Vegetarian / Vegan in Korea: A Survival Guide
16:39Are you a Vegan or Vegetarian? are you interested in going to Korea? READ THIS:
I was recently living and studying in Daegu, South Korea. While this was absolutely one of the best experiences of my life so far, there was one BIG problem:
Korea doesn't really do the whole "Veggie/Vegan" thing.
After eating nothing but white rice and Shin Ramyun for several weeks, I took it upon myself to learn how to experience real, authentic, Korean food whilst maintaining my Vegetarianism. It was hard, I made a few mistakes... (apparently octopus tentacles are not considered 'meat' or 'fish' and thus may appear in front of you even after telling them you do not eat either) but we got there in the end. Now here are my top tips from me to you, veggie to veggie:
1. LEARN THESE PHRASES:
고기를 안 먹어요. gogi leul an mog-eoyo - I Do Not Eat Meat
물고기를 안 먹어요. mul gogi leul an mog-eoyo - I Do Not Eat Fish
해산물을 안 먹어요. hesanmul eul an mog-eoyo - I do not eat seafood
고기는 빼주세요. gogi neun beh joo say oh - Without Meat please
물고기는 빼주세요. mul gogi neun an mog-oeyo - Without fish please
해산물은 빼주세요. hesanmul uun an mog-oeyo - without seafood please
I usually said the top 3 of these phrases one after the other to the server before then asking for the dish with one of the latter 3.
you can substitute anything that you do not eat into these phrases where highlighted, for instance if you are vegan, you could ask for it without egg by taking out the word for meat and putting in the word for egg.
Im going to insert a link to a youtube video that helped me a lot, in this you can hear the pronunciations and learn them much easier. in fact, her whole channel is useful on a variety of topics, but I will like the specific video HERE .
2. LEARN THESE DISHES:
비빔밥 - Bibimbap. Rice, vegetables and egg with spicy sauce, beautifully presented. (My favourite)(egg can be easily removed)
잡채 - Japchae. glass noodles and veg, so tasty! again, make sure to mention no meat or fish. (This photo is of a Japchae filled bun from a street food stall in Seoul, but it is usually served on a plate)
감자 전 - Gamja jon. like a potato pancake, but make sure its a veggie one! (I don't have a photo of this one, but it looks like a pancake made from potato baisically)
3. YOU ARE THE WEIRD FOREIGNER. NEVER FORGET THIS.
Most Korean restaurants and servers will try their best to help you, but remember that vegetarianism and veganism are not common in Korea, and they may not understand you properly. Do not get offended or hurt if you tell them that you do not eat fish and they bring out something with seafood on it, they are not ignoring you or deliberately trying to get you to eat meat, its just a simple misunderstanding or miscommunication. Be polite and respectful at all times.
4. LOVING HUT
This is a chain of restaurants across Asia that cater to vegans. ALL THE FOOD HERE IS VEGAN! That's right, ALL of it! a great way to try traditional dishes and flavours without compromising your beliefs.
5. LOTTERIA MOTZERELLA HASH BROWN BURGER
HOLY S*** this is the best thing ever, saved my life so many times. Im not even going to try to explain how good it is, just look at this picture and see for yourself:
6. IF ALL ELSE FAILS, THERE'S ALWAYS PIZZA AND FRIES
I literally never eat from chain fast food shops like McDonalds in the UK, but when needs must, you can always rely on chain restaurant fries.
I hope this all helps, and my last message to leave you with is to just try your best. About 4 or 5 times out of the whole time I was there, I started eating something only to half way though find a chunk of bacon or on the first bite detect a fishy taste. Be real with yourself, you eat three times every single day, there will most likely be an accident or two in there. Do not beat yourself up about it, its not your fault. Just stop eating it and grab some snacks on the way home! C'est la vie!
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