ATC Recruiting

Food in Korea

First of all, Korean food is quite spicy and Kimchi(side dish), soju(Korean alcohol), Galbi, Bulgoki are most popular things for westerners. Regular lunch costs about 5,000 won and full set dinner (with bulgoki or galbi) costs about 10,000~30,000 won for each. The good thing for Korean eating-out culture is no tipping and a lot of side dishes. Korea doesn’t have tipping culture so that you don’t have to pay any extra penny on top of meal price. Also, Koreans have rice, soup and a lot of side dishes for one meal so once you order meals in the restaurants; a lot of side dishes come along with main meal (rice).
Side dishes are meat products, a lot of vegetables, beans and tofu. etc. I can say, Korean meal has pretty much all 5 main ingredients in it and little complicated to cook.
Even for one meat dish (bulkogi or galbi), there’re more than 5~7 seasonings (garlic, ginger, pepper, soy sauce, sugar, etc) and usually has to be stored at least 24 hours to be tasted deeply.

Kimchi has various kinds: cucumber kimchi, cabbage kimchi, white kimchi, etc and is getting world-wide dish since being reported that kimchi has anticancer characteristic and protect AI as well.
Korean eating habits are not particularly dainty, so you needn't worry about appearing indelicate when trying to get food from your bowl to your mouth. All necessary means are acceptable! When eating, enthusiasm (with accompanying grunts, and even the occasional snort) is appreciated and it is bad manners to leave food on your plate, especially at a private home.

Besides Korean meals, there’re a lot of western franchised restaurants such as TGIF, outback steak house. And there’re all kinds of junk food chains all over Korea, too.
Koreans are well-known as heavy - alcoholics. In Korea, you could buy alcohol every supermarkets or convenient store (24 hours open and 24 hours alcohol available!) and it’s one of the reasons all Koreans do like to drink very much. Soju is very popular cheap alcohol (like cheap vodka or sake in Japan) and there’s HOF (draft beer - about 2,000 won for one pint) + chicken places everywhere.

Links:
Main dishes with pics.
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FO/FO_EN_6_3_1.jsp

Restaurant Guide:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FO/FO_EN_6_4_4.jsp

Articles:
Table Manners
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FO/FO_EN_6_2_1.jsp