When I first came to Korea I ate most things at lunch. I did not eat the kim-chi, but everything else I ate, or tried. I did this to satisfy my own curiosity and desire to "fit in" and because if you have an empty spot on your tray then ALL of the other teachers have to know what is going on.
Flash forward 2 food poisonings and 5 months (God, can you believe that it's been that long?). I don't feel the need to explore or please anymore. Now at lunch time, if the food scares me, I don't take it. Today, I didn't take 2 of the dishes that were on the menu. I had gotten sick from both of them before, so I'm not tempting fate again. I don't like going to the hospital and getting shots in my backside. So, for lunch today I had rice, kim-chi, and kim-chi soup with tofu. I'll survive.
Still, even though all of the teachers know of my dietary and stomach issues, I have to justify everyday why I didn't want some dish. My favorite was when I told someone that I had gotten sick on this particular dish and did not want it anymore. Her reply was "but it has cheese in it." Oh. Ok. Cheese... well then I guess I'll eat it! NO!! I'm a 28 year old man. I can make my own food decisions. Also, I'm a giant of a man, I'm not exactly starving. I simply don't sugar coat it anymore or try to please the other teachers. I know that they are concerned, but what Korean food enters into my body is my business alone. I'm the one who will suffer if I make a bad choice... not them. Korean food. What can I say that hasn't been said?
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5 comments:
They sound like my grandmother, hovering around trying to get you to eat their delicacies!
they must think americans are a bunch of cheese eaters huh?
http://www.wisopinion.com/blogs/uploaded_images/cheesehead-776357.jpg
I wonder what korean comfort food is? You know, where they see it and eat it and get the same fuzzy feeling you get when you cook a pot of macaroni and cheese...doubt it would be macaroni and cheese though...a very large percentage of asians are lactose intolerant!
"but it has cheese in it"
So funny... I think I'm going to use that line.
Koreans have no problem with dairy. They eat a lot of yogurt and ice cream.
hey shari, that's interesting. Your relatives are kind of the exception to the rule on that...i've read that depending on the area, 80%-100% of asian people are somewahat lactose intolerant. It's like babies just drink milk, and once they're weaned, that's pretty much it. Northern Europeans raise a lot more dairy cattle thru the centuries, etc. It's a genetic thing that kind of evolved.
Actually the bacterial cultures in yogurt make it more digestible so lactase deficient people can usually eat that. Some things are worse than others.
I know all this junk becasue my brother's wife has it...
but anyway, yes Dan, eat what you like!
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