Korean Crash Course: Dining Out

For the non-Korean-speaking traveler, one of the most immediate problems is purchasing food. Obviously this is not something one can simply ignore, as eating is a basic human need. Eating out is surprisingly cheap in Korea, and can often be carried out for around 5,000 won (plus, no tipping!). Therefore, eating out is one of the best options for a hungry American, especially if said American has no kitchen supplies. Here is my step-by-step guide to restaurant dining:

Step One: Find A Restaurant. Walk into the nearest street and look in any direction. There is at least a 75% chance you will be looking at a restaurant, bar, or convenience store. Easy enough. Don't forget to take off your shoes if the restaurant has floor seating!

Step Two: Order Food. The language barrier is particularly obvious when it comes to meal times. I have developed three basic dining strategies. The first and best method is to choose a restaurant with a picture menu. Picture menus are much more common here in Korea than they are in the United States, so with a small amount of determination and about fifteen minutes of free time it is generally possible to find a restaurant with a picture menu. These restaurants are also the most likely to have an English-speaking owner and English words on the menu. The second, riskier but faster, method is to choose a fully Korean restaurant and simply point at random items on the menu. This actually tends to be more successful than one would think; however, there is a great deal of uncertainty involved. If you manage to figure out what you are eating, you still don't know what the dish is called and therefore have gained no helpful knowledge for future restaurant visits. The third option is to wimp out and buy food from a convenience store. Still no guarantee that you will know what you're eating, though.

Step Three: Eat Food. Hopefully you carried out step two successfully, because otherwise this step will get tricky quickly. A lot of Korean food comes in the same flavor: spicy. It takes a little while for the stomach to acclimate to two spicy meals a day. Luckily it is possible to learn how to avoid spicy food. With nearly every meal there will be small side dishes provided for free. One of these dishes is always kimchi, and there is almost always a kimchi-flavored radish. Kimchi is apparently quite good for you, and comes in a surprising variety of spiciness and overall quality.

Step Four: Order More Food or Drink. The waiting system in Korea is much more sophisticated than that in the US. While in the US you are subject to the whim and personality of your server (ranging from overly helpful to vanishing act), most Korean restaurants place electronic bells on every table. This system has two main advantages: the first being that you are never hassled by your server unnecessarily, and the second being that you can immediately get service when you actually need it.

Step Five: Pay. Most restaurants have a standard check listing every item on the menu. The server marks on the check whenever you place an order. Therefore, when you leave, you simply bring the check to the register and pay. Simple! And remember, no tipping!


Future Crash Courses: Public Transportation, Drinking and Nightlife, Street Fashion