Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shawner88]

I posted this on my website tonight, but I thought I'd get an opinion from people here.


Has this ever happened to you? You walk into a bar sit down and order drinks only to be to told you have to order side dishes or leave? These over priced side dishes are called anju, a word that strikes disgust into the hearts of most foreigners. The dishes range from dried squid to big fruit platters (I really don't understand eating fruit with beer) to fried cheesesticks. Koreans like to eat food with their drinks, which is fine, but to refuse to serve people who aren't hungry and only want drinks seems pretty stupid, especially when the place is practically dead and even if you offer to sit at the bar.

I remember one time in Ulsan a gang of about ten of us went into this "western" style bar. I think it was called Arizona Bar. Anyway, the place was practically empty. We sat down and started to order bottles of beer. Then the owner said we had to order two side dishes. Having just come from a kalbi dinner, we said we were full and wouldn't like anything. He said we had to order anju, no option. We refused and incredibly he let us all leave. Rather than forgo the side dishes, not only did he lose possibly a lot of money from drinks, he let us leave angry and lost any chance of us returning as repeat customers. Advertising yourself as a western bar and then upsetting a large group of foreigners in a small city is just bad business sense.

Walking around areas like Sinchon, it becomes a guessing game. If we go here do we have to order anju? I'm not hungry, man - I just want beers. Well, let's try it. Then walking all the way up to the third floor and then all the way back out minutes later to try another bar.

[Saxiif]

Usually agree with you, but there's always exceptions like the tasty shrimp quesedillas at the Carrista (trying to be Callista I guess) bar in Sincheon and the dirt cheap platters of good food in the back alley student sojubangs in the Euijiro (number)-ga area...

[shawner88]

[crazylemongirl]

my bar gives free snacks and pool. Beer is a bit more expensive though.

[osangrl]

I don't really mind ordering it. I mean most of these places, the atmosphere is beautiful. Why be cheap and order just a beer? If you want to sit in a crappy, crowded place, go to itaewon. Why complain about ordering a fruit plate for man won? Who cares.

[Zyzyfer]

There's not a lot of stuff here that makes me livid, but the anju thing is one of them. *beep* cultural sensitivity, charge me more for the beers and let me keep drinking, because I'm not hungry.

Another big thing dealing with food and culture is the 1 person thing at a restaurant. I just had this happen tonight...wanted meat and went to a kalbi shop nearby. Asked for meat, get seated and the lady tells another lady that I want kalbi for 1. Other lady says it's not possible. First lady comes back and tells me this. I know why it's happening, but god damn it, I want some MEAT people. Stupid il ban shik joints never have a pure meat dish. I want ANIMAL FLESH FOR PROTEIN. The restaurant was EMPTY. I don't want stupid cultural issues stopping my ingestion of FOOD. It's 7,000 won up front they won't get, along with one less person trying to take friends here.

What is with the bad business sense? If you're a bar, serve BEER. If you're a restaurant, serve FOOD.

I'm sure someone's gonna give me shit about how my Western viewpoint doesn't take Korea into account...tough shit.

[shawner88]

[Son Deureo!]

I agree with you, it's annoying. I like the fact that food is there if I want it, and some of the bars have great food. But if I don't want it please don't try to stuff food down my throat, thank you very much.

At most places if I'm politely insistent that I just ate dinner and don't want food they'll take my money for drinks, albeit grudgingly. I've never bought anju when I didn't want to.

[wylde]

screw the anju... maybe 1 out of 20 times i get a side dish. why, cuz i am hungry.. other times i am just thirsty

[osangrl]

True.....but why complain. Ya its dumb, but so are lots of things here. If you don't like that policy go somewhere else. Its simple.

[shawner88]

[osangrl]

Awwwwwwwww i think this is a lovers quarrel

[ryleeys]

*is patiently biding his time... waiting for the right moment to sweep in and console osangrl after the heartbreak shawners caused her*

[Holyjoe]

There are thousands upon thousands of watering holes in Korea, it doesn't really seem to make too much sense that you'd turn customers away if they didn't order food.
Seems like a bit of a daft way to go about things, but hey...

Me and a few mates went into a bar in Gangnam to order some beer, but apparently it was "soju night" and if we didn't order soju along with the beer then we couldn't drink in the bar. We didn't want soju so we didn't stay. 4 or 5 beers apiece would have amounted to a fairly tidy sum of money for the bar...

[ryleeys]

Haven't noticed really because I'm always hungry... especially when I'm drinking... though I don't order that dried squid junk... it's gotta be fried and it's gotta be meat. And then the beers are gonna flow...