Memories of the Lantern Festival in Seoul, South Korea by Marion Andrew Humphrey, Jr.:
I visited Seoul during my second year living abroad in Beijing. My college friend, Josh, had a great set-up as an elementary school English teacher in Korea, good pay and housing included. The country is home to the largest U.S. overseas military base in the world and I felt its presence seep into the social dynamics of its capital city. The Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul provides entertainment and nightlife for many service members but it’s honestly a disgusting part of town, a place where after-club nights mix with after-hour violence. My friend was especially cautious of taking me there.
My favorite memory of this trip happened while running into a Black American military family during the Lantern Festival. After spending over a year in Beijing, I had not been able to connect with many people who share my racial and ethnic background. Yet, with them, it was like home all over again. The run-in went something like this: I’m walking down the festival street with a bowl of bibimbap and out of nowhere, a Black woman, surrounded by her kids and husband, says to me in perfect AAVE, “Where’d you get that bibimbap? That bibimbap looks good!” It was like she was asking me about hot wings or state fair turkey legs. It caught me off guard but I loved it so much and without hesitation directed her and her family to the bibimbap stand.
On our night out and about, Josh and I hit the town, first making a stop at Hongdae, where the food and drink serve a youthful late-night crowd. We had Gyeran-mari (a classic Korean egg omelette) for delicious and quick sustenance. I have an obsession for the ways in which eggs can be used and I found them perfectly styled in Korean dishes, either fried or runny over rice. Later we added soju cocktails and other mixed drinks and topped the night off with street-stand Korean fried chicken. I remember the food more than the dancing.
We spent much of the following day at the War Memorial of Korea, where stories and pictures of war seem never ending. It’s so grand, it touts itself as the 9th most visited museum in the world.
All in all, an assortment of memories. P.S. This also happened:
THE FACTS
Though our favorite players are fierce rivals, Andrew and I are reliable tennis partners and friends. A future lawyer, Andrew is also an adventurous traveler, having explored much of China and parts of Asia while living abroad there after college. His stories never fail to make me laugh.
