5/7

Nothing like a good old 6 am wake up for

NO FREAKING REASON.

Hello, is this body customer service? Yes, I'd like to make a complaint.

But like whatever, I'll just stall until 9:30 and go eat a nice breakfast at The Bakery Blue. 

FINALLY 9:30 ticks into gear and I set off for my favorite little vegan bakery down the street. As I approach, it seems they're just opening up. I step inside and buy a 상큼한4녀석들 빵 (sangkeumhan sanyeohseokdeul ppang | the 4 fresh girls??? ) and a soy matcha latte with a shot of espresso. Making sure I hadn't intruded on the worker's opening process, I politely ask if he had just opened, which he informed me he had but that he was late due to some electrical issues in the store. He tells me I can take a seat while waiting for my coffee, and that he'll slice up the baguette for me. I'm the only one in the cafe, but still he takes his time to make my drink, which isn't a bother to me at all as I set up my work station. He calls up my order and along with my tray, hands me a piece of scratch paper with 너긔 친구 (neo-weh chingu | you with friend) written on it. 

He explains that its the name of his Youtube channel that he just started, and asked if I would watch it and give him some feedback. I was delighted and the gesture of a native reaching out to me in such a friendly fashion was almost unheard of. Seriously. I could cry. So of course I promised to watch it when I had the chance and went back to my seat with my bread and drink.

The bread is called 4녀석들 because it contains four kinds of dried fruit: papaya, raisins, cranberries, and orange. Its delicious! But the truth is...

Flashback:

When I entered the cafe all of the coolers had yet to be turned on and stocked. While I was sitting there, I watched as four types of cakes were shelved in the front cooler. I couldn't help but think of what a shame it'd be if I never tried one of those cakes... Sure I could wait until tomorrow, but what if I die before then? What if the bakery catches on fire? What if the Earth is hit by a giant meteor?

No. It's too risky.

So I get up and ask the guy which his favorite cake is between the coffee cake and carrot. He tells me that the most popular is the carrot... but dang that coffee cake is beautiful.

So I end up with that. Promising the carrot cake that'd I'd be bake for it.

We make small talk as he rings me up for that cake. And he asks how I had ended up in Korea. I explain about being a trainee and then winding up teaching English, and now I was visiting my boyfriend. I explained about my lack of visa, since I had paper work issues the first time I had come to Korea, and was too lazy to go back to Chicago to have it redone. He tells me that he had the same experience with Thailand, and that he goes there for three months and then lives in Korea for three months. I laugh because that is exactly what I do for Korea and the US.

But I bet my tickets are much more expensive.

My cake? AMAZING. Crunchy crumbles of brown sugar top 4 stacks of cinnamon flavored cake and espresso icing.

 I take my time eating it, updating my own YouTube Channel in the process. 

As I'm eating, I watch another foreigner walk into the door looking quite tourist-y. He asks Arthur, my new friend, if he is able to buy a baguette that was clearly marked for sale. But he asks in English. It was probably the dumbest transaction I had ever witnessed.

After my brunch, Arthur gives me a focaccia bread to take home.

I thank him and head across the street to explore a little bit more. Somehow I accidentally wind up in the middle of 경의산 (gyeoneesan) park, and not feeling like taking a trip into 홍대 (Hongdae) I turn back around and pass Sweet Roll, which is just across the street from The Bread Blue. I catch a bit of their menu as I pass, and am bewildered to find an option for 두유 (dooyoo | soy milk) at the bottom of their drink list. Elated, I step inside, and make my choice. Apparently I had surprised the owner, as even though it was past their opening time, he hadn't heard me enter. The cafe has a bit of an awkward algorithm to its layout, but the longer you're in there, you realize the more space the area contains. A canopy over head holds a crawl space for seating, and below is even more tucked away into a fort-style, homey seating area. Its the kind of place you wanted to read wholesome books in or cozy up for an afternoon tea. I order an iced 두유 cappuccino for takeout, and am absolutely ecstatic that I'd found a drink other than lattes at Starbucks that I could finally indulge in... without my stomach trying to get a satisfying revenge.

I stop by the 만두 (mandu | dumbpling) shop near my home to order, not dumplings, but 쫄면 (jjeolmyeon) on account of the wonderful warm weather. 

Later that evening, I decide to try something I've NEVER done in Korea... a 편의점 (pyeoneejeom | convenient store) snack haul!

I picked out some unique snacks that wouldn't make my Orthorexia go sideways. I decided I'd try one of each and the best one would be my movie munchies. The pink is 꿀꽈배기 (kgool kgwabaegi) , a honey chip that kind of looks like a french-fry sized churro but with the crunch of a cheeto. The yellow is 바나나킥 (banana kick) which resembles the texture, shape, and size of a corn puff, but with all the goody sweetness of bananas. And the last bag, the orange, is 땅콩강정 (tdang kong kang jeong | peanut kang jeong) which is like mini rice crispy bars with a single peanut in each bite. 

Of course my love for bananas won me over, and I munched down an entire bag of 바나나킥 while watching youtube vlogs about bad Uber drivers. 

Cause what else do you do on a night off?