Your Acacia Tree
In this multimedia web feature, a high school student asks her classmates a simple question: ‘Who Will You Be?’
“It was six thirty in the morning. Because I had woken up early in that morning, I came out from the dormitory and walked along the schoolyard. Birds were already moving and trees were waking up. What I have seen here, was a large acacia tree.
Before we talk about the acacia tree, let me ask you a question which may seem to have no relations with the tree.
City Guide Review: Gusttimo (Itaewon)
Review by Karen Han, manager of Gusttimo (Itaewon) City: Itaewon, Seoul (이태원, 서울) Restaurant Name: Gusttimo (구스띠모) Food Served: Dessert, Gelato, Coffee Restaraunt Address: 서울특별시 용산구 이태원동 127-11 View Map Directions: It is just outside of the exit 3, Itaewon station and next to the kebab shop. Opposite of the Hamilton Hotel. Cost: Varies, ~4,000 KRW How was the wait time? Did you make a reservation? There is no wait time unless it is the weekend. It will not take that long as it is cafe serving coffee or gelato. Was the restaurant clean? How were bathroom amenities? The Gelato shop just opened in April 2015, so it is really clean and posh atmosphere. At the same time, it is small, but cozy~ How was the service? Did wait staff speak English? Service, they have special education on service and how to work at the Gelato shop/cafe, they have some of the staff good at speaking English and Chinese. Also, great at English. What did you order? Are there any “specialities” that the reader should be sure to try? How long did it take for the food to come out? Gelato-specializing cafe, also coffee is always there. How was the food? Was there a particular dish that stood out, or was disappointing? They have traditional Italian style Gelato and it is healthy and various types of gelato are available.They make the gelato fresh every day. Would you come back again? Why or why not? I would love to come back again, and try different flavors!
City Guide Review: Shabu Maxim
Review by Monica Heilman, ETA 2014-2015 City: Gimhae (김해) Restaurant Name: Shabu Maxim (샤브막심) Food Served: Shabu Shabu Restaraunt Address: 경상남도 김해시 해반천로 34-9 View Map Directions: On the Busan-Gimhae light rail, get off at Yeonji Park station and exit left, crossing a bridge and heading down stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, go straight until reaching traffic lights. You’ll see Shabu Maxim up ahead, slightly to the right. (For an alternative route with a sidewalk, exit right from the station and walk in the opposite direction of the stairs. At the intersection, turn right. The restaurant will be on your left.) Cost: 13,000 KRW for lunch, 16,000 KRW for dinner Shabu Maxim in Gimhae is a very new restaurant that just opened at the start of this year (2015). There is another branch in Haeundae, Busan. As it’s still new, the facilities (including bathrooms) are in excellent condition and very clean. There’s even a small play area for babies and toddlers. My favorite thing about the restaurant, besides the food itself, is the space, which is open and well-lit, with huge windows to let in natural light. I’ve gone twice, both times in a large group with a reservation and sat at large tables on the second floor. The menu is your typical shabu shabu fare – raw beef that you cook in your own boiling broth, veggies and rice paper for making wraps, noodles as a second course, and a third course of juk/rice porridge with egg. If you haven’t had shabu shabu yet, it’s definitely a must-try and be prepared to eat A LOT. What’s unique about Shabu Maxim is that they’ve nixed the Korean tradition of sharing dishes and given each person their own individual pot of broth. This means you also receive separate servings of noodles and rice porridge – so you can’t rely on someone else even if you’re getting full. During my second visit, our group also got dessert, which was a choice between ice cream, iced coffee or iced tea. While I opted for coffee, some of my coworkers still had room for ice cream, which was a single scoop of vanilla. Unfortunately, the iced coffee was far too sweet for my taste, but stick with the shabu shabu and you’ll be more than satisfied.