Among other things, the new friends I have made have introduced me to an array of new food dishes. Eating in Korea is very communal. Everyone sits around the table (sometimes on the floor) and digs his/her chopsticks into the same shared dishes. I hear that when cold season comes around this can sometimes be quite devastating to the school as everyone seems to get sick together as a result of this meal sharing. This communal approach to eating has also forced me to be more proficient with my spoon and chopsticks in order to not be beat out by the rest of the herd. Another thing is that a good amount of cooking, especially with meet dishes, is done at the table itself. Usually there are one or two main dishes at the center of the table accompanied by a variety of side dishes, often consisting of flavorful combinations of vegetables; cabbage, sprouts, potatoes, peppers, beans, seaweed, radishes, lettuce leaves used as wraps (I call them “lettuce tortillas”), and almost every meal is accompanied with a dish of Kimchi, spicy pickled cabbage, a stable of Korean cuisine. Along with the vegetables there is plenty of rice, noodles, egg, beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and tofu. The meals are very flavorful and usually not without a selection of sauces. Since I have been here I have tried octopus, quail eggs, fish paste, and several new rice products among other things. Also, there is plenty of ramen noodles available if you have no money and are worried about not getting enough sodium. I’ve also tried aloe juice, which is great, and corn tea, which is horrible. Instead of further attempting to describe the many new dishes I have been living on, I have posted a few photos below of some of the bigger ones.
A communal meal of bulgogi (grilled beef)
cooking bulgogi
Dak-galbi (a spicey dish made of chicken ribs, sweet potatoes, and these little marshmallowy bars made of rice)
Mondu (meet-vegetable-and-noodle-filled dumplings)
Kim-bop (A seaweed and rice wrap. I am not sure what all else is in it, but I can tell you I’ve eaten a lot of it.)
Kimchi!
