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Start
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Gwanggyo Reservoir
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Hwaseong
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Hwaseong Haenggung
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Janganmun
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Suwon Chicken Alley
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Haegungdong
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Paldalmun
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Finish
Traditional Market Near Suwon Paldalmun (Nammun) 팔달문 재래시장
There's a region called Nammun in Suwon which is like Myeong-dong in Suwon. It's not as popular as it used to be but it was crowded with people all the time in the south of Gyeonggi until the early 90s. That's why it has around 5 to 6 markets including Paldalmun Market, Yeongdong Market, Jidong Market, Minarikwang Market and Motgol Market, and I'm going to show you some starting from Jidong Market with lots of food, Minarikwang Market, and Motgol Market which has been aired on various TV documentary programs.
The markets around Suwon Nammun(Paldalmun) is right next to Nammun(Paldalmun), 20 minutes away from Suwon Station by car. The markets are facing each other with Suwoncheon(River), which is newly decoratively currently, between them. Suwoncheon has clean water with fish and a nice trail with nice trees for a walk so it would be nice to buy some snacks at the market and eat it by the river.
First market I'm going to show you is Jidong Market. It's famous for Sundae so there's Sundae town inside the market. I'm going to explain Sundae town in detail.
Jidong Market sells Sundae as well as different parts of pork. It's very common for us from 70s to 80s but foreigners or young people would find it even scary to see the head of pig but it's common here.
When you get out of Jidong market, there are different kinds of stores selling food ingredients on the way to Minarikwang Market. I'm getting used to the idea that we are not able to buy much stuff with a 10,000 won bill these days but here, you'll get enough amount for just 2-3,000 won that makes me want to buy something.
There's a fresh seafood store as well. It's a big market so it's completely different from the market in my neighbourhood selling various ingredients.
There was a puppy in a small store. It's a mutt but it is handsome with good face. But he didn't even look at me once.
Everywhere I go they used to pack everything because of hygiene matter and it's been long since I've seen this basket. I was just watching people and some people asked for more, the owner said no, then finally gave some more and it made everyone laugh, which was very friendly.
The snacks from old times, corns and wheat bread. Wheat bread was the best dessert when I was a kid and the owner also said that only old people buy this.
Okay, I see the donuts from old times as well. It's famous that it makes over one hundred million won a year and it's been aired on TV[VJ Special Forces]. Normally it has a long waiting line but it was quiet because it was quite late. The taste was just like the same from the 70s so it's not so special compared to the ones in today's bakery. But it's cheap, 1,000 won for three donuts, so I say it's worth it.
Motgol Market is always crowded with people cause there are different kinds of grocery stores. The market is active that it's been on many TV programs including VJ Special Forces and Docu 3 Days.
The store was closing up late in the evening yet the market was crowded.
As soon as I entered, they were frying vegetable pancakes. Oil smell stopped me and made me drool.
Colourful rice pancakes were also there. Now I get it why people can't stop coming to traditional market, the price is cheap and the food is delicious!
In the middle of the market seducing people with various food, I found a flower shop that looks like a green forest. It looked so healthy and green that they almost look like artificial flowers but they are real ones with fragrance.
Then the sound of frying Bindaetteok(mung-bean pancake) caught my attention. It's so thick that one would be enough to make me me full. Yellowish Bindaetteok that reminds me of magolli.
It's been aired a lot so that the owners did not seem to mind taking photos. Thankfully, they all smiled and encouraged me.
It's a medicinal herb shop that sells medicinal herbs and health foods and I had to take photos because it looked so neat. People usually prefer big markets because they think traditional markets are dirty and do not mark the country of origin but I say if it's clean as this shop, I think there's nothing to worry about.
Most of them still were in business but the shops dealing with fresh food like fish were closing up. So in the end, they were selling the rest at a cheaper price. My wife also bought cutlassfish from Mokpo at a cheap price.
Before I recovered from a shock when I saw bindaeddeok, oily pigs' feet showed up. Inside the store, they were boiling pigs' feet and cooling them off. The seller probably read my mind when I was watching it through viewfinder and gave me one piece of meat. It was tenderly cooked and properly salted that made me want to drink soju.
I was about to ask my wife to buy some for me, then I saw her already drawn into side dish shop across the street. She was all excited and said it's paradise for housewives while she was choosing what to buy.
This shop sells most of the side dishes for 2-3,000 won for one pack that it's the most famous one in Motgol Market. This one also was aired on TV that it makes more than one hundred million won a year.
Not only side dishes, they also sell kimchi, pickled vegetables, deonjang(soybean paste) and cheonggukjang(fast-fermented bean paste) so I must say it IS a paradise for housewives.
There's another famous vegetable shop next to the side dish shop. It's been on TV that it sells at an impossibly cheap prices. They grow vegetables by themselves in a farm so that they could reduce the retail margin, and one basket of vegetable costs 1,000 won. It's really cheap, isn't it? So if you ask for more, they add a handful of vegetables more in black plastic bag. They grow these by themselves so they're fresh and I think this is what makes traditional market so attractive.
Another things that caught my attention were steamed bun with red bean paste filling and dumplings. A while ago, I was seduced by the yellowish fried food, oily look of pigs' feet and this time sweet steamed bun with red bean paste filling. I had to buy them for 2,000 won and finished walking through the market.
If there's Coffee and Donut in city, there's Jjinbbang(steamed bun with red bean paste filling) and Sikhye(sweet rice drink) in traditional markets. Cold drink only costs 1,000 won!!
It's hand-made Sikhye. It's not too sweet following the trend, just properly sweet just to quench my thirst.
There's another market outside. At the bus stop outside the market, vegetables were spread out on the floor that the women grew themselves, and here, it's cheaper yet cleaned already so the housewives love this place.
While most of traditional markets in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do regions have lost their old aspects and been modernized and even the traditional markets in small cities are so quiet except the days they are open, Suwon Nammun region still maintains old looks and it's still crowded with people that made us forget how exhausted we were from our trip. Plus, we could do shopping reasonably.
Suwon Hwaseong Fortress starts and ends around here so if you are looking for a place to eat after tracking to Hwaseong Fortress, you could drop by here and eat something.
Address : 387-1, Ji-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 수원시 팔달구 지동 387-1)
Telephone : 031-246-5638
Jidong Sundae Town Full of Sundae Restaurants 지동 순대타운
In one corner of Jidong Market located in Suwon Paldalmun, there's Sundae Town where all of them sell Sundae-related food. I guess it's more than 20 restaurants selling Sundae here. Jidong Market is a traditional market nationally famous for beef and pork, and originally Suwon was famous for Suwon galbi(ribs) due to cattle market but recently the brand has lost its fame and instead pork and sundae got more attention.
We entered 'WonjoEommane(Original Mom's Cooking)'. The menus are all the same in every restaurant on this street so you could check this one even if you go somewhere else. I ordered Sundaegopchangcheolpan(Sundae Gopchang on iron plate) for 2 people. It's 8,000 won for a person.
Kimchi was served first as a common dish,
and followed the main dish. Noodles, ramen, different mushrooms and rice cake were in it. As soon as I saw it, I started drooling. ^^*
The fire was strong that it started to boil soon~looks yummy, huh? It had Sundae and Gopchang a lot in it. Sundae goes well with…with alcohol! But it's still day time so I had to give up on alcohol and had rice.
Unlike other cities, Sundae in Jidong Market had cellophane noodles in sundae(sausages). There are people who like cellophane noodle sundae, and some people like hog intestines with ingredients in it. Both are unique and I love them both so I didn't mind.
It's for two people but it had a lot of Gopchang and Sundae so it was a lot. It would be good for three people to order for two and one extra bowl of rice.
I liked it better to have Gopchang than just to have Sundae. It was quite spicy in general, so if you're not a fan of spicy food you could tell the chef before you order.
You wouldn't know what it tastes like to eat noodles in a spicy SundaeGopchangCheolpanBokkeum(pan friend Sundae Gopchang)until you try it. ^^ So after you finish it, you could order fried rice! We ordered for two but it was too much for us so we couldn't order rice but if you are three people and ordered for two, I suggest you to order some rice afterwards. Fried rice in this sauce, I say I wouldn't know even if anyone next to me dies while eating it!
Address : 3, Changryongmun-ro, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 수원시 팔달구 창룡문로 3)
Telephone : 031-256-0202
Last comments…
Suwon is a big city with way more population than Ulsan Metropolitan City. You might ask what's there to see in this crowded city but I wish my journal has changed your prejudice a little bit. Recently, Suwon-si has had so many foreign tourists from all over the world which means it has places to see, things to enjoy, foods to eat and its cultures. I hope you could experience a piece of golden times of late Joseon Dynasty. I hope you had a chance to travel Suwon.
