Korean Job Discussion Forums

stumptown · Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 6:40 pm Post subject: Who eats at the cafeteria?

A couple of years ago I worked at an elementary school and got to eat lunch there and it turned out to be pretty good I would say 90% of the time. Coincidentally the worse meal there turned out to be the spaghetti. They were all really confused when I brought my lunch on that day.

Anyway, how is the food at your school. Do you get menu in advance? I have to pay 33,000 a month which works out 1700 per lunch.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

I usually eat at mine, though not ten times a week like when I first started. Today I just paid my fees for the first time this year. I told my head of English (my minder) that I had not been keeping track of when I ate there, but had had about four lunches and three dinners a week for 13 weeks in March, April, and May - so could we just do an estimation? They were fine with that.

Hobophobic · Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 9:23 pm Post subject:

I eat there everyday...usually it is good at my school....Wednesdays seem to be the best day....Friday is usually always garbage...it's almost as though it is a bell curve....it's like they want to ruin my already crappy Monday, get me excited mid week, and send me off with my tail tucked for the weekend

inspector gadget · Joined: 11 Apr 2003 Location: jeollanam-do in the boonies

I just started this month, the first three months I walked home and had lunch there.

The food is decent most days but far from good I would say.

The reason I started was that I was getting sick of walking the ten minutes home, cooking limited varieties of food in a quick time frame. I thought I would give the caffeteria a try and its better for me as its easy, no cooking(or clean up) and a more balanced meal than what I was eating at home for lunch.

We don't get the menu in advance so everyday is a suprise but you always get rice, kimchi, another salade side dish, soup and either meat or fish.

I pay 33,000 per month.

stumptown · Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 10:01 pm Post subject:

My first meal of my new school today was: dakdoritang, duen jang kuk, yolmu kimchi, sauteed new potatoes and a banana. I ate it all it was so good......or maybe I was just really hungry. Oh, great dialogue too:

Dumbass teacher: Can you use chopsticks?
Me: No, I ate everything with the spoon. Didn't you see me? (Other teachers get it and laugh)
Dumbass teacher (after looking at my empty tray): "Was it good?"
Me: No, it was disgusting, that's why I ate everything. (more teachers laugh...she figures it out and stops asking stupid questions)

Howard Roark · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Location: Canada

I eat lunch every day at LG Philips. It's always decent, sometimes I'd even say really good...and it's FREE so it's even better!

I used to work at a public school in Seoul. The food there was so terrible I felt sick to my stomach every time I had it. Oliver Twist ate better. Glad to hear all the schools are not like that.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

sarahsarah · Joined: 05 Aug 2004 Location: Bundang

Yep...I ate the cafeteria food twice a day, 5-days a week. I could have eaten there 3 times a day, but I usually don't eat breakfast. Why did I eat there so often, you ask? I lived in the dorms my school and there were no restaurants around because I lived in the absolute middle of nowhere and had no cooking facilities in my room.

The food wasn't ever really that bad and I mostly enjoyed it. It just came as a surprise to the cafeteria manager that I didn't like tentacles which we had OFTEN. She asked me the first time we had squid if I liked it, I told her no. She proceeded to ask me every single time after that if I liked squid. Clearly the answer never changed, but she seemed equally as surprised each time I told her no.

Yeah, I got the comment about if I knew how to use chopsticks a lot too. I mean, these people watched me use them everyday, but still asked. Hmm...

Hollywoodaction · Joined: 02 Jul 2004

Demophobe · Joined: 17 May 2004

I eat at my school cafeteria every day for free. It's pretty good, though sometimes the fish is just scary. It's very basic, but it covers all the food groups and is healthy enough.

pet lover · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Location: not in Seoul

We don't have a cafeteria or a kitchen, so the food for the kindy gets gets delivered.....around 9:15 in the morning and it sits in a classroom until 12:00, when they eat it. Teachers eat for free, but the only foreigner nuts enough to take them up on that is Free World an