Postcards from abroad just aren't as evocative if they don't have the foreign stamp and postmark...So, before our departure from Korea, my wife wanted to make sure to send a few from the airport post office. We went up to the fourth floor in the airy main terminal to find a restaurant where we could sit, write, and eat.

Consistently rated one of the world's best airports, Seoul/Incheon International has no shortage of fancy eateries, but affordable "Global Kitchen," despite its prosaic name, is one of the best places to 'eat local.' You'll see non-Koreans in all of the international chains, but this place is popular with Korean families seeking a last taste of home before taking off.

Chow down on typical fare, including "Jjajangmyun," a Chinese-Korean dish that was literally 'born' here in the port city of Incheon just over a century ago: hand-pulled white wheat noodles, enrobed in a black bean sauce, garnished with sprouts and succulent strips of calamari. Kimchi and pickled daikon radish--the red "kkak-doo-ghee" and the yellow "takuwan"--are available at a buffet of side-dishes.

Serve yourself. Write home.