December's things to do

Remember the scene in the romantic comedy About Time, when a girl and a boy first encounter each other in complete darkness. A similar total-darkness experience is available in Seoul, unfortunately, its concept is not about finding your one true love. Rather, Dialogue in the Dark (located in Bukchon) is an awareness raising exhibition. It was created in 1988 by Andreas Heinecke as a result of a life-long search for answers to the question, “On what ground do we judge people and feel inferior or superior?” Interestingly, it was an acquaintance who had lost his eyesight in a car accident that helped Heinecke realize not only the answers to his question but also his fascination of the world of blind people. In order to confront this prejudice about blindness, Dialogue in the Dark was started, in a small warehouse. Now, this exhibition has over 130 locations in 20 different countries with over 9 million visitors. Once inside, you will be stripped of all possible lighting devices (phones, watches, etc.) and will be ‘blind’ for 100 minutes. You will listen to the directions of the ‘road master’ and utilize a white cane to navigate rooms of different themes; leaves, forest, using wind to rotate a sailboat in the right direction, matching smell and touch with places and objects, etc. Dialogue in the Dark isn’t just about being blind; it’s an experience that will indulge yourself in all your other senses. For safety issues, only visitors between the age of 9 to 70 are allowed, with...

Sitting right in front of Sangsu Station, Mère Picon has already captured the hearts of many foodies. Having worked at a renowned French restaurant in Korea, the owner/chef Aly (Jiyeon Jeong) prepares easy bites that wonderfully go with wine and beer.  Mère Picon’s fish & chips was simply... perfect. The meat was particularly thick and juicy, the fried batter light, soft and crispy, while the potato sticks and wedges served on the side really complimented the whole dish. I give this a big thumbs up.  The Gorgonzola Mère Pizza with apple slices on top was a great light dish too. It uses citron honey instead of regular honey, so you get that little sweet and sour kick with it. We also ordered Squid Ink Paella in Mom’s Stone Pot and Mulle à la Bellgium as well, and they both were delicious. The best part of it was that the prices are reasonable compared to other bistro pubs in the area.  Mère means mom in French, and Mère Picon “Picon’s mom.” Just like its name, the ambiance here is is warm and comforting. The chef welcomes guests with a bright smile. Though it was a random Tuesday night, the bistro pub seemed pretty busy with more than 10 people chatting and sipping wine. As I was leaving, I looked around the pub and without hesitation I knew Mère Picon will be my pick for my end-of-the-year gathering.

Dimly-lit basements, serious furniture, and music vibrating in soft, repetitive hums—these are the visions we conjure up when imagining underground European techno clubs from the not-so-distant past. Lucky for us, this vision has come to life in the streets of Hapjeong. Set aside off from the major bustling streets of Hongdae, Vurt is only a minute walk from exit 6 of Hapjeong Station, and an easy 10-minute stroll from exit 1 of Sangsu Station. Burt carries a somewhat secluded and quiet vibe for a club and is managed by Suna, Unjin, DJI, and Soolee, old-timer DJs who have dedicated their lives to the club scene for over 10 years. Operated by a sound engineer from England’s reknowned audio company Allen & Heath, Vurt will appeal to true believers of underground sound.