Apple Bun: sa-gwa bbang! (사과빵!)

As a reward to myself for recently upping my daily swim from 20 laps to 40, I allowed myself a trip to Paris Croissant Cafe. Bread here in Korea tends towards a kind of sweeter, softer variety than is typically found in the West. But while it isn't much for making pastrami sandwiches, it's great for dessert. Or, in my case, a post-swim munch.

Paris Croissant Cafe is my favorite Seoul bakery, but as a rule, I avoid the bread and go straight for the pastries. The one at exit 3 of the Anguk subway station has a great rotation of interesting items. For a few weeks back in September, I had an obsession with their "banana rollado" which was sort of like a twinkie with a baked banana within. Sadly, the banana rollado is discontinued, and I have been on the market for a replacement baked treat for over a month. This time, I found the most adorable looking buns that look... just... like... apples! From it's little chocolate Peppero stick stem, to it's ever-so-slightly browned, apple-green crust, it bears a stunning likeness to a real live apple. But a closer look reveals that it's actually a palm-sized sweet treat. It was 1,800 won, a little pricey for something its size, but before I could turn away, it whispered, "Buy me! You know you can't resist something both tasty AND cute!" Yes... baked goods do talk to me...

I took Mr. Apple-Bun home and, on a hunch, nuked him in the microwave for 30 seconds. One bite, and my hunch was confirmed -- yep, there's baked apple in there! Its carmelized goodness is even better warmed up. Now, I'm hooked. I only hope that Paris Croissant doesn't take this one off their menu too soon, since this little bun has been a great motivator in getting me through my last few laps each day.

In other news:

I finally finished uploading my pictures of Singapore. Take a look.
Or, if you're short on time, you can skip straight to the two-headed turtle, some cool art from the 2006 Singapore Biennale, or Buddhist Hell.

I got 2 free tickets to The Ballerina Who Loved a B-Boy from a friend. B-boys are all the rage these days in Korea, and there's all kinds of breakdancing performances taking place on the stage here, of which the Ballerina show is one. It was a pretty rousing performance and good fun. I recommend it, but before you go, remind yourself: "It's not about the plot. It's not about the plot." Despite the title, it's not a love story, and (disappointing to me) it's not even about any kind of fusion between ballet and breakdancing. It's just an opportunity to enjoy some creative breakdancing moves that have come a long way since it was performed on flattened cardboard in the schoolyard. The theatre is near Hongdae, and tickets are about 50,000 won.

Today I went to a lecture about buying Korean antiques, sponsered by SIWA. So, it's official. I definitely can't afford to go antiquing here. But I might have a chance in North Korea.....