Korean Food 101

Before coming to Korea, I was very nervous thinking I would not be able to eat because my chopstick skills were way under par. I could barely pick up a sushi roll for goodness sakes! Since coming here, I think I've done rather well. After several embarrassing incidents of dropping my chopsticks in the fire at Korean BBQs, I'm happy to say that I can now eat just about anything including rice, noodles and soup.

Since we're on the subject of food, I thought I'd educate everyone on some food that I have been introduced to. Now to begin I must confess, I have eaten more fried chicken while being here in SoKo than I have ever back home. Funny to think, right? Usually when you think of fried chicken, you think of the South. I'm not sure what the fascination is with it, but I almost feel as though the Koreans have embraced this more than the South back in the States. I have found there to be at least one fried chicken place on every block. I'm still trying to figure out how the Koreans stay so skinny.

A fried chicken place near my house

Thanks to one of my coworkers, it wasn't until recently that I was able to try some new Korean cuisine and I must say it was pretty darn good. I tried an assortment of foods and by far my favorite is kimbap. (I know, I know.  It sounds like a Hanson song. haha)

Kimbap (김밥), or gimbap, is basically rice, some vegetables and meat wrapped in seaweed. Many people will compare this to a sushi roll. Kim (깁) means seaweed and bap (밥) means rice. It usually contains eggs, tuna, or beef, and vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, or spinach. It's also very inexpensive. The cost of a roll will run you about 1000-2500 won, which is $1-$2.

Kimbap (김밥)

The next dish I tried was bibimbap. This dish was so amazing! Bibimbap ("mixed rice") is a rice dish that is accompanied by cooked and fresh vegetables, a sunny side up egg, and beef (you can substitute chicken or any other meat). Some varieties are served in a sizzling hot stone bowl, with a cracked egg on top. This is so the egg can cook while in the bowl. I unfortunately haven't had a chance to try this kind yet.

Bibimbap

Below is a picture of kimchi jjigae. This dish was recommended to me by Lauren, the teacher who I had replaced. She said that it was a good cure for a cold. Kimchi jiggae is a stew-like Korean dish made with kimchi and other ingredients, such as scallions, onions, and diced tofu. It's usually served boiling inside a hot sizzling bowl. It's a very good dish, but is also very spicy.

Kimchi jiggae

Another kind of Korean cuisine I recently tried was dak galbi.This dish hands down has one my vote for my favorite Korean dish. It's a little on the spicy side, but oh so amazing! Dak galbi is made by stir-frying marinated diced chicken in a chili pepper paste based sauce, and sliced cabbage, scallions, onions and tteok (rice cake) together on a hot plate. Just like Korean BBQ, everything is served family style. There's a giant wok placed in front of you and your party where you can watch it cook. It's a super yummy dish!

Dak galbi

As I try more food, I'll be sure to keep you all posted. A lot of people have been asking me, "how do the prices compare to those in the States"? Well it all really depends on the type of cuisine you are eating. All of these dishes posted above are all relatively inexpensive. You can get a full meal for about 5000-10,000 won. Now the prices fluctuate a lot when is comes to Mexican or Italian. A good Mexican meal will cost you anywhere's from 11,500-25,000 won. And to top it off, it's not as good as the Mexican back home. I certainly miss La Herradura :(