Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Mashimaro]

I hear about many people seeking out a certain cheese or some food they crave from home, are you one of them?

Admittedly I've only been here almost 2 years... BUT

I've never gone to a costco or whatever seeking out Heinz canned spaghetti or something (though that is the one thing that MIGHT tempt me!)

I guess a part of it is laziness, I consider anything that takes more than 10 minutes of travel not worth doing (unless it involves an airplane out of korea)

More than that though I guess I'm just not that hooked on pre packaged western foods. I go to McDs or KFC or eat pasta occasionally, but other than that I'm more than happy eating 'asian' foods and crave little from home.

[discostar23]

I have come to love carbs here. Which seems wierd because so many people in North America are hooked on the fat-kins diet.

Anyway I find myself going out of my way to get an all grain bread (any color other then white) Not too hard to find. In the beginning I would seek Cheese but had a bad experience with it so I gave up cheese here until I get home.

There are those days you wake up really hungover and all you want to do is have some lovely western grease to get you back on the horse...lotteria just doesn't cut it in this dept.

[schwa]

I always come back from the homeland sans western food goods, though theres plenty of room in my pack. Me too, it might be laziness, or it seems ludicrous hauling groceries halfway round the world, or I'm just not that food-centered. I find enough near-equivalents around here (even in a small town) when I need a nonKorean fix.

I do however pick up rock-crystal deodorant, Indian incense, & Dr Bronner's soap when I'm back there, nothing quite like those here.

I was in Seoul all weekend but couldnt be bothered to visit any specialty food emporiums, but I guess I have to confess to crossing my town (10 minutes by taxi) for alternatives to Korean cheese slices, from time to time.

[SarcasmKills]

Admittedly, I happily shell out w17,000 for Kraft Singles...

V8 is also a must whenever I find it.. problem is that I end up downing the bottle all at once.. but DAMN is it good..

If Clamato were more easily available I'd have a Caesar party every week

[casey's moon]

Amen on the Clamato and Caesars -- I said exactly the same thing when I found V-8 last month.

I love Korean food, but I love the stuff from home. I won't pay an arm and a leg for much anymore, but I do buy cheese and pasta and stuff like that on a regular basis from Lotte Mart.

[kiwiboy_nz_99]

I'm from New Zealand, we don't have food back home ...

[Mashimaro]

[Zed]

I'm too lazy to go out of my way to hit Hannam market on a regular basis. (In fact I've only been twice). But I certainly miss the food. I think that the fact that I only cook for myself tends to limit my desire to cook much that requires effort.

[sistersarah]

i go out of my way to get multi-grain bread, pita bread, chili and fajita seasoning, and listerine. everything else can wait.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I've learned to make pretty much everything from scratch. I liked cooking before I came here; now it is a hobby. Dare I say an all consuming hobby?

I enjoy Korean meat, but not much else. I couldn't survive if I had to eat Korean food two times a day.

I am well aware of the absurdity of hopping on a plane and flying to Guam, just to go shopping at a western grocery store. But the absurdity doesn't stop me.

I had a garden this year, mainly so I could grow snow peas. It's great to have a supply in the freezer. I have a second crop in the garden now and hope they will be ready to harvest just after Halloween. (I live on the south coast.) I am also going to try to grow them indoors this winter in a big pot.

A couple of weeks ago I learned to make Italian sausage. (You wouldn't believe how many spices I have in my kitchen.) Now my spaghetti and pizzas have some pizazz.

[casey's moon]

[justagirl]

Most people I know seek out comfort foods from home. Some can find it at Mc Doo's or Pizza Hut, but I'm not too big on either of those.

I do like to have spices from home. In fact, I have a whole pantry full! When I cook, I use lots of different flavors from chile to curry to cumin.

I also love Mexican food and I did bring back tortillas, beans and taco/fajita seasoning mixes. For me, it's worth it. It's fast, easy and tastes sooo good. Scramble up some eggs and toss them in a tortilla with some hot sauce and black beans. Yum. We just had Mexican last night: fajitas, black beans, chile con queso, guacamole...it was the best.

Other things we indulge in, when we can find them:

pretzals
microwave popcorn (is that comfort food from home--it's easy to find here)
good cheddar cheese--not that Bega stuff at Lotte Mart
dr. pepper

And once every month or 6 weeks we go to Seoul and eat out at Bennigan's or the Outback Steakhouse.

Can't wait to go home and get whole-wheat bread! (as you can see, 45 days left for us)

[sistersarah]

[casey's moon]

Sistersarah, you're the absolute best!

Pita bread is one of the few things I lament over not being able to get every now and then -- I'd pretty much given up.

Woo hoo!!!

[tommynomad]

I carried over 3 freezer bags of homebaked cookies (peanut butter and orange choc-chip).
My care packages usually include 1 kg of black salted licorice, good incense (starting to find it here, though, and just picked up a HUGE bag cheap--20 sticks for 240yen--on a visa run to Fukuoka), & Tom's of Maine toothpaste.
I do miss slurpees and my spice rack. And cheap broccoli.