Julio Moreno

16Jan201414Jan2014

Blood Splattered Everywhere – Noryangjin Fish Market

Typically, I don’t shy away from weird food choices. I like to try new things and am always up for a challenge. There is just one type of food that, no matter what, I tend to resist: FISH! I absolutely hate almost all kinds of fish, and despite Japan being my favorite country, I tend to shun most sushi and sashimi, too. For this reason, when a trip to the Noryangjin Fish Market was suggested, I dodged, resisted, and feigned interest while avoiding, all strategies that worked for almost four years. Alas, my luck ran out and I was dragged into the enormous but damp building while kicking and screaming. Okay, maybe my display wasn’t that dramatic.

Just a tease

On the contrary, despite really not liking fish, I love seafood markets. I am probably the worst kind of ‘customer’ though as I am lurking around, taking pictures, and stand in front of stalls for minutes at a time, but am never once tempted to buy anything…that is, until now!

My trip to the Noryangjin Fish Market was… well… pretty damn awesome. One thing I definitely noticed immediately and was the sheer size of the place. It’s HUGE!

What the hell is that?

Another thing that I never gave much thought to was the variety of sea creatures Koreans eat. Tuna and salmon are just the start as you can also buy those weird flat fish with eyes on its side, those hideous blubber fish, and even shark. Come to think of it, it seems like the ugliest things in the ocean hang out around off the Korean peninsula.

Manta Noryangjin Fish Market — Didn’t even know you could eat manta.

Blood and guts everywhere

I am not squeamish at all, but even I took second looks at some of the blood splattered everywhere. Bloody knives and severed shark heads were the tame parts where I was not shocked and took out my camera for some shots. Sidney thought it was a bit too weird though when we saw a completely gutted fish still splashing about vigorously. How in the world was it still alive? One butcher lady motioned that I should take a picture of what she was about to do, then proceeded to drive a pick into a large fish’s brain. Definitely not for weak stomachs.

So what did I buy?

I actually did cave and bought some shrimp. Sidney got herself some salmon sashimi and we had a pretty awesome feast. Although the shrimp came out too salty, even for me, they were still pretty good! Here are some pics of the cooking process and end result.

Shrimp 0 Noryangjin Fish Market — First, remove the shell, head, tail, legs, and poop.

Shrimp 1 Noryangjin Fish Market — Then, I put them in a bead of salt. I should have put tin on top and under the salt to prevent it from becoming too salty.

Shrimp 2 Noryangjin Fish Market — Cover them

Shrimp 3 Noryangjin Fish Market — Just turn them once and in about 7 minutes, they are done!

Sashimi Noryangjin Fish Market — The butcher cut it up into sashimi.

Sashimi 2 Noryangjin Fish Market — Beautiful display, with the complimentary wasabi.

I hope you liked this tour of the Noryangjin Fish Market and subsequent dinner. How about you? Are there any food markets out there you particularly like? Put them in the comments!

14Jan201418Jan2014

UNESCO Monday #16: Tiles of Changdeok Palace

Julio Moreno UNESCO Picture of the Week Changdeok Palace, Traveling in Korea 2 Comments

Which one of these buildings doesn’t seem to fit? While everyone was in the meeting where they agreed to paint their roofs black, this guy decided to be the rebel of the group and go blue anyways.

I kid of course, but the history is actually quite interesting. This building, located in Changdeok Palace has the distinction of being the only one with different colored roof tiles. It used to be the king’s study where he read scrolls, passed laws, and did all of those great king things. To distinguish it from all the other ones in the royal court, it was painted blue. Having been to Changdeok Palace many times, I was surprised how I didn’t even notice this until now.

The house of the president of Korea in modern times, is known as the “Blue House” and has its roof similarly painting to commemorate Korea’s rich history.

[Want to participate and be featured on this blog? Have you visited a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Find out how to submit your pictures here.]

10Jan201410Jan2014

My Top 5 Pet Peeves

Julio Moreno Top 10 Style Lists about me, pet peeves 0 Comment

I don’t really talk about myself often in this blog, and well, that is just the kind of person I am. While my coworkers would attest that I’m more than ‘just a little talkative,’ when it comes to cyberspace, the less the public knows the better. No offense but… while I don’t mind revealing some things, I am just not comfortable with strangers, or family, knowing every little detail about me. That is the kind of thing people should learn over time, or face to face, not all at once over the blanket of ones and zeroes. I guess what I am trying to say is that this post is a rarity, so cherish it!

I would also like to dedicate this post to my coworker Mark Beukema. I told him I would name drop him and here we are. We agree on very little, but somehow, we make our semi-homo-erotic relationship work.

Anyways, let’s begin…

5) Over-Aggressive Drunks Read more →

08Jan201402Jan2014

Travel Tales #5: The Biggest 2014 Countdown Fail (Vid)

Julio Moreno Travel Tales 2014 countdown, bosingak bell, fail, Seoul New Years 0 Comment

New Year’s Day is one of the few holidays where I make a big deal. I always wonder where I will spend the countdown and am sure not to be late. Last year, I recorded the countdown in Taipei, Taiwan in front of the Taipei 101 building, which was quite a fantastic experience. Unfortunately though, being 20 minutes early was not good enough and we got a pretty crummy spots. Nevertheless, it was still amazing to see fireworks shoot out of the second tallest building in the world.

This year, I was determined not to repeat the same mistake. Given that it was my last year in Korea, we wanted to watch the ringing of the Bosingak Bell in downtown Seoul. In ancient times, this was the bell that signified the opening and closing of the Seoul Wall, and in modern times, it is used solely to ring in the New Year. You can think of it like the crystal ball falling in New York City. Sidney and I scouted the area the day before and I even showed up 6 hours early the day of. It was completely unnecessary and it was cold, but we were still in good spirits. An hour before midnight, they let us get a little closer, and we actually got a pretty good view. Everything was set, and I hit record exactly one minute before 2014. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED!!!! Countdown Fail…

07Jan201402Jan2014

UNESCO Monday #15: Four Heavenly Kings at Bulguksa

Julio Moreno UNESCO Picture of the Week Bulguksa, Korean temples 0 Comment

The Four Heavenly Kings are these depictions of gods that often stand at the entrances of Buddhist temples. While I didn’t notice them at first, now that I know what I am looking for, I often find them while exploring these temples. They are human like statues made of wood, with faces that look like beasts, and often towering 3-4 meters tall. To an outsider like me, it feels like it doesn’t fit, but I suppose it makes sense to a devout Buddhist.

These two, and the two directly behind me, are found in Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju, South Korea. They are some of the most elaborate ones I’ve seen as most have had their color fade away over the years. The fence at the bottom is about 5 feet tall, so the statues are about 12 feet tall (but be warned, I am terrible at estimating heights).