmanship that went into them. We were satisfied with the drinks we got, and we decided not to go all the way down the stream, since we had to get lunch. We ended up crossing a bridge to the other side of the stream as we went back, and my uncle noted that the reason why a lot of businesses weren’t open yet is because they were waiting on the development to make more progress, which would then increase visitors to the area.
선식당 (Seon Restaurant) | Naver link
After we left Cheongna Lake Park, my cousin used 네이버 (Naver) - which, to put it simply, pretty much acts as Korea’s Google and Yelp - to locate well reviewed restaurants in the area, and that’s how we made our way to Seon Restaurant. From looking at the menu, this fusion restaurant offered Italian, American, Japanese, and Chinese-style dishes; while such variety would normally make me pause, I generally thought the dishes were good. Firstly, the portions here are very generous; we ordered three dishes for a group of four, and we barely finished them. The 그릴 스테이크 샐러드 (grilled steak salad) was fresh and offered a good mix of sweet from the blueberries as well as acid from the dressing. The sliced and crushed nuts brought a nice textural contrast to the dish, and when I wanted richness, I helped myself to ricotta cheese. The 꿔바로우 (guobaorou - crispy sweet and sour pork) tasted similar to 탕수육 (pork with sweet and sour sauce), but there were more flavors going on thanks to the nuts and chopped fresh vegetables. While I liked that there were plenty of vegetables in the 미소라멘 (miso ramen), it was too spicy for my group - though it was partly our fault for requesting that it be spicy. The noodles were nicely cooked, and while I could enjoy the broth in small sips, we couldn’t finish the bowl.
계양산전통시장 (Gyeyangsan Traditional Market) | Naver link
One of my most vivid memories from the last time I visited Korea were from visiting this market, located just a couple blocks away from my maternal grandmother’s home. I recall getting popsicles from a general store located here, as well as seeing live leopard sharks in a fishmonger’s tank. I also remember seeing an old woman, hunched over and selling 깻잎 (perilla leaves), and feeling sad that no one had bought her leaves yet. Walking through the market again over a decade later, I saw two general stores, but I couldn’t remember if one was the store I used to buy the popsicles from. There are several fishmongers here, but none of them were selling sharks. I didn’t physically see that old woman this time, but I did see her in some of the older female vendors selling only a couple types of vegetables. I also saw that there were more vendors selling fried chicken, 족발 (jokbal - pig’s trotters), and kalguksu. The first time I came here accompanied by my aunt, and we visited a couple vendors selling clothes since she wanted to get some for my mother. The second time I came here, I couldn’t help but order a 핫도그 (corn dog) from 옛날수제도너츠 (Long Ago Handmade Donuts) | Naver link for ₩1,000 (estimated $0.73). The vendor asked if I wanted sugar on it, and I requested that he only put a little on it. It certainly wasn’t the best corn dog I’ve had, but it was decent considering the price.
고성산 (Goseongsan) | Naver link
My maternal grandmother’s home is located near a pretty well known mountain in Seoul called 계양산 (Gyeyangsan), and while I knew I didn’t want to hike it yet (I wanted to do so with my uncle from my mom’s side of the family), I knew that there were a couple of trails that lead up to smaller mountains - one of which is Goseongsan. From Gyeyangsan Traditional Market, it’s less than a 10-minute walk to one of the trail entrances, and the walk there offers plenty to look at, from traditional architecture to even squash growing on fences. For those who love to take street photography, there are a lot of things to take photos of.
The trail entrance I went to has a sign above it with the words 계양산치유의숲 (Gyeyangsan Healing Forest) | Naver link. Not even a minute passed after I first set foot on the trail when I saw tons of chestnut husks littered across the ground, and I was suddenly taken back to the memory of adolescent me accompanying my 외할아버지 (maternal grandfather) to the mountains to gather chestnuts. At one point, he had climbed a tree to get at them, and left me on the ground only for me to be swarmed by mosquitoes. I had bawled and called out to him for help as I was being bitten, but he was just focused on getting those damn chestnuts. Needless to say, my mother and grandmother weren’t pleased when we came home, and I remember them scolding him for his lack of responsibility. Over two decades later, in this forest, I could look back at that incident with some sense of appreciation, and I deeply breathed in the rich air. I trekked my way up a series of stairs until the trail plateaued, and as I started to walk at a decline, I knew I had reached the top of Goseong Mountain - in all, a fairly easy hike, with some pretty neat views of Incheon through the trees. I took some time to rest at a pavilion, and after checking out a nearby bridge, I quickened my pace when I felt raindrops starting to fall. The hike down is effortless, and a portion of it takes place across a series of wooden switchbacks. I made my way down to 임학공원 (Imhak Park) | Naver link, which seemed primarily to be a place for older Koreans to hang out at. I did stop at a stall where you can shoot out compressed air onto your shoes to get dust and dirt off, and then I hurried back to my grandmother’s home.
59쌀피자 임학점 (59 Rice Pizza Imhak Branch) | Naver link
My maternal grandmother is a bit picky when it comes to eating food at her age, but she does like pizza - so long as it’s made with rice flour. My uncle, who lives with her but was at work one day, would normally order a 불새피자 (half bulgogi and half shrimp pizza) for them, and my grandmother recommended that I get the same thing. The local branch for this pizza restaurant - a seemingly nationwide chain - is located between my grandmother’s place and Gyeyang Mountain Jeontong Traditional Market. The pizza cost ₩17,900 ($12.95), and it took less than 15 minutes for the owner to make. While this pizza didn’t have the 고구마 (sweet potato)-filled crust that Korean pizza is well known for, it did taste pretty good and felt light. It also came with a side of sweet pickles, which complemented the pizza well. Between the two sets of toppings, the bulgogi is better than the shrimp because the flavors come better together. Because the pizza was light, it didn’t sit heavy in the gut afterward, which I appreciated.
아라마루 (Aramaru) | Naver link
While I was staying with my older uncle from my father’s side of the family, he asked if I wanted to go visit Aramaru. I had no idea what this was, but if it meant sightseeing, I was in. He, his wife, and I drove over to this place I had never even heard of, and it turned out to be a circular bridge overlooking a canal. When it started to get dark, it would light up with constantly changing colors, and a part of the bridge is just glass, which meant that you could stand and look down at the path running by the canal. We came right at dusk, and we caught the sun’s remaining rays turning the horizon into lovely shades of crimson red and orange. Needless to say, I found the place pretty dope, and I spent a good amount of time taking photos of the bridge against the darkening surroundings. There’s also a building next to the bridge, and the first floor has a convenience store. The day when we went was fairly hot, so we bought some popsicles and ice cream to cool down.
While we were getting our cold treats, my uncle and his wife saw that the waterfall was closing in about 10 minutes, so after we bought them, we rushed over to a path leading down to the waterfall, eating as we went. Considering that it was pretty dark at that point, it was sort of a miracle that none of us tripped and fell. I had wondered what was the point of seeing the waterfall at night, but that thought was silenced when we arrived at the top layer of the waterfall, which was illuminated by a light system and - like the bridge - constantly changed colors. My uncle and his wife had hoped we could continue down the path that would descend toward the bottom of the waterfall, but alas, it was closing time, and staff had already roped off the path. As we started to head back, the waterfall started subsiding. I realized then that this was not a natural waterfall! Not that it made it any less cool, in my opinion. My companions rued that I didn’t get the chance to see the waterfall in its entirety (they had been here before, except earlier in the day), but I told them that I was very pleased with what I witnessed. On our way back to the car, we encountered a man playing a saxophone to old Korean songs before an audience. Judging by a nearby van that advertised a band, I guessed he was a part of it. My uncle even recognized the song the man was playing to. We listened to him play for a moment before calling it a night.
오봉집 검단점 (Obongjip Geomdan Branch) | Naver link
My older uncle and his wife (again, from my father’s side) asked me what I was in the mood for lunch one day, and I said I was happy with just about anything so long as they were happy with it. They presented me with some options and said all were within walking distance, so from those choices, I went with 낙지 (minor octopus). We trekked over to this restaurant - which is a chain - and ordered the 오봉스페셜 (Obong Special), which includes 직화낙지볶음 (direct fire stir-fried minor octopus), 보쌈 (bossam - boiled pork), and 막국수 (buckwheat noodles). My uncle didn’t think this would be enough for our group of five, so he also ordered a 바지락칼국수 (clam kalguksu). All of the dishes were excellent. The bossam was cooked very well, and when put together with kimchi, radish, raw garlic, salted baby shrimp, and ssamjang and wrapped with perilla leaf? That’s heaven in a mouthful. We took the stir-fried octopus and mixed it with rice, and the spicy marinade made each bite absolutely delicious. Surprisingly, the best dish was the buckwheat noodles, and I think it was because of the chili sauce - when mixed together with the egg, seaweed, and chopped vegetables, the whole thing tasted so refreshing. The clams in the kalguksu (which pretty much came out in a damn vat) were addicting, as was the broth, and the noodles were so supple. Our group was just stuffed when we left the restaurant.
컴포즈커피 인천검단금호점 (Compose Coffee - Incheon Geomdan Geumho Branch) | Naver link
After our lunch at Obongjip, our group - minus one of my cousins, who had to work - headed to a coffee shop nearby. I don’t know how many coffee shops there are in Korea, but what I can tell you is that you’re guaranteed to find at least one on every block in a major city. While Compose Coffee isn’t as popular as, say, 스타벅스 (Starbucks), 투썸플레이스 (A Twosome Place), or Ediya Coffee (이디야커피), it’s still up there, judging from the number of locations I’ve encountered during my time in Korea so far. While my uncle and his wife opted for iced americanos, and my cousin a drink topped with pieces of 달고나 (dalgona - the candy popularized by Squid Game), I went for 블루레몬 스페셜에이드 (blue lemon special ade), which I did only on the sole basis that the drink was blue. It turned out to be a blue-colored carbonated lemonade-like drink that tasted similar to 칠성사이다 (Chilsung Cider), which you can buy in any Korean supermarket, even in the U.S. I actually was craving something carbonated after the large lunch we just had, so my drink hit the spot.
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