Korean Job Discussion Forums

[TBF]

Hi,

I was wondering are there any vegans out there? I'm interviewing for teaching positions and it seems like many recruiters and schools (well 5 total) are worried that I might not have anything substantial to eat. They claim everything has meat or cooked in it. Are they over exaggerating? I'm sure I'll be fine, just cook for myself and I know that there is a vegetarian meet up group that is active, from past posts I've read. Is the lifestyle easier in some location than others? Just wondering. I'm sure all will be fine, its just strange that they seemed to be concerned.

[butlerian]

[RACETRAITOR]

I'm sure a vegan could have a great time in India or Japan, but here you'll just be missing out on most foods. Not sure why so many vegans come here, but they all go home either ex-vegans or a hell of a lot skinnier.

[madprops]

[littlelisa]

It would be hard to be vegan here if you went out a lot to eat. If you cook stuff yourself, no problem.

I cook most of my own meals. I eat lunches in the cafeteria and just don't take any meat or fish dishes.

I've been here three months and only eaten in restaurants maybe... 5 times.

(BTW, I'm vegetarian, but not vegan)

[falldownstumble]

Hi, I'm vegan, living in Seoul for nine months now. It's perfectly easy to buy supermarket food and cook for yourself. There are plenty of vegan things to eat when you eat at home.

Like others said, the vast majority of prepared Korean food is not vegan. If you want to try Korean food though, there are a number of vegetarian Korean restaurants that are actually mostly vegan. (check out www.happycow.net)

The Itaewon neighborhood is also a good option for eating out, as there are tons of non-Korean restaurants (Indian, Middle Eastern, Thai, Chinese, etc.) and the staff tend to speak decent English in that area so you can double-check ingredients.

If you do like eating out, I wouldn't really recommend living outside of Seoul. I've traveled to other parts of Korea and it's really hard to find any restaurants that have vegan food (and English-speaking staff.)

That said, if eating out isn't that important to you, anywhere that has a decent supermarket should be just fine!

Bottom line, don't let anyone discourage you from coming to Korea--you can definitely be vegan here (without starving or being overwhelmed enough to quit, contrary to what previous posters have claimed!)

[boogiet]

Okay, how vegan are you> Do you eat fish oils? If so, you'll be fine with alot of dishes. However you will have to learn:
bego: without
obshi: without
I don't know how they differ, but when I don't want something that works.
realize they WILL cook generally with a fish oil or pig oil.
My bro is vegan and I have advised that he meet me later in another country instead of coming here.
BT

[CentralCali]

I'm vegetarian; however, I do eat fairly often at a vegan place near Seomyeon Station in Busan. Go out Exit 11 and walk straight down the road until just past the KB* building. The very next building has two stairwells on the left side that are side-by-side. Go into the right-hand one of the two and go up to the 2nd floor. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet and costs 1,100 won per person. Drinks are extra except, of course, for the self-serve water. {I think the hostess is quite cute, too, so it's fun to watch her while there. Her English is pretty good also so you won't have to worry about misunderstandings.}

For other vegetarian restaurants, check this link and click on or scroll down to Korea. Those are vegetarian restaurants around the world run by one of the smaller Buddhist sects. I first discovered their restaurants while attending UC Davis. The restaurant was in the next town up the highway. I lived in Bucheon in Gyeong-gi Do in 2005 and one of their restaurants was fairly close to my apartment. Sadly that one closed. Anyway the food is delicious and there's quite a variety of it. Check out the websites listed in that link.

A note on getting vegetarian or vegan food here in Korea: You absolutely must be specific! "No meat" apparently does not mean "no ham" to the locals. Specify "no meat, no ham, no seafood, no shellfish." I have a shellfish allergy so I'm quite adamant about ensuring the message gets across when I go to a restaurant. For vegans, you must also specify "no honey, no eggs." I can't think of what other animal products are used in Korean cooking that we ovo-lacto vegetarians don't mind but aren't kosher/halal for vegans.

[kermo]

If you're vegan in Korea, don't bother eating out at Korean restaurants. They'll put fish broth in all sorts of stuff and "vegetable" kimbab (rice roll) has ham. They'll say all sorts of things to make you happy, but there's no way to be sure. Even vegetarians have to be very very cautious.

There are plenty of vegans here in Korea making a go of it though, and I'm sure they'll respond to this thread eventually.

[rusty1983]

We live in the Countryside and my girlfriend is vegetarian.

She gets enough food to survive but its the same stuff on about 3 day rotation, she is not very happy with the food situation.

Dont expect anything wonderful of the food if you are not a meat eater

[madprops]

[jaderedux2]

[kermo]

[madprops]

[littlelisa]