Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jonski]

Hi there,

I arrived in South Korea on Wednesday, and I am loving it so far but there are a few things that bother me!

My apartment only comes with a hob, there is no microwave or oven. Is this normal? I mean there is no way I will want to eat fried food every single day!
I like to try and keep healthy and would love to be able to bake some salmon/chicken in the oven.

Surely my boss wouldn't expect me to go purchase an oven? They are massive/heavy/ and above all expensive! I would of thought that an oven was standard issue ??

I'm thinking long run- like what fresh meats can I eat. At the moment I am limited to tuna (canned) and anything fried.

[furtakk]

Yes it is standard. Most one-room apartments (and many larger apartments for that matter) do not have ovens. You can find a pretty cheap toaster oven on gmarket.co.kr. I bought a fairly large one (enough to roast a small chicken) for about 70,000 won. Some come with microwaves, some do not. Check your contract to see if that is mentioned. If not, it's up to you to purchase one if you require it.

http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_category/category.asp?gdmc_cd=200001062&link_type=LIST&search_err=

[eamo]

Ovens aren't standard issue in Korean apartments. Even in large 3bed family apartments they are still an option.

You'll have to sort one out yourself. There are medium-sized, counter top electric ovens available for around 300,000.

[RMNC]

I hate to be harsh, but next time you move half way around the world, try to do a little research into what actually living in the place is like.

[jonski]

Thanks for the replies, I checked out that website, they have some good stuff on there. It seems really cheap, I'm a little sceptical! I went into e-mart as I was told it was the cheapest place to shop and the least expensive iron I could find was 55,000 won. I would of thought the micro-wave oven would cost a bomb in there by those prices!

Does anyone have experience with these little ovens? I didn't even know they made ovens this small! I just want it to be able to cook some salmon fillets and some chicken breasts. Would it be capable of this? They have ones for like 50,000 but how on earth could it cook at that price?! Is it worth spending more to get a better oven? I have been checking the site but the only translated bit is the title and not the item descriptions.

[jonski]

[mellow-d]

It sounds like even a small toaster oven would be fine for what you want to use it for. Mine is small and can cook enough chicken breasts or french fries for two.

Also try craigslist. When I moved here I got a microwave and small toaster oven from a couple that were leaving Korea. I think they only wanted in total 40-50,000 for both. If you can't read Korean, then at least craigslist will have English descriptions.

[RMNC]

Okay, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but this is a country known for its tiny apartments and cramped living conditions. I don't think most people go over thinking they're going to be baking turkeys on Thanksgiving. Maybe I'm just jaded because the "hey there's no oven" thing is so incredibly basic and newbie that I expect most people to have either known about it beforehand from another source or independent research, or they get there, realize there's no oven, go "oh yeah, it's Korea" and move on. Korea isn't exactly known for it's baking prowess.

...surely you didn't think the washing machine in the kitchen was an oven?

[jonski]

lol, I would rather have an oven then a washing machine!

I always thought the Koreans ate a really healthy diet. Just didn't expect to have to fry my food every night

I was just a little annoyed bc my boss has left me with practically nothing. When I was shown to my apartment, I was shocked to find no cutlery, pans, coat hangers, chair or bedding. He then ushered me towards the emart and I had to part with the little money I had to buy some of these essentials. That's why I was just checking to see if the cooking situation was normal as I feel he wasn't properly prepared for me.

The tv is hilarious, 100s of channels of stuff I don't understand. I must learn Korean, but its not our familiar Latin languages! Grrrr

[NSMatt]

[iselynjenniep]

our apartment came without an oven or microwave. it's typical. we bought both for 30,000 won each used on craigslist. my oven is awesome, cooks just like a regular one i just have to make sure the pans i buy will fit in it!

[jonski]

Thanks, I'll check it out

( I was referring to meat cooking as well, boil= stewing and I don't feel too keen about putting a lovely fillet of salmon into water ).

I'ma get micro-ovened up next weekend!