A little knowledge of the language and knowing how to find your way about can prevent you from enjoying meat in disguise

AS A STUDENT, any student, not studying in their home country will tell you, life isn’t all alcohol and night-long parties. The average student juggles part-time jobs, a hectic study schedule, and an active social life. In between all this, we find the time to miss family, food, and friends from back home. For an exchange student, this time/ space quandary is bearable. But for those like me, who are permanent students abroad, any manifestation of home is like the smell of rain on Delhi’s roads after a long summer — tantalising, nostalgic and simultaneously bliss-inducing and heartbreaking.

I have lived in Korea for two years now, calling two very different cities my home. Daegu, with its shimmering heat, warm-hearted people and distinct local dialect; and Seoul, the packed, noisy, bright, ever alive capital of Korea. For a girl who could not be hailed as particularly well-travelled or independent, the leap from India to Korea was exhilarating, frightening and very welcome. Thirsting for adventure and a taste of the world, I couldn’t wait to get away, not realising that I was leaving behind things I would crave more than I could ever imagine.

Korean food and Indian food are very different. Korean cuisine is essentially simple. Only a couple of ingredients are used to make an array of food items, with pickled and fermented items forming the crux of what is consumed on a regular basis. The palate ranges from sweet and sour to “spicy” food that makes Indians like me laugh when we’re asked if we’re ok with the spice level. And unlike the sheer multitude of fare back home, food across the Korean landscape tends to remain the same, with only slight variations. However, one of the biggest problems you may face here may come from unexpected quarters — vegetarian food is hard to come by.

Almost all Korean food contains some form of meat or seafood or uses stock made from the same. An unsuspecting vegan or vegetarian may not see chunks of meat floating in their broth, but unless they’ve confirmed beforehand, there is a very good chance that you are consuming non-vegetarian fare. As someone who was pescetarian back home, but a fan of Korean food in general, this problem quickly became a predicament of gigantic proportions. However, as anyone living here long enough will soon learn, a little knowledge of the language and knowing how to find your way about can prevent you from enjoying meat in disguise.

While my knowledge of Korean was sufficient from my time studying in India, it is an entirely different thing trying to convince Korean people to not add meat to your food, or trying to find out if your food is vegan or not. What adds to the confusion is the line that separates white/ red meat and seafood. “Does this item contain any meat?”You ask. “No no! No gogi!” (Gogi is the Korean word for meat) and then when the bowl is set on the table, you gingerly fish a few shrimps and mussels out of your soup and sigh. For Korean people seafood is seafood and meat from animals is meat. So if you’re picky or vegan, you need to make sure you phrase your question properly, or ask all the questions necessary to ascertain there are no creatures with shells swimming about in your stew.

Hilariously, ham causes similar problems here, which can be problematic for people who follow Islam. Ham innocuously makes its way into most foods here, and spam, which is considered waste meat in the West, is considered gourmet food here. Even asking if your food contains any meat may not save you from the ham disaster, unless you tailor your question specifically. As Korean people joke sometimes, “Ham is an honorary vegetable (here in Korea)”.

Is eating out even an option then? Yes, it is, as long as you do your research. Pure vegetarian meals are available as part of the programme at temple stay programmes, where you can meditate in the mountains and live the life of a monk for a small fee. Additionally, a lot of “banchan” (side dishes) are vegetarian, and you can ask to be served only those. You can also ask for regular dishes with the meat removed. “Bibimbap” (mixed rice), for instance, is a bowl of steamed rice served with individually stir fried vegetables smelling fragrantly of roasted sesame seed oil, and is often served without any meat in it.

Soybean and soybean products can also come to your rescue. Soybean, in multiple styles and forms is used across Korean cooking — as fermented bean paste, as sprouts, as processed tofu (soft or hard) and as soybean milk. Try experimenting with the flavour and texture and you will find nothing beats the crunchiness of soybean sprouts in a salad, or the particular tangy, hearty flavour of “doenjang” (fermented soy bean paste) soup on an empty stomach, and a bowl of soft tofu stew is like a little bit of heaven on a cold winter day. Sweet potato is another vegetable that Korean people do magical things with. You didn’t know it could be used in pizza, cake or lattes, did you?

For those of you who refuse to risk eating out, fending for yourself on a student budget can be a tricky thing. Korea is where the vegetables are as expensive (if not more) as the meat, and alcohol is cheaper than water. Moreover, the variety can be rather limited, unless one can shell out a lot of money at bigger marts.

My recommendation would still be to talk to locals and head out and explore. There are a number of vegan cafes and restaurants sprouting up across Korea and it is becoming easier to find likeminded people who can point you in the same direction. There are a lot of adventures to be had here, and if you are anything like me and like those of the gastronomic kind, then you will let the flavour lead you.