Korean Job Discussion Forums

beekeeper3000 · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

I've been here four months and I still haven't fully adjusted to the food. It's not like I'm in the can all day, but I feel mild discomfort after almost every meal. Any hints, suggestions? How long did it take you to adjust to the food? I hate thinking about "how I feel" all the time. I want to get on with my life!

itaewonguy · Joined: 25 Mar 2003

beekeeper3000 · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

thanks, i'm not a moron. any doctor will tell you food is not food. the flora and fauna differ greatly from one region to the next. been cooking for myself for some time now. i guess i was just hoping it was something everyone went through, lest it be stress. damn.

brento1138 · Joined: 17 Nov 2004

kangnam mafioso · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Teheranno

unless you have an intestinal virus or infection, your problems probably stem from stress and the quality/ variety of what you are eating every day.

if you're working like crazy and rushing through crap school lunches and eating fast food or dongkass every night then naturally your body is going to rebel. a lot of teachers discover one or two things they can tolerate in korea and eat it all the time. try to mix it up for variety, avoid fast food, moderate street food, etc. moderate alcohol and sodas and coffee as well. take vitamins and try to enjoy the korean food.

out of curiosity, what do you normally eat? do you have a lot of variety in your diet? what korean foods do you eat on a regular basis?

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

I often find I have mild diarrhea on moving to a new place. I usually let it go on for about two weeks, then take loperamide for a few days, and then all is well. But then again, I drink the tap water! Shocked

Wrench · Joined: 07 Apr 2005

The Man known as The Man · Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2005 3:35 pm Post subject:

Throw back a bucket of KFC.

VanIslander · Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2005 3:46 pm Post subject:

The only stomachaches I've had from food in Korea has been from pizza and those doughnuts from roadside stalls.

That's it.

And I eat Korean food plenty.

It all depends on your constitution. Not sure how to "adjust".

periwinkle · Joined: 08 Feb 2003

I think you should see a doctor- 4 months is too long. You could have a bacterial or parasite infection. I've had giardisis (sp?) twice since I've been here. Took meds for a week, and it was all good. About a month or so into my stay, I had mouth sores (never happened before in my life). My co-worker told me his friend had the same, and it was due to the radical change in diet (going from eating no red pepper to eating red pepper every day). Hope you feel better!! =)

Yo!Chingo · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: Seoul Korea

The fauna here are definitely different than those from your home country. I would recommend drinking only bottled water and then boiling it!!! Even though its bottled it still comes from korea or a surrounding area. If you drink from a can(Coke or other drink) be sure to wash or wipe with a clean cloth the lip of that can because that too can harbor bacteria and never eat from those roadside vendors!!! I worked in Environmental Health for 5 years and some of my best friends were Health Inspectors in Food quality. The sanitation standards here are not like many other countries and just think to yourself when was the last time you saw those vendors use gloves or hair nets???

desultude · Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2005 6:17 pm Post subject:

Yeah, it took me a while to get a diagnosis of amoebic dysentary after I had lived in Mexico for about four months.
It could be intestinal parasites- there are all sorts, and parasites are prevalent here, or so I have been told.

Go to a good GI doc (not army, gastrointestinal!) at a university hospital and get yourself tested.

Dazed and Confused · Joined: 10 Jan 2003

I've got the same problem and I've been here 9 years! I kept going to the gp and they kept telling me it was just bacteria or a virus. After my 4th visit he told me if it happened again I'd have to have the test where they run the camera down your throat and look at your stomach. So I did that and everything was normal. I've found a great English speaking GI doctor. She put me on meds that I take whenever I'm feeling not so right and then I'm good as new in a day or so.
I suggest you go to a big hospital and get an appointment with a GI.

Shooter McGavin · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Location: ROK

It sounds like you could have a minor food allergy too. Try to figure out what you ate any time you felt off, and find any common ingredients.

I myself have an allergy to chili peppers and cayenne (which really sucks cause I love Cajun food). Sometimes I can eat a whole pot of jambalaya or chili and be 100% fine. Sometimes if there is just a sprinkling of the stuff it feels like I ate a pack of razors, and there is absolutely no way to tell which reaction I'll get, so I just have to avoid these spices as much as possible. I've had kimchi all of one time, and I felt like somebody shot me in the stomach. Koreans put chili peppers into lots of dishes, which cuts back what it's possible to eat quite a bit.

So who knows? Maybe you too are allergic to something, like peppers or cabbage, or God forbid, rice.

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun