Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Matt_22]

...does this directly coincide with the ability to speak Korean?

So yeah, I just arrived in Seoul a few days ago with basically zero knowledge about Korean culture, food, and language. I'm planning to start learning Korean ASAP, but right now all I really know how to say is hello and thank you. Obviously this only takes me so far.

Anyway, does anyone have any advice for someone in my situation? Will I have to learn hangul and loads of Korean before I can venture out solo to a Korean restaurant? Cause right now I'm going broke eating crappy western food nearby my guesthouse at Hywha Station, and even many of those places don't have western menus.

I know it's a retarded question, but if you guys know of any good, cheap, foreigner-friendly restaurants, I'd love to hear some suggestions.

[Voyeur]

You can eat out in Korea every meal on a teacher's salary and save money if you can stomach the food.

Just head to almost any Korean restaurant and wing it. You'll have to be adventurous and not worry about perfect nutritional balance or anything until you get the gist of it. But you'll be fine. I have some pretty crazy stretches of eating here and been fine.

You can live off 3-4 basic Kimbap a day at $1 a piece for the basic stuff. I did that for 2-3 months straight once when I was getting screwed by a company early on, had nothing in the bank, and the VISA issues made just sweating things out for 3 months in a 35 sq. foot room my best option.

Depends on how desperate you are hehe.

Also, try to find a place that has a menu with pictures and use hand signals. You are gonna need to get your eating settled long before you can possibly learn the language so just dive in to the deep end and find a way to swim.

[kangnam mafioso]

you don't need to know korean to figure out the food system which is very formulaic (like much of the culture) throughout the country. there is no need to eat at tgi fridays everyday your first year in korea.

korean food/ restaurants basically fall into these categories:


1. street food/ vendors: everywhere in seoul -- just point at what you want -- no need to know the names -- very cheap

2. pojang macha � an extended form of the above with a tent like seating area for people to eat and drink alcohol

3. seafood (indicated by pics of sea creatures and/ or tanks of them out front): sushi, sasheemi, crab, eel, et al: avoid unless with a group -- very expensive except for some of the tuna bars but even those seldom have anything under 9,000 won.

4. kimbap/dwenjang places (indicated by someone rolling what looks like california rolls in the window)

5. fancy dwenjang joints(indicated by more traditional architecture) -- offers dwenjang chigae (soybean paste stew) with a larger variety of side dishes

6. barbecue joints (these usually have a cow or pig picture somewhere out front or if you look in the window you can see people cooking various meats at little grills on their table) -- this is some of the best food in korea; unfortunately, most require at least 2 people -- or you have to order 2 portions of meat. most of these places still offer the solitary diner some offerings ... ask for tchigae or seollung tang.


others:

- specialty soup joints


- pajang (korean style pancake)


- dong dong-ju/ pajang (rice wine and soju and traditional korean foods)


- hofs galore (they look like bars or pubs -- you can figure it out -- most don't want you to drink without ordering "anju" or overpriced snacks


- chicken hofs (piles of fried chicken in the window)

- soju bangs

-- ramyon

- izakaya (imitation Japanese drinking places with myriad snacks) -- indicated by red lanterns in windows and sake bottles

- western fushion rip off places: pictures of things like pizza and sausages but in reality they taste like crap and are over priced


helpful phrases:

chu-sa-yo: please give me (maekchu choo-say-yo= give me a beer please)
moe-ha-yo: what is it?
Mash-i-sayo? is it delicious
ul-ma-heyo: how much
hwajangshil odi-sayo: where is the bathroom?
piss-ada?: expensive?
Il-say-yo? Do you have ( pajang �il-say-yo?) do you have korean pancakes?

[ella]

I will introduce you to some foreigner-friendly Korean restaurants with picture menus if you treat me! You're just three subway stops away from me and I could use a meal.

Did you bring a phrasebook or travel guide with you? They usually include a section about food, you should be able to pick out a few things that interest you and look for them on a menu. Lots of places have menus posted on the windows or on the walls, and sometimes a freakishly real version of the dish set out in front in a display so you can see it before you order it.

[Qinella]

Well, you are in Hyehwa, which is a very expensive area. However, even the expensive areas have cheap restaurants. The most popular one is called 김밥천국. Despite its name, it does not serve only kimbap. It took me almost a year to realize that.

Yes, you do have to learn some Korean, but just food words. I mean, if I give you a choice between 뼈해장국 and 치즈라면, which one are you going to go for? I'm going for the former, every time.

My advice would be to either swipe a menu, or try to get a copy of one (you can see the magnetized advertisements everwhere), and have someone help you translate it.

I'll tell you what, though.. when I moved to Korea, it took me months before I could even figure out what was a restaurant. Every place was so strange looking (and I was in a really tiny town). It's easy for long-termers to forget the rigors of newbieness.

Phrase of the day: ask for help. In Hyehwa, you are right next to the biggest university in Korea. No doubt, most people you walk by can speak English. Most Koreans are very friendly when you talk to them, and will help you. Don't be shy to ask someone about a place for cheap food.

[yesnoyesyesno]

when i first landed in korea i remember stuff like eating (the same kind of) ramen noodles for breakfast lunch and dinner for days at a time and eating whoppers and big macs every day for days at a time etc. i had no idea where to go for food or how to cook (yes) but after some time i could go and eat almost anything (well i couldn't eat pig feet or dogs but it was ok)

[VanIslander]

If you have any adult students your problem is solved. They'll trip over themselves to go to dinner and explain to you their national cuisine.

Coworkers too, though less so.

OMFG... just meet a Korean, there are plenty of friendlies who will introduce themselves to you, and go with them.

(Unless Seoul is much less friendly than here down south.)

And take ella up on her offer. Get used to meeting people quickly in this country. People are so standoffish back home. Break the habit.

[wylies99]

[mindmetoo]

[Woland]

Most little shiktangs have a standard menu of basic dishes that they do. You won't have to learn a distinct menu at each place, you'll discover. Some basics are (if your pronunciation is close, they'll work it out):

Bibimbap - Rice with veggies and a bit of meat, maybe an egg, all covered with chili paste. (Note: bibimnangmyeon is the same, but with buckwheat noodles rather than rice)

dulsot bibimbap - a hot stone bowl (nice in winter) with rice and egg on the bottom, veggies and a bit of meat on top, with chili paste. Mix it all up and eat it with your spoon. (If you are concerned about your chop stick skills, most rice dishes can be eaten with a spoon. In fact, this is how Koreans normally eat them.)

Sundubu jiggae - a soup with a chili paste flavored broth, tofu, veggies, and (perhaps) a bit of meat or some mussels (in the shell) thrown in. Rice comes on the side; I mix it in to thicken the soup.

Doenjang jiggae - a soup with a broth flavored by yellow bean paste, bits of meat and seafood mixed in with veggies and mushrooms. Rice on the side.

Jae yuk dop bap - sort of like barbecued pork on rice. The barbecue sauce is usually hot (chili based) and may have onion, pepper, and other veggies mixed in it. More rarely, you'll find places where the sauce is sweet, like southern barbecue in the US. (Note: Ojingeo dop bap is the same, but with octopus; it's always spicy as far as my experience goes)

(Ddeok) mandu guk (bap) - Soup with a thin meat broth, with veggies and meat-filled mandu in it. The Ddoek part will be sliced rice cake; if 'bap' then it will come with rice in the broth.

There's six standard dishes, with a couple variants, for you. There are more to learn about - kimchi jiggae, kimchi bokkum bap, etc, but this is a start. Almost every little neighborhood place will have them. The secret is to find out which places in your neighborhood do which ones best. Don't automatically assume that if you don't like a dish at one place, you won't like it everywhere. You need to poke around and compare. At each place, you'll also get from 2 to 5 side dishes with your meal, including kimchi, pickled radish, maybe spinach in sesame oil, little dried fish, pajeon (a pancake with onion and carrot), and others. You don't have eat it all, so try a bit and focus your eating on what you like.

Enjoy. There's some good stuff out there.

[VanIslander]

[Matt_22]

I can definitely cook for myself, and I plan to eat at home the vast majority of the time to save money, but I don't move into my apartment for another week until I finish my visa run. Hence, I haven't started working yet, so I'm unable to grab lunch or dinner with my co-workers to have them show me the ropes of Korean cuisine. Right now I'm staying at a guesthouse, and though the Koreans who work here are very friendly and helpful, they're not the best in helping me figure some of this out. Anyway, I'm sure you're right and that it won't take long.

I remember arriving in Thailand and feeling like I was in a similar predicament, but things worked themselves out quickly. But I always had a few backups early on. Even if you couldn't read a menu, you can tell someone "Pad Thai Gai" or "Khao Pad Moo" and it's guaranteed they're going to understand you (and be able to serve it). I guess I just need to get a basic food vocabulary here like I did there.

Anyway, thank you all for the help. And I'll PM Ella soon and take her up on her offer if it still stands.

[peony]

[Lynns]

Here is a really helpful guide to the menu at kimbap chain restaurants. Most of them sell basically the same foods.

http://maryeats.com/category/korean-food-guide

[Qinella]