Although Korea is officially a Buddhist country and although practitioning Buddhists are meant to be vegetarians, it is difficult to get a dish that doesn't include meat in some form.
Koreans rarely understand what "vegetarian" means and although there is a word (Chae Shik Joo We Ja) they usually don't believe you or don't think it's possible.
Despite what one would think, a country with Buddhist influences such as South Korea has very little to offer for vegetarians and vegans. Your own personal definition of “vegetarianism” will reflect the ease or difficulties you will have eating in Korea.
For those who consider vegetarianism to mean not eating land animals such as cows, chickens, and pigs, you won’t have a hard time eating in Korea. Your options for finding food to eat will be a little limited, but you will still be able to eat well.
If you don’t eat seafood as a part of your definition of vegetarianism, it will be even harder to find food to eat. Korea seems to be overflowing with animals from the sea in it’s markets, restaurants, and grocery stores. As a result, a lot of dishes in restaurants contain some form of seafood.
If you also do not eat eggs as a part of your definition, this will cause some further problems. Eggs are served far more often than just for breakfast such as in many Western cultures. It is usually easy to ask for no egg in restaurant dishes, however, so it isn’t that big of a problem.
If you do not eat land animals, sea creatures, or eggs then you will find out upon arriving here that it is really hard to eat well in Korea. There is food to eat, but the lack of variety will get to you sooner than later. Actually, the lack of variety is something that is very hard for vegetarians in Korea. Also, it can be difficult to stay healthy when there is only a limited amount of food that one can eat.
Outside of Seoul, it will be more difficult to find restaurants that specialize in dishes for those who do not eat animals. One dish that is readily available most anywhere is bebimpop (bibimbap). However, eating bebimpop once a day for a year is something that most people won’t be able to do.
I recommend doing much of your eating at home, and in turn much of the cooking as well. This can be a time consuming process, but if one is steady in his or her values of vegetarianism/veganism it will not pose much of a problem. There are beans, grains, tofu, noodles, and plenty of seasonal vegetables that will supply your body with it’s needed nutrients. However, don’t expect to find non-traditional vegetarian items that would be easily found in groceries and co-ops throughout your home region. Tempeh, filafel, veggie burgers and other protein-based options are hard to come by in Korea.
In conclusion, don’t believe the Buddhist hype. Korea is not an easy place to be a vegetarian. It will require much work and patience. The best way to overcome these difficulties is to have a Korean write down on a piece of paper what you don’t want in a dish, and hope for the best. Sometimes, it will still contain animal products, and it seems easier not to know and hope for the best rather than drilling the cook about what the dishes contents are. If you are an extremist when it comes to vegetarianism, I would recommend not eating out. People here are not afraid to just take the animal product out of the dish while the taste and partial remains still exist. Unfortunately, it will probably happen that you will accidentally eat animal products here, even if you are careful. If you decide to pursue Korea despite it’s lack of vegetarian options, you are going to have to be creative in where, how, and what you eat. It’s possible, but far harder than it is to do back home.
Here are two restaurants I found over the internet that are in Seoul that may be of help to those in the greater Seoul area:
- Vegan: Country Life Tel: 02-785-6429 (7th Day Adventist Restaurant)
- Vegetarian: San Chon - Insadong - this is a very well known restaurant in downtown Seoul. They serve amazing food and they also provide entertainment that is FANTASTIC. This is a must visit for all teachers.
R.W.
Footprints Teacher
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