Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ellamarie]

I am planning to teach in Korea by sometime next year. I am trying to learn at least a little about the culture before I go, so I decided to try a Korean restaurant here (US) with a friend. I had teriyaki chicken (not sure if that's true Korean food), shrimp tempura, and dumplings, which were all good. The problem is that I found some of the side dishes truly inedible. I know kimchi is supposed to be a big deal in Korea, but I absolutely can't stand it. (I hate cabbage anyway). The pickled radishes were okay and the bean sprouts were tolerable. The seaweed made my friend gag and nearly did the same to me. It was all I could do to swallow it and my friend said my face turned green. So...on to my question. Is Korean food something you eventually develop a taste for? I really don't want to offend people when I go to Korea, but there are some things I just will not be able to eat, including kimchi. I guess I just want to know how other people have handled the vast difference between Korean food and Western food. I don't want to only eat Western food when I'm in Korea-that would defeat the purpose of being there-but I think some multivitamins and supplements will definitely be in order.

[dulouz]

Hi,

You'll learn to like it after you pick out your favorite dishes. It was tough for me until I found a Korean fast food chain that had a good picture menu. The food is cheap here, you won't want to cook at home. I look forward to kimchi and I even buy cucumber kimchi on my own now.
A festive Friday night dish called Sam Gyap Sal is delicious. I've had Korean food in the states, it was pretty bad. I took the gang out for a meal and it was a disappointment.

Worry about something else. Good luck![/quote]

[kangnam mafioso]

the food seems to be one of the biggest problems for a lot of new teachers in korea.

some teachers avoid it completely and cook at home, buy all their groceries at walmart or costco, and only eat out at fast food places or western chains.

others seize upon 2-3 dishes they can tolerate and order that every time. boring!

try to be open minded about the food. you will find some dishes you like. for the sake of your sanity and health, adapt to the diet in korea. your life will be much easier.

[Wangja]

It is fair to say that the food is not the best thing about Korea.

I too hated kimchee at first taste: now, if I don't eat it for a while, I miss it.

[crazylemongirl]

I don't like Kimchi and I do fine here. I hardly eat korean food and if you live in a city with a costco/homeplus/walmart/greymarket then you'll be able to eat western no problem.

[itaewonguy]

well first of all, you ate japanese style food
there are over 200 different kinds of kimchi IM sure you will find one that you like give it time.. there are hundreds of different korean side dishes
again once you come you will find the ones you like!
there are many different kinds of Korean food, again you will find the ones you like once you come..

have an open mind! you will be fine..

[spike.matt]

well, i've only been here for 5 months, but i don't touch korean food. I have well, picky eating habits, and 99 percent of korean dishes (as is) are inedible. I cook for myself 90 percent of the time, and other times, my buddies and I go to sandwich shops, the ocasional fast food joint, and so on. that said, I absolutely love korea, just hate the food. if you make it a big deal, it will be a big deal, if not..not. don't worry about the people who will say, why bother coming if your not going to like the food, theres tons of alternitives. as for kimchi, and the people who say "i looove kimchi, i can't go a day without it" ... ugh, i feel for your taste buds, i think kimchi is the most vile substance on the planet.

[seoulkitchen]

If you're gonna come to Korea, you better get used to the kimchi. It has miraculous healing powers!
It will prevent 'fan-death', protect against the dreaded "ddong-chim", and it's a good alternative to dog soup!

To prep yourself, I recommend keeping some used gym socks ina container of vinegar and garlic and sniffing it occasionally til you build up some tolerance.
Here in the Land of the Mourning Clams, you're gonna need all the stamina you can get!

[jinju]

Kimchi is great. As I-guy said there are hundreds of diffent kimchi dishes. There are hundreds of different Korean dishes. I dont see how basing your fears on eating what wasnt even Korean food, mkes any sense. As for the people who live in Korea but are stuck eating fast food crap, you are the quintessential cultural rednecks. I understand eating sandwiches from time to time, but on a regular basis? Let me guess. You people never travelled outside of Seoul (or any place other than Seoul if you dont live there), dont care to learn even a bit of Korean, have all western friends, watch all wesetern TV and only go to see Hollywood movies. And when you go back home, when asked about Korea you will say "it was just like America".

[Moldy Rutabaga]

[....]

[Barking Mad Lord Snapcase]

[Ya-ta Boy]

Personally, I think the grilled meat dishes--pork, beef, chicken, duck--are great. There are also a lot of seafood dishes. I don't do seafood, so can't say anything about them. All of the dishes come with a variety of sidedishes (veggies of one kind or another). Lots of them are strange. Most come doused with red pepper sauce and end up tasting the same. Experiment with them and identify the ones you like. Ignore the others. One of the nice things about Korean restaurants is that you can order endless re-fills of the sidedishes at no cost. Just hold up the empty dish and say, "Dah, joo say yo."

One problem with the meat dishes: You really need to be with at least one other person because you have to make a minimum order of two servings...many places insist on three.

Koreans are rather nationalistic about their food. It seems that everything is 'good for health'. In my experience, they don't mind me saying which foods don't suit me but I always make a point of focusing on the foods I do like rather than the negative approach of criticizing. No surprise that it works better.

[Rteacher]

If and when you get to Seoul check out a really good Korean restaurant early on to get an appreciation for Korean food. I recommend the Sanchon restaurant www.sanchon.com which has a great atmosphere (and in the evenings they have a traditional Korean dance and drum show...) It's all vegetarian (run by a former Buddhist monk) but there are literally dozens of tasty exotic preps all described in their menu (and probably on their website...)

[SPINOZA]

In my view, if you're a fussy eater, the chances are you won't like Korean food. OP said she hates cabbage - so you're not gonna like cabbage Kimchie very much are you?

Me, I've never been a fussy eater and I avoid junk food like the plague. The only food I'm unable to eat is beatroot. It made me sick when I was a kid and I've never touched it since. Other than that, eating is pretty much my hobby. I love cabbage - always ate tons of the stuff - so I like Kimchi. I love seaweed as well - always have done.

I didn't like the red pepper sauce at first because I thought it was slightly sickly, but now I like it.

If you don't like cabbage, you're gonna miss out on the best Korean soup - chamchi jigay (tuna, cabbage, tomato stew).

Fussy eaters can expect to have a bad time with any food, including Korean. There are some very good supermarkets here and you'll just have to shop there and cook at home. I do that often myself.

[chiaa]

I am one the pickiest eaters I know. I do just fine here.