Korean Food Is Not Delicious

Divad on 22/02/2018 - 16:54
Last edited 22/02/2018 - 18:12 by 1 other user

Before I am judged and berated by angry foodies and lovers of Korean cuisine, please hear me out.

I have lived and studied in South Korea when I was in my late 20s and have gone back many times since for business travel. I have eaten authentic and traditional Korean food both in South Korea and in Sydney. I want to be clear that i don't hate Koreans or Korea but let's all be honest, Korean food in general is terrible. And you know what, that's ok because you can't win them all.

Why is Korean food bad?

  • 99% of all Korean food consists of these ingredients soy sauce, garlic, onions, gochujang, and sesame oil. Gochujang is used in almost everything.
  • On balance and subtlety, there is basically none. No skill involved with the seasoning/preparation. Everything is either saturated and over-seasoned or totally unseasoned.
  • When seasoned, its basically let's throw water, ingredients and gochujang.
  • Beef, pork and chicken dishes are either simply fried or seasoned with more gochujang or not seasoned at all.
  • I once asked for no chilli in my chicken and rice dish. It came out with plain rice and plain flavourless, unseasoned chicken!
  • Seafood dishes are basically made by grabbing any nearby fish, crab, octopus, throwing them into a pot, add gochujang and boil. 3 Michelin stars please.
  • Take a slice of meat. Don't season it. Slice an onion. Slice a pumpkin. Put it on a flat top grill. Dip in gochujang. World's Best BBQ.

Am I crazy or is Korean food more over-hyped than bitcoin?

Please discuss this. I would like to hear everyone's thoughts.

Poll Options

  • 140
    Korean food is divine and blessed by Korean Jesus himself
  • 111
    Korean food is the result of missing pages from a Chinese/Japanese cook book
  • 32
    You are racist
  • 28
    I have never tasted Korean food
Food & Grocery Asian Food Chilli Cooking Korean South Korea

Comments

  • Cronium on 24/02/2018 - 14:11
    +2

    Korean food is basically peasant food. I've never really seen what would be considered haute cuisine. That doesn't stop it being tasty through.

  • Excelsior on 24/02/2018 - 14:15

    "Stop f**king with Korean Jesus! He ain't got time for your problems. He's busy with Korean shit!"

  • meong on 24/02/2018 - 14:27

    I would still prefer Korean food than Australian Food…

    https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/australian-food/index…

    Been living in Australia for 10 years but never seen anyone trying/selling food #40 from that article though…

    • Yaren24 on 06/03/2018 - 18:29

      Aboslutely, not racist comment here, but food in Aus is very diverse, if only solely based UK's unhealthy, then there are no comparisons, I rather eat Korean food every day than Aust food

  • [Deactivated] on 24/02/2018 - 14:27
    +1

    TLDR - you don't like Korean food.

    You're not racist, transphobic, Democrat… You just don't like Korean food.

  • MessyG on 24/02/2018 - 14:44
    +1

    Is there much regional variation?

    I like bibimbap and BBQ but you know what, it's totally okay not like a cuisine - not sure why it deserves a thread on Ozb about it!

  • [Deactivated] on 24/02/2018 - 15:43

    Koreans have a lot going for them, looks, music, Gangnam style, dictators with awesome hairdos, but food is not one.

    Its seems to me they have just one sauce that everything is dipped in.

    I prefer SE Asian (Singapore/ Malaysia and Thai) cuisine though.

  • peterw1 on 24/02/2018 - 16:09
    +1

    I’ve always thought the only difference between eating cow, horse or dog is marketing.

    • ego22 on 24/02/2018 - 17:01

      its also the taste, trust me

  • Seraphin7 on 24/02/2018 - 16:46
    +1

    Is there a bargain in here somewhere?

  • airzone on 24/02/2018 - 16:46

    It's overrated.

  • frozenkuku on 24/02/2018 - 16:47

    you should be thankful that u are still able to find korean food to eat, once north korea nuke south korea no more koreans. Then you will be missing gochujang.

  • LUTSlit on 24/02/2018 - 16:54
    +1

    Go and eat macdonalds

  • Haters.Inc on 24/02/2018 - 17:17
    +2

    You sound so white.

  • DiscoJango on 24/02/2018 - 17:27

    Korean Jesus loves Korean bbq

  • Inzo on 24/02/2018 - 17:57

    I went to Korean BBQ and ate $160 Wagyu platter and it was delicious!!!

  • aimon on 24/02/2018 - 17:59

    Don't feel bad. I have said it plenty of times.

  • dumdidum on 24/02/2018 - 18:30
    -1

    100% agree - Korean food is atrocious and I would even say unrefined

  • skywards on 24/02/2018 - 18:42

    I’m not a fan, although the only thing I like is kim chi.

  • centrelink on 24/02/2018 - 19:09

    Well I'm sure OP is entitled to his opinion but crap when you don't like Indian food … People who like them go mental at you (especially the Indian ka) and if you of an ethnic race that is not white they would probably say sometimes g racist back at you. Lolzor

  • ginaliano on 24/02/2018 - 20:00

    Korean food is amazing. Lived in Korea for six years and everyday I miss the food and food culture there. So many amazing dishes

  • Sammyboy on 24/02/2018 - 20:18
    -1

    Hence why they either have to wash the food down either with bowl after bowl of Makgeolli (which is tastes like watered down sake, but after the 5th bowl, who cares), or shot after shot of soju. Either way the Koreans are generally too pissed by the end of dinner to even know what they are eating anyway.

  • frostman on 24/02/2018 - 20:52
    -4

    Never tried Korean food, never will.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 24/02/2018 - 20:58

    OP, do you need a hug?

  • dittolee on 24/02/2018 - 21:05
    -3

    This is very sad. he think he knows everything about Korean food and criticising, but actually he is just pretentious and want to judge something as his life isn’t successful

  • [Deactivated] on 24/02/2018 - 21:22

    Wow. 25 SJW's actually think this post is racist.

  • rb1103 on 24/02/2018 - 21:45
    +4

    I worked as a chef for about 10yrs with indian, italian, Japanese, Korean…..
    Korean food based on garlic, soy sauce, gochujang sesame
    Japanese soy sauce sesame (very much similar with korean)
    Italics tomato and garrlic
    Indian curry flavour and tomato
    They have their own base culture and taste

  • Blargman2001 on 24/02/2018 - 22:00
    +1

    Should also be an option for: Korean food is overpriced. $35 for a main that would cost $25 for a Chinese/Vietnamese/Japanese/Thai take on a similar dish at another restaurant.

    • anastasiastarz on 27/02/2018 - 04:52

      Of those other 4 listed only jap is actually expensive. Korean in the city (excluding bbq and kfc) is pretty cheap.

  • anastasiastarz on 27/02/2018 - 04:51
    +1

    I feel like there isn't much variation, and kim chi puts me off (it's the smell) but I do like what I have tried!

  • Carmen Sandiego on 27/02/2018 - 16:01
    -1

    First of all, rude…and kinda true.

    Secondly, you just have a different palate to other people. And like a lot of people have pointed out, Korea uses different bases. The level of them changes but they're mostly the same. You just have to accept it's a thing. The time and effort spent making those things will change so I appreciate that more than the food oftentimes.

    As a Korean, I'm kinda over KBBQ and Korean Fried Chicken. Sure, they're nice occasionally, but, not every time guys. It's almost as odd as those 'Yellow Fever' guys…

  • [Deactivated] on 28/02/2018 - 21:50
    -1

    Korean food is definitely delicious. You seem to be eating the wrong types though.

  • kimhy589 on 25/09/2018 - 16:01

    You lived in korea for how long?

    Do you even know how to make gochujang?

    You say lack of variety and bad taste

    How about i say your face is ugly and you smell so bad?

    Dont judge and make stupid generalization that you cannot even understand what you have said

  • timetoquit on 28/09/2018 - 03:01

    My own personal take on your view. I'll be as brief as I can!

    I never liked Korean food when I first started eating it. Going back 20 years ago (I'm based in Adelaide) most of the Korean restaurants were simply DIY BBQ. Fast forward 2011 - I meet my (now Wifey) who is from SK. All she ever ate was Korean food, she tried so many different dishes I honestly never had the appetite to eat it. Crushed ice cold noodle soup - wha?!?! Anyway ..

    I had your thinking, your bullet points are pretty much what I felt, and quite honestly it still is to this day due to our location, however I will say things have improved in SA but considering the time passed it hasn't improved all that much. I can recommend 1 restaurant in Adelaide and 2 more based on what style of Korean food you enjoy. There is definitely a gap in the market in Adelaide!

    We now go to Melbourne fairly regularly and look forward to our favourite Korean restaurants, providing a huge range of differing flavours, textures, condiments, stews, cold salads, warm salads, broths, quality BBQ meats, etc.

    To give you an example -we would order a small portion of meats for the BBQ beef fillet, pork belly, followed by some spicy kimchee soup, cold noodle dish- (light soy flavoured) crunchy salad with pork hock (gelatinous and very yummy if done well), spicy rice cakes, roughly 7-8 condiments all varying in flavours and textures, and complementary steamed scrambled egg. The above dishes all have different flavours and there are none that over power one another, all complimenting each other.

    As you said you've been to SK- you'd know most good places only do certain dishes REALLY well and focus on that. We are spoilt in Australia cause we wan't it all in the one place however that is very difficult task. We certainly don't have that in Adelaide, however we feel we've found that in a few restaurants in the Melbourne CBD.

  • RatBargain on 12/04/2023 - 14:04

    I would argue the quality, freshness and costs of Korean dishes in Aust capital cities can surpass SK equivalents. We are generally really spoilt

  • RatBargain on 12/04/2023 - 14:15

    Also it’s worth checking out the Korean Englishman.

    I could skip the spicy instant ramen soups. But the street food, Bing Su deserts, Korean Toast deserve a mention.

    BBQ has to be looked at from a non-monetary value. It’s the variety of side dishes & the social, interaction, duration & ambiance of the meal

    Great options from Carnegie, Strathfield, Chatswood & Sunnybank

  • chichichi on 16/07/2023 - 19:39

    I am glad you don’t like korean food. I can eat more!

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