Last Saturday, a couple friends and I went to check out the Body Worlds & the Cycle of Life exhibition that is going on at The War Memorial of Korea, near Samgakji Station. For those who have not heard of this exhibit before, it's shows real human bodies that have been preserved though a process called 'plastination.' I'd only seen a few pics of this famous exhibition before and was actually rather scared to see it in-person (I'm a woos, remember?), but curiosity won out, and in the end I was really glad I went! It was pretty incredible. You could see everything: bones, muscle, tendons, blood vessels, organs, hair, nails... fetuses in different stages of gestation, cross-sections of entire body parts, and bodies arranged in various positions.
The bodies actually really didn't seem real and I kept having to remind myself that I was looking at an actual human being that once lived a real life. The exhibition wasn't that big but I thought it was really interesting and I came away with not only a new sense of wonder for the human form in general, but also a new-found respect for my own body. I feel that so often we (especially women) are quick to critique all of our bodily flaws. But seeing this show was a reminder to focus on the strength of my body and its ability to function the way it does, and to treat it with respect and kindness. It's interesting how these stripped-down, plastinated figures can say so much about the beauty and wonder of our physicality. Anyway... not to bore you guys, but I thought it was a great exhibit and I recommend checking it out whether you're in Seoul, or when the show comes to a place near you.
And now onto some weekend eats:
After the exhibit, we walked to Noksapyeong/Itaewon and had dinner at Wang Thai. They have an awesome vegetarian menu with plenty of vegan options (see this post). I got their Vegetable Sweet & Sour dish (10,000?). It was lovely~~ I'm usually not a fan of cooked pineapples, but I actually enjoyed them in this dish.
Over the weekend, a handful of friends got together at Chris' place just to veg-out, watch movies, and eat snacks. My goodness, there was so much food that all the snacking turned into very filling dinner. There was a seemingly bottomless supply of nachos and salsa, lots of wine, crackers, nuts and raisins, and a huge pot of this:
Yunseo whipped up some bombass vegan ddeokbokki! She actually bought vegan odeng (fish cakes) at the Thien Dang Loving Hut and it was a great addition.
I haven't had this classic street-food dish in ages because almost all street vendors cook it with the fish cakes and hardboiled eggs mixed in. And Yunseo did an amazing job with her vegan version- it was yummmyyy~ :) I just love how nowadays practically everything and anything can be made cruelty-free and still taste delicious!
While Yunseo was at Thien Dang Loving Hut, she also grabbed a box of pre-made vegan spicy chickin' wings, made of texturized soy protein. We just popped them in the microwave for a sec before digging in.
Boom. Vegan chickin' wings. They look pretty amazing, eh?
Taste-wise, they were pretty decent too~ The texture was somewhat 'airy' (?) and it was a bit too oily for my liking, but I s'pose that's only being true to the original. hehe. I did enjoy the salty, spicy, sweet bbq sauce though! It was definitely a novelty to eat vegan chikin' wings. Now if only we had some vegan ranch dressing...
My small contribution was some olive focaccia bread from Bakersfield in Gangnam, and these homemade peanut butter rice krispie squares with melted chocolate on top. :) A little sugar to balance all the salty-spiciness and to make our movie-grub complete. Perhaps it wasn't the most nutrient-dense or diverse spread, but it was all plant-based, cruelty-free, and my body (read: my tummy) was happy.
Anyway, my body, mind, and soul were all fed and well-satisfied this weekend. Life is good and I wish the same for all my readers! I'm sending happy thoughts your way~ nite nite!