Upon recommendation from one of my uncles, we visited the Hantaek Botanical Garden (한택식물원). Opened in 2003, the garden is home to more than 9700 different varieties of plants. While the gardens themselves may not be awfully breathtaking or impressive, what is most important about this place is the research and preservation that takes place there, including preservation of rare and critically endangered flora.
The garden also hosts numerous educational programs for schoolchildren. In addition to studying the flora, children can study insects and animals that make their sanctuary here, such as fireflies and crawfish.
After our immersion in local fauna, we went to Seoil Farm (서일농원) to get a taste of traditional Korean cuisine. Founded 30 years ago, the farm and its restaurant have since won numerous awards and certifications from a multitude of traditional Korean cuisine institutions. Specifically, it is famous for its wide variety of refined fermented foods such as kimchis, chili pepper pastes, and bean and rice pastes.
Stored in porous earthenware called onggi (옹기), these various pastes and kimchis were then used to prepare a sumptuous feast for us. Unfortunately I couldn’t really get any good photos of our meal, with the lighting inside the restaurant being dim. But the food was delicious, and I found this picture from the Korean tourism website:
Image from visitkorea.or.kr
Signing off,
Marie
Marie's Kitchen 