Don’t Yuck My Yum: Eating through Korea as a former picky eater

Younger me would be so proud. At 10 years old, all I would eat was bread and butter, but since I’ve been in Korea, I’ve eaten foods I never before heard of. I’ve even become a big fan of some dishes that are even controversial among Koreans.

Trust me, don’t come to Korea with a closed mind when it comes to food– you’ll seriously miss out. Here are some of the highlights of my unique food experiences:

Sannakji (Busan)

Raw, Bite-Sized, Octopus Arms (moving)

Yes, they were moving when they were served– squirming around viciously, even. This was the dish I was most reserved about, especially because I don’t like the idea of eating an animal while it is alive. BUT, as far as I know, the octopus was very dead and the movement was a reflex. It had a fresh, light flavor, that took to whatever sauce you dip it in, and was very chewy and slippery.

Embarrassingly enough, I almost didn’t make it out of that Jeju K-bbq restaurant that night (being dramatic). I was chewing on a piece when I prematurely swallowed, and low and behold, I felt it squirm in my throat. I choked for a few minutes before rushing to the bathroom to try and eject it. Please be careful if you try this!

I then decided to grill the octopus so it might taste better and would no longer be so hard to chew (my Korean friend found this very funny and I’m sure I ended up on her close friend's story).

Gejang (Seoul)

Raw Marinated Crab

To me, the soy sauce marinated one was very light and refreshing, with a mild sweetness natural to the raw crab meat. The spicy marinated crab was also very nice, but the spice covers the natural flavor a little bit. When you eat it, feel free to bite on the shell and suck out the meat– that’s the method I used. You have to work for it :)

Beef Gopjang (Seoul)

Grilled Intestine 

I loved it. I’m a big fan of anything fatty and meaty. I’m pretty sure we also had either makchang or daechang with it, which I lowkey liked better because it was even more fatty and melt-in-the-mouth (gopchang was more chewy). 

We went to Chakan Gopchang in Sinchon.

Milmyeon (Busan)

Cold wheat noodles

This Busan specialty comes in two types: Mul Milmyeon (served in light broth) and Bibim Milmyeon (mixed with gochujang seasoning). Both are really good; I liked the Bibim one most because it had more flavor (but it’s definitely spicy). The Mul one is light and refreshing– perfect for a hot day.

Gogalbi (Andong and Jeju Island)

Grilled Mackerel

I’ve had it both marinated with gochujang and spices in Jeju (restaurant: Jeju Chenggiwa Blue Roof Eel) and salt-seasoned in Andong (regional specialty). The flavor reminds me of a flakier, saltier salmon with a hint of eel flavor/texture. I liked the gochujang one better because I love deep flavor and spice, but overall, I think it was nice but not one of my favorites.

Hotteok and Ice Cream (Seoul, Jeju, Busan)

Fried dough with sweet filling

Hotteok is life. I’ve had it 3-4 times now and I’m plotting on the next time I can have it. I’ve always had the brown sugar and/or honey filling version. Keep in mind, it is definitely heavy, so eat when there is a little room in your stomach (there’s always room for dessert, but there isn’t always room for Hotteok + Ice cream).

I also tried Hotteok and Peanut ice cream on Jeju Island in Dongmun Market, Jeju-Si, but it wasn’t my favorite honestly. I would recommend trying it somewhere else in Jeju (maybe Udo Island, as it’s known for Peanuts). I also would not recommend getting sit-down food inside of there– we tried abalone porridge and beef yukjeon (korean pancakes) there, but it was surprisingly a bit bland and not as good as a restaurant would have been (I assume).

Sea urchin seaweed soup (Jeju)

It was warm and re-energizing on a cold day. I expected a little more flavor, but perhaps that’s just because of the restaurant I went to.

Black Pork (Jeju)

I had it in the form of K-BBQ our first night, which was so good. The pork tasted very beef-like to me, and I liked it. We went to the Yukkyejeol Samhwa Branch restaurant (they were very nice!).

We also had Black pork in a saucy stir-fry (“duruchigi”), which was great, but the seasonings overshadowed the flavor of the meat a little bit.

Soju (Seoul)

Rice Liquor

I’ve tried it twice– once at that Sannakji restaurant, and once at a pocha (Korean food pub). The first time, I was able to get a few shots in and I was just fine– it was like water. The second time, I had one shot and I was done for. I’m not sure what the difference was, but I’m pretty sure the second one was 15-17% ABV. Soju is cheap, strong, and tastes harmless. And apparently, there are several different types with varying ABV percentages— make sure you check the % before you take even one sip!

Also, a small cultural norm you should know: if you’re drinking with an elder, make sure to drink away from them as a sign of respect.

Carrot Cake and Carrot Juice (Gujwa, Jeju)

The Gujwa area in Jeju produces about 60% to 70% of South Korea's carrots, grown in volcanic soil. The cake was on fire and the carrot juice tasted like… well, very strong carrot juice. It was almost neon orange, too, naturally. I’m not the biggest fan of carrot juice, but if you are, you’d like it.

Tangerine Juice/Fruit and Hallabang Juice (Jeju)

Jeju is known for both of these orange-like citrus fruits. The hallabong juice was tangy, sour, and bitter but sweet at the same time, with a honey after taste. The tangerine juice, to me, tasted like warm orange with a hint of tomato juice. We also bought green tangerines from Dongmun market– some were sweet and some a little bitter. I’m sure the flavor depends on the season: I tried the tangerine juice and fruit in mid/late-october and the hallabang juice in early october.

 A few more notes:

• Garlic bread is sweet in Korea, for the most part.
• If you order bibimbap and the meat is not specified, it will not come with any meat, only vegetables and rice. Usually, you scrape the rice out of the mortar and onto your plate/bowl, pour hotel water from a provided kettle into the mortar onto the scorched rice stuck to the mortar, and close it. You eat your rice, mixing with vegetables, and when you’re done, you have a scorched rice soup to eat after.
• Tteokbokki tastes different depending on who makes it. If you don’t like it, you probably went to the wrong place, because it's amazing. It’s not always super sweet like I’ve found some people make it.
• Makgeolli (rice wine) is light, and not too alcoholic. It is drunk in mini steel tin bowls. If you’re Ethiopian, you’d be shocked to try Honey Makgeolli, which tastes just like Tej! (Ethiopian honey wine).
• Bingsu is great– I recommend the Apple Mango one from Solbang. They’re huge, so share with 3-4 people! And don’t be scared of the “cheese cubes” that come with them– those are just tangy cheesecake bites.
• Side note: Koreans seem to love cream cheese. I had a coffee bun from a bakery once and it was filled with plain cream cheese, which was a shock to me (I don’t like cream cheese).
• Samgyeopsal (k-bbq pork belly) is my favorite thing ever.
• The London Bagel Museum chain has nice bagels, and the spot is super Instagrammable! It always has a long wait-time thought, it’s quite popular.
• Seoul has so many other foods besides Korean, too! I've been to two different Ethiopian restaurants, three Vietnamese places, three Japanese restaurants, two Turkish places, and the list goes on.
• The triangle kimbap from the convenient store never has enough meat in it :/
• Cream lattes are so good!

I hope you enjoy the food just as much as I did! Stay open minded :)