Korean Life Explained

At first, sitting down at a Korean fried chicken restaurant feels familiar. Chicken. Fried chicken. A meal with cola or beer. So far, nothing feels strange. Then, after a few minutes, small things you do not recognize start to appear on the table. A small bowl of white cubes may arrive before the chicken, sometimes together with the drinks. A friend from Sweden once told me that the first time he saw it, he thought it was a bowl of ice. It was not ice. It was chicken mu, the pickled radish often served with Korean fried chicken. Then you notice other things. The menu has the word “half-and-half.” There is a call button on the table. If you order saucy chicken, disposable plastic gloves may be placed next to the plate. If you order bone-in chicken, a small empty container may come with the food too. A first-time visitor pauses here. Are these white cubes food? Does half-and-half mean one chicken or two? Should I wear the plastic gloves? Where do the bones go? Is it okay to press the cal...

When you sit down at a Korean BBQ restaurant for the first time, the table may catch your eye before the menu does. There is a grill in the middle of the table, with a metal ventilation hood hanging above it. There are tongs on the table too. And scissors. When I went to Korean BBQ restaurants with friends from other countries, they looked at the grill, the tongs, and the scissors before opening the menu, then glanced at the tables around them. One friend kept looking over at the table next to us before even opening the menu. When I asked why, he said: "I'm trying to see how other people do it first." Before the Meat Arrives: The Grill and Your First Order At Korean BBQ restaurants, the meat you order doesn't arrive fully cooked. It is cooked on the grill in the middle of the table. When you open the menu, you may see unfamiliar names such as samgyeopsal and dwaeji-galbi. Another friend from another country looked at the menu for a long time, then pointed to the meat ...

You walk into a Korean restaurant, sit down, and open the menu. There is a small button on the table, and there may be a self-order kiosk near the entrance. Some restaurants take orders at the counter before you sit down. Should you have ordered before sitting down? Should you press that button? Or should you keep waiting? I started noticing these moments when I went to restaurants with friends from other countries. I watched them stop at the entrance, hesitate over the menu, or stare at the call button without pressing it. Sometimes they just sat there, waiting for a signal that never came. First, Figure Out How This Restaurant Takes Orders Watch the customers around you. Are they ordering at the counter first, entering their order on a machine near the entrance, or sitting down and waiting? If the machine is labeled 키오스크 (kiosk) or 셀프 주문 (self-order), you may need to order and pay there first. Calling the Staff Is Normal in Korea The staff may be moving quickly between tables, and no...

If you order food delivery in Korea for the first time, there is a moment that may stay with you longer than expected. Your phone buzzes not long after you place the order. The message says the delivery is complete. Along with it comes a photo. In the photo, there is a food bag. It is not in front of the restaurant. It is not in the building lobby. It is sitting right outside the door of the place where you are staying. When you open the door, the bag is there quietly. The hallway is empty. Nobody rings again. Nobody asks for a signature. Nobody waits to check your name or room number. The delivery rider has already left for the next order. A food delivery bag left outside a door in Korea. If this is your first time seeing it, you may pause for a second. Am I supposed to just take it? What if someone else takes it first? Is the delivery really finished even though I never went downstairs? For many Koreans, this is nothing special. Food arrives, you open the door, and you bring it insi...

You sit down at a Korean restaurant, order a dish, and wait. But before it arrives, small plates are set on the table. Some of the food looks like kimchi or seasoned vegetables, but you don't remember choosing any of it from the menu. The server doesn't explain much before walking away. Did I order these too? Can I just eat them? Will they be added to the bill later? These small dishes are called banchan . The Banchan That Arrives First Usually Isn't Something You Ordered Separately These small dishes are usually part of the meal. The basic banchan served with your meal usually isn't charged separately. But something served on a small plate may still be a separate item if it has its own name and price on the menu. Once your food arrives, the banchan stays on the table. You don't need to finish one plate of banchan before moving on to another. Just eat a little of whichever banchan you want with your rice or whatever you ordered. If You Want More, Ask the...

You walk in expecting a small shop that sells drinks and snacks, but the people who have just paid do not leave right away. One person stands in front of the microwave. Another waits by the hot-water dispenser with a cup of noodles. Someone else pours a drink into a cup filled with ice. This is where a first-time visitor pauses. Can I eat here? Do I use the microwave before paying or afterward? Why do I have to buy the cup of ice and the drink separately? Where do I pour out the leftover broth from my noodles? A Korean convenience store is not only a place to buy things. It is also a place where people prepare what they bought, eat or drink it there, and clean up afterward. If you choose cup noodles, a boxed meal, or a pouch drink with a cup of ice, paying at the register is not the end of your visit. Choose What You Want and Pay First Convenience stores carry foods that can make a quick meal, including cup noodles, boxed meals, samgak gimbap, gimbap, and sandwiches. When y...

When you first walk into a jjimjilbang, the shoe lockers and keys catch your eye before the heated rooms do. Should you put your shoes away first? Where do you pay? Is the key in your hand for the shoe locker or the locker where you put your clothes? Then they hand you a set of clothes to wear inside, and another question comes up. Are you supposed to put these on now? If you came expecting a sauna or spa, the order may already be a little different from what you had in mind. A jjimjilbang has two areas where you dress completely differently: a gender-separated bathing area and a shared area where men and women relax together in the clothes provided by the facility. You do not wear clothes or a swimsuit in the bathing area. When you go to the shared area, you wear the clothes you received at the entrance. It sounds simple when you hear it explained. But after you pass the shoe lockers and reach the locker room, you still have those clothes in your hands. That is when you may hesitate a...

After looking up your destination at the station entrance and heading underground, first-time riders often stop on the way to the platform. Trains on the same line run in opposite directions, while signs for line numbers, exits, and transfers all appear overhead at once. Is the line number all you need? Which platform should you head to? Do you need to leave the station to transfer? And once you reach your destination, can you take any exit? You may have heard that Seoul's subway is clean and convenient. But on your first ride, those impressions matter less than knowing which sign to follow at that moment. This guide follows the journey from checking which way to go before passing through the fare gate to finding the right platform, following the transfer corridor, and taking the correct exit at your destination. The Line Number Alone Does Not Tell You the Direction At first, you may check only which subway line your destination is on before heading underground. But trains on the s...