Korean Job Discussion Forums

fiveeagles · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: Vancouver

Today as we opened up our new bag of rice, black little bugs were crawling everywhere.

My question is, what type of food quality does Korea have? Are there any inspections at all? My bag, when I shake it up, there is like 5 to 6 little critters crawling.

Gimchi, I see them cut this up on the streets, backyards, outdoors and etc. Slapping it together and then serving it up to the veterans and the unsuspecting.

Finally, when i was living in Jeju, they carried the racks of ribs on their backs through the center of the grocery store. Right out of the trucks into the grocery store. Unfortunately, I have seen this in many small towns throughout Korea.

How can a nation that is so technologically advanced be so inferior in such important social qualitities?

Dawn · Joined: 06 Mar 2004

Can't answer your food quality question, but I've had so many problems with bug-gy grains over here that I automatically slap everything I buy into the freezer for at least 48 hours before transferring to air-tight storage containers.

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

almost 10 years in and never had had problem with the local grains.

What are you buying exactly?

indiercj · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

The bugs are harmless. It won't be a problem if there are a few of them. And yes, many technologicaly advanced countries consume bug-free toxic food.

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Weevils. They're harmless and quite common.
Two methods: put the rice in a bowl, leave it outside your door, and the weevils will crawl out and away (seriously). However, this method is slow, and leaves your rice open to be poached and/or have substances nastier than weevils put into it (e.g. birdshit).
Method two- rinse your rice, like you are supposed to be doing. Weevils float out and away while rice stays in the pot.

P.S. Stop being such a big baby and crying about how Korea's health standards are so low- this is a common occurance in large bags of rice, and not just in Korea.

Faron · Joined: 13 Jan 2006

did you get your rice from costco? Shocked

FlagWaver · Joined: 12 Apr 2003

Those bugs are there because of your sins. Only by the baptism of fire can one rid themselves forever from the evil rice bugs. Cleanse yourself, get right with God, and the bugs will go away!

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

tacon101 · Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Location: seoul

Barking Mad Lord Snapcase · Joined: 04 Nov 2003

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

If the rice is old and bags have been sitting on shelves long enough bugs will get in there ... It's pretty common in India. The standard method of cleaning rice is to submerge it in cold water in a fairly large bowl, rapidly run your fingers through it so bugs and other stuff rises to the surface, decant the water, and repeat the process three times. (This also removes excess starch and results in nicer - less sticky - more-defined grains of cooked rice...)

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Barking Mad Lord Snapcase · Joined: 04 Nov 2003

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

Well then, I salute you on your latest crusade, sr. Quixote. Best of luck bringing the enlightenment of the West to the the dirty heathens of the Orient. Maybe you could head down to Yoido and protest until they pass a law requiring tons more pesticides be sprayed all over harvested rice.

Seriously man, you guys sound like the the girls who scream and jump up on chairs when a mouse is spotted. We share the planet with a whole bunch of other organisms. Most of them aren't even actively trying to kill us. I'll bet I could eat handfulls of weevils and suffer absolutely no side effects whatsoever aside from the scorn of Buddhists, Hindus, and vegans.

But that's beside the point: For the fourth time in this thread, all you have to do is not be lazy and rinse the rice before you cook it.

There are more pressing issues to take a stand on if you care about health and safety.