I love eating out in Korea, however I realize this is not a financially responsible thing to do on the daily! My kitchen.. is.. well.. disappointing at best. It's in an awkward area of my house and is really too small to do ANYTHING. My sink smells, regardless of how many times I change the filter in my drain & pour draino down there... I suspect a small animal has crawled down there & died??? Who knows.. yuck. It scares me off of cooking, which is unfortunate because I love to cook.. anyone that knows me knows that I know my way around an oven.
So that leaves me with few options.. snack ramen, or fresh salads. I am totally fine with both of these things, actually. I have started eating fruits and vegetables almost exclusively.. sometimes i crack an egg in my snack ramen & throw in some vegetables. It's exciting business, I know. I'm a bit worried about the sodium but haaaay!
I'm loving how inexpensive tuna is out here, I love tuna. I can eat it solo, mix it in with some rice, or throw it on a salad & it leaves me full. If I'm feeling particularly nostalgic for home I'll cut up some celery & make tuna salad sandwiches.
I've heard a lot of people living abroad become homesick for food items.. I think it's just as well that I came out here so recently after graduating because my University diet pretty much consisted of eggs, tuna, veggies, and whatever my generous managers at work were willing to send me home with at the end of the day. I had a harder time adjusting to living there than I did hear, in regards to food... my mother's cooking skills are unparalleled. The woman is a goddess in the kitchen, however when I returned home we didn't do much as my father could not eat. It would have been unfair to eat in front of him so big fancy meals were so scarce. Food was basic, just as food is basic here. That doesn't mean I didn't venture out for yummy meals every now & again, but hey now.. food wasn't such a big thing in my daily life at that time.
It's true, I do have dreams of warm bread & balsamic reductions... I really miss my olive tapanades! I am a woman who loves pairing wine & finger foods, so if I can find a market here with realistic prices for vinegars, spices, and various fancy ingredients, maybe these will be reintroduced to my daily living. However, for now atleast, I am perfectly happy to enjoy the fruits that are in season.
I never loved yogurt to this extent, but we have become such great friends!
Eating out here is truly an experience though. Any country that allows you to grill your own bacon, beef, duck or chicken at your table is golden in my eyes. My favourite foods are very simple... grilled meat, soups, or rice wraps. I really enjoy the soups, and the fact that most sides are unlimited makes me a happy panda. I am obsessed with bean sprouts, always have been, so when those suckers come to the table you can bet that I will eat as much as the little Korean ladies can bring. I thank my father for his influence in that regard, I have always been obsessed with vegetables. There is so much corn here, Koreans love corn.. Lauren loves corn.. it's a great fit! I can't get into the raw seafood, mind you, I've tried. And don't even get me started with the fishhead that showed up in my shabu shabu. NOPE! Not happening! No thanks! See you never!
I really do like gimbap too.. so simple, filling, and delicious.. however I want to cut back on rice to reduce the carbs intake & what have you.. if I keep that up I'll end up with a big ol' buddha belly to back up the Korean theory that a white girl with breasts like mine & hips MUST be pregnant, because what else might cause that? I blame my Cree heritage, all Douglas women have big boobs. I have several aunts & cousins to back this.. a blessing and a curse! Anyways, no mo' bap!
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