Yeosu Expo 2012: Food and Fun

The thing people tend to remember about a World's Fair is the amazing pavilions they saw, but an Expo should also be a happening, a place with a vibrant atmosphere. The center hall of the International Pavilion has an interesting interactive feature, a digital display ceiling called the EDG (Expo Digital Gallery) on which an ever-changing visual river flowed:




There were roving bands of minstrels and masquerade artistes:






Jet-ski daredevils at the oceanfront:




And even the occasional levitation act:




And numerous times each day, running much of the length of the main road, is a parade called:











The banana was introduced to Americans at the Philadelphia "Columbian Exposition" in 1876; the waffle, curled into a cone-shape, served as an ice-cream receptacle for the first time at the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904; "Lovely eyes come shine and glitter, buy your girl a popcorn fritter," vendors cried at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo: fairs and food go together like pancakes and maple syrup--no, that was't invented at the Expo, but "Aunt Jemima" (actress Anna Robinson) was a very popular character at Chicago 1933.
No novelties like those here at Yeosu 2012, but plenty of good eats. Unlike my experience of Shanghai 2010, snack vendors are ubiquitous, selling drinks, hot dogs, chicken tenders, 꼬치, and beer. Turkish ice cream is popular. At the Australia Pavilion, I ordered the "Kangaroo Special", which was a sizable helping of stewed kangaroo tail meat, served with rice and a side of ... kimchi (W16,000). Awesome!


The Russian Pavilion has a well-publicized and bustling cafe, where I got a "meat pancake" and a honey-drenched blintz (W13,000). Delicious!


For desert, what else but waffles from the Belgium concession, with real Belgian chocolate for dipping (W9,000).