Informational handbook

Food

Korean cuisine has the reputation of being "hot and spicy," and many dishes live up to that reputation. Much of Korean food is not spicy at all, however, and that's true even of some varieties of kimchi. Another less-recognized aspect of Korean cuisine is that it includes a wide variety of vegetables, roots and other healthful foods. Most Korean dishes have a small amount of meat mixed with a lot of vegetables. True vegetarian cuisine is actually quite hard to find. Despite the prominence of bulgogi ("grilled beef"), fish and other seafood figure more prominently in everyday Korean cuisine than red meat. Nonetheless, unlike Japanese cuisine, Korean cuisine includes many meat dishes and most things are cooked.

Many Americans coming to Korea for the first time worry about the safety of the food and water placed before them. If you exercise a few simple precautions, however, you can eat and drink without undue concern in Korea. It may be inadvisable to eat in very cheap restaurants or from unsanitary food stalls on the street, but generally it's safe to eat anything served in decent-looking restaurants or a Korean home. Water is also safe is you are careful. Don’t drink tap water. Like Koreans themselves, you should drink only boiled water. Or better yet, drink the bottled water which is available everywhere these days (most restaurants serve bottled or filtered water.) In any case, even if you are a bit more adventuresome, the principal danger you will face is a more or less serious case of diarrhea. For some people, the payoff to their palate makes running a few risks worthwhile.
Local Korean markets abound in meats, fish, vegetables and fruit including some foodstuffs that probably will be new to you. You should have no problem locating shops near your residence with all the fresh and healthful foodstuffs you will need. For obvious reasons, certain raw marine products are best avoided at least during the hot summer months. Raw shellfish should be avoided all year around, as hepatitis is common in the coastal waters where such shellfish are caught. Raw deep-sea fish pose little danger.
There are big supermarkets on the basement level of all the major department stores in Korea. Many people, Korean and foreign, prefer to do their food shopping in these large and relatively modern supermarkets. Others prefer to patronize the smaller, less modern food stores ironically called "sup'uh" (supermarket), which are found in every neighborhood. Of course, the more adventuresome will want to shop in the open-air markets (which are getting harder to find in Seoul.) Even if you don't shop in these markets on a regular basis, they are fascinating to visit when you have the time.

Eating Out

Besides Korean restaurants of all kinds, Chinese and Japanese restaurants also abound, and range from relatively inexpensive "Koreanized" facilities to more authentic venues, which often are very expensive. Generally, Chinese food is perceived by Koreans as "inexpensive," and Japanese food as "expensive." Western-style food establishments also are quite common even if a bit exotic at times; some "western" food (such as pork cutlet, “ton ggassu”) should be seen as really another variety of Korean food. Many western-style restaurants seem to be located in downtown areas or in shopping districts.

For fancy dining many Koreans chose the top notch restaurants located in the major international hotels such as the Hyatt, Hilton, Westin Chosun and Intercontinental. These places have restaurants specializing in various cuisines both western and oriental. Be forewarned, however, for you must be prepared to spend from $50-$100 per person if you are planning to eat in one of these establishments - Korean hotel restaurants have been reported as the most expensive in the world.
There are also American-style chain restaurants springing up nearly everywhere these days. Many are franchises of popular American chains, from McDonalds, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken, through Pizza Hut other pizza chains, to TGI Fridays, Bennigans, and Tony Romas. Other western food restaurants are of the homegrown variety. Baskin Robbins is almost universal in Korea. All these places are very popular especially among young people.

Entertainment and Information Sources

Korea offers a wide variety of entertainment ranging from modern city night life to tours of ancient cultural sites. Here you can climb craggy mountains to your heart's content, watch American movies in comfortable seats (albeit a few months later than you would have in the US), go shopping for the latest brand-name items, sometimes real, and go to a local pub and then practice your singing at a karaoke bar.

One of the best ways to find out about cultural events such as art exhibitions, movies, plays and other performances is to check the calendar section of the three English-language newspapers, The Korea Herald, The Korea Times and the JoongAng Ilbo English edition, which comes bundled with the International Herald Tribune. In these papers you will find listings for current and upcoming events as well as the telephone numbers to call for more information. They each have websites that post their articles a day later: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr, http://www.koreatimes.co.kr and http://english.joins.com for the English JoongAng.
For news and information, The Korea Herald, The Korea Times and the English JoongAng/International Herald Tribune can be purchased at newsstands downtown or in the major hotels; they can be delivered daily to the Fulbright Building apartments. Other publications such as the Far Eastern Economic Review, Time and Newsweek, just to mention a few, are available for sale as well. Home delivery by subscription is also available for the weeklys. Another place to look for English-language newspapers and magazines, and books too, are the four largest bookstores in Seoul--Kyobo, Chongno, Yongpung and Ulchi--which are all located in the central downtown area. The U.S. Army in Korea is the source of AFKN, the U.S. military radio and television network, 102.7 FM, 1530 AM and UHF Channel 34 (in Seoul). The "ads" are all for military issues, and some of the programs are reruns, but CNN Headline News helps you to feel linked, and the AM radio carries NPR in addition to sports and country-western music.