If I were to tell one of the reasons why I decided to come to Korea, that would be… FOOD! Korea is famous for its authentic and delicious dishes and snacks for an affordable price. Although I have been in Korea only for a month, I have tried lots of Korean dishes. And I have virtually enjoyed all of them.
First of all, one surprising thing for me about Korean culture is that they have a pretty heavy meal for breakfast. Unlike in other cultures where people usually just have a light meal, a Korean breakfast often consists of rice, curry, and soup which surprises me so much. In the picture below (at the top left side) you can see Kimchi which is a part of basically every meal in Korea.
My “Korean” breakfast…
Kimchi is a fermented vegetable soaked in different seasonings. Therefore, it may have a strong smell which doesn’t appeal to everyone. However, for these who love it the smell is mouthwatering, and I have to confess: I am a Kimchi lover too. As you can see, this is the typical breakfast you can see in the cafeteria at Hanyang University.
Sometimes, however, the cafeteria changes the menu to congee which sounds more reasonable for the breakfast. Though the appearance does not look appealing, the taste is so magnificent that I would enjoy it way too much.
It’s all about the taste! ;-)
The cafeterias on campus only offer a limited range of Korean dishes. Outside the campus you can find an incredible variety of food which tastes much better than cafeteria dishes. One of my favorites among them is Spicy Pork with Lettuce. I have tried this one before back in my home country, and I have loved it ever since. However, the “real” taste of this Korean dish is even better than expected. You can either wrap the pieces of pork into lettuce or you can just eat the pork with rice and other delicious side dishes. Either way it is delicious and the variety of side dishes allows you to combine lots of different tastes. Again, you will see that Kimchi and soups are essential parts of every Korean meal.
Spicy pork with lettuce
Sometimes, if you don’t feel like eating a heavy meal for dinner, you can try a very unique Korean type of burger: a rice burger. The name itself reveals what it is. It is a burger stacked with lots of seasonings and meat between two layers of rice. Such rice burgers are available in many different tastes, such as beef, spam, or chicken. Also, the spice level can also be varied according to your preference. I would strongly recommend you to take two rice burgers at a time as their size is relatively small compared to burgers from McDonald’s or Lotteria.
One of my favorites: Rice burgers!
Another popular snack for Koreans is Kimbap, which usually reminds foreigners of Sushi rolls as its Japanese counterpart. And, indeed, the taste between Sushi and Kimbap is pretty similar because of the fact that rice and seaweed are major ingredients. For me, it is actually hard to differentiate between them at the first sight. However, the major difference is that a Kimbap has more ingredients in it, although there is a larger variety of different types of Sushi rolls compared to Kimbap flavors. Kimbap is at a very affordable price and it makes you full for quite some time. Perfect as a brief snack!
Kimbap: Delicious AND healthy!
This was just a quick spotlight on some Korean food I have enjoyed so far and would like to recommend to our readers. So, dear folks, why don’t you go out and try some of them of Korea’s amazing dishes on your own? :)
By Zaw from Myanmar
myHUBS 
I love Korean food!