Korean Side Dishes – What Are All Those Little Banchan Bowls? I’ve watched plenty of foreign friends sit down at a Korean restaurant for the first time and freeze completely. Before the main dish even arrives, five, six, sometimes eight little bowls show up out of nowhere. Nobody explains anything. They just stare at them,…
Korean BBQ – How Locals Eat It I’ve taken plenty of foreign friends to Korean BBQ, and I always notice the same thing. They stare at the huge menu, feel the grill already heating up, and glance nervously at the local couple next to them who clearly know exactly what to do. As a Korean,…
Korean Convenience Store Culture I’ve watched a lot of foreign friends walk past a Korean convenience store without a second thought, assuming it’s just chips and gum like back home. Then I watch their face change completely the first time they actually step inside a CU or GS25 at midnight and see a line of…
Jjimjilbang Guide: What Really Happens Inside a Korean Bathhouse Imagine landing in Seoul after a brutal sixteen-hour flight. Your back aches, your feet are swollen, and your hotel room won’t be ready for six more hours. A local friend grins and says, “Come on, I know exactly where we’re going.” Twenty minutes later, you’re standing…
Korean Foods Every Foreigner Should Try in Korea I’ve taken more foreign friends out to eat in Korea than I can count, and I keep noticing the same pattern. They stick to the “safe” dishes from travel brochures, order the mildest version of everything, and miss half the little rituals that make these foods actually…
Korean BBQ Guide-What Is It and How Do You Eat It? I’ve taken plenty of foreign friends to Korean BBQ for the first time, and it’s almost always the same scene. They sit down, see a grill built right into the table, watch raw meat get dropped in front of them, and just freeze. No…
Korean Bowing Etiquette. Many visitors assume a Korean bow is just a tiny head dip. That’s not actually true at all. I’ve watched this exact misunderstanding play out more times than I can count. One case still sticks with me. A foreign friend visited my grandmother’s house with me. He gave her a casual nod…
Korean Age System Explained – The Day I Turned Three Years Old Overnight Every year around New Year’s Day, I watch the same scene play out. A foreign friend gets told “happy birthday” on January 1st, and their face just goes blank. Their actual birthday is nowhere near that date. As a Korean, I’ve explained…
Why Do Koreans Take Off Their Shoes Indoors? If you’ve ever visited Korea, you’ve probably noticed something right away. Nobody wears shoes inside a home. Not even for a five-minute visit. As a Korean, I’ve watched more than a few foreign friends walk straight through my front door in their sneakers, completely unaware they’d just…
10 Korean Customs Every Foreigner Should Know Before Visiting Korea If you are visiting Korea for the first time, some things may surprise you. And honestly, that is part of the fun. Korea can feel very familiar and very different at once. People are friendly, but social rules can feel unfamiliar. Some customs are subtle,…
