7.323
23 (Wed) November 2016
Hanwoo Cheeseburger
2.5
room service
-The Conrad Seoul, Yeouido-
solo
Mission to Korea, Day 2 (see previously 7.322 Palbochae).
In Seoul. Here for the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health : The Role of Parliamentarians in Achieving Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs). While the Organization’s engagement with the 1st Annual Meeting last year had been limited to on-site technical support (see generally 6.178 Sliders), we scaled up the support this year to lead the programme development from the outset, placing me in charge — my biggest project of the year. So, the meeting will convene Thursday to Friday, but I’ve deployed a couple days early as part of the advance team to oversee preparations.
Ordered the standard burger this time — i.e., rather than the “sliders” — if only to avoid controversy.
The burger was okay. Fundamentally, the problem may lie in the use of hanwoo (Korean beef), which is supremely marbled and succulent, but not very beefy in taste, and so perhaps not particularly amenable for burgers (see for example 3.106 Dry-Aged Hanwoo …), resulting in juicy texture but flat in flavor. Totally overpriced at KRW 46,000 (about USD 40).
i call bullshit on your description of hanwoo. there must be parts of that cow (you know, the korean kind) which is not supremely marbled and succulent. those parts can still make for a good burger, though overall i think it’s a waste of that expensive cow to use parts for a burger. certainly $40 is just ridiculous. and it’s not like the conrad is like the four seasons.
on that note, i just had a $40 burger at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. it was “wagyu” and definitely not worth it. i was paying for the right to be on that property. you didn’t even get that with your burger in your hotel room.
i may have overgeneralized hanwoo, but c’mon i wasn’t trying to bullshit anyone.
conrad may not be the four seasons, whatever that means, but it is one of the the most expensive hotels in Korea.