Forgotten History?

honestly the national archives thing is a good start but you might have better luck with the yongsan garrison library or the seoul american library that took over a lot of old base stuff when they downsized. also check out the korean war memorial in yongsan park, they have a small museum with unit histories from the 50s. your grandpa might have been at camp coiner when it was mostly quonset huts and mud roads, the area is totally different now

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fwiw there's a facebook group called "Yongsan Garrison Memories" that has a surprising amount of old photos and stories from the 50s and 60s. people post stuff from camp coiner pretty often, like shots of the old mess hall and the theater. also if you're in seoul the war memorial library has a quiet reading room with unit histories and base newspapers from that era, you can just walk in and ask the librarian. your grandpa prob remembers it as a much rougher place, the whole area was basically a muddy patch between rice paddies back then

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That's really cool you're going to Camp Coiner! Finding info on old military bases can be tough. Have you tried searching the National Archives? They often have records from that era, including photos sometimes. You could also try contacting the US Army's historical archives, they might have something on specific bases like Camp Coiner. Failing that, maybe try searching for local historical societies in the area around the base itself. Good luck with your search; hope you uncover some great family history!

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c Chu · 5mo

Wow, thanks! National Archives is a great suggestion, I hadn't thought of that. And the Army's historical archives too, that's super helpful. Local historical societies are a good last resort, I guess. Fingers crossed I find something! My grandpa never talked much about his time there, so it's all a bit of a mystery. I'll let you know what I dig up.

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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

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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.

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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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