Korean Food Culture Shock | 한국 문화 충격 (음식)

Annyeong! Welcome back to another Q&A episode. So earlier today, I was checking my email like usual. And I received a video attachment from my friend Mio in Korea. Let's take a look at the video first. The food. Definitely the food. People in the U.S. and most countries are concerned a little bit too much with germs, so we each have our own plates when we eat. But in Korea, eating is a shared experience, and Koreans will usually share their food from the same plates. Everyone will simply pick up what they want with their chopsticks and eat it. You'll usually get your own dishes for things like dipping sauces and rice, but everything else will be shared. This really was a shock to me because I couldn't stop thinking about germs on the food. But after getting used to it, I realized that I wasn't going to get sick unless someone at the table was already really sick. And during my entire stay in Korea, I never once got sick from the food. Another thing that shocked me was seeing Korean people who can drink things that are really, really hot. I've seen Korean people who can drink soups that are still boiling. This is because a lot of Korean soups are served fresh and hot, so Koreans become used to being able to drink these things from a young age. But for someone like me who grew up having to blow on my soup until it cooled down, this was a big shock to me, so I was usually the last person at the table to finish. So Korean people would sometimes ask me, Korean food tastes amazing, but when you've grown up your whole life eating a certain kind of food, it can be hard to adjust to eating something else for a while. When I first arrived in Korea, I wasn't a big fan of kimchi. But now I can't live without it. Unfortunately, that means my refrigerator always smells like kimchi now, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. And there were a few other small things that shocked me in Korea, but nothing quite like the food. But once you've tried real Korean food in Korea, you'll be hooked for life. Anyway, thanks for the question, Mio. And that's all for today. Make sure to check out Mio's channel, too. She also makes videos teaching useful Korean phrases, and you can check out her channel by clicking on the link here. You can also submit your own questions to me for future videos. Leave a comment or send a message, and it might be answered in the next episode. And remember that new videos are posted here every week, so click subscribe and follow along. Hey, that's my... whatever. Korean variety shows are a little bit easier to use for stunts. To be honest, the smell isn't that great either. However, the taste is the reason why I like this.