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www.groovekorea.com / July 2014 14 A selection from our editors MuST READS M u S t R e a D S Capturing Korea page 84 Shake the hand that feeds you page 46 Fashion forward page 72 A respite from reality page 64 Prepare to be lost in your fantasies, whatever they may be: Bangkok is an amaz- ing, exuberant city that can tempt the most cautious travelers to flirt with their vices. It’s a city of energy, colors, chaos, fashion and — lest we forget — parties. Let go of your hang-ups and keep reminding yourself of what we all know is true: What happens in Bangkok, stays in Bangkok. Easy cheesy page 52 It’s common knowledge to those with foreign palates that good cheese is hard to come by in Korea. In these dark times, many of us have given up hope. But one expat, particularly outraged and utterly disheartened by this nonsense, has decided to take matters into his own hands. Doug Huffer is an American living in the countryside in Gyeongju, and he has his very own goat cheese farm. Simon J. Powell is a self-described wander er with an eye for detail. His forays into Jeju’s Seomun Market have helped him uncover hidden treasures in its narrow lanes, with his close connections to his subjects adding another layer of meaning to the stories behind the displays. “At the heart of the market are the merchants, who for more than half a century have proudly fought to exist in the city’s old center,” he explains. “Their experiences and memories of bygone times, bitter and sweet, are woven into the fabric of Jeju’s history.” Every Tuesday afternoon I get to my apartment to find a tantalizingly weighty brown cardboard box from Gachi CSA sitting at my doorstep. Once inside, I start to unpack: plump, sweet-smelling strawberries; potatoes and carrots with a healthy coating of dirt; vibrant greens waiting to jump into a salad bowl. Closing my eyes, the smell of the countryside takes me out of Seoul for a few moments. Then I open them and start to cook. Itaewon freedom page 24 In 1984, the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper described Itaewon as “Seoul’s foreigner village … where a flourishing international shopping area coexists with the vanity of women in their 20s who go astray.” The Korean newspaper went on to describe the neighborhood as a place of high crime, sleazy bars and shady individuals. Thirty years later, K-pop singer and producer J.Y. Park wrote “Itaewon Freedom,” with a different message about Itaewon: “Delivery men deliver, salesmen sell, Kim Tae-won plays the guitar — everyone gather in Itaewon!” With over 10,000 followers on Instagram and more than 4,000 likes on Face- book, the Sol Sol street fashion photographers are carving a serious place for themselves in the Seoul fashion scene. Run by a “bunch of dudes from South Africa,” their blog is updated daily with beautiful photographs of the hottest and kookiest fashions in Korea. Next up is their own line of slick and simple mens- wear.