Relatively recently, we were treated to dinner by our old friend Ben Glickman, the CEO of Footprints Recruiting.  He’s been a strong ally, an informative resource, and a good friend, and this night he did not fail to live up to all of those again. 

He took us to a little restaurant buried in a back alley and clearly off the tourist radar.  The place was run by a Buddhist monk, and the cuisine – all vegetarian – was plentiful and delicious.   77 bowls in total, all of them empty when we heaved ourselves off the floor.  Bowls of Macalee (fermented rice), bowls of kim chi, bowls of soup, bowls of dried seaweed, bowls of things I didn’t know, and 2 bowls of things I hope to never try again.  (I just don’t remember what they are)  The dinner included traditional Korean dancing and drums, which I’m sure you’ll see footage of at some point.  We ate with 2 of his friends, both of whom proved solid company – ‘good people.’  It remains one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in Korea.

But the restaurant has nothing on the bar he took us to afterwards…

First, the view blew us away.  What a fucking contrast to the poverty we endured in Tokyo, where we could only afford such a vista by stowing away on those elevators that take rich people to fancy restaurants.  So many lights of Seoul were arrayed before us, and the reflections from the dimly lit bar behind us made a powerful contrast.  The atmosphere inside was swanky and shadowed, but it made every table feel like an intimate space for conversation.  A strange blue light sculpture oversaw the sitting area, giving the bar just a small dose of disorientation and mystery.  It was the kind of bar for a special date…well, for those couples that had decent incomes, i.e. not us, the broke bachelors. 

In Seoul, the whole marked our first step into a larger world, and it felt like a small milestone in the long climb out of the low points of Tokyo.  And as all our most precious have been, it was possible only through the generosity of friends.  Thanks again Ben.