Hello everyone. I can’t believe I’ve been in Korea for two weeks already! It feels like I’ve been here for a month (in a good way). I’m still really enjoying the experience so far. Today’s post is dedicated to FOOD! Half the time I don’t know what the heck I’m eating, but it’s usually really tasty.
BiBimBap (비빔밥)
This means meat and vegetables mixed with rice. It comes in a bowl with all the ingredients separated and you are supposed to mix it all together and eat it with a spoon. It often has an egg on top. Definitely one of my favorites!
Bi Bim Bap in the school cafeteria before mixing the ingredients together fully.
Bi bim bap in a small restaurant in Anyang. Also, kim bap (Korean sushi)
Koreans love seafood. This one had strips of crab and I think the tiny beads were fish eggs. I had no clue what I was ordering because most people don’t speak English in Anyang, so it took me by surprise. It was really tasty though.
This was in a restaurant called Mapo Dumplings. This was my favorite bi bim bap so far with the egg on top. The assorted dumplings on the right are called man du in Korean (만두). You always get some side dishes with your meal in Korea. Here, some kimchi on the right and some radish with greens on the left.
Street food
This photo is from my first post. I’ve since found out this is odeng (오뎅) and have had it on the street and in restaurants several times. Odeng is actually fish. In the street, it comes on a stick and they give you a paper cup with the broth to dip it in and drink. In the restaurant, it is cut into big triangles and floats in the broth.
This woman is cooking chrysanthemum cakes in a tent on the street. I think it was 1,000 won for 6 (so 1 USD). They smelled delicious. I thought there was going to be chocolate in the center but it was actually sweet bean paste. They were alright but I prefer chocolate 🙂
Drinks
Food is often served with broth as a side dish. I think this is because Koreans don’t drink much water while they eat because it’s more of a broth than what Americans would call “soup.” Even at bars, before you order you will receive a big bowl of broth and a small side dish. Yes, Koreans eat broth from the same bowl! This is the opposite of America where many people are afraid of germs, but it is completely normal here.
Koreans don’t like drinking much water while they eat because they think it interferes with your digestion. Most places have either half-sized glasses and self-serve water dispensers or they give you a 1 liter bottle of water to pour your own drinks. This photo was taken in the school cafeteria. All the glasses were dirty, so I had to use a tiny paper bag. I was glad the food wasn’t spicier because I wasn’t sitting anywhere close to the water machines lol.
Makgoelli (막걸리) is rice beer which is native to Korea. Here it was served in a large wooden bowl with a wooden scoop, but it also comes in regular looking bottles. You are supposed to drink it out of a small bowl instead of a regular glass. Here you can also see a bottle of soju (소주). It is a lot like vodka, but less alcohol. Koreans play a lot of fun, simple drinking games (in contrast to American beer pong or complicated card games). In a bar, a bottle of soju is about $3.50. You can get a bottle for about $1.20 at a convenience store…That is cheaper than soda from a vending machine in the US!
PiPizza
So far I’ve only eaten pizza once. I tried three different kinds at Mister Pizza here in Anyang. It was insanely expensive. Unless I can find a cheaper place, I don’t plan on eating any more pizza while I’m here. There are lots of cool topping choices compared to the US. This one had chicken and some vegetables.
Seafood pizza! Octopus, shrimp, and vegetables. This also had a special crust…some kind of lemony cream cheese I think?
Ham and potatoes pizza! You can tell how hungry we were since we ate half of the pizza before I remembered to take a photo! 😛
In Other News
This is my second week of classes, so things are still just getting started. I changed my schedule around some. I’ll share more about that later. I’m also going to Lotte World! YAY ROLLERCOASTERS!
See ya later!
conniya goes 