Nodeul Island, Round Two: Takeout Burgers, Then a Coworker's Tea Ceremony by the Han

Tuesday was a public bike and an açaí bowl. Wednesday was Nodeul Island and a packed lunch.

At lunch on Thursday I was back on Nodeul Island, two days in a row. I brought lunch to go again, but the star of the day was something else. Once we had finished eating, a coworker brought out a tea set.

It was a bit windy. But that slight chill in the air? I loved it.

This is the last part of the series. The first two: Part 1: an açaí bowl on a riverside deck, by public bike and Part 2: a thermal lunch box on a stone bench on Nodeul Island.

A full table

On the way to the island I was carrying a paper bag printed with SHAKE SHACK. Around noon on Nodeul Island, the black table we set on a rainbow-print picnic mat filled up with takeout:

• A grey paper box: a paper boat of crinkle-cut fries and a burger wrapped in white paper
• MOM'S TOUCH wrappers (a Korean burger chain): several wrapped burgers with the yellow logo, and thin fries dusted with seasoning
• Coleslaw: shredded cabbage and carrot in a clear tub, with a wooden spoon stuck in it
• A drink cup in a paper carrier beside the table

Up close, the grey box holds a heap of wavy-cut fries in a paper boat, and the burger beside it is half-wrapped in white paper. Lettuce, two thick slices of tomato and something red that looks like bacon stick out of the wrapper.

I held one of the wrapped items up toward the river: behind it, dry grass, the riverside path and a grey Han River, all blurred.

The burger from the side

Held up and seen from the side: lettuce, a big slice of tomato, melted yellow cheese and a patty between golden buns. The crinkle-cut fries behind it now have ketchup on them. A few bites in, the burger was shrinking from one side.

A windy riverbank

Look up and there is the river. Not as clear as the day before, with a thin layer of cloud. The wind was up and the air a little chilly, and honestly, that was the best part. Where the sun got through, the water glittered. On the left, a white arch bridge (by its position, Hangang Bridge); across the river, a riverside road and buildings on a hill.

We were almost exactly where I had walked under the willows the day before, on the island's west bank.

After lunch, a coworker's tea ceremony

Once we had finished eating, my coworker brought out a tea set for dado (다도), the Korean way of preparing and serving tea. A stainless steel tray went on the table with a wire rack on top, and on the rack a celadon teapot and matching cups. The teapot has a handle on its side, and the glaze is covered in a net of fine crackle. In front: an open stainless thermos and a small lid rest with a brown clay base.

My coworker filled every cup with pale green tea, tiny bits of leaf floating on top. The thermos spout tilted in, and the teapot lid came to rest on its stand. Celadon cups after burgers and fries. Tea served by the river in the wind was so much fun.

Three lunches in one table

Part	Date	Place	Lunch	Sky
Part 1	Tue, Oct 13	Riverside deck, Bogwang-dong	Jamba Juice açaí bowl	Packed with small clouds
Part 2	Wed, Oct 14	Nodeul Island	Packed thermal lunch box, black tea	Cloudless, cool breeze
Part 3	Thu, Oct 15	Nodeul Island	Takeout burgers, fries, coleslaw; a coworker's tea ceremony	Thin cloud, windy

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: three lunch breaks in a row by the Han, anywhere from about fifteen to a little over fifty minutes by the water.

The lunch route

• 📅 Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026, around noon
• 📍 Place: the lawn on the west bank of Nodeul Island, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
• 🍔 Lunch: takeout Shake Shack burger, crinkle-cut fries and drink; MOM'S TOUCH burgers and fries; coleslaw
• 🍵 Tea: a coworker's tea set (celadon teapot and cups, stainless tray with a wire rack, thermos)
• 🌬️ Weather: thin cloud, a bit windy and slightly chilly
• 🗺️ Map: Nodeul Island on Google Maps

Jayden's verdict

It was a bit windy, but the slight chill made it even better. So much fun!

• Highlight: after the burgers, a cup of tea poured by my coworker right by the river
• Who with: coworkers. The tea set was my coworker's.
• Tip: from the lawn on Nodeul Island's west bank you get the river and the white arch bridge in one view. On a windy day like this one, it gets a little chilly by the water.