Hanbok and Suit Shopping

Now that our parents had met, it was time to go suit and Hanbok shopping. Jihyeon's parents had spent some time investigating good Hanbok and suit tailors in Iksan so we jumped on the KTX to meet up with them. 

But... you can't go shopping on an empty stomach. Jihyeon's mum put on a great spread for us. Think the table looks full? This is only about half the food that she brought out. 

Sitting around the full table ready to eat.

After lunch we went to see the tailor to get a suit for dad. 

Choosing a colour.

Getting measured. 

The poor guy needed a bigger tape measure. 

Once the suit had been measured up we went to a Hanbok shop to pick something out for my mum, Jihyeon's mother and myself. 

We sat on the floor and looked though some big picture books of different Hanboks and chose what style and colour we would like. I let Jihyeon choose her style and colour first and then picked something that matched her choice. 

Dad looks enthralled by the whole process. 

Then it was mums turn to choose a style and colour. Traditionally the grooms mother will wear blue and the bride's mother will wear pink. 

Selecting Hanbok accessories.

We also picked out an envelope made from Hanbok cloth. This envelope is for the money that my parents need to give her parents.

The women then had to check shoe sizes to go with their Hanbok. Only the woman get special shoes. I just have to wear normal black dress shoes. 

My mum getting measured.

Jihyeon's mum getting measured and looking super happy.

I was busy flapping my arms all over the place. She said "chariot" (차렷) which I recognized from Taekwondo and knew exactly what to do. 

Jihyeon getting measured.

27 years ago my grandmother bought me a teddy bear. When I was younger and I traveled around Australia with my parents he would come on the adventure with us and we would take photos of him all over Australia. My mum decided to bring him to Korea with her so he could have a Hanbok made. The lady wanted to keep him there to be fitted properly, but Jihyeon didn't want to leave him there with a stranger so said "He is too busy to stay. He is going to Busan tomorrow" which I thought was hilarious. 

My teddy bear is from Germany (the brand is "GUND") but look what we found on his tag. MADE IN KOREA. I thought it was quite funny. He has found his way back home. 

After shopping we stopped for a coffee. 

And then headed to a restaurant for some dinner. Apparently it is famous in Iksan for the only dish they serve, Samgyetang. 

Samgyetang is a Korean soup which primairly consists of a whole young chicken and Korean genseng. The name literally translates as "ginseng chicken soup" in English. Samgyetang is traditionally served in the summer for its supposed nutrients, which replaces those lose through excessive sweating and physical exertion during the hot summers in Korea. 

Mum doing her best with chopsticks. Practice makes perfect. 

All around the restaurant they had big jars of genseng root for decoration.

After dinner we dropped my parents off at the hotel and rested for our road trip to Busan the next day.