Seoul, South Korea
It started, as these things often do, with a text from my better half:
“Work trip to South Korea. You in?”
Now, I’m no stranger to chasing the dragon of wanderlust, but Korea? The land of kimchi, K-pop, and geopolitical tension? Yes, I’m in.
Before I could say annyeonghaseyo (which means hello, and which I never learned to pronounce properly), I found myself sweating through my shirt in Seoul’s soup-like summer air. My smartphone buzzed urgently — a local alert, the kind usually reserved for Amber Alerts or impending doom.
After a quick translation from Hangul (the Korean alphabet), I learned I had arrived in the middle of the world’s strangest balloon fight. South Korea, it seems, likes to air-drop freedom pamphlets to its northern neighbours. The North retaliates with balloons filled with trash, old clothes, and — if the alerts are to be believed — parasites too. Welcome to Korea, where even the sky isn’t neutral territory.
But I didn’t come here for the political climate. I came for the food, the drink, and to understand how a country can go from war-torn wasteland to technological juggernaut in the span of a single lifetime.
It’s a story of the US, along with other countries aligned against communism during the Cold War, providing massive subsidies to South Korea, particularly to the families behind Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and the like — known as chaebol — who built empires on the backs of a population hungry for more than just its next meal. Whether there was another option, I’ll leave for history to decide.
Drinking Like a Local
But let me tell you about the things I can talk about: the drinks.
Doing my usual research, I visited everywhere from 7-Elevens to fancy wine stores, just to see what was out there. I found the usual big wineries, but with higher prices than I’ve ever seen. Understandable — South Korea is, after all, far away. So I stuck with what the locals drink.
The bread and butter of the country’s drinking culture are:
Soju
Makgeolli
Beer
You’ll see these everywhere.
But let’s focus on makgeolli for a moment.
Imagine if alcoholic milk and fizzy rice had a love child, and you’re halfway there. This traditional rice wine is Korea’s answer to moonshine. Once the drink of farmers and common folk, it’s now making a comeback in trendy restaurants all over South Korea.
I found myself in a tiny bar down a back alley in Seoul, the kind of place that smells of decades of cigarette smoke and spilled spirits. The man behind the bar looked like he’d been there since the Japanese occupation, his wrinkled hands deftly pouring makgeolli into small bronze bowls.
“You drink,” he said — more command than offer.
Who was I to argue?
The first sip hit me like a friendly slap in the face: tangy, sweet, with a fizz that danced on my tongue. Before I knew it, I was three bowls deep, surrounded by locals determined to teach me every drinking game in the South Korean repertoire.
Pro tip: never try to outdrink a Korean. Your liver will thank you the next morning. 😅
The Food That Comes With It
But makgeolli isn’t meant to be drunk alone.
This is where Korean cuisine shines brighter than the neon signs of Times Square.
Small plates of banchan appeared on the table as soon as we sat down:
Kimchi that could wake the dead
Snappy soybean sprouts
Something fermented and pickle-like that I couldn’t identify but couldn’t stop eating
Then came the Korean BBQ cuts, with a sizzling iron grill set right into the table.
Beef
Pork
Lamb
A rotating surprise of cuts and textures
Each plate felt like its own little event.
All of it had to be eaten with metal chopsticks — always a challenge when you’ve grown up with bamboo or plastic.
Korean BBQ at its best. 🔥
Reflections on the Ride Back
As I stumbled out into the Seoul night, belly full and head spinning, I couldn’t help thinking about our little wine club back home.
In the taxi, with no political analysis and no cultural debriefing from the driver, there was only one option: reflect on what to share with you all.
You, sipping carefully curated bottles from sun-drenched vineyards, might think you’re worlds away from this bustling Asian metropolis. But in the end, it’s all the same game — humans gathering around a table, sharing drinks, food, and stories.
Whether it’s a bold malbec from the forgotten corners of Salta or a bowl of makgeolli in a smoky Seoul dive bar, drink has a way of bridging gaps and opening hearts. 🍷
I’ll continue my stories from South Korea next week, including my visit to a premium fermented makgeolli town.
Until the next adventure calls (or texts).
Cheers,
Diego
