So, to explain Changwon is a bit confusing. Basically, it is three cities that in the recent past were combined into one. So it's huge, but not really. The cities are still fairly spread out from each other and the locals still refer to them as their original names. I live in the Changwon part of Changwon in a residential neighbourhood called Bansong-dong, I sort live on the edge so I'm near Banji-dong another neighbourhood. My school is in walking distance from my house.
My first night after school was sort of lonely and stressful. I really wanted to go out and explore the city, but I was also nervous about getting lost again in the unfamiliar place. I finally mustered up some courage to go out and explore when my landlords showed up and invited me for dinner. They were like concerned parents, asking whether I had eaten or bought food and when I said I was going out to buy food they were like come eat with us. So I did.
There was a lot of food and it was all pretty good. I think it was a fairly traditional Korean meal. There were lots of side dishes, soup, meat and of course, Kimchi. I was a little frightened when I saw the soup because it was full of mussels and clams which I don't really like, but I ate it and it was actually pretty good. The main meat dish was Samgyeopsal which is a traditional Korean meat which means three layered meat. It is pork with a layer of fat, meat, then more fat. You usually bbq it and then eat it wrapped in lettuce with whatever side dishes you like.
Besides the kimchi there were other side dishes. Some lettuce leaves to wrap the meat in, spicy onions and lettuce, dried anchovies (which I didn't try), some sort of plant top that was pickled(?), rice with beans, a salty bean paste, garlic, and some chili's which Koreans just eat raw (also didn't try that) . The food was amazing, i even got sent home with Korean style bread which was basically western cake and a promise of persimmons (which I now have and are delicious).
Basically, all the korean food I've had so far has been amazingly good. My landlord and his wife and so kind. They showed up at my apartment last night and started cleaning things like a couple of worried parents (it really wasn't messy, I just hadn't washed the dishes yet). The landlady said that to me 'Telli, Telli I'm a Mom!" as she was washing dishes. It seems strange by western standards that they would come over and start cleaning or invite me to dinner, but from what I've seen Korean people are very friendly and they like to make you feel welcome.
My first night after school was sort of lonely and stressful. I really wanted to go out and explore the city, but I was also nervous about getting lost again in the unfamiliar place. I finally mustered up some courage to go out and explore when my landlords showed up and invited me for dinner. They were like concerned parents, asking whether I had eaten or bought food and when I said I was going out to buy food they were like come eat with us. So I did.
There was a lot of food and it was all pretty good. I think it was a fairly traditional Korean meal. There were lots of side dishes, soup, meat and of course, Kimchi. I was a little frightened when I saw the soup because it was full of mussels and clams which I don't really like, but I ate it and it was actually pretty good. The main meat dish was Samgyeopsal which is a traditional Korean meat which means three layered meat. It is pork with a layer of fat, meat, then more fat. You usually bbq it and then eat it wrapped in lettuce with whatever side dishes you like.
Besides the kimchi there were other side dishes. Some lettuce leaves to wrap the meat in, spicy onions and lettuce, dried anchovies (which I didn't try), some sort of plant top that was pickled(?), rice with beans, a salty bean paste, garlic, and some chili's which Koreans just eat raw (also didn't try that) . The food was amazing, i even got sent home with Korean style bread which was basically western cake and a promise of persimmons (which I now have and are delicious).
Basically, all the korean food I've had so far has been amazingly good. My landlord and his wife and so kind. They showed up at my apartment last night and started cleaning things like a couple of worried parents (it really wasn't messy, I just hadn't washed the dishes yet). The landlady said that to me 'Telli, Telli I'm a Mom!" as she was washing dishes. It seems strange by western standards that they would come over and start cleaning or invite me to dinner, but from what I've seen Korean people are very friendly and they like to make you feel welcome.
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