Mero Mania and Deck Site Debut
After wrapping up our not-so-chaotic escapade in the Meromero Hanok Village, we headed to a nearby large grocery mart to stock up for dinner. Im Nana was already pulling the cart, gulping audibly with anticipation... but hey, I was used to it by now.
"Whoa, it's bigger than I thought. They've gotta have everything here."
"...? It's a grocery mart. Of course they do."
"I figured it'd be smaller since it's a regional city."
"... Don't say that anywhere else... You'll definitely get pushback."
What did she think regional cities were? I'd seen online once where someone asked a student from a regional city heading to college in Seoul if farming was a family business. Regional cities are cities too, people!
"So, what are we having for dinner? Meat?"
"Hmm, we planned meat for tomorrow, so let's go with seafood or fish tonight."
"Got it! Oh man, that grilled trout you did last time was so good~"
"Heh heh heh. I'll make something even tastier tonight."
We made our way to the seafood section. Fish laid out neatly on beds of ice. Man, look at those plump bodies— so fresh and springy you could tell just by looking.
"These fish look incredibly fresh. Almost live-tank quality."
"Well now, miss, you know your fish! All caught this morning."
As I eyed one of the displayed fish, a staff member popped up to chime in. Jeonju merchants sure knew how to sell. Praise makes even whales dance, they say— suddenly I wanted to buy one right there.
"Whoa... Areum, how do you even know that?"
Im Nana asked from the side, eyes wide with wonder.
"If you're not sure, check the eyes and gills first. Clear eyes and moist gills are signs of freshness."
"Exactly! That's why we have idioms like 'dead fish eyes' or 'frozen pollack eyes'!"
Once a fish dies and time passes, the eyes cloud over, losing their clarity. It's one key way to judge fish.
As I shared simple ingredient-shopping tips with Im Nana and picked out fish, a yellow 'Limited Time Discount' sticker on the frozen section caught my eye.
Premium! Air-Shipped Non-Mucus Mebaru (Mero) Block
'... They sell mero at a grocery mart?'
It used to be something you'd only see at fancy Japanese restaurants... but these days, even neighborhood izakayas had it. Whether it was real mero or not, that soft-yet-springy, mild flesh was irresistible.
"Boss, is this real mero?"
"Ah, it's an event item we stock occasionally. Special species imports."
I drifted toward the mero like a moth to flame and inspected it. Holy crap...! They even had mero heads left!
Th-then... I could do that, right?!
"Grilled mero... mero teriyaki stew..."
"Gasp. Areum, what'd you just say?"
Im Nana, who had been checking out tuna a bit away, reacted. How'd she hear my mumble from there?
"Nana, you like mero?"
"M-me! I wanna try it! I've only heard about it, never had the chance. It was huge on SNS...!"
"Then tonight's your lucky day."
Without hesitation, I tossed two thick mero blocks and one head into the cart. Grilled over charcoal... simmered in teriyaki sauce... *gulp*.
My mouth watered. *Gulp*.
Huh? That last one wasn't me?
*Gulp*. *Gulp*.
I turned to see Im Nana drooling like a dog told "wait!" in front of its favorite treat.
"... I'll make it as tasty as possible."
"Yeah... Oh, right! Areum, I wanna cook too!"
"Huh? Suddenly?"
"Yeah, nothing too hard— how about simple pasta?"
Oh... pasta, huh. True, just grilled fish might feel a bit heavy. Something spicy like pepper-packed aglio e olio sounded perfect.
Following the mero-hyped Im Nana to the pasta aisle, buzzing with excitement.
"Hmm... For outdoors, these noodles... and sauce..."
"Buying sauce too?"
"Yeah, cream pasta seems like a hassle outside."
"Cr— cream?!"
Arrrgh! What the hell kind of cream?! Unthinkable...! Th-this...!
"H- heretic!!!"
"Gasp! How can you say something so harsh..."
"No!!! I absolutely cannot accept cream pasta!"
What kind of pairing is grilled fish with cream pasta?! Obviously spicy aglio e olio or arrabbiata!
"Ah, Areum...?"
"Hoo... Got too worked up. Think about it. What happens if you eat cream pasta with oily grilled fish?"
"Hmm... Sounds tasty?"
"Arrrgh!"
Right, yeah. The person standing before me loved anything edible. I'd forgotten how oblivious she was to food balance and pairings.
"... Fish is already oily, add cream pasta and it's double the grease, right?"
"Gasp, yeah, now that you say it."
"So if you're doing pasta, go spicy. That's the point."
Im Nana pondered my words. Phew, dodged the cream bullet. Truth be told, I'd never tried fish with cream pasta myself. I just hated cream pasta. Heh. Innocent Im Nana would think my outrage was purely about the combo. Of course! It would clash, right?
"Hmm... Then aglio e olio?"
"Oh, great idea. Spicy and refreshing pairs perfectly."
"Right? Okay, aglio e olio sauce..."
"How about making the sauce ourselves?"
Im Nana tilted her head at my suggestion.
"Making sauce from scratch sounds complicated..."
"Aglio e olio's easier than you think. I've got olive oil in the car, so just grab garlic, peperoncino, and chicken stock."
"Hmm... Okay! Let's grab 'em quick!"
Success— switched to my preferred pasta. Camping pasta... yeah, start simple. Less prep, quick cooking.
We wandered the mart, filling the cart. Then, another gem: snowfield mushrooms. Wrap in foil, grill over coals— out of this world. Discovered them by chance when a staffer was promoting; the first taste was unforgettable. Ugly and huge outside, but soft-springy inside with nutty flavor.
Im Nana said she'd never tried them... but she'd love 'em for sure.
Shopping done, in the car heading to the campsite. I drove and explained the luckily booked site to Im Nana.
"It's about an hour from here, but a deck site right by the valley was free. Reservation list shows no crowds— seems perfect."
"Deck site? Oh, the wooden platform one you explained?"
"Yep. And it's your first deck site, right, Nana?"
"Yeah! Can't wait!"
She beamed at me, voice full of excitement. Excitement, huh... Decks are comfy once you're used to 'em... but nothing special.
"Hmm... But Nana, you really enjoy camping?"
"Yeah! Was overwhelming at first, but learning bit by bit... it's fun! Outdoor food tastes amazing!"
"Camping food's the real draw, right? Everything tastes better outside. Cooking's part of the experience too."
"Totally... Watching you cook makes me so hungry..."
... You're always hungry, aren't you?
"What about solo camping?"
"Hmm... Thought about it, but I still know too little."
"Give it a shot anyway. Solo camping's vibe is super appealing— pure alone time."
Fifty-fifty odds. Would she become a hardcore camper or quit in frustration? Deep down, I hoped she'd go hard so we could do a week in the mountains together...
"I see... Once I learn more from you, Areum, I'll try!"
Mountain camping still far off, then...
Chatting away, we arrived at the valley-stream campsite. Fresh forest air and cool water sounds hit us as we stepped out.
"Whoa! This is awesome! Barely any people!"
"Winter's off-season for camping. Winter has its perks... but cold's the biggest barrier."
"Really? Haven't felt cold yet..."
"It's mild now, but December and January drop below freezing. That's when car-camping booms."
I stretched in the crisp air, opened the trunk, and set up the camera and tripod.
"Alright, time for work. Today: 'Deck Site Tent Setup for Beginner Campers' with Nana."
"Yeah! I can pitch a tent now!"
Im Nana declared confidently, unfurling the tent and going for the pegs like last time. But this was a raised deck platform— stairs and all, 50cm off the ground. Her guylines didn't reach.
"Um, Areum? Doesn't reach the ground. What now?"
"Hmm, good question. Regular pegs won't work on decks. That's where this comes in: the Squid Deck Peg."
I held up the springy squid-shaped peg for the camera. Oh, right— she's not shaking in front of the lens anymore. Live stream practice paying off?
"Watch. Slot the head into the deck board gap, twist the bottom screw to secure..."
"Aha! Hook the line here and lock it!"
"Right. Your tent lacks string locks— adjusters— so we knot it."
Knots are camping basics you can't skip. Most famous for length adjustment: the totem line hitch, aka tension knot.
"Nana, try the other side. Loop through the hook first..."
Positioned for the camera, I slowed my usual knot-tying speed to a crawl, explaining in detail: wraps, holes, adjustments. Like my early YouTube tutorials.
"This way, sturdy fix without stoppers. Squid springs are deck essentials."
"L-like this?"
"Perfect. You've got talent."
"R-really? Hehe... I'll do the other side!"
Praised, she dashed off unprompted. Heh, yes! Learn step by step, Im Nana! Grow strong and join me in the mountains!
Time passed; tent secured, Im Nana returned— but with a gloomy face.
"Phew, done! Campsites all need different gear... Tough for solo newbies. Hiiing..."
Gasp. Alarm bells in my head. 'I-is that how it works?! Camping has barriers, sure, but not that bad...!'
Let this fester, and she'd fear solo camping forever. Had to sell the upsides!
"S-solo camping has tons of perks! Tricky at first, but YouTube tutorials are great— just follow along... Don't get scared off!"
"... Pfft! Bwahaha!"
"Wh-what...?"
"Ehehehe... Got it! I won't chicken out on solo— no need to panic! Ehihi!"
"Then why...?"
"Hmm... You were pushing solo so hard, it was funny?"
... Busted! Too obvious with my solo pitch. Im Nana wins...
But I had to be that desperate or she'd never get it...
"... Let's eat."
"Eeng? Areum? You're not mad, right?"
"..."
"Waaah! Sorry! I went too far! Areum? Areum...!"
... Not mad. For real.