Happy Mother’s Day too all the Mums with us today and to those who are with us in spirit. Thank you to all of those who fulfil the roles of Mothers; whether they be Dads, Uncles, Aunites, a Grandparent, Godparent or simply an older friend who makes us feel loved, safe and provide guidance whenever we’re in doubt or anxious. Mum, thank you for all you have done for me and Daniel in recent time and in the past; I know it’s not always easy for you when you often unwell, but you are always around to talk to. Just please stop telling me ‘Eastenders’ spoliers.
This week, the last week of March, came around quickly. This time last year the sun was beaming down on Incheon: enough to make us swap our thick padded coats for lighter outerwear (- almost everyone was wearing a ridiculously elongated puffer coat for the entirety of Winter and now they have opted for beige trench coats; making everyone look like Inspector Gaget). One thing that has returned is the Cherry Blossom themed everything, and when I say everything, I mean everything. All the major café franchises have at least 3 blossom flavoured drinks typically centred around lattes and Matcha, social media accounts are flooded with photos of Cherry blossom strolls and cringey couples who insist on having a picnic in the park despite the passing showers and warnings of blustery winds, and Daiso (the equivalent of PoundWorld in the UK) are selling the likes of blossom patterned paper drinking straws plus blossom/peach shaped ceramics that are too miniature or too pretty to even use for food.
To my knowledge, ‘Ediya’ is the cheapest coffee shop franchise in Korea. Some complain that because of their low prices the coffee beans they use are of low quality, therefore they prefer to be sheep and consistanly return to Starbucks. I love Starbucks too, however I think Ediya and some other café companies don’t get the credit they deserve. Sure, Ediya’s Americanos don’t stand-out as anything unique or different from elsewhere, but they have some great teas, ades, frappes and fresh juices at more than reasonable prices. Not often can you come by a café that has an extensive menu as Ediya has; at least not a varied menu which is permanent. This is the third Cherry blossom season I have spent in Korea, and I try to at least have one of the limited edition drinks during this time: honestly many of these are gimmicky yet it’s not impossible to come across a genuinely flavoursome one. I purchased Ediya’s ‘Apeach’ iced Blossom latte (-‘ Apeach’ is a Kakao Friends/messenger character). It tasted less floral than I hoped, resembling strawberry milkshake. The disappointment aside, I appreciated the ‘Apeach’ shaped marshmallow and whipping cream with it crunching topping. It wasn’t bad for a minimal cost of 4,800₩ (£3.23/$4.22/€3.76); especially when Starbucks, A Twosome Place and The Coffee Bean are charging almost double for their Spring themed drinks.
