banchan

koreans eat well. man, do they eat well. a traditional korean meal is comprised of banchan, which are various side dishes that accompany the main meal. some restaurants may have as many as 20 different banchan dishes provided with your meal. the super amazing part of it all is all of the banchan dishes are refillable and free (unlimited amounts too!)! examples of banchan dishes are kimchi (there are hundreds of varieties of kimchi), sauteed vegetables, noodles, fish, roasted laver, steamed dishes, casseroles, squash, onions, tofu, sauces, salads, etc. they are yummy. it makes eating so much more exciting because you could easily eat an entire meal with no two bites alike. amazing.

another hugely amazing thing about korean food is that it is cheap! if you want to eat at a "western restaurant" for mediocre steak or spaghetti you'll pay a pretty big bill, but if you want a traditional korean meal with those glorious banchan dishes i mentioned, dinner is often around only 8,000 won, which translates to about US $6!

we still have 2 years left here and i'm already feeling the pain of korean food withdrawal for when we leave....