|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
DanseurVertical
Joined: 24 Nov 2010
|
 Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:30 am Post subject: 'bakes' at E-Mart |
 |
|
Tonight I had the misfortune of buying a 'bake' at my local E-Mart. I sometimes get a similar item at CostCo (and sometimes regret having done so because of so much salt...) The E-Mart item is not salty. That would be good, if it weren't instead simply bland. The bread is quite unlike that at CostCo. Instead, it is made from something resembling cheap pizza dough or poor quality Korean bread, albeit thicker. Like most Korean imitations of American food, the item is (to me) quite terrible.
I sometimes don't understand how cooks / recipe makers so markedly fail at preparing Western food. Following instructions seems so essential to Korean society. So are the recipes / preparation methods lost in the translation into Korean? Or do managers think they can sell crap to native Koreans at a low cost, because they simply won't know the difference? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:34 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I actually like the chicken bakes if I get caesar dressing on the side. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DanseurVertical
Joined: 24 Nov 2010
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 3:56 am Post subject: |
|
|
| northway wrote: |
| I actually like the chicken bakes if I get caesar dressing on the side. |
Maybe it was old? Unless your taste in food is even unusual for a North American, I can't imagine you enjoying much what I had. But I agree, with some sauce / dressing to add flavor it wouldn't be so terrible. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The Floating World
Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Location: Here
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
| They're simply cooking it the way Koreans like it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Yeah, I'm not saying they're super delicious or anything, but they make for a tolerable cheap dinner if you doctor it up a bit. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DanseurVertical
Joined: 24 Nov 2010
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:23 am Post subject: |
|
|
| The Floating World wrote: |
| They're simply cooking it the way Koreans like it. |
Maybe. Most Korean food is full of hard spice / salt. I don't like the high salt content of a lot of Korean food. But especially bland Western food doesn't make a good alternative.
My guess is that Western style breads were introduced to the Korean public in much the same essence as they are now. And early on, native Koreans associated the food with Western society / economy. That was a positive association, so they enjoyed it. And that enjoyment continues.
Still, the CostCo bake is not bad to me, even if it is usually too salty ~.< E-Mart would do well to change their dough recipe, and then to serve them a little warm, with sauce for flavor.
Ah well, cooking for oneself is best, but I miss enjoying prepared restaurant / market foods. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The Floating World
Joined: 01 Oct 2011
Location: Here
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
Yup restaurant meals are the best.
Just had Uzbeckistan meal in busan, boy an hour later I'm still licking my chops...
Some of it might be what you said, but a lot of it is catering to local tastes, just like Chinese food back home being nowt like actual Chinese food whatsoever etc.
It's why when I go into Paris baguette and ask for my savory meat n cheese snacks to be heated up, they think I'm nutso. they're totally happy eating them cold as they don't realise any different ha ha. That would be an example I guess of what you said. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DanseurVertical
Joined: 24 Nov 2010
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
| The Floating World wrote: |
Yup restaurant meals are the best.
Just had Uzbeckistan meal in busan, boy an hour later I'm still licking my chops...
Some of it might be what you said, but a lot of it is catering to local tastes, just like Chinese food back home being nowt like actual Chinese food whatsoever etc.
|
Back in the US I'd enjoy traditional Chinese food on a regular basis. But in Korea, right next to China, it's very difficult to find.
I remember not understanding why Americans don't eat traditional Chinese food, since as an American myself, it doesn't seem so strange to me, and is usually much better / healthier than American Chinese food.
I don't know... Historically, Korean interactions with foreign countries have been very negative. Now that the country has opened up to the outside word economically, some time will need to pass before foreign cultures are given equal acceptance.
About bread, pizza, etc. I'm not sure. Koreans who visit other countries enjoy the breads / pizzas there more than what's served here. So I usually think there's just a demand void. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
alljokingaside
Joined: 17 Feb 2010
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:41 am Post subject: |
|
|
| The funny thing's that a lot of Koreans that I know scrunch their faces and god "ACK, SALTY" (albeit in Korean) when sampling salty Western fare, yet don't bat a lash at spam soup. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DanseurVertical
Joined: 24 Nov 2010
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:41 am Post subject: |
|
|
| alljokingaside wrote: |
| The funny thing's that a lot of Koreans that I know scrunch their faces and god "ACK, SALTY" (albeit in Korean) when sampling salty Western fare, yet don't bat a lash at spam soup. |
Before having it at a restaurant in Korea I made 된장찌개 myself. Second month in Korea. I knew Korean food from the US, but here, the salt content of many foods is extremely high. So, I don't know. To me, the CostCo 'bakes' fit well with the Korean taste for salt. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 4:58 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| DanseurVertical wrote: |
| alljokingaside wrote: |
| The funny thing's that a lot of Koreans that I know scrunch their faces and god "ACK, SALTY" (albeit in Korean) when sampling salty Western fare, yet don't bat a lash at spam soup. |
Before having it at a restaurant in Korea I made 된장찌개 myself. Second month in Korea. I knew Korean food from the US, but here, the salt content of many foods is extremely high. So, I don't know. To me, the CostCo 'bakes' fit well with the Korean taste for salt. |
I gotta chime in on this one. Korean food salt content high? When I went home last spring I went to TGI Fridays in the US and the French Fries were inedible due to how much salt was in it. I ate some Lays potato chips and they were probably 2x's saltier than Korean potato chip.
I never had any problems eating American food in the US in my 25years of living there. Hell, I added salt to almost all my foods. Then I lived in Korea for 5 years. When I went back to the US, the food was too salty.
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011-10-20/CDC-Americans-consume-too-much-sodium/50844370/1
| Quote: |
| Most of the sodium Americans consume does not come from the salt shaker. About 75 percent of the sodium in the typical American diet is added to commercial foods during processing or during preparation of restaurant foods. Only about 25 percent occurs naturally or is added at the table or in cooking by the consumer, the CDC report explained. |
The same people who complain that Korean food is salty are the ones that complain that its too sweet. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DanseurVertical
Joined: 24 Nov 2010
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 5:18 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| pkang0202 wrote: |
| DanseurVertical wrote: |
| alljokingaside wrote: |
| The funny thing's that a lot of Koreans that I know scrunch their faces and god "ACK, SALTY" (albeit in Korean) when sampling salty Western fare, yet don't bat a lash at spam soup. |
Before having it at a restaurant in Korea I made 된장찌개 myself. Second month in Korea. I knew Korean food from the US, but here, the salt content of many foods is extremely high. So, I don't know. To me, the CostCo 'bakes' fit well with the Korean taste for salt. |
I gotta chime in on this one. Korean food salt content high? When I went home last spring I went to TGI Fridays in the US and the French Fries were inedible due to how much salt was in it. I ate some Lays potato chips and they were probably 2x's saltier than Korean potato chip.
I never had any problems eating American food in the US in my 25years of living there. Hell, I added salt to almost all my foods. Then I lived in Korea for 5 years. When I went back to the US, the food was too salty. |
I didn't eat at TGI Fridays or other chains like that living in the US. I seldom even ate 'American' food. Because there were so many (to me) better alternatives.
Potato chips I've had in Korea aren't salty, I agree. Instead, they're sugary. Ever try the 'garlic' 'baguette' chips in Korea? They taste like sugar and not much else. Still, most foods like potato chips have salt on the surface, and although they may taste salty, the total salt amount is somewhat low. But in liquid / paste / cheese / bread that's not so. Just read the nutrition labels on the foods you buy. Many Korean foods have 100+% daily value for sodium (나트륨) in one serving. Have a look at ssam-jang (쌈장), for example. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 5:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| pkang0202 wrote: |
| DanseurVertical wrote: |
| alljokingaside wrote: |
| The funny thing's that a lot of Koreans that I know scrunch their faces and god "ACK, SALTY" (albeit in Korean) when sampling salty Western fare, yet don't bat a lash at spam soup. |
Before having it at a restaurant in Korea I made 된장찌개 myself. Second month in Korea. I knew Korean food from the US, but here, the salt content of many foods is extremely high. So, I don't know. To me, the CostCo 'bakes' fit well with the Korean taste for salt. |
I gotta chime in on this one. Korean food salt content high? When I went home last spring I went to TGI Fridays in the US and the French Fries were inedible due to how much salt was in it. I ate some Lays potato chips and they were probably 2x's saltier than Korean potato chip.
I never had any problems eating American food in the US in my 25years of living there. Hell, I added salt to almost all my foods. Then I lived in Korea for 5 years. When I went back to the US, the food was too salty.
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011-10-20/CDC-Americans-consume-too-much-sodium/50844370/1
| Quote: |
| Most of the sodium Americans consume does not come from the salt shaker. About 75 percent of the sodium in the typical American diet is added to commercial foods during processing or during preparation of restaurant foods. Only about 25 percent occurs naturally or is added at the table or in cooking by the consumer, the CDC report explained. |
The same people who complain that Korean food is salty are the ones that complain that its too sweet. |
The difference is that you went to some crappy "just a step above McD's" places in the US. I've gone to some NICE places in Korea, and the food is still salty. Go to a posh place in a large city in the USA, and it probably won't be a salt lick on a dish.
Korean food IS too sweet. Sugar on garlic bread? Sickly sweet salad dressings? Give me oil and vinegar any day. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 6:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
| pkang0202 wrote: |
| DanseurVertical wrote: |
| alljokingaside wrote: |
| The funny thing's that a lot of Koreans that I know scrunch their faces and god "ACK, SALTY" (albeit in Korean) when sampling salty Western fare, yet don't bat a lash at spam soup. |
Before having it at a restaurant in Korea I made 된장찌개 myself. Second month in Korea. I knew Korean food from the US, but here, the salt content of many foods is extremely high. So, I don't know. To me, the CostCo 'bakes' fit well with the Korean taste for salt. |
I gotta chime in on this one. Korean food salt content high? When I went home last spring I went to TGI Fridays in the US and the French Fries were inedible due to how much salt was in it. I ate some Lays potato chips and they were probably 2x's saltier than Korean potato chip.
I never had any problems eating American food in the US in my 25years of living there. Hell, I added salt to almost all my foods. Then I lived in Korea for 5 years. When I went back to the US, the food was too salty.
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011-10-20/CDC-Americans-consume-too-much-sodium/50844370/1
| Quote: |
| Most of the sodium Americans consume does not come from the salt shaker. About 75 percent of the sodium in the typical American diet is added to commercial foods during processing or during preparation of restaurant foods. Only about 25 percent occurs naturally or is added at the table or in cooking by the consumer, the CDC report explained. |
The same people who complain that Korean food is salty are the ones that complain that its too sweet. |
The difference is that you went to some crappy "just a step above McD's" places in the US. I've gone to some NICE places in Korea, and the food is still salty. Go to a posh place in a large city in the USA, and it probably won't be a salt lick on a dish.
Korean food IS too sweet. Sugar on garlic bread? Sickly sweet salad dressings? Give me oil and vinegar any day. |
So you would 100% agree with some of the comments on this thread that say American food is bland compared to salty Korean food?
I'm not saying some Korean food isn't salty. I'm just disagreeing with the comparison that American food is not as salty as Korean food. On the contrary, American food is saltier than Korean food.
I'm willing to bet that the average American consumes more sodium per day than the average Korean. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
|
| Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Bland doesn't only have to do with salt or lack thereof. There are other spices out there. I don't use a lot of salt in my cooking, but the food certainly isn't bland.
America's a huge country. There are hundreds of types of "average." Is there truly as much variety in the Korean diet? I never found American food to be saltier than Korean food, but I haven't eaten at a crap restaurant or fast-food joint since middle school. I have eaten at plenty of Korean restaurants, both cheap kimbap shops or upscale places with candles and ambiance. It's always been salty. I've stopped eating out as much, because I always feel bloated the next day from the salt. I've vomited a few times, from having eaten too much salt. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
