Noryangjin Fish Market

Out of Noryangjin train station, take a deep breath. Through the rain, we could smell the Noryangjin Fish Market that's just across the bridge. On a wet wet wet day in Seoul, we were one of the few tourists silly enough to venture to the conveniently situated fish market. It's a wholesale market that operates all day, but quietens majorly after lunch. Of course if you want to see any action, get there before 9am. Otherwise you see bored ajummas manning the stalls.

Went to the fish market with empty stomachs, planning to sort out both breakfast and lunch there. Haha. Slightly ironic since ships had been taken into shelter to brace for the onslaught of Typhoon Sanba. Whatever we saw today would probably be the catch from the last trips out yesterday and Friday. It would be unlikely to have fresh supplies this week till the typhoon passes. Fresh seafood to be selected and bought at the market stalls, and be brought upstairs to Level 2 to one of the eateries for the seafood to be cooked to whatever way you prefer. We spoke no Korean, and the stallholders spoke no English. We got by with bits and pieces of whatever Japanese the stallholders understood, and figured out the rest with Google Translate and a calculator.

I LOVE IT! The smells, brine, the colors and the sights. Although my heart ached a little seeing the fishes trapped in tiny tanks. Oh, food chain, thou art cruel. I merrily skipped through the aisles, stopping at many stalls just staring in fascination at the sea creatures. Instead of seeing their vibrant colors underwater, I saw them listless, and defeated. A number of big fishes stuffed into overcrowded tanks had flipped belly up and were clearly gasping for air. Perhaps getting a piece of fillet from the supermarket induces less guilt.

We skipped the Alaskan crabs, shellfish and giant fishes. I thought about it for 5 seconds, and declined a lobster. None of those live octopus thingies either. Eeeeeps! There was only so much we could eat. So many choices of seafood at reasonable prices. You could bargain the prices down if you buy more. We weren't too keen on bargaining. Simply asked them for a good price, and left it at that. We picked out our fishes at two stalls side by side. The dude smacked the sole on its head. Thought I had heard it yelp. A second later, it bled. My heart and stomach lurched. We were brought upstairs to a presumably affiliated restaurant, and in addition to our purchases, we paid another KRW26,000 for cooking fee, and shochu. We had our food done in three methods, as sashimi, barbecued, and the rest of it plus bones thrown in a hotpot. We asked for thin noodles guksu to be stirred into the pot too. The sole was pretty delicious as sashimi. Very fresh, of course, but not sliced in the best way. Stared at the plate of (very dead) sole. I ate it anyway.