People

My Eating Culture in a New Country

Getting to know about Korea, Olmosbek

(Interviewee: Olmosbek from Uzbekistan / KAC college student of KMU )

 

Q: Muslims are known not to eat pork, but is this true? In Korea, it might be difficult to find dishes without pork. So, what do you usually eat? 
A: Yeah, so we don't eat pork. I have Uzbek friends who study at KMU. They showed me around, including a couple of Uzbek restaurants nearby. During my first week in here, I pretty much just ate at those places. But then, one of my friends mentioned that those restaurants are a bit on the expensive side. They introduced me New and Old Bauer Hall cafeteria. But the thing is, the one Old Bauer Hall’s cafeteria has everything written in Korean. So at first, they said me like… “In 'G' section, you can eat second one or third one.” But now, I usually eat Chicken mayo rice bowl and Tuna mayo rice bowl. I want to try Kimbap.

 

Q: What do you do when you go to first-go restaurants?
A: I'm planning to go with my friends and then I ask them if there is any pork or not. And then, I just order foods with beef, chicken, and fish. I thought it would be difficult to move from one country to another and just find reliable food. But I'm okay now.


Q: What do you think is the biggest difference between Korean and Uzbekistan school meals?
A: Firstly, of course, all the food is halal. Secondly, Korean school meals have a lot of simple foods like salads that you can easily eat. But in Uzbekistan, all menu is a substantial meal. For example, our national food “Pilaf”. It has rice, beef, and carrots and so on. So our food has a lot of calories.