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Has the vibe changed here?
Visiting for the first time since 2018, this time with a wife and two kids. My time here has been rife with negative encounters and experiences. Nothing has been major, but there hasn't been a day that's passed without something rocking the boat a bit.
A few examples: - At a restaurant in Myeong-dong, there were napkins at one end of our table. My wife was sitting on the opposite end and just didn't see them. The table adjacent to ours had napkins that were literally right next to her. She grabbed a paper napkin from that table which no one was sat at. A staff member comes up to our table and slams the napkin holder on our table and scolds my wife not to take napkins from another table. He truly scolded her. I can't make this up. We were completely taken aback. I get Koreans can be particular about things, and sure, perhaps we had committed a faux pas, but to be scolded felt so disproportionate to the crime.
Again, at a restaurant, this time in Insadong. Walked into the restaurant with my son in his stroller. The ajosshi at the front desk ran to the door frantically signalling that we couldn't bring the stroller in. Ok, we were totally cool with that. Complied with the request, folded the stroller up and left it outside. From the limited Korean I still possess, I apologized to him. He had a scowl on his face and was just mean mugging us as we walked in. Again, perhaps I had committed a terrible faux pas and had insulted him somehow by trying to wheel a stroller in. I couldn't take the attitude, and decided to leave. I couldn't resist and again, in limited Korean asked "are you mad at us?" He didn't respond but just shooed us out the door when he realized we weren't going to be staying.
we have access to the Seoul Club here based on a reciprocal membership agreement they have with one I'm a member of in Hong Kong. We went through the initial paperwork and the club introduction cards, etc. We were cleared and given a temporary access card for the duration of our stay here. At every step of the way after that we were hassled and pestered. When using the playroom for the kids, on two separate occasions we were asked if we were allowed to be there. And then were asked to provide an access card. When producing the card, they still called the front desk - both times. Same thing when trying to access the pools. There was this sense they wanted us to leave.
There have been several other things of a similar magnitude that have occurred nearly daily.
I'm not saying at all Koreans in general are unkind, and like 99% of the time encounters are brief and neutral. But it's just felt like the frequency of coldness/unkindness has been beyond the margin of error. Like I'm sure when people visit Hong Kong they experience their share of annoyances too, but not sure it'd be this constant thing.
I can accept that maybe I'm being precious here or the Chinese male equivalent to a Karen. I guess it's only been jarring since the past 15 days have been unlike anything I had ever experienced in my four years living here full time and the short stint I was here in 2018.
Bad luck? Or maybe I'm giving off bad energy. Who knows. I've just been puzzled and had to get this off my chest I suppose.
Dogdogdog's Secret?
the whispering thing is real but its not about the sauce lol. that guy runs a 2am handoff with the chicken supplier, they drop off fresh birds from a farm near Chuncheon three times a week instead of using the frozen stuff most hongdae spots rely on. thats why the texture hits different, not the sauce itself. if u go back ask for the neck & wing combo off menu, its cheaper & honestly the best cut they do
the thing nobody mentions is that Dogdogdog's sauce gets its body from cheong, the Korean rice syrup, not sugar. thats why it coats the wing so thick and stays glossy instead of going sticky. i asked a guy who worked there and he said they also add a splash of maesil (plum) extract at the end off the heat. that fruity tang under the garlic is what you're tasting. go on a weekday before 6, weekends the wait hits 40 min easy.
honestly the "secret sauce" thing is prob just marketing. every fried chicken place in Seoul has a version of that story. the real difference at Dogdogdog is they double fry in rice bran oil and toss the wings in the sauce twice, once right out of the fryer and again after a 30 sec rest. thats where the crunch comes from, not some mystery ingredient. if u wanna taste the actual base, order the banban half plain half spicy and dip the plain one in the spicy sauce yourself.
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