The five-storey State Department Store is the best place to get a reasonable shopping done if you’re looking for clothing, cashmere, or just any souvenirs. They were all enthusiastic window shoppers. Arghun insisted on explaining to me about most of the items in the souvenir department while I tried to find a pair of wool shoes for Urnaa’s new-born grandson.
I decided to dump the budget eating plan and splash out on a good Korean meal with the girls. The young Arghun had never had a Korean, and she was very excited. ‘It will be fun for me,’ she said. We picked a second-floor restaurant and ordered kimchi (cooked cabbage marinaded in chilli sauce) as starter and five large dishes – the well-known Dwaeji-dwen-jang (sesame-seed-powdered pork steak in soy bean paste), chilli beancurd and the hot and homely potato and beef stew among them. The whole meal cost the four of us £8.
We ate like crazy and took snapshots of each other while swallowing our food…I could never have enough of kimchi! I had to order a second portion. ‘I could live on just kimchi and rice,’ I told them, winning their laughs.
‘We didn’t usually eat like this when we were working in Budapest,’ Urnaa said, ‘It’s so good to be home.’
‘I’ve put on too much weight since I’m back here!’ Gunje said, shoveling beancurd into her mouth.
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