Seoul, Seoul, Korea Rep.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Today was a day off to comemmorate Memorial Day so I attended the World Tea Festival in Seoul with my fellow tea-loving coworkers. One of the things I was surprised to learn when I first arrived in Korea is that just because you're in Asia doesn't mean you have good access to good teas. Coffee is the caffeinated beverage of choice here and several coffee shops can be found on every street corner. The event was held at COEX mall which is Asia's largest underground shopping mall. For a country of people who don't seem to drink that much tea, there was an overwhelming number of tea vendors at the event and I had the chance to try Korean teas, 50 year old Chinese teas, green, black and fruit teas and many things that could not be considered tea but more of a watery infusion. It is certainly the place to stock up on teas, ceramic cups and pots and tea knowledge. For a country that works itself to the bone, I think Korea should adopt the mid-week day-off into their regular routine.
