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 
It’s great to come from a big city and find international cuisines (Korean food included)! All look so good…having just gotten back from SE Asia, I’m on the hunt for the dishes I had over there…not as abundant in LA (or I’ll need to go further out of the city), but I’m searching!
I hope you’ll find some SE Asian restaurants to try!
Welcome back to Sydney! Totally feel you on the reverse culture shock – it’s a real thing. So awesome that Sydney’s multicultural scene is helping ease the transition with some authentic Korean food. The fact that you found silkworm pupa in an Asian supermarket is both fascinating and a bit daring! If it’s a sign, why not give it a shot? Might be a unique culinary adventure. And the discovery of new Korean drinks sounds like a delightful exploration. Sydney’s Asian supermarket scene seems like a treasure trove! Do you have any favorite Korean dishes you’ve been craving since your return? Share your go-to spots if you have them!
Sydney’s Asian supermarket scene has come so far. I’m always craving Korean noodle dishes and can’t find one of them actually here. There’s plenty of good restaurants in the city centre or in Strathfield.
I enjoyed one of those pear soft drinks at a new Korean restaurant that has recently opened near our home in WA. Quite refreshing. And the food here is great. We have two Korean restaurants in South West WA – and a lot in Perth. Haven’t been to Korea, but between restaurants and K Drama, I’m learning a lot. We also seek out Japanese restaurants, and can access a lot of Japanese ingredients these days. A good Greek mousakka or sweet can send me instantly back to my youth when I visited there.
That’s great that a Korean restaurant has opened near home. I’m sure there are plenty of dishes to try! I also like to find restaurants of countries that I’ve been to to relive the flavours! One cuisine that I’ve found hard is to find is Mexican though. It’s quite pricey in Sydney.
ha ha .. you had better move to South West Western Australia .. two good Korean restaurants within half an hour of us – and a Mexican five minutes away LOL!
They really have a thing for fried chicken in Korea! But pigs trotters? And Silkworm pupae? The thought puts me off but I would try them if I didn’t know that is what they were called! Glad you have found some Korean food supplies to keep you from getting homesick for Korea. I am off to Japan soon!
The pig trotters are AMAZING. Almost like slow cooked pork belly. Have a great time in Japan!
Thank you, Sophie. I am sure we will.
I know what you mean about reverse culture shock. I was quite shocked to experience it once I returned to Latvia from Ireland. I find it quite fascinating how expats returning home after their international assignment, suffer similar stress symptoms during the readjustment to their home country as they did when adapting to the host country at the beginning of their foreign assignment. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
I’m so glad to be finding people who resonate with the feelings of reverse culture shock. It doesn’t seem to be really written about (I tried searching). Thank you for your comment!
Looks delicious
Yum!
It’s amazing how Korean culture has such an international presence, even in France you can find Korean stores, even outside Paris!
Oh I didn’t know you could even find stores outside of Paris!
It’s so cool that you can find so many Korean options in Sydney! I had never heard of silkworm pupa and while I like to try new foods, this definitely won’t be for me!
It’s great to be able to find so many Korean restaurants here. Hahaha!