Apparently one of the ways to lessen reverse culture shock is to seek out the food or culture back in your home town. Luckily for me, Sydney’s multiculturism means that I can easily find Korean restaurants. Sadly not many Korean style cafes though. In the past few months being back home, I’ve sought out Korean food and visited some Asian or Korean grocery stores to see what I could find.
The taste of South Korean food here at the restaurants are definitely the real deal.
Makegeolli is a rice wine drink. It’s sparkly, sweet and has a tang of fermented rice flavour.
Seafood stew and Tangsuyuk (sweet and sour pork)
There is a huge Asian supermarket located in Haymarket which sells so many different products, fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen goods and drinks from all over Asia. In the South Korean section, I found silkworm pupa which is a popular snack. You can sometimes find freshly roasted ones in some of the traditional markets. I had always wanted to try just 1 piece but sadly, you can’t just buy 1 and need to buy a whole cup. However, I didn’t think that it would be that popular that I’d find it here in Sydney. Maybe it’s a sign that I should try it.
Trying a pear cider
Roasted rice milk drink
Every now and then I’ll try a new Korean drink that I haven’t had before. I didn’t really drink that many convenience store drinks other than electrolyte type drinks whilst hiking. I try not to drink that much as now that I can read the label (by law there must be an english translation of ingredients), I’ve noticed that they contain a lot of artificial sweeteners.
Seeing this reminded me of a South Korean convenience store. In the freezer are cups of ice so you can just open the drink packet into a cup of ice and have a drink. I tried one of these drink packets in a fruit ade flavour in South Korea and found it to be too sweet for me.
I didn’t know that there was a Dookki in Sydney. It’s an all you can eat restaurant however the caveat is that you pay for any uneaten food too.
I went to the Korean Culture Centre in the city where there were artworks on display and a hanok!
Enjoying a meal with friends. Fishcake soup, pig trotters (which are delicious) and fried chicken. Complimentary side dishes.
Do you seek out restaurants and food from cultures and places abroad that you love?
Lingo in Transit 
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