Part 1

Chapter 1: Cheongmokdang, Joseon's First Western Restaurant
1.
Gyeongseong's hot places
2.
The mystical specialties of Cheongmokdang
Electric drinking glasses and screw-shaped stools / Separate lounge and clock room
3.
Taste strange food
Making a splash with orange liqueur Curaçao / Luxurious or extravagant menus
4.
'Western food' finally arrives in Joseon
Read more: Cheongmokdang has reopened.

Chapter 2: A Place for a Harmonious Family Outing: Mitsukoshi Department Store's Restaurant
1.
The throne of Bonjeong Department Store
2.
Encountering sophisticated new culture
Flashing neon signs and another iconic elevator / Melon and ice cream float
3.
Well, I don't eat 'lunch'
Department store restaurant's signature menu / Mitsukoshi Department Store's regular customers
4.
The shadow of colonialism cast over department stores
The birth of a modern department store / A branch office for Japanese people
Further Reading: Tracing the Traces of Mitsukoshi Department Store

Chapter 3: Gyeongseong's Best Japanese Restaurant, Hwawol
1.
On a good night to whisper love
2.
A space for elegant banquets and entertainment
Rooftop, Irasshaimase! / A quiet eight-room apartment connected to the sponsorship
3.
The most tender house with tempura
Mouth-watering Jeongjong and seasonal menu / A simple and elegant table setting
4.
backroom politics or a hotbed of pleasure
Further Reading: Famous Japanese Restaurants in Gyeongseong

Chapter 4: The Sound of Southern Waves at Kanebo Fruit Parlor
1.
A must-see course for 'Honbura'
2.
Seducing modern boys and girls
Coffee is probably the best in Gyeongseong / SNS, messenger during the colonial era
3.
A fragrant and exotic fruit dessert cafe
Beach umbrellas on the sand / The taste of unforgettable fruit desserts
4.
Kanebo's hidden side hidden in sweetness
Further Reading: Kanebo Service Station and Messenger

Part 2 Jongno

Chapter 5: Gyeongseong's only refined Korean restaurant, Hwashin Department Store Restaurant
1.
The first department store run by a Korean
2.
The extraordinary grandeur of Hwasing Department Store
Chocolate-colored shadows blanket Jongno / An unfamiliar space where sophistication and coolness intertwine
3.
The taste of refined Korean cuisine
You bought a meal ticket, so what else do you choose? / 'Joseon Lunch', which I waited in line for all day
4.
For Koreans? Or to attract Korean guests?
From Hwasin Sanghoe to Hwasin Department Store / A system no different from the department stores in Namchon
Further Reading: Hwasing Department Store and Dong-A Department Store's Giveaway Competition

Chapter 6: Kim Du-han's regular Seolleongtang restaurant, Imun Restaurant
1.
Still open for business!
2.
Soul food of colonial Koreans
Even the smell was attractive / Taste beef at a low price
3.
Unclean and extremely uncomfortable
A narrow table with low chairs / A trash can-like interior with flies flying around
4.
The origin of Seolleongtang, sacred or common
Further Reading: The Two Faces of Seolleongtang
Chapter 7: Gyeongseong Naengmyeon, comparable to Pyongyang Naengmyeon, Dongyangru
1.
Controversial food, naengmyeon
2.
The reeds that were fluttering all over Gyeongseong
Another soul food of Koreans / Dongyangru, a landmark of Jongno 3-dong
3.
Colonial life, its weight engraved
Bicycles that roamed Gyeongseong carrying plates of meat, pork belly, and yellow mustard
4.
From kimchi soup to soy sauce soup, from noodles to cold noodles
Further Reading: The Mouthwatering History of Naengmyeon

Part 3: Janggokcheonjeong and Hwanggeumjeong

Chapter 8: A fairytale world decorated in wine-colored tones, the Chosun Hotel restaurant
1.
The most luxurious restaurant in Joseon
2.
Even though I am the only son of a millionaire
The room rate is only 12 won per day / I'm eating with the Yangkobaegi guys in the 'sun room'
3.
Serving authentic French cuisine
A table filled with ornate chandeliers and seafood / The pride of the Chosun Hotel restaurant, the "Jeongsik" (Korean meal)
4.
Light and Darkness at the Chosun Hotel
Authentic Western cuisine and fusion cuisine / Place names such as the Railway Hotel and Janggokcheonjeong
More to read: Rose Garden Grand Opening

Chapter 9: Nakrangpara, the playground of struggling artists
1.
Something different from a regular teahouse
2.
A hideout for those without any official affiliation
You might greet me as if you were waiting for me / The graffiti left by Lee Sang and the scent of coffee
3.
Drinking hot milk while listening to Volga songs
The menus of Nakrangpara drawn by Lee Sang / Coffee prices, cigarette prices, and gatherings
4.
The shadow of the name 'Nakrangpara'
Further Reading: An Exotic Teahouse Where Artists Gather

Chapter 10: Arthur One, a Chinese restaurant with a large number of luxury cars
1.
Where the founding general meeting of the Korean Communist Party was held
2.
Thriving amid historical upheaval
Duck eggs and rice wine in a separate room / The honor of working in Arthur's kitchen
3.
Razogi, lamb skin, japchae, and beer!
No mala-tang, lamb skewers, or hot pot / A delivery man carrying a wooden crate
4.
The signature menu items are udon and tempura.
More to read: Let's make Dongpa Pork and Palbochae

A neon sign shaped like a wine glass flashes, and a chocolate-scented shadow falls…
In the middle of the splendid Gyeongseong street, where you arrive following the novel

Sook-chae, the protagonist of Lee Sun-hee's novel "Women's Command," smells the scent of chocolate coming from the giant shadow that covers the Jongno intersection.
This expresses the sense of oppression and sophistication felt at the Hwashim Department Store, which opened in a six-story building in Jongno in 1937, and provides a glimpse into the thoughts of Koreans who strolled through Jongno at the time.


In this way, “Gyeongseong Gourmet Stroll” uses modern and contemporary Korean novels such as “A Day in the Life of Novelist Gubo” and “Three Generations” to vividly examine Gyeongseong’s gourmet restaurants and the food culture of the time.
Novels are the best source of information about the lifestyles and ways of thinking of the people of the time they were written, and they are the most effective tool for portraying the culture of the time in microscopic detail.
The reactions of people trying unfamiliar food for the first time, the conversations customers had in the restaurant, the restaurant's main customer base—these interesting and specific cultural history unfolds vividly before your eyes, something that would have been difficult to portray without the novel's sources.


For example, Yeom Sang-seop's masterpiece, "Three Generations," vividly depicts the atmosphere of "Cheongmokdang," the first Western restaurant in Joseon.
The suspenseful drinking spectacle of three women is interesting in itself, but at the same time, it showcases the various menu items sold at Cheongmokdang, including the orange-based liquor 'Curaçao'.
Also, "Phoenix," which is set in the Chosun Hotel and its restaurant, mentions that it would have cost 45 million won in today's money to live there for a month, revealing that the main customers who visited the hotel were a small number of very wealthy Chosun people and foreigners who had been residing in Korea.
Another novel, “The Daily Life of Novelist Gubo,” features the teahouse “Nakrangpara,” which was a regular haunt of Lee Sang and Park Tae-won and was known as a place for artists to pass time.
Through Mr. Gubo's description, you can feel the unique atmosphere and taste of coffee that flowed through Nakrangpara.
In this way, the history of Gyeongseong, which had been inferred only through fragmentary data, is finally brought to life before us through a story.
This is a unique achievement of the author, who has been exploring Korean food culture through literature for a long time.

“Maedang took a big sip of his glass and drank it down.
“The Joseon Dynasty’s female leaders knew about Brandy and Whiskey, but this was the first time they had seen a bottle of liquor shaped like a giraffe’s neck, so they drank it out of curiosity (…) From this, Maedang and Gyeongae began to drink together as two liquor merchants made a bet, giving and receiving from each other from the time they were kings.” (Page 44, quote from “Three Generations”)

“It’s 900 won a month, so it’s 1,000 won, which is 100 won less.
“Even if Gye-hoon is the only son of a so-called millionaire who has not been to Joseon for a long time, it is questionable how long he will continue to live in this expensive hotel, rubbing shoulders with the punks.” (Page 350, quote from “Phoenix”)

A love letter sent via messenger, ice cream poured into soda water…
A peek into strange foods and unique systems

In front of the vending machine on the first floor of a department store, a child is begging his father to buy him something, and the escalator is constantly carrying customers.
Although this is a common sight in department stores these days, the description above is about the 'Hwashin Department Store' during the colonial era.
Among the systems and foods that we are familiar with today, there are some that have been passed down from the colonial era.
The current practice of displaying food samples at the entrance of department store restaurants, selecting a menu, paying, and entering was not only the case in Gyeongseong's department stores, but also in famous cafes such as 'Kanebo Fruit Parlor'.
Also, the Western restaurant 'Cheongmokdang' operated a luggage storage room and waiting room, and the Chinese restaurant 'Arthurwon' delivered Jjajangmyeon in a wooden box.
In this way, examining Gyeongseong's famous restaurants is also an opportunity to look back at the roots and history of Korea's current dining culture.

Of course, there are also unique landscapes.
Kim Mal-bong's novel "The Rose" depicts a family eating at the Mitsukoshi Department Store restaurant.
They order ice cream and soda together and mix the two. Although the 'ice cream float', which is made by dropping ice cream into soda, is unfamiliar now, it was a common dessert at the time.
Also unique is the existence of 'Messenger', which served as a social network service during the colonial era.
Messengers were a profession that delivered letters and goods for a fixed amount of money, and they were always present at famous restaurants.
It was through them that the main character of "Hwasangbo", Kyeong-ah, sent a message to the man she loved, asking him to come to "Kanebo Fruit Parlor."
In this way, the book is filled with stories that are familiar and interesting, or unfamiliar and interesting, centered around the best restaurants in Gyeongseong.

“Kyung-ae mixes ice cream into ‘soda-su’ and drinks it.
Mr. Cho also poured ice cream into the soda water, and the soda water flowed out and soaked the tablecloth.
(…) The ‘soda-water’ that Jeong-sun took a sip of did not go straight down her throat, but rather rose up a little through her nostrils.
Because of that, tears well up in Jeong-sun's eyes and she feels like sneezing." (Page 81, quote from "The Rose of Sharon")

““Mr. Jang doesn’t understand my heart.
I'd like to meet you and give you a detailed explanation, so I'm sorry, but please come here.
“From Kanebo, Kyung-ah, come up.” I got some paper and an envelope from the store, wrote a short letter, and sent it to Si-young by messenger.” (Page 165, quote from “Hwasangbo”)

The shadow of colonialism hidden behind the splendid and fragrant table,
Notice the table engraved with the weight of life.

The gorgeous restaurants and mouth-watering dishes featured in the book.
In reality, only a very small number of Koreans were able to experience this.
This book focuses on the harsh colonial life and its yoke hidden behind tables decorated in wine-colored colors and filled with delicacies from all over the world.
Kanebo Fruit Parlor, a fruit dessert cafe that was a hot place for modern girls and boys, decorated its interior with partitioned seating called "Romance Box" to attract couples, and its exterior was decorated like a tropical beach that young people longed for, gaining explosive popularity.
But behind that sweet scent, there was something shabby and dark.
Kanebo Fruit Parlor was a cafe opened by the Kanebo Spinning Company, and was a leading restaurant run by a leading company.
Korean female workers at the spinning mill operated by Kanebo suffered from poor working conditions and low wages, and when the war system began, the factory was transformed into a military factory and produced military goods.
Another example is the 'Chosun Hotel Restaurant', which was famous for its splendid interior and luxurious course meals, but the price of one dinner was close to the monthly food expenses of poor people.
The name of 'Nakrangpara', which was considered an artists' salon, also has the origin of the war's justification of 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity' and Japan's desire for conquest.
In this way, this book does not stop at describing the interesting food culture and restaurant landscape of the time, but also faithfully examines the shadows and scars of colonialism that fell there.

The realistic dining tables of colonial Koreans are similar to those of the Seolleongtang restaurant ‘Imun Restaurant’ discussed in Chapter 6 and the Naengmyeon restaurant ‘Dongyangru’ discussed in Chapter 7.
Seolleongtang and naengmyeon were inexpensive foods enjoyed by ordinary people.
However, 'Imun Restaurant' was also famous for its trash can-like interior and narrow, low, and uncomfortable tables.
Even the Seolleongtang sold here was said to have been popular despite its strong smell of cow dung.
Through this, we can get a glimpse of the weight of the lives of the Joseon people of that time, which was engraved on dirty and uncomfortable tables.
The unique charm of seolleongtang was its low price, made with cheap beef bones, unclean tables, and old utensils, and the taste of meat that was not commonly found.
For the Korean people, for whom starvation was a daily occurrence, the smell of cow dung was not a big problem.
Among the ten restaurants, 'Imun Restaurant' is the only one still in business. It may not be classy or sophisticated, but it is the only one that has captured the hearts of the common people and has survived until now. It is no mere coincidence.

“The Kanebo Service Station, which has been renovated into a splendid and sophisticated space in the first section of the main building, appears to be a far cry from the shabby and dark appearance seen above.
This is because the place was filled with only stylish and luxurious clothes and accessories that would seduce modern boys and girls who came out of Honbura.
However, the products displayed there were actually the sweat and tears of the female workers of colonial Korea who suffered from poor working conditions and low wages.” (p. 188)

“The cement floor is thoroughly dirty, the floor looks like it has never been mopped, and the trash is overflowing, so it is more than enough to be a large trash can.
“Thousands of swarms of flies greet the hand of their master, and in the rooms where the doors are open, three-year-old rags hang black and tattered, and rags swell with energy and sniffle.” (Pages 271-272, quoted from “The Passion of Gold”)

As you follow the walking course suggested in the book and explore the bustling streets of Gyeongseong at the time, such as 'Bonjeong', 'Jongno', 'Janggokcheonjeong', and 'Hwanggeumjeong', you will realize that the scenery of the ten restaurants and the faces of the customers who visited them are by no means identical.
The most realistic way to explore and restore Gyeongseong's culinary scene would be to walk between the clean and splendid tables and the dirty and shabby tables and examine the relationship between the two.