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sqrlnutz123
Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Location: South Korea
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 Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:53 pm Post subject: Vegan in Korea! |
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| Are there any health food stores where I could get organic vegan delicacies? |
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JasperTeach
Joined: 13 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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| ditto -- i'm allergic to milk -- it should be pretty easy to get around dairy in korea right? im under the impression most foods don't use milk/butter/cheese.... |
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redaxe
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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| JasperTeach wrote: |
| ditto -- i'm allergic to milk -- it should be pretty easy to get around dairy in korea right? im under the impression most foods don't use milk/butter/cheese.... |
Yes but it's very hard to get around seafood. Typical Korean meals are rice, soup (meat broth), meat or fish, and kimchi (which has shellfish in it). The only vegan part is the rice. It will be very hard to eat out if you can't at least eat a little seafood.
E-mart (at least the one near my house in Yeouido) has an organic section, you can definitely buy organic vegetables, tofu, and maybe some meat substitutes made of tofu. |
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doc_ido
Joined: 03 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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Depends what you want. There will be an organic section at most Shinesgae department stores, but all the food is imported and thus expensive.
You can also buy fake meats here, but why would you want to? |
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sqrlnutz123
Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Why wouldn't I want to? What about fake cheese and fake milk? Actually, I don't eat much of that stuff. Except for rice milk. |
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Silence Dogood
Joined: 09 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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In Korea we have many nuts and hole grain treats that you can try. They are very good.  |
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sqrlnutz123
Joined: 15 Jun 2009
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Silence Dogood wrote: |
| In Korea we have many nuts and hole grain treats that you can try. They are very good. |
Sounds good! |
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redaxe
Joined: 01 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Silence Dogood wrote: |
| In Korea we have many nuts and hole grain treats that you can try. They are very good. |
They are very good... on the hole |
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doc_ido
Joined: 03 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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| sqrlnutz123 wrote: |
| Why wouldn't I want to? What about fake cheese and fake milk? Actually, I don't eat much of that stuff. Except for rice milk. |
Rice and soy milk: No Problem, they're everywhere.
Fake cheese: No chance, unless you count those processed Kraft slices that are 99 % plastic. Real cheese is hard enough to come by; fake cheese is decades off.
Fake meats: You can get those protein chunks at Thai/Indian grocery shops, but if you want flavoured stuff and don't mind giving your money to suspicious cults then the Supreme Master vegan restaurant chain sells a wide variety. I question why you'd want to as a) if you're vegan, why do you want to eat something that tastes and feels like meat and b) if you're into sustainability, it's highly processed. |
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tomoyopop
Joined: 10 Jul 2009
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 10:47 pm Post subject: |
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| If you're looking for protein... there's tofu all over the place! Many delicious Korean ways to cook it, too. |
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Alysinchains
Joined: 09 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:23 am Post subject: |
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| Anyone know any good vegetarian restaurants? |
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geldedgoat
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:47 am Post subject: |
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| doc_ido wrote: |
| I question why you'd want to as a) if you're vegan, why do you want to eat something that tastes and feels like meat and b) if you're into sustainability, it's highly processed. |
A) Eating something that tastes and feels like a dead animal is not the same thing as eating a dead animal. Yes, some people are vegans because they hate the taste of meat and/or detest the thought of eating anything resembling meat. However, that is certainly not true of all vegans nor is it a necessary qualification for calling oneself vegan.
B) Not all vegans are health nuts.
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As for the original question... I'm a pesco-vegan and have lived in Korea for going on three years, so I might be of some help. Like was said before, you should avoid kimchi because it's made with anchovies (like worcestershire sauce). Kalguksu and sujaebi (popular noodle dishes) look like they'd be safe, but the broth is made with fish (like the vast majority of soup broths here). You'd be safe with bibimbap, but be sure to tell them to leave out the egg. Some of the juks (rice porridge) would be okay for you, as well as naengmyun (but again, you'll have to tell them to leave out the egg). If you can make it to a large-ish Buddhist temple, there's usually a vegan-friendly restaurant nearby that offers a wide variety of vegetable dishes.
My personal recommendation for soy milk would be Vegemil B. It's vegan (not all soy milks here are), and it's the best-tasting one I've found.
To be honest, if you can't eat seafood, Korean restaurants, by and large, will not be very accommodating to you. Your safest bet will be to do all the cooking on your own. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 4:46 am Post subject: |
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| doc_ido wrote: |
| but if you want flavoured stuff and don't mind giving your money to suspicious cults then the Supreme Master vegan restaurant chain sells a wide variety. |
Do you inquire of everyone providing you a product what their religious beliefs are? Who cares what the people believe so long as they make a good vegan meal, such as the OP's seeking? From my experience at their restaurants, they provide just that. I don't listen to their preaching and they don't inquire as to my beliefs. It's a simple restauranteur<->dining patron relationship. |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:42 am Post subject: |
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| Good luck surviving in Korea with your disability. |
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Bramble
Joined: 26 Jan 2007
Location: National treasures need homes
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:01 am Post subject: |
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As others have said, many restaurants aren't vegan-friendly. Most Koreans will do everything they can to help you get what you need, but it's easy to get misinformation no matter how many questions you've asked and no matter how clear you think you've been. Sometimes restaurant staff don't even know what's in their own food (especially when it comes to ingredients hidden in sauces and side dishes).
But please don't listen to the rude, negative, offensive jerks on this board ... if you're committed, you'll learn from any mistakes and will eventually find everything you need. SM is a wonderful restaurant run by decent people who helped me a lot when I first came to Korea ... and best of all, they recently made their menu completely vegan. Don't worry, they won't kidnap you and force you to join a cult, and they provide good Korean dishes that wouldn't be safe to try in most other restaurants.
I rarely participate in these threads because they usually turn out to be joke threads, but this message is for any serious people out there who may be reading. Ignore the Tiberiouses of the world, stay strong, and keep fighting. |
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