Korea has its own cuisine, quite different from Chinese or Japanese. Rice is the staple food and a typical Korean meal consists of rice, soup, rice water and eight to 20 side dishes of vegetables, fish, poultry, eggs, bean-curd and sea plants. Most Korean soups and side dishes are heavily laced with red pepper.
Things to know: There is waiter as well as counter service. Most major hotels will offer a selection of restaurants, serving Korean, Japanese and Chinese cuisine or more Western-style food.
Korean Food is a 44-page e-book available from Korea National Tourism Organization’s
website (see
Top Things To Do). The most common type of drinking establishment is the
suljip (wine bar), but there are also beer houses serving well-known European brands. Koreans offer glasses of liquor to each other as a gesture of camaraderie. When someone offers you an empty glass you are expected to hold it out and receive a fill-up and then to drink it empty. Juniors pour for seniors.
National specialties:
•
Bibimbap (boiled rice mixed with vegetables).
•
Kimchi (Korean national dish, highly spiced pickle of Chinese cabbage or white radish with turnips, onions, salt, fish, chestnuts and red pepper).
•
Bulgogi (marinated, charcoal-broiled beef barbecue).
•
Grilled galbi (seasoned ribs).
•
Haemultang (seafood stew).
National drinks:
• Yakju (refined pure liquor fermented from rice).
• Soju (like vodka and made from potatoes or grain).
• Korean beer:
Cass,
Hite and
OB.
•
Makgeolli and
donggongju (milky liquor).
•
Ginseng wine is strong and sweet, similar to brandy, but varies in taste according to the basic ingredient used.
• Tea:
nokcha (green tea)
, insamcha (ginseng tea) and many other varieties.
Tipping: Although not a Korean custom, most hotels and other tourist facilities add a 10 per cent service charge to bills. Taxi drivers are not tipped unless they help with the luggage.
NoteFor visitors who purchase goods worth more than KRW50,000 at stores with ‘Tax Free Shopping’ signs or goods over KRW30,000 at outlets with ‘Tax Refund Shopping’ signs, 70 to 80 per cent of the paid VAT (Value Added Tax) and SET (Special Excise Tax) will be refunded in cash at the airport. Only visitors staying less than three months are eligible. Purchases and receipts may need to be shown to the customs officer.
NightlifeKorea’s nightlife successfully blends the traditional with increasing external influences. Yong-Dong and Itaewon are areas of Seoul with nightclubs catering largely to visitors, many with cabaret evenings. Some hotels also have nightclubs but these tend to be expensive. Larger hotels have their own private theater restaurants. Beer halls, many decorated along a European theme, are popular places to drink and meet friends. Visitors are expected to eat as well as drink. There are also many cinemas. Operas, concerts and recitals can be seen at the
National Theater and performances of Korean classical music, dances and plays can be seen at
Korea House. For daily listings of events, consult Korea’s English-language papers. Several licensed state-of-the-art casinos operate at various locations throughout the country.
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