Posts from the ‘Expat Life’ Category

Feb 25

Delicious Delivery Options in Korea

Being an expat can have its downsides. You miss your family and friends. You miss watching live sporting events. You miss food. You miss beer. You miss convenience.

Luckily, there are a few enterprising people here in Korea who have started businesses to help us longing expats by bringing what we miss straight to our mailboxes. Unfortunately, while they still can’t ship you your mom when your sick or a six pack of Bell’s Two Hearted Ale (a girl can dream), they have devised a way to conveniently sell us expats the food we crave from home.

Gringos Burritos

Mike and Mark are the masterminds behind the delivery burrito company Gringos. After a disappointing night out at a Mexican restaurant in Itaewon (I think all expats in Korea can tell a similar story), these two expats from Canada and the US (Los Angeles), respectively, decided to do something in order to introduce the real taste of Mexico to the Korean peninsula. Gringos was born.

Mike and Mark decided on a delivery service for two reasons, opening a restaurant can be quite costly and delivery would allow them to reach more customers. The majority of the ingredients for the Gringos menu come from the local market, with a few harder to get items coming from Costco. Mike and Mark both work full time as English teachers and spend their free time working to make Gringos a success, putting in time after work on the weekdays and spending 12-14 hours a day assembling the burritos on the weekends.

Gringos currently offers five different burritos and three side items. I tried the carne asada, chicken, tofu, and bacon breakfast burritos. While they aren’t Chipotle, for frozen Mexican delivered to my door in Korea, it did the trick. My favorites were the carne asada and bacon breakfast burritos. I also tried the salsa and refried bean side dishes. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the refried beans, the salsa was the best I’ve had in Korea and reminded me of my favorite local brand back in the United States.

The prices are reasonable at 5,500 won per burrito (except for the carne asada which is 7,000 won) and each order is shipped frozen at the beginning of the week in a styrofoam container. There is a minimum of six items per order.

For more information or to place an order visit their website.

Alien’s Day Out

Mipa Lee, a vegan who has been living in Korea since 2006, started her blog Alien’s Day Out to chronicle what it is like to be vegan in a country known for its grilled meat. When she realized that it was hard to find animal free baked goods here, Mipa began experimenting with the recipes of some of her favorite treats that she had missed since going vegan. After getting a lot of good feedback from family, friends, and customers at local events, she started the Alien’s Day Out online bake shop in order to share her love of compassionate eating.

I first ordered from Alien’s Day Out my first fall in Korea. I’m not vegan (or vegetarian) but I was craving pumpkin baked goods something fierce and was introduced to Alien’s Day Out by my coworkers. My pumpkin chocolate chip bread satisfied my autumn baked good needs and I was hooked.

In addition to bread, Mipa sells muffins, cookies, and takes custom orders for cakes and cupcakes, which are beautiful. Most recently I ordered chai muffins, banana nut bread, and an order of the “surprise me” cookies. The chai muffins were the perfect breakfast, filling with just enough spice and the banana bread was the best banana bread I’ve ever had. It was sweet and incredibly moist. My favorite of the package, though, was my order of surprise cookies. The “surprise me” cookies gets you one order of an off the menu item. I received some tea cookies that were amazing. Like, beyond amazing.

If you’ve never had vegan treats and are scared they won’t taste good, don’t be. If you’re ordering from Mipa you’ll have no idea these are animal product free!

For more information or to place an order visit her website. You can also purchase Alien’s Day Out baked goods at High Street Market and Botton Cafe in Itaewon.

Hummus in Korea

Katie and Jared are the expat couple behind this relatively new hummus delivery business. The engaged American and Kiwi duo started making hummus for dinner parties and camping trips with their friends in Korea. The hummus was a hit and they decided to turn their hobby into a business. Hummus in Korea started off as a smaller operation, with orders being delivered by hand in the Bundang area only. After pressure from some friends in Seoul and Chuncheun, though, Jared and Katie decided to start delivering around the country.

Katie and Jared use their free time during the week to prep the hummus, which is frozen before it is shipped. They explained that hummus lasts only 7 days in the fridge but can last up to 4 months in the freezer. Shipping takes 2 days, which would cut down drastically on the time the customer would have the enjoy the product.

Hummus in Korea currently offers 4 flavor of hummus: Jalapeno Heaven, Roasted Red Pepper, Crazy for Garlic, and Spicy Sensation and prices range from 5,500 won to 6,500 won for a 250 gram container. I tried the Jalapeno Heaven and Crazy for Garlic flavors. The texture was a bit different than what I normally expect from hummus (Katie and Jared explain that this is due to the freezing), but the flavors were phenomenal. The jalapeno was my favorite- just enough spice to keep it interesting, but not so much that it overpowered the other flavors.

Katie and Jared have said that they want to keep Hummus in Korea a somewhat small operation, but as long as people want to buy it, they will be there to sell it!

For more information or to place an order visit their website.

What delivery option sounds the best to you?

Nov 16

13 Comments

Flashback Friday: Spending Holidays Abroad

Spending holidays abroad can be rough. I remember my first holiday abroad, Thanksgiving in 2009. I was sad to be missing turkey and stuffing with my family, and I was scared I would feel sad and miss my family. This coming Thursday will be my fourth consecutive Thanksgiving spent abroad, and now spending I’m not even fazed. Of course, there’s nothing better than being with the people you care about the most during the holidays, but there are some ways to make spending holidays abroad a little bit easier.

1. Find a celebration in the city you’re in

If you’re in a large city, there will most likely be bars or restaurants hosting a dinner or event in honor of the holidays. For Thanksgiving in Seoul, for example, check out the bars and restaurants in the foreigner district of Itaewon. Last year, I went to Craftworks, a microbrewery, for dinner. For around 30,000 won ($30) you got a plate piled high with turkey and all the fixings and a choice of dessert. It was fun to get together with my American coworkers and have dinner in a festive atmosphere. This year I’m heading to a buffet at Gecko’s where I plan on overeating in true Thanksgiving fashion.

Craftworks Thanksgiving dinner.

2. Make your own party

Don’t want to go out? Host your own party. Gather up some friends, American or not, and recreate your holiday favorites. When I was an au pair in Rome, I suggested to my host family that I cook them an American Thanksgiving dinner. They immediately said yes, and were excited to have the opportunity to experience an American holiday. In lieu of a whole turkey, something I couldn’t afford on my au pair salary, I pan fried turkey breasts. For sides, I made my dad’s stuffing recipe, green beans with pancetta, and mashed potatoes. I even baked a pumpkin pie for dessert. My host parents brought a bottle of white wine, and we enjoyed a nice meal and cultural exchange.

My host kids made Thanksgiving crafts.

And then we ate.

3. Call your family back home

The Thanksgiving I spent in Rome was my first real holiday abroad and I was nervous that I’d be a complete homesick mess. I combated this by talking to my family a lot. We Skyped while my dad talked me through the stuffing recipe, and then spoke again after we’d both eaten. The next year I was in London on Thanksgiving and not doing anything to celebrate. But I chatted with my family while I walked down Bond Street looking at the Christmas lights, and even though I was far away, I felt a lot closer, and a little bit like I was part of the celebrations back home.

4. Do something extra fun

If all else fails, just do something special. Maybe you aren’t opening presents on Christmas morning, but that gives you time to get a massage and facial at a fancy hotel. In London, I decided to do a Beatles walking tour on Thanksgiving. The Beatles are my favorite band, and even though it wasn’t turkey, it was something that was special. Choose something that you wouldn’t normally do, or that you’ve always wanted to experience, and make that your holiday celebration for the year.

Crossing Abbey Road in Thanksgiving.

How have you coped with spending holidays abroad? What were your favorite holiday celebrations that you’ve had away from home?

Nov 5

15 Comments

A Washing Machine and a Crazy Korean Grandmother

Knock. Knock.

I’m sitting in bed on a Sunday morning, unwrapping the McDonalds cheeseburger that was just delivered to my apartment, wearing no pants, and trying to nurse a mild hangover when I hear a knock on my door. I wonder briefly who this could be, and thinking it is the McDonalds delivery man who’d forgotten something, ask Tara to answer it.

Seconds later a very small, very old Korean woman is standing next to my bed.

“Anyeonghaseyo,” she says.

I stare at her blankly. She repeats it two more times before I realize she wants me to answer.

“Anyeonghaseyo,” I mumble back as Tara appears in the room.

“Why did you let her in?” I ask. Tara had put up a fight. But the small Korean grandmother, in a way only they could, pushed her way past. And now she stands in my bedroom on a Sunday morning.

This isn’t this woman’s first time in my apartment. She dropped by a few months ago to complain to me, in Korean that I didn’t fully understand, that my washing machine was leaking water onto her balcony. I had nodded in agreement during that previous meeting, stopped the washing machine during its cycle, and she left. Tara and I have spent the last two months doing our laundry late at night, after this woman’s probable bed time.

But now she’s back. She motions toward the balcony door and the releases a string of Korean on me. I have no idea what she’s saying, but I guess it once again has something to do with the washing machine that sits on that balcony. She maneuvers past the pizza box from the previous night’s dinner and empty wine bottles next to the bed (embarrassing) and opens the door. I watch, pulling the covers up more and more trying to hide my pant-less state, as she starts pointing to the spicket next to the washing machine.

I glance at my burger and put my pounding head into my hands. I just want her to leave. I want to continue watching X Factor and eat my lunch. My lunch that is getting colder as the minutes pass.

She starts talking again. In a language I don’t understand. Does she not see the blank stare I give her each time she opens her mouth? She begins to pantomime face washing. She wants a hand towel?

I reach out from the bed and grab a pair of leggings lying on the floor which I then put on while she is standing less than a foot away from me. From her expression it is apparent that I’m the only one who finds this strange. Once dressed, I walk to the hamper and pull out a dirty towel. She is momentarily appeased and goes out to the balcony to work her magic on this water problem.

She spends about 15 minutes out there, while Tara and I run around the apartment trying to make it look like less of a frat house, and then comes inside asking for a cord. We don’t have one. She leaves to go downstairs and get one from her apartment and makes it very clear that I am not to lock the door when she leaves. I resist the urge and when she returns I let her finish what she started.

The crazy lady’s finished work.

I pull a fry out of the bag. It is stiff and cold. I down a couple of ibuprofen and look at Tara. She’s getting increasingly angry. I’m too tired to feel and real emotion about the situation. I just want it to end.

The woman comes back inside and starts asking for something else.

“Upseoyo,” I say. I don’t have any. I hope she will take this as a sign to leave. But, not surprisingly, she doesn’t.

And then I hear it. Tara starts yelling for her to go. She puts on her shoes and hesitantly leaves the apartment while saying something about not using the washing machine anymore. I say okay for what seems like millionth time and lock the door as she finally leaves.

“Is this woman bat shit crazy?” I ask Tara as I finally take a bite of my burger and sink back into bed thankful that she’s gone.

Hours later Tara puts a load of dirty clothes in the machine, dumps a cupfull of detergent on them, and presses start.

Nothing happens.

This crazy lady has disconnected the water supply. The washing machine no longer works.

What would you have done if this crazy lady barged into your house? Have you had any experiences abroad that left you in a state of disbelief? Let me know in the comments!

Jun 11

11 Comments

Expat Souvenirs: My Koreanisms

It’s inevitable that when you live somewhere long enough you’ll begin to pick up some local habits, whether intentional or not. I like to think of these as expat souvenirs. Little things you bring back with you. Expat souvenirs could be the way people line up, hand over a credit card, or walk down the street. Maybe if you’re lucky you start drinking wine with lunch. Or if you’re not, you go back home looking like a rude weirdo without a firm grasp in the English language.

I, unfortunately, seem to fall into this latter camp. Here are some of the expat souvenirs I’ll be bringing with me when my two year stint on this peninsula is finished. Read more

May 25

The view from my heavenly abode at the Holiday Inn.

5 Comments

Flashback Friday: Homeless in Europe

Okay, I wasn’t sleeping on the streets or begging for money, but after I quit my au pair job there was a four week period where I had no place to call an actual home. Making the most of what could have been a stressful situation, I grabbed my suitcase and wandered around Italy and Switzerland for a month. This was my first experience traveling alone and these crazy few weeks can be held responsible for my current aspiration to become nomadic.

The eight places I called home during this time all helped shape my idea of independent travel.

May 21

10 Comments

A Day at the Races

I’ve found the secret to making easy money for traveling.

Gambling. On horse racing in Seoul, to be exact.

Okay, maybe I actually found a quick way to become a degenerate gambler (especially for someone with an addictive personality and insatiable desire to win things, like myself), but I did manage to win 120,000 won (about $100) this weekend during my first visit to Seoul Racecourse. All of which was quickly dumped into my travel savings tin when I got home and got me thinking about my next trip to the track. And why I hadn’t gone sooner. Read more

May 10

8 Comments

How to Get a (Good) Au Pair Job

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my time as an au pair in Rome. Although my experience with my first family wasn’t great, I would still recommend working as an au pair to anyone looking to go abroad. If you are a native English speaker, getting a job as an au pair is fairly easy. Here are a five tips to help answer any questions about how to get an au pair job. Read more

May 3

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Buddha’s Birthday in Seoul

Celebrating holidays foreign to your native country is one of the most fascinating experiences of being abroad. Every spring Korea celebrates the birthday of Prince Siddartha Gautama, better known as Buddha. Last year, my first in a Buddhist country, I made sure to check out some of the celebrations around Seoul. Because the exact date of the holiday is determined by the lunar calendar, it is different every year. In 2012 Buddha’s Birthday will be celebrated on May 28 in South Korea. The beautiful lotus lanterns are already going up around the country and it’s not too early to start thinking about what to do to celebrate Buddha’s birthday in Seoul. Read more

Apr 27

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Flashback Friday: The Time I Was an Au Pair in Europe

Alternatively titled, the time I was Cinderella in Europe. Without a fairy godmother or Prince Charming.

First off, a lot of people might be asking, what the heck is an au pair? When I told people in the United States of my plans to work abroad as an au pair I was usually met with a confused look. An au pair is kind of a babysitter, language tutor, and cultural ambassador hybrid. Au pairs are hired most often as a way for families to expose their children to mother tongue English speakers. Thus, most of the au pair’s time is spent with children speaking English. You may be required to help with chores around the house or prepare more in depth lessons, but usually you are only expected to do about 5 hours of work a day. In return, the au pair is given room and board and a weekly allowance of what is considered pocket money (in Italy this is less than 100 euro a week). So while you won’t be raking in the cash, by being an au pair in Europe you will be immersed in a new culture and make enough for a few glasses of wine (or pints of beer) on the weekend. Read more

Apr 23

6 Comments

Korea’s First Pop Up Restaurant

This past weekend I had the opportunity to dine at Korea’s first pop up restaurant, Back Kitchen Seoul. Pop up restaurants, for those unfamiliar, are temporary restaurants that allow chefs to experiment with different concepts and ingredients without the financial burden and time consuming effort of opening a permanent eatery. These short term restaurants are popular in major cities, especially in the United States and England. Word is often spread through social media, and when I read on Twitter a month or so ago that the food bloggers behind ZenKimchi and Seoul in the City were joining forces for a one night only creative culinary experience, I knew I had to be there. Read more