Food!!!

Well I'm not sure if you all agree but I do actually love food. I just love it to be healthy......give or take the sweets & chocolate that I love.

I was looking forward to coming to Korea because from what I'd seen and heard all food here was healthy. Myth 1 is now out the window. Traditional Korean food is generally healthy however you still have to exercise thought and discipline just like you do at home. There is a plethora of sweet, unhealthy foods here as well as fried foods. Most street food is fried. There is a big chain store here called Paris Baguette which sells cakes and the bread is all sweet bread. I had a new Aussie friend say to me on the weekend that bread can not be viewed as a staple as it is to many back home. Rice is the staple here which for me brings a new way of thinking as I saw white rice as not so healthy. It isn't the most healthiest here either and when they cook it at home they will put beans in it to make it healthier. However the restaurants just serve sticky white rice. Sticky is good because it helps with the chopsticks. Rice is eaten 3 times a day here and they can make so many things with rice as the basis. I have got some black rice bread that is completely flat and sooo delicious. I keep this in the freezer to take for lunch when hiking.

I had my first kimbap which is the same as sushi roll. The serve in the picture was just under $3 and is equal to 2 sushi rolls. I ate all and was completely stuffed as a result. I have now found out how to ask for take away so I don't have to waste it or eat it all in one go. This miso soup is devine here.

When out with Koreans I like to be eating Korean so I can learn what I like and eventually try to go out with foreigners and get Korean food as well. I'm heading out with my Korean co-teacher for a meal on the weekend and she thought I may want to eat something that I can get from home. I said definately not......I want to try Korean food when out with Korean people that can help me with the menu and what I'm eating.

Here are some pics

My first sit down meal. A bonus of Korean culture for me cause I love to sit cross legged at every opportunity.



My first Korean feast

Kimbap.....too much!!





Spitting on the street!

Yes spitting on the street.......completely fine to do here in Korea. For me, as most of you can imagine, it makes me go eekkkhhh!!! There are other things to think about too.....Some of us have pants that touch the ground.....hhhmmmm add to this there is lots of fresh spit. Looking down at the ground in front of me is something I need to keep doing if I am to avoid having spit on the bottom of my trousers. Not to mention the lovely noises that is made just before the spitting is done......I wonder if I will ever get used to this one????? At least in summer I won't have to watch out for my pants getting spit on them. :o)

Finally I've created a blog!!

Well I finally have something up and running. Not too much on here tonight as I have been quiet sick this weekend and still on the mend.

Seeing I have been here for 2 weeks already tomorrow I will probably just write some random thoughts since being here.

Firstly on that it is soooo big and there is sooo much here. You walk around shops and can be overwhelmed by where to look. E-Mart, Homeplus & Lotte Mart are so big and I will need a few trips to them to see all they have. Australia just doesn't do these things this big. One person I have met didn't understand why I would like to look around if I wasn't going to buy anything and I told her just seeing something that is so much larger than what we have. There are a number of the really big shopping areas I haven't been to yet.

I am amazed at how cold it is yet I am doing so well. I was getting toasted this afternoon/evening at the medical centre with all the blankets and heater they put on me while my drip was on. There is no going cold once you are inside and I seem to rug up fairly well when outside. Just my face and ears tend to get very cold.

I had it in my head that there were no coffee shops however it must have been the coffee is not very good. There are tonnes of cafes everywhere which is fantastic however the coffee is very weak. I was with Bea last weekend and we found someone who had Illy coffee and we were both excited by this only to discover they also made it weak. I have a love for ginger tea though at a cafe 3 doors down and will discover more tea than coffee when I meet up with friends in a cafe. I have also since discovered that ginger tea isn't available everywhere here either.

Don't know how I will go with blogging so bare with me or give me a nudge if you think I haven't written on it for a while.

:o)