Tiny Observations of Korean Food Culture

Here are some of my tiny observations of Korean food culture after spending more than a week there:

Shared Meals

One of the traditions of Korean food is to order a main dish which usually comes in a considerable portion, and shares it with everyone at the table. Though I have encountered this tradition in a few other countries, mainly in Asia, we did it more frequently during our Korean trip.

This way, everyone has to consider each other’s palate and cravings for the day. Reading this, you might think it’s inconvenient, but on the contrary, we loved it. Furthermore, sharing and enjoying the food with your family and friends heightens the eating experience.

Banchan

Related to the above, almost every meal in Korea comes with several delicious side dishes. And that could be my favourite part of Korean food culture.

Bansang or Banchan is several side dishes served as a part of Korean cuisine, usually accompanying rice and shared by the whole table. There are numerous Korean side dishes, upwards of 250 choices and another 300~ fermented versions.

So technically, you can have a different side dish for every day of the year in Korea. How deliciously fun is that?

Plastic Cover

Another thing, you will encounter clear plastic covering the dining table in a few restaurants, usually if you have a meal at the markets. Again, the purpose is to make the cleaning job much faster and easier for the seller. This is also good for you because it means you will be seated faster if there is a queue.

Market Food

Lastly, Korean food culture also boosts eating fresh seafood in the wet market. We had the most memorable lunch at the Noryangjin fish market in Seoul and the Jagalchi fish market in Busan.

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