Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Chet Wautlands]

Hello all,

A few years ago, my vegan mother challenged me to try becoming a vegetarian for a month. I'm not one to pass up a challenge, and so I did it. I liked it and kept it up for a year and a half. Sadly, I gave it up.

I've been considering a return to a vegetarianism. I know that there are a few vegetarians in Korea. I have yet to encounter and vegans in Korea. Are any of the posters on here vegan? How do you manage this lifestyle in Korea? Do you feel healthy?

Seoul isn't Vancouver. There aren't a lot of vegetarians or vegans here. How do you do it?

[Underwaterbob]

There are a lot of different grains, veggies and fruit available year round dirt cheap at local markets. Add in the occasional trip to Itaewon to stack up on harder to find stuff and it's quite manageable.

Socially, it might be a bit of an issue. Eating out is very common here and vegan choices at 99.9% of Korean restaurants are non-existent.

[GoldSoundz]

Many restaurants have kimbab or bibimbap, both vegan. With a group, they might choose a meat-oriented restaurant. (Most restaurants will serve a few menu items, not usually every Korean dish.)

Being vegan in South Korea....very easy.

The Lonely Planet (purple) pocket phrase book will have phrases to indicate your dietary preferences.

[DrOctagon]

Being vegan, very dumb, wherever you are.

[agm222]

[Chet Wautlands]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll of course transition into it slowly and properly. We'll see how it goes.

Socially I'm not too worried. I'll just tell people my body can't digest animal protein.

[potin14p]

I was vegetarian for ten years, and then become a vegan a year ago. I made the change to veganism while in Korea because I couldn't see any reasons not too. It actually hasn't been that difficult! Sure, I can't eat out at a lot of places, and I eat a lot of bibimbap, but other than that, it's really not that hard. I usually go to the same bibimbap restaurant near my work, and the adjumma there always remembers not to put in egg and eat and always looks out for me.
Becoming a vegan has made me more conscious of what I'm eating, and made me a better cook. I am as healthy as I have ever been. There are so many recipes online so I am never short of inspiration. I splurged and ordered a few essentials online like nutritional yeast, agave nectar and really good supplements, and everything else I need I can get easily at the mart down the road. Korea has good tofu and not shortage of soy milk, and I found yummy rice milk at Homeplus. You can easily order good cookbooks at whatthebook too.
There are quite a few vegans in the Seoul Vegetarian Club who'll be able to give you advice on good places to eat and buy things.
If you are committed enough, it's easy. Don't be discouraged by those who post negative comments.

[misschel]

I've been a vegetarian for about 3 years and I'm not too worried about still being one while in Korea.
I'm glad to hear that tofu is available there. What about other types of veggie meat - burgers, sausages, salami etc?

[coffeeandmilk]

[i_teach_esl]

there's a group on facebook, "vegetarians in seoul" or something tlike that. also, i think on wikigalbi there is a list of vegetarian/vegan restaurant and places to go grocery shopping.

[Rteacher]

SM Ching hai vegetarian buffet in Yanjiae is now 100% vegan, but as a long-time patron and lacto-vegetarian (no meat, fish, or eggs for 35 years) I was less than thrilled by their fanatical turn, no longer even selling "soy steaks" and "veggie dogs" because they contain a trifle amount of casein.

(Fortunately, their restaurant in Insadong continues to have "soy steak dinner" on their menu)

My main motivation for being strictly lacto-vegetarian and not vegan is that radical vegan groups tend to spread false propaganda - based on speculation - that it is not "natural" for cows milk to be consumed by humans.

Since that contradicts the ancient Vedic scriptures (and the ayurveda) I think that their position is off the mark from a spiritual point of view. Even Christians who think that Jesus was vegetarian accept that he also took milk and honey.

In Vedic culture, cows milk is considered "liquid religiosity" because it alone naturally provides nutrients for the finest brain tissues needed for spiritual thinking.

It's also well known that vegans who fail to take vitamin B-12 (and other supplements) are likely to have nutritional deficiencies that lead to various physical and mental problems (including emotional instability).

Although groups like PETA do good work highlighting abuse of animals by the meat and dairy industries, their often counter-productive tactics indicate that some of their leaders may not be thinking on all cylinders.

There is some evidence to support what I strongly suspect - while vegetarians are generally more intelligent than meat eaters, vegans are actually less intelligent.

This article cites a study indicating just that ... http://www.carbwire.com/2006/12/20/vegans_have_lower_iq_than_meateaters_study_shows

Here's the conclusion from another (medical) article ...

Steer clear of dietary extremists who rationalize B-12 deficiency concerns. The above evidence of apparent vitamin B-12 deficiency in vegans (both raw and conventional) should serve as a warning to fruitarian/veg*n extremists and their followers who claim adequate vitamin B-12 can be obtained by eating unwashed plant foods or from intestinal bacterial synthesis (the latter topic is discussed later herein...
http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/comp-anat/comp-anat-7b.shtml

So, I think it's pretty clear which diet is more likely "unnatural", and which is the real smart choice ...

[DrOctagon]

Soy and tofu also have a lot of estrogen, and if you are a man you will develop man boobs.

[emanresu]

Seoul Veggie Club

http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=11299200065

Sites with information about restaurants

http://seoulveggieclub.proboards104.com/index.cgi?board=recommendedrestaurants

http://wiki.galbijim.com/Portal:Vegetarianism

[oni]

I think it's easy being vegan here I have done it for the time I've been here.
As Rteacher mentioned there are quite a few veg buffet places to eat in Seoul. SM Chinghai also has a small shop that sells frozen food like mandu and bread and other things.
There's also a vegan ice cream chain Purely Decadent so u can get ur ice cream fix!!
And a vegan bakery Sticky Fingers which is pure vegan bliss! it's a franchise of the one in Washington, DC.
When I go home to New Zealand I bring stuff back like vegan cheese and other stuff I can't get here and I also order from Vegan Essentials.
I also love to cook and have an oven so I can do baking and what not.

The Seoul veggie club meets twice a month so you can meet like minded folk and visit veg places.

Itaewon has a lot of ethnic places like indian, thai, middle eastern so it's easy to get veg/vegan food there too.

Good luck!!

Being vegan is a compassionate choice

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Just eat lots of kimchi - it's not made with fish products or anything.