Wandering around Seomun Market in Daegu has quickly become one of my favorite ways to spend a day. One can literally get lost in this wondrously labyrinthian place. It is both overwhelming and inspiring. Take a left at the freshly frying doughnuts, a right at the umbrellas, go through the door past stacks of brightly coloured silks and custom hanbok, and up the stairs…We can only imagine what is up there!
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This was our third visit to the market-hopefully one of many during our time here. The first two visits were so overwhelming we didn’t stay long. Between the hot, humid weather, throngs of people and mopeds threatening to run us down every time we paused to think, we ended up taking refuge in the air conditioned arms of one of the local coffee shops and laughed at the intensity of it all. Now that the evenings are beginning to bring with them the promise of autumn, we decided that it was time for another market adventure. It was a Saturday, and the market was in full swing. Locals and regulars sat two deep around the tiny counters of the noodle booths and after a few minutes of zig zagging through the masses and dodging the elbows of feisty ajumma, we found our stride: a nice amble. Suddenly, a flurry of activity.
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Little toothpicks topped with various types of eomuk were being handed to us from every direction. Big smiles and gestures to eat more (which we did!) until we were spit out into the dried fruit and nut alley, where we bought a big bag of dried bananas. The saleswoman took the opportunity to fill our hands with almonds and walnuts…We practically skipped away with delight.
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It is possible that we were going in circles all day, each time seeing something new. Taking a left down what felt like a shoulder width passage we were confronted with buttons and trims, and feathers and threads, and buttons…e v e r y w h e r e …drool, drool.
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A lot of self control was called upon to not start buying up notions for future projects.
Another snack was in order, and to our delight, some women griddle frying mandu were close at hand. We saddled up to the closest one and she immediately dished us up a small plate of perfectly crisp little triangles filled with rice stick noodles. Dip it in the sweet soy, onion, and sesame sauce…Simply delicious!
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There were no seats, so we stood, paid our 2000 won, and wandered off to try a ‘mystery doughnut.’ The ones we chose were filled with a little taste of savory cabbage.
Full and happy, we scooped up a couple pounds of the last of summer’s cherries and headed toward the subway…
How to get there: The Daegu subway is very easy to use, and will get you to within a few blocks of Seomun Market. A single pass token is 1,200 won, and token machines are available in all subway stops with directions in English. They accept won only. Take line 2 (Green Line) toward Munyang and get off at stop 229, recently renamed “Sinman,” though it still appears as Seomun Market on Google maps. Take exit 1 and follow Dalseong-ro North towards the market. You can’t miss it!
This is Fantastic!! Your wonderful descriptions make me feel like I am walking beside you smelling aromas of the food and feeling the hustle and bustle of a market that I look forward to experiencing one day.
I thoroughly enjoyed this “passage”. Look forward to more tours of your area and descriptions of all the different food.