Last week, I learned that one of my new friends in Seoul was going to leave this wonderful country to pursue her PhD, so I decided to take a trip up to Seoul. I was overdue for a waffle at Loving Hut Thien Dang, and I wanted to be sure I got to say a proper goodbye to Katie. The events that transpired are a lesson in just how amazing life is.
I arrived in Seoul just about noon. I’d been drooling over the waffle on the train, so it was where I was headed. Katie had written that morning to inform me that she wouldn’t make it to the waffle brunch. I was disappointed, but determined to enjoy it solo. Loving Huts are infamous for being closed at the oddest times (usually when I’m craving Loving Hut food the most), so I decided to call ahead. No one picked up either phone number listed on the Loving Hut web site. I was two stops away and wondering if I should gamble and go there anyway or search Happy Cow for another restaurant. I was one stop away from Gangnam, an area I know has some vegan eateries. I checked Happy Cow and scanned the listings for something in the Gangnam area. Garobee was listed. I quickly called; a woman answered and confirmed they were open. Now, I had to decide if I should take my chances and go for the waffle or get off and go to Garobee. I chose Garobee and it was a decision that came with many delightful coincidences.
I entered and scanned the dining hall. I immediately noticed a friendly Australian I’d met three days earlier at a Loving Hut Haeundae. We’d had a lengthy conversation about the death of Whitney Houston. I approached them, and the girlfriend looked up first. I said “Hi, you don’t know me.” Then Robbie looked up, and it was like old friends reuniting. We explained to Courtney how we’d met. I told her how Robbie had told me all about the play she was in, Twelve Singing Animals. I told them of how I was headed to Loving Hut Thien Dang, but no one would answer the phone. They assured me she was open, and that those phone numbers are wrong. Of course I asked for a photo because that was just such a wonderful addition to my unplanned visit to Garobee.
Once I settled down, I began taking pictures. I was seated next to another solo diner. It would have been strange not to speak, so I dove right in. Her name was Trudy, and we talked about everything from traveling to making friends in Korea to marriage to what’s next in our lives. We discussed veganism at length, and I shared with her how I’d just informed an uninformed friend of how horrible dairy is. “Dairy is the Devil” I said among other things.
Trudy and I were hitting it off, so I thought she might like to join Katie and me at Leeum Samsung Museum of Art. I told her that I was meeting up with my friend Katie. I explained that Katie was the reason I was in Seoul; that she was leaving soon to go to graduate school back in Alaska, and she’s a Korean-American adoptee searching for her birth mother. “I know Katie,” Trudy said. “She’s a runner?” “Yes.” Wow! was all I could think.
After Garobee we headed to the museum. Of course we weren’t allowed to take photos, but after strolling through each of the four stories of the two zones, the very last exhibit I saw was Jenny Holzer‘s Survival Series which projects a rotation of aphorisms. The one on display at the moment I walked by was incredibly fitting and a nice button on the end of the day: “SPIT ALL OVER SOMEONE WITH A MOUTHFUL OF MILK IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR PERSONALITY FAST.” I had to defy the guard’s many requests that I not take a picture and get the picture. I offered profuse apologies. There just was no way I was walking out of there without it. Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of Ms. Holzer‘s now.
We decided we wanted waffles and got on the train to Namseong. I privately prayed it was open. There’s nothing quite like dragging myself around Seoul only to discover my destination is closed; it’s even worse when I’m dragging others along. But it was open. Alas, we had waffle.
We finished the night at the excellent Siloam Spa near Seoul Station. The best part of that night was when the three of us were finally settling in to sleep. One of the many sleep rooms was really quiet when suddenly we heard a short bit of lady moaning coming from one of the older gentlemen’s smart phones while his wife lie asleep next to him. All three of our heads looked over at him and he quickly muted whatever he was watching. The three of us just lowered our heads and did the quiet, gut-busting laughter. It was hilarious.
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