Itaewon, with its vast import selection* and English speaking venders, is a natural watering hole for foreigners. The American base is right at the end of the main street, and the neighboring area, Hannam-dong, has mostly been a largely foreigner settlement. Foreigners seeking their own housing (considering that many English teachers are provided housing next to their schools) often go to these neighborhoods (Itaewon, Noksapyeong, Hannam-dong, Haebangchon aka HBC).
In the old days (not too many years ago) this area was the only place to find "big size" clothes, imported food supplies, and Western-style sports bars. Noteworthy, too, it is not just for "Westerners," but also the center of the Muslim community and other Southeast Asian immigrants. The mosque at the top of the hill is a well known landmark, and the import food stores are equally full of ingredients from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. It is understandable that this would be pretty important to expats who are looking for something from home. Fabulous.
Itaewon has become associated with this "Itaewon Freedom" concept, where misfits can find a place to fit in in Itaewon, where it is a more open minded community. This is true, based on the idea that the people who hang out there are far less judgmental than mainstream, conservative society. But when Itaewon became trendy among the rest of the public, it became a tourist destination. A place to gawk at foreigners and "odd" people, or... sometimes just a good place to corner foreigners into practicing English.
As soon as night falls, it's rowdy. Foreigners go to let loose, but alcohol usually makes people get a little too loose. Releasing all the pent up stress from their culture shock and frustrations with daily Korean life, they become the foreigners they would be at home times ten. Imagine your first time out without parental supervision as a teenager. I didn't find it attractive or charming that men from all different nationalities would stare or wink or say hay, just because I was walking on the same street. The area has been deemed by Korean and foreign men alike a place to prey on "open" and lonely women... meaning they half expect the women there at night to be especially promiscuous. The fact that many girls actually do have positive responses (hey, they're practically on vacation here), doesn't help curb the habit.
I did not go because I did not want to be seen as or associated with those kinds of partying foreigners. I knew that if I mentioned Itaewon, I would fulfill a stereotype and expectation that foreigners are those people and that I am dependent on a foreign bubble in which to thrive in Korea, that "Korea" was not a livable environment for foreigners. Out of stubbornness, I wanted to prove that I could live without it and live an independent** life like every other resident of Seoul.
I propose that there has become a misconception in the Korean community about what open means. I had a discussion with a friend about this over brunch one day. Young Koreans are these days trying to live an "open-minded life" resembling what Europeans and Americans often uphold to be important values: individual preference, acceptance of the LGBT community, interracial couples, and all sorts of lifestyles that conservative Korean culture would label "fringe" society or troublemakers.
The effort is there, and I do give kudos for that. But the whole concept is still missing. Koreans often think that what makes Americans or Westerners open minded is that we agree with or support everyone's opinion. That's simply not true. I don't agree with everyone nor would I recommend everyone's lifestyle. What makes Americans particularly "open" is that we don't mind that people have other opinions. We don't waste time worrying about what others think of certain lifestyles. It's choice. We believe in unconditional choice. We believe in equality, especially for things that people do not have choice in. Korean society still wants to judge the choices and backgrounds as trends to follow and categorize, or even rank, people based on their characteristics. As long as that happens, you can't really call it being "open minded," even if you think they're cool. LBGT isn't a trend. Having dark skin isn't a trend. Nor is it a justified reason to assume you know everything about someone. It's like a math problem: Some As are Bs. Some Bs are Cs. Therefore, some As could be Cs. But in old school Korean math, it's all or nothing. A=C.
It will take time for the mentality to change. Probably a few generations, so I'm going to be patient and just take off the wall comments with a grain of salt and avoid situations that might become uncomfortable.
In my last winter break of college, I had a part time internship in Itaewon. It gave me a few months to look around and discover that there were some pretty chic lounges, excellent bakeries and chocolatiers, and a few friendly faces. I still didn't like the stigma I felt from locals. That two-sided coin: "Oh, Itaewon's so interesting!" but at the same time thinking, "It's so dirty and old-fashioned." It's a nun-chi (눈치: reading between the lines in social environments) that most foreigners don't have enough time to pick up.
The past few years have shown a huge revival of interest from twenty and thirty something Koreans. The food has gotten much better, the classiness of the restaurants has really skyrocketed, and more authentic cuisine has cropped up all over. It's not just foreign food, it's real foreign food. Of course, this would not fit a student budget in the least. Now that I have steady income and a roof over my head, I feel like I can splurge with friends every now and then. I have a growing list of restaurants I want to go to. I just went there today to get my first custom made pair of dress shoes for work (next post teaser!). Basically, it's a foodie paradise--and at the same time, disappointingly, often one of the only place to find clothes that fit international women's body types. Arguably, there might be other outlets, but for the average non-Korean speaker, they might as well not exist at all.
I still don't like to be in Itaewon at night. I don't like agree to meet the few foreign friends I know there. For me, it is a great place for casual lunches and sifting through the international markets, maybe even a place to browse some English books (but, eh. I shop online). I feel torn about it. I like to suggest excellent restaurants to my friends from work and school, but at the same time I feel like I'm promoting a stereotype of myself as the foreigner who naturally knows Itaewon.
But dear God, it's delicious. Here are some pictures from today. I went to The Baker's Table, a German bakery that serves a full menu of sandwiches and schnitzel and wursts. My friend from Germany gave her seal of approval, so that means it's gotta be authentic. She dies every time I show her what we consider pretzels in America, and so she brought me to some local places that are run by Germans to show me what's up.
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| The Baker's Table |
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| Bakery selection. This place is very busy. Pretzels usually sell out. |
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| Curry wurst and pan potatoes. |
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| A real pretzel. |
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* Recently, big chain grocery stores also increasingly carrying import items, especially trending is imported beer. Costco would also be a good place to go find safe and reliable perishable food staples. And... if you know me at all, I'd say use the internet. But it's not non-Korean speaker-friendly.
** This is also where there could be room for cultural friction. We foreigners want to prove our grit by showing independence and capability. But Korea is a community based society, and friends and family help one another. Receiving help or staying around those that help you isn't as much of a weakness in the minds of a lot of Koreans, but it certainly can feel like an insult to some foreigners.
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