Quote from: Titus Groan on May 17, 2018, 08:13:33 AMHow about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days? That'd be me!That trend will most likely continue with the Yongsan army base closing shop and the soldiers going to Pyeongtaek. Itaewon will become more and more Koreanized.
How about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days? That'd be me!
Quote from: Titus Groan on May 17, 2018, 08:13:33 AMHow about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days? That'd be me!How dare Koreans visit places in their own country.
Quote from: Mr.DeMartino on May 17, 2018, 11:31:58 AMQuote from: Titus Groan on May 17, 2018, 08:13:33 AMHow about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days? That'd be me!How dare Koreans visit places in their own country.And there it is, he just couldn't resist.
If some Korean says "I hate Hongdae because it's full of foreigners these days"
Quote from: sligo on May 17, 2018, 11:50:56 AMQuote from: Mr.DeMartino on May 17, 2018, 11:31:58 AMQuote from: Titus Groan on May 17, 2018, 08:13:33 AMHow about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days? That'd be me!How dare Koreans visit places in their own country.And there it is, he just couldn't resist.If some Korean says "I hate Hongdae because it's full of foreigners these days", people here would flip out and declare them racist. Now either both are or neither is, but people need to be consistent.Anyways, you're entitled to your opinion. But Korean people have every right to go wherever they want in their own country and they don't owe you anything or need your approval or permission and they can behave however they want there within the confines of the law.
Personally I prefer getting bang for my buck when the ajeomma loads up the ketchup, mayo and soy sauce on my toast cheese. Foreign vendors might not even put mayo on in the first place. And kimchi on my late night kebab? Hello, health benefits. I honestly don't get why anyone would not want things to be more Koreanized in Itaewon. As for the Koreanized foreign restaurants putting prices up, everyone needs to make a living. Don't want to pay top dollar for Koreanized Greek food? Check out the new kimbab cheongkuk on the corner by Hamilton Hotel. That oh cheon won chamchi kimbab rules.
I agree completely, but why do you feel YOU have to answer every comment with something like this? It is always you, and the point never needs to be made, as it adds nothing to any discussion, but time and time again, you feel the need to add comments such as this one. Get a hobby.
Well, I've only just joined this board...........
I especially don't like Westerner's in Korea.
Well, I've only just joined this board and I must admit I did not expect to pop up on DeMartino's radar and/or draw his ire quite so soon; it must be a very slow day for him (it?) to leap on such an innocuous response to a simply asked question. As someone who has been in Korea for some time and remembers Itaewon when it really was THE preferred 'three D' (Dirty, Dangerous, and Desperate) den of sin and iniquity for all manner of malcontents, and 'respectable' Koreans avoided it like the plague. Now, as I witness the 'new & improved' model, I must admit experiencing some nostalgic pangs for those halcyon days of yore. Itaewon has been turning into the ersatz (read 'safe') 'foreigner experience the 'respectable' Kangnam crowd and their ilk wanted for some time now: the demise of the Seoul Pub (Satan's playground that it was...) was the final nail in coffin of that rollicking era, and the area, with its price-gouging rents and 'you're-******-joking' prices is now - basically - cleansed! Well - and this may come as a surprise to ol' Martini there - but SOME OF US LIKED ITAEWON BEFORE THE 'MAKE IT SAFE AND PRESENTABLE' CROWD': not everything, to be sure - there were places even stalwart sorts like my friends and I would not venture into (a least un-vaccinated...) - but overall it was a slice of real life that only an urban entrepot peopled and habituated by an international band of daring souls and adventurous locals could be! To me, Mr Martini is like a dog that is always barking: for the first while the noise is as annoying as hell, but gradually, over time, as you become inured to it it ceases to be so and eventually fades away - first into the distant background, then it simply doesn't register at all. Mr Martini seems to view this site as his domain - to continue the dog comparison - as his turf, to be jealously guarded against ALL interlopers (no matter how non-threatening); he is the embodiment of The Dog in The Manger... and like that dog, will continue to bark away at all and nothing...and, like that dog, he is easily ignored!
I lived in a rural area for 4 years. Busan was closer.Whenever I went to Seoul, I always went to Itaewon. I have been doing this since I used to live and work in Yongin. The main reasons why I went to Itaewon was:1) Haircuts: I never trusted Korean barbers to cut my hairso I go to Itaewon where there are people who can deal with my kind of hair.2) Diversity: There is nothing that connects me with people from around the world better than when you see people who are of diverse cultures mixing in with the dominant Korean culture.3) Food: All the delicious tasting food is there in varieties.(Forget about KFC or Burger King). I am talking foods like Turkish Kebabs, Thai Food, and Middle Eastern food etc.But since I became a vegetarian during my last days in Korea,I still went to Itaewon to find vegetarian foods anyway becausethere are restaurants such as the Thai restaurant that are vegetarianfriendly. There is even a vegan restaurant that was recently openedin Itaewon.4) Clothing: Whenever I needed to buy larger size clothes that werenot available for me at the local E-Mart, I would go to Itaewon to buyclothes and shoes that would fit me right. I even went there to tailor two suits, (but most of my suits were tailored for a cheaper price when I went to Thailand). 5) Thai Massage: I used to go to Itaewon to get a Thai oil massage from this one place in Itaewon. The service I got was great and I cannot forget these discounts I used to get. I used to go there to get Thai massages until they opened up a new one in the local town where I used to live. However they opened it during the last 2 months I was in Korea and their rates were more expensivethan the Thai massage salon in Itaewon.6) Night Life: I do have an appreciation for night life where I can go and let it all hang down. I used to hang out at a bar called theGoldfish Bar. They changed it into a lounge. It was sad for me to knowthat a young Filipina named Loverly does not sing there anymore. Her voice used to draw me there. I didn't want too much loud night life, but I did enjoy my times at Hellios. So yes, most times a lot of foreign language teachers do hang out in Itaewon no matter where in Korea they live. They can live as far away as Jindo or Mokpo and still make it to Seoul to hang out in Itaewon knowing the fact that Korea has the best public transportation systems in the world (unlike where I am currently living where I have to drive everywhere), plus South Korea is a small country in size. I wish I could have all this fun again every Saturday night because I cannot get this kind of fun in deeprural Canada as I did when I was in Itaewon. Not to mention how the wintersin Seoul are not so brutally cold. As for lodging......I still had the option to spend my cheap nights lodging at one of the two jimjibangs in Itaewon.
Guys, Whatthebook is gone because of the internet, not simply Itaewon whatever.