Seoul Vegetarian Club

I’m pretty excited about these next three meetings. Some old favourites and a promising new one!

March 22nd, 6 pm (I know, this isn’t the 3rd Saturday, but that’s ok. Change is good.) A fabulous potluck at Betsy’s. Her apartment is just luscious, and roomy enough to accommodate a whole pile of us.

Please bring something with you to share. Vegetarian or vegan homemade dishes, fresh fruit or veggies, wine, pop, bread, whatever. There is an oven and a microwave available if anything needs reheating.

Here are the directions:
On foot:
“If at the Hyatt, go to the main intersection and then turn left and go down the hill and you will pass Namsan Gym (most taxi drivers know this place) and the Philips bldg on your left .. soon after the Philips bldg you will see a bunch of cone things in the middle of the road and as soon as they end you will make a left on that street. On that very corner is a bldg called Aimin (not sure what it is but it seems french) and you will go left down that street and at almost the end of that street on the right is mybldg which is #37 Gray House. The doors are open (just look locked) and I live on the 2nd Floor.

By taxi:
If taking a taxi and they don’t know landmark of Namsan Gym then say Hyatt and soon after the Philips bldg get out of the taxi b/c they dont like to make that illegal left into my place. (3-4 mins walk from Philips bldg to my house)
> > > >
If coming from Itaewon and they know it… they they will come from the other direction and go straight up this big hill at the very top of the hill is a traffic light and go right and then they will take an immediate right onto my street (looks sorta alley like) but you will see Aimin bldg on the corner.

By bus:
The bus from Itaewon is in front of the well-being store (and Rocky Mountain Tavern) and its the 0014 and when you get off of that you will be on opposite side of street (Namsam gym stop right after hyatt stop)… then you might remember walk down the street (away from hyatt) and go to next street (after orange cones end) and turn left… I am #37 Gray House, second floor apt. Also, bus 402 stops at Namsan Gym stop too. This bus comes from places like, city hall, sinsa, gangnam etc…

April 6th- La Salsa Loca (now called Casa Loca, but under same management), at Yeouido, at 1:00 pm
review here:http://www.1stopkorea.com/reader-lasalsaloca-review.htm
website here, including menu in Korean and English: http://casaloca.co.kr/

This location is a bit out of the way, but everything I hear about this restaurant says it’s worth the trip. Also, we can hit Yeouido park afterwards and kick a soccer ball/throw a frisbee if the weather is nice.

la salsa loca is located near Yeouido Station, Subway Line No.5, Exit No.4. Go straight up 200 meters, turn left at the first traffic light and keep going straight for another 30 meters. It’ll be on your right on the first floor.

April 19th- Petra’s in Itaewon at 6:30 pm
The last meeting here was a huge success. Too huge actually– they ran out of chairs! I’ll try to reserve a bigger table this time.

Directions:
Subway Directions: From Noksapyeong Station, take the elevator and go up the stairs of the pedestrian overpass. You will see Petra about 50 meters to the right after crossing the street.

If you’re in Itaewon, you can walk to Petra’s. Walk toward Noksapyeong Station (toward McDonald’s and Star Market, etc.,) on the right side of the street. Follow the lane up the hill and around to the right. You’ll see Petra’s on your right when you’ve reached the top of the hill. The door is up the stairs on the left-hand side of the restaurant.

If this doesn’t make sense, you can call the restaurant: 790-4433 for more help.

Lunch on Sunday, March 2rd, at 1 o’clock.

As you may know, we’re meeting near Yangjae Station, at SM Chinghai, which serves a vegan buffet. At Yangjae Station, there’s also a soy ice cream shop (Purely Decadent) we can hit afterwards.

Here is my version of the directions:

By bus: Go out exit 5 of Yangjae Station and bear right; you should come to a bus stop about 1 minute later. Take bus 4430 (Green) and get off at the second bus stop. You will see a Starbucks across the street. Cross the street and walk right, you will see the blue SM Ching Hai sign on your left.

By taxi: Take a taxi at exit 5 of Yangjae Station ask the driver to take you to Samhomulsan (삼호물산); the ride costs about 3,000 won. This will bring you to the bus stop described above, cross the street and go right.

Ron, my veggie-deputy, is also on hand to help you get there. He wrote the following on the Facebook page:

I’ll be waiting at Yanjiae Station exit 5 – at the top of the stairs if it’s not raining – from around 12:35 to 12:50 for people not familiar with the buses (it’s a little tricky the first time because there are a lot of bus stiops)

If you want to try it on your own you need to walk all the way down to the NIKE store, and most of the buses right in front of there will get you to the right place (the buse will go to the main intersection, turn right, go over like a bridge and stop at the Paris Bagette – which is almost directly acroos the street from SM Ching hai.

The weather forecast right now for Sunday is fairly mild temperatures but 70% chance of light rain or snow, so I wouldn’t recommend walking (which might take about 30 minutes as opposed to around 7 minutes by bus.)

Taxi might be the most convenient – if you can get the driver to turn right at the intersection and go straight over the bridge – SM Ching hai (02-576-9637) is on the left just before Papa John’s Pizza.

…but sadly, not all of us can wait. Unfortunately, the potluck has been postponed. The venue became unavailable, and because the dinner was scheduled on the same night as the Bjork concert, alternatives were not forthcoming. However, there is another great venue waiting for us to choose another night, and we shall do so.

On the night of the potluck, we were hoping to collect some money on behalf of Animal Welfare Korea. I know we’re the *veggie* club, and not the animal welfare club, but often our interests overlap, so Ron and I wanted to let you know about a shelter in Daejeon which been given a deadline (February 29th) by the Daejeon City Council, after which the current group of dogs must be destroyed.

Because our next meeting is beyond the deadline, I wanted to give people a chance to offer help, so I’m going to send out the bank transfer details for those wishing to assist. Tim also sent a bunch of youtube to help people find out more about what they do.

Please check out the links and consider giving this shelter some aid in their fine work.

January went by with only one event, regrettably, and I don’t have an excuse. I’m going to be out of the country for some of February, so I’m going to plan the next three right now, just to be safe.

The first Sunday of February
Feb. 3rd, 1 pm
Lunch at Taj Palace, Itaewon

Cost: around 13,000

This place has hosted us so graciously in the past. They have enough room for a huge turn-out, and even though not all of their buffet is vegetarian, they have brought extra vegetarian and vegan dishes, even free lassis to the table.

If you’re starting at the subway station, take Exit #3 and walk straight out until you get to the first intersection. You’ll pass a Starbucks and a KB Bank. Turn right, and the Taj Palace is on your right, on the 2nd floor.

The third Saturday of February
Feb. 16th, 5:00 pm
Potluck dinner at Lisa’s

Cost: Free! If you’re a good cook, make a dish to share. If you’re not so good at cooking, bring fresh fruit or beverages. Lisa’s place is very spacious and comfortable, and she’s got a crazy French Canadian werewolf-themed game to teach us too.

Directions to Lisa’s house:

Jangji Station (pink line (#8) exit 2)
walk straight.
On your left, there’s a footpath.. turn left onto the footpath
turn right at the street
keep walking until the first intersection
turn left there
walk all the way down until the end of the road
walk, walk, walk, don’t give up
go through the gate into AiCorea

once in AiCorea, walk straight and take the road that curves to the left
you’ll see a building called sarang (love)
top floor
door is on your right

The first Sunday of March
March 2nd, 1 pm
Lunch at SM Chinghai, Yangjae

Cost: 13,000 won
Elaborate, totally vegan buffet and they sell lots of vegetarian faux meats and some “Amy’s” products…

By bus: Go out exit 5 of Yangjae Station and bear right; you should come to a bus stop about 1 minute later. Take bus 4430 (Green) and get off at the second bus stop. You will see a Starbucks across the street. Cross the street and walk right, you will see the blue SM Ching Hai sign on your left.

By taxi: Take a taxi at exit 5 of Yangjae Station ask the driver to take you to Samhomulsan (삼호물산); the ride costs about 3,000 won. This will bring you to the bus stop described above, cross the street and go right.

We’ve been invited to join the Korean vegetarian club “Han-wol-but-cha-shik-na-ra,” on Saturday, January 5th. We’ll meet at 1:50 at Jonggak station exit 3.

From there, we’ll go to a restaurant called “HanGwaChae.” It’s an inexpensive, buffet-style restaurant.

If you can speak Korean, check out this group’s website: http://cafe.naver.com/ululul.cafe

If you like, you can read about the restaurant here (third on the list), and find directions in case you arrive late:

http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sightseeing/TravelSpot/travelspot_read.asp?oid=3036&kosm=m3_8

Members of the Korean vegetarian group came to our last meeting, a dinner party, and we were delighted to meet them, and excited that they’ve returned the invitation.

Come on out and join us!

As you may already know if you have checked Facebook, this weekend we’re having a Christmas potluck! Woo hoo! It’s going to be on a Sunday (December 16th), but we’re having it early (5 pm) so those of you who have a long commute can still get home at a reasonable hour. It’s tricky to find time this season (hence the last-minute planning and unusual timing) but if you can manage to get out to this event, it will be well worth it.

Lisa is a very enthusiastic and skilled host, and is even planning a Yule Log! A definite can’t-miss. Please bring your own treat, either homemade (salad, appetizer, main dish, dessert) or fruit/beverages/bread to share.

Please let us know if you plan to be there! See you there or in the New Year!

Here’s how to get to Lisa’s place:

Directions to Lisa’s house:

Jangji Station (pink line, #8), exit 2
walk straight.
On your left, there’s a footpath.. turn left onto the footpath
turn right at the street
keep walking until the first intersection
turn left there
walk all the way down until the end of the road
go past the gate into AiCorea

once in AiCorea, walk straight and take the road that curves to the left
you’ll see a building called sarang (love)
top floor
door is on your right

Sunday, 1:00 at Sanchon Restaurant, in Insadong. The restaurant is a bit hard to spot, as you have to find a sign on the main road, and then follow a winding alley, but it’s absolutely worth a visit. It’s Buddhist temple food, beautifully prepared and presented in an ornate, gorgeous setting.

If you need help finding the place, it might be a good idea to hang around Anguk Station (line 3) Exit 6 beforehand and meet up with others headed the same way.

The restaurant is exquisite but be warned– you are paying gourmet prices as well.

Here’s what one reviewer said:
http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sightseeing/TravelSpot/travelspot_read.asp?oid=2679&kosm=
Sanchon serves vegetarian cuisine in a unique Buddhist-temple atmosphere with lotus-style lighting and other temple-like decor. The restaurant owner, a former monk, opened the restaurant to introduce temple food to the general public. The menu features jeongsik (table d’hôte/regular meal) consisting of over 20 side dishes, including miso soup, perilla seed soup, boiled tofu, vegetable fritters, and various cooked herbs and vegetables. While monks would eat humble meals of steamed rice and only five side dishes, Sanchon serves an abundant amount, similiar to the head monk’s table at a special feast. Following the Buddhist tradition, none of the food has a sharp spiciness that is characteristic of Korea.

Thanks everyone for coming out to make lunch at Taj Palace such a great success. We had 20 RSVPs and 32 guests!

On Saturday, the 17th of November, we’re going to have dinner in Hongdae.

We’ll meet at Dos Tacos at 6:00 pm, and when we’re finished, we’ll make our way over to Pure Decadence for vegan ice cream.

Ok, I’ve talked to the owner of Dos Tacos, and it’s all set.
I expect a sizable turn-out though, and we’ll probably pack the place. Be prepared for standing-room only. Please RSVP!

To make this easier, we’re going to try to give him a pre-order.
Please go to this website and pick what you want:
http://dostacos.co.kr/menu/menu.htm

http://dostacos.co.kr/location/location02.htm

The next meeting is on Sunday, November 4th.

We’ll meet at Taj Palace at 1 pm, which is in Itaewon and very easy to get to.

If you’re starting at the subway station, take Exit #3 and walk straight out until you get to the first intersection. You’ll pass a Starbucks and a KB Bank. Turn right, and the Taj Palace is on your right, on the 2nd floor.

Please RSVP here or on Facebook or on ESLcafe.com (http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?p=1381879#1381879) so I can get a reasonable headcount.

Saturday night’s dinner at Petra was such a success it was nearly a miserable failure. I received a handful of RSVPs from people, most of whom didn’t show up. I guesstimated that our headcount would be at the usual number– about a dozen– but in fact we had almost twice that! We poached nearly every chair in the place, and the kitchen ran out of the usual serving plates! People were crowded around the corners of the table, even sharing chairs.

Fortunately, the food was terrific (at least, I thought so.) The company was cheerful. We somehow managed to fit everyone around the table and no fights broke out over the piles of pita bread.

I promised myself, however, that I would get much more stringent about RSVPs so we don’t end up spilling out onto the streets for our next meeting.

What do you think was the secret of last week’s popularity? The increased visibility of the club? The fact that it was dinner? A Saturday? A restaurant in Itaewon? All of the above?

The next meeting is Sunday, November 4th. Where would you like to meet? Lunch or dinner?