Having A Dinner With My Old Friend
I met my friend who was a priest in Catholic Church.
It was a high school when we met first.
At that time I never ever had thought him to be a priest.
One day I heard he entered into the seminary. I couldn’t believe that.
During the military service, he made up his mind to be a priest.
Strange thing was that he never’ve been the Church before the military service.
As I several times have told, the military service is compulsory obligation for all young men.
He was an urchin in high school. We had played together. Some times we had escaped from school. In the deep corner, some of urchins had drunk and smoked.
The principle was very strict in Korean high school. But we had enjoyed that freedom once upon a time.
More than 40 years he have met as a friend.
After my retirement, we met that day as usual.
We had talked our further life and went to the restaurant to eat something.
He guided me to the restaurant. The restaurant was located in the corner of the back alley in Myeong Dong. Myeong Dong is the very center of Seoul City.
Once Myeong Dong had been a center of poor writer and painter for decades ago.
Now Myeong Dong was changing rapidly for business and consuming.
But until now, there exist some restaurants where poor artists had eased their empty stomach.
The restaurant where my priest friend guided me was that place for the poor artists.
We ordered Seol Leong Tang.
Seol Leong Tang was actually very high standard food. This menu was closely related to King in Choson Dynasty.
As I had posted, Choson Dynasty was on the basis of agriculture. So King had to cultivate the rice by himself to show to people how he thought the agriculture important, even though it was a ceremony.
After the ceremony of cultivation, King and his officials had had a food. It was the Seol Leong Tang.
It looks simple. But it is not easy. There need an enough experience to make Seol Leong Tang.
The essence is making a soup. They need to boil the beef proper time. The proper time and fire is the secret.
Once they found the secret, the restaurant could continue for long time.
The restaurant where we dropped by have 50 years history in one place.
Look below is Seol Leong Tang.
Kimchis very important in Seol Leong Tang.
At first, you need to put the rice into the Seol Leong Tang.
Secondly, You need put Kimchi soup into it.
You need to have delicate feeling of taste for Seol Leong Tang.
This was a super. I ate it up to the bottom.
It is always the best dinner when we have it with a good friend.
I like this :)
Nice to meet with an old and loved friend of yours
At a special dinner and in a restaurant visited by artists
This is considered at the summit of loyalty and faithfulness.
YUM!
So amazing! Love how tasty all the photos look! I would comment more but I'm heading into a Korean restaurant! hahahahaha!
그리운 사람과 설렁탕 이라
가마솥에 서 오랫동안 끓인 진국 설렁탕 처럼
그리운 사람들도 수십년을 그렇게 끓고 있었네요
너 정말 먹을 수있어！lol！
Nice photos, but now I want to try Seol Leong Tang...
Such a nice story the one of your friend!!
Thank you
Awesome post, love travelsharing!
;))
The food and restaurant looks awesome... I am sure you had great time dinning with your friend @slowwalker ...
Yes, I did
As said by someone “People change,things change,time changes, priorities change,but expectations always remain the same” .
Nothing is permanent in life-not even the company of your loved ones. We need to understand the fact that every person we meet is there to accompany us in a particular phase of life. It is very rear that friends we make in childhood have same goals, same thoughts like us. So it is obvious that they will be on different path from us. *So as the time changes paths change because goals change. Now since they are on a different path with different goals so it is obvious that they will meet new people- “People with common path and common goal”. So now priorities change. But one thing that didn’t changed over the time was our expectation. Expectations always remain the same. Despite of this great change- “Change in time” we still expect that person to behave same as he used to behave years ago. Instead of changing our expectations we change our perception that person has changed. But they have not.
So, they have not forgotten you but their current priorities regarding their life goal might have changed. They are now more in touch with new people on same journey than you. Try to remain in touch of your friends but remember one thing “Good friends always occupy a special place in heart even if you are out of touch for years.”
Happy Reading :)
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Actually when it comes to friend, the older the better
I appreciate your perspective. I’ve recently come to a similar resolution, in terms of how to maintain old relationships. I’ve always tried to only hold onto the good times. I eventually realized how unsustainable of an ideal that really was. Knowing that, gave me peace, and allowed me to change my thought process. Now I welcome change, along with fresh relationships. Thanks for the added clarity :)