I've lived in Korea for almost 2 years. During that time I have kind of fallen in love with the place, even though it drives me crazy on a regular basis. Until I came here, my experiences of East Asia were solely limited to Thailand (and a tiny bit of Myanmar). So rather foolishly, I thought that having that experience would give me an advantage here. Korea/Thailand - almost same-same I thought........ BIG mistake!! Korea is extremely different to Thailand. Firstly, the weather. Any upstanding Korean person will proudly proclaim that Korea has four 'distinct' seasons. The 'distinct' part is very important it seems. As a foreigner (waygookin) in Korea, you are constantly reminded of this fact, despite global warming doing a pretty decent job of making it a downright lie. When I first arrived, I was constantly asked by my Korean colleagues, "Did you know that Korea has four distinct seasons?" I would reply, "Oh really? England has four seasons too actually." Then they would smile knowingly, and say, "Ah, but you see, in Korea the seasons are distinct." Korean food still fascinates me, even after two years of eating it on a daily basis. A lot of people feel that Korean food has no variety, and although it mostly revolves around red pepper paste, red pepper powder, and yet more red pepper paste, I have definitely become addicted to the stuff during my time here. Korean meals have 3 basic essentials: soup, rice and kimchi. Kimchi, for those that don't know, is a selection of pickled, fermented vegtables, coated in red pepper paste. It's pretty spicy, but definitely edible. The most common form is cabbage. This is eaten 2-3 times a day, and is invariably "good for health" (as is most, in fact ALL) Korean food. The most popular meat is pig, and like Thais, Koreans are perfectly happy to eat any part of a pig they can get their hands on. It is usually cooked at a barbecue on your table, cut into small pieces, then wrapped in a lettuce leaf with garlic, onions and other assorted vegtables, and eaten in one shot. The concept of taking small mouthfuls hasn't really caught on here yet, and it's perfectly acceptable to fill your mouth to bursting point before you start chewing. The rumours are true - Koreans DO eat dog meat, in fact it's quite a delicacy here and certainly not cheap. The older Koreans still enjoy it regularly, but not so much the younger generations. Eating dog meat is believed to increase mens power in the bedroom, and also help to cool the body down during the hot, sticky heat of the summer months. Sorry, make that, the distinct summer months. I tried dog meat once in soup form. It's called Boshintang, and is served in a big bowl of soy-bean soup which again, is cooked at your table. The waitress will bring the meat over after the soup starts to boil, and all you have to do is pop it in, let it boil for 5 minutes, then scoff it down. I'm told by most Koreans that the dogs are specially bred, and are definitely not of the household/pet variety, but I've also heard other rumours that many dog restaurants might be partial to grabbing stray dogs off the street to use. I can't confirm this though. I also can't confirm if the rumours about bedroom powers are true, as I got so drunk after eating it that I wouldn't have been able to do anything! Definitely tasty though, I will say that much.That's all for today, part 2 will be coming soon. 안녕~~^^ 

Thank you for sharing. It's interesing!!

I like Korean food, especially for Kimchi...

I want to be there once... soon i hope.... BUT please anyone dont take me to dog restaurants....

Thanks for the update.

I was wondering about the seasons.. sorry the DISTINCT seasons. When they make it clear to you for the 10th time, do you:

1) Smile and nod politely

2) Use ur sarcastic british humour on them for personal gratification

3) turn ghetto on them and insult their mommas

Keep it coming

AAA: what about cat restaurant?

korean food is very popular in hawaii, minus the dog dishes...don't think it's allowed in the usa.....

Sam.... even monkey.. i dont want to try... : (

i lived in kroea before...food is great..especialy kalbi house...( BBQ)...full with vegetable in every meals....weather is nice..ppl are fine..even soemtime they are so rude ( whenwe take subway)..etc..anyway..just wanna say..even the girl there are pretty..but do not try one..hahaha...

Great journal. I have only stopped through the airport on the way to somewhere else...and this was in the winter. I must say that everyone seemed very glum and lots of soldiers walking around with automatic weapons, I hope that things have changed. I am interested in how you are being treated by the locals and what people do for fun in S. Korea. Do the locals seem concerned about the food shortages in the north?

await to hear more with the part 2! thanks for sharing i wish i would travel to korea one day.

Thanks for the comments folks. Part 2 will be coming soon~

That was fun to read... very detailed and well-written.

Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to the next one.