Korean Cusine
While back in the States I had tried Korean food a handful of times, but before I arrived I still wasn’t sure what I would find here in Seoul. Often times the supposed ethnic restaurants in America aren’t much like the ones in the home country. Luckily I had tasted Korean food at my good friend Andrew’s house several times. His parents are from South Korea, so I was pretty sure I was getting the real thing. But aside from those times I hadn’t really had much experience with authentic Korean food. Most of the East Asian restaurants back home are either Chinese or Japanese (and of course some are Americanized versions of the cuisine).
What has surprised me the most so far about Korean food is its variety. What I mean is that within the genre of Koran food, there seems to be a wide range of possible dishes. Some of it has been imported from neighboring countries, but it typically has a unique Korean flavor to it. Korean food ranges from light noodle soups and sushi-like wraps to all you can eat barbecue meat bonanzas.
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| Stuff yourself on all the meat you can handle - Korea doesn't have too many options for vegetarians |
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| One of the best aspects of Korean restaurants - all the free side dishes (and unlimited refills too!) |
Since it is very common to eat out here I get to try many different kinds of food, so that may be one reason why I feel that there is a lot of variety. It is not common, however, to eat out by yourself. Most of the Korean places are sit down restaurants where it would be unusual to eat alone. There are a few take out options, but the selection is limited. Often times when I want to grab food on my own I end up going to a convenient store. I typically get either kimbap or ramen noodles. Kimbap (the first sound is somewhere between k and g) is a seaweed roll with rice and various other ingredients. There are many possibilities – tuna, kimchi, beef, imitation crab, veggie, etc. Kimbap is considered snack food or a good on the go meal, kind of like a sandwich is to American cuisine.
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| kimbap: looks like sushi but without raw fish |
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| Korean ramen noodles look very similar to Japanese ramen |
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| Another traditional dish is bi-bim-bap |
I also occasionally go to the local grocery stores to buy nuts, tuna, cereal, eggs, milk, anything that doesn’t take much preparation and won’t break the bank. Aside from bananas and mandarin oranges, fruit is very expensive since it must be imported. Unfortunately many fresh veggies are also more expensive here than back home.
Although there might be a wide range of Korean food possibilities, it is actually the opposite with many foreign foods. I am surprised that in a city the size of Seoul there are relatively few international options. They are more plentiful in certain tourist areas, but often quite rare in most parts of the city. The only consistent non-Korean food options are the big chains like Burger King, KFC, McDonald's, and Outback Steakhouse. There are also some Japanese places too.
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| A specialty Korean burger at McDonald's |
| Korean Burger King! |
Take Indian food as an example. Off the top of my head I can only think of one time that I have seen an Indian restaurant since I have been here. I think it’s primarily because there aren’t many non-Koreans living permanently in Seoul. There are a lot of teachers, tourists, and military personnel, but not many people who would be opening up family restaurants here. There are some Japanese and Chinese immigrants, and probably a few Southeast Asians, but a good 99% of the population is ethnically Korean. Compare that with most major US cities, where there are sizable communities of foreigners from most parts of the world.
Since I wrote this I still haven’t seen too many foreign joints. Itaewon, close to the US military base and a hotspot for tourists, does have a lot of different food options. I really like Korean food so far though, so I’m not too worried about it!
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