Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die tomorrow.

James Dean

Saturday, March 27, 2010

What I love about Korea

I have been in Korea for just over 5 weeks and although there are moments when I wonder what was I thinking coming here, there are many more moments when I know I made the right choice. I thought I would use this space to mention some of the things that I have come to love about Korea.

1. No tipping. In Canada we tip for everything - when you get your haircut, take a taxi ride, eat in a restaurant, get a delivery etc. ect. but in Korea you never leave a tip. I'm sure if you tried they would just look at you like you were crazy.

2. No GST / PST on anything. That's right - no taxes. If the price tag says 1,000w then you pay 1,000w.

3. Banana milk. A fellow teaching friend of mine introduced me to this and I am now addicted. Basically it's banana flavoured milk and it is so good. You can buy it anywhere you can buy snack foods like the local 7 eleven. It comes in a small, pastic container and usually costs 1,000w ($1.00). The way I see it must be better for me than drinking pop.

4. You can eat an entire meal at Homeplus with all the free samples they give away. Homeplus is the local department / grocery store. It's a huge store with 2 floors but in the grocery section they have people (sometimes more than 1) in every row giving out samples of food. It sounds like the floor of the New York Stock exchange with people yelling over each other trying to get you to sample their food. You could spend all day wandering around and trying the different things. The only downside is that you don't always know what your eating. More than a few times I have put something in my mouth only to descreetly spit it out.

5. Finally I love Korean McDonalds - not because it tastes good but because it tastes so bad. A few weeks ago I went to the above mentioned Homeplus and thought I would splurge and have McDonald's while I was there. I was excited to eat something other than seafood and rice as that seems to be the main staple of the Korean diet. I eagerly went up to the counter, ordered my chicken nuggets and french fries and sat down anticipating this taste of home. I ate my first nugget and almost died - it was so spicey my mouth was on fire. So I tried the french fries and somehow they managed to even make those taste like fish. I like Korean McDonald's because I now have no desire to ever eat McDonald's again and given how unhealthy the food there is - this is a good thing.

3 comments:

  1. Great Blog Cheryl!!!

    It is very interesting hearing about what it is like to live in South Korea. I am glad that you have found some things you love. I could definitely live in a country where there is no tipping and taxes!

    Take care and keep in touch, Kim.

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  2. Maury told me about your blog, and I figure I'd comment on the McDonald's deal. I went to Lotteria a week or two ago, and I felt like the fries tasted fishy also. My best guess is that they simply fry everything in the same oil - including their fish/squid burgers. Sad, I know. I will say, however, that if you can find a fried chicken restaurant somewhere by your house, it won't taste like fish, because they only fry one thing. It's pretty delicious if you're craving something bad.

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  3. Actually the McChicken wasn't too bad. I have a restaurant called McChicken and Beer right next to me. I haven't tried it yet but it might be ok.

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