To be honest, I hate going on tours. I normally feel too impatient to listen to other people tell me things that I could Google and will only do it if the tour will drive me to places I couldn’t otherwise reach by car. So, when I say that I was impressed by a tour, it’s worth reading on. Former hotelier and public relations manager, Veronica Tae-Ahn Kang, founded Gastro Tour Seoul almost a year ago. It features a variety of walking tours that’ll take you from historic sites to culinary hotspots. By learning about the culture behind the tastes, it allows one to have a more meaningful eating (and drinking) experience. There were many such tours operating the day we went on our Brew Master Tour and were led by guides whose English was perhaps a bit more native than Veronica’s. However, the flair that Veronica could bring out as a local served a stark contrast to the others. Passing through Bukchon Hanok Village, she not only relayed the village’s well-known history but smaller, lesser-known details. She pointed out a green-roofed, French-Colonial tiled home built in 1938 by Yi Jungu (not on the average tourist route) and gave us anecdotes about private parties hosted by so-and-so celebrities and what it’s like to stay overnight in a guesthouse approximated at 1 million won per night. Moreover, it was obvious that the destinations she chose were picked for good reason. (The brew masters we were introduced to? One of the best parts of the tour.) At the restaurants we visited, she could distinctly point out the differences in flavor and texture of the various dishes in addition to eating etiquette and food histories I had never heard about. It was the perfect personal touch even Google couldn’t customize. For more information and additional services, check out gastrotourseoul.com
