Korean Job Discussion Forums

bakather · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Location: USA

I cannot eat the school food. I just don't like Korean food. I like the Korean food back home in the US, but this stuff makes me gag. Please don't jump down my throat about it. I'm not hating on Korea, but I do not like Korean food at all.

I really don't know what to do about lunch at school. I dread it so much every day, and my day is 10 x better after lunch. I tried bringing my own fruit and just nibbling on the food and eating all the rice and soup, but they don't seem too happy about that. I do not know what I could possibly tell them, so they won't be offended. I have acted like I liked it and just tried to get it down so far, but I am literally dreading work because it makes me queasy to eat the food. I am a pretty picky eater, too. What can I do? I don't know how much longer I can act like I want to eat it. Would it be horrible to bring my own food?

IPayInCash · Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 1:27 am Post subject:

Bring your own food. Just make sure it isn't pizza or Lotteria or something that would make other people feel left out. Bring a boring sandwich or something.

There's nothing to feel bad about. Korean food is a step above hot garbage on a plate. It's easily the worst food in the world.

Hell, it's the only "bad" food I've had in Asia. Out of all of the other countries I traveled extensively, only Korean food I found to be flat out BAD. Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, you name it, they have delicious food. All except garbage Korean.

andrewchon · Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 1:34 am Post subject:

Don't eat school lunch then. Just pay what ever they are taking out of your pay every month for school lunches. Eat your own food, and you'll get used to eating local food, sooner or later. Trust me. Starving people under siege or in concentration camps have eaten unimaginable things but they didn't complain. Taste is all in your mind.

mr_thehorse · Joined: 27 Aug 2013

mr_thehorse · Joined: 27 Aug 2013

mr_thehorse · Joined: 27 Aug 2013

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

Am I missing something? Is there some rule about foreign teachers having to eat school lunches?

Nolos · Joined: 23 Oct 2011

ROFL laughing at beta foreigners afraid to offend some asians.

optik404 · Joined: 24 Jun 2008

I'm on a special bulking diet where I need to hit my set macros for each meal, so I will be opting out of the school lunch because the fat, protein, and carb content does not fit my macros.

northway · Joined: 05 Jul 2010

I love Korean food, but I loathe Korean school lunches. If you enjoyed Korean food outside of Korea, I wonder if you're having the same problem and just don't enjoy the nastiness that is Korean cafeteria food (really any cafeteria food). Either way, just bring your own.

bakather · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Location: USA

Just wanted to make sure I wasn't committing some Korean mortal sin. It sort of seemed like a big deal to them that I just brought my own fruit to eat with the lunch.

bakather · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Location: USA

Just wanted to make sure I wasn't committing some Korean mortal sin. It sort of seemed like a big deal to them that I just brought my own fruit to eat with the lunch.

transmogrifier · Joined: 02 Jan 2012 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Korean cafeteria food is nothing to write home about. Just bring your own food. Working somewhere doesn't mean you have to eat what they say.

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

Korean food "back home" is restaurant food. Korean food served in the schools is institutional food. Those two are very different critters. One is designed to part the paying customer from his cash willingly and the other is designed to deliver a targeted list of nutrients to a captive audience (the students).

As others have mentioned, your best bet is to simply not participate in the school lunch program. If you have any dietary concerns whatsoever, you'll have to opt out anyway. Another consideration is that it'll remove you from the ooh-ing and aah-ing every single blessed time you eat with chopsticks or try something the locals consider spicy.