I recently took a trip to my favorite place in the entire world: South Korea! The last time I’d visited was way back when I was a meat-eater, so as you can probably imagine, I was a little nervous about going there as a vegan.
I was surprised to find that being vegan in South Korea wasn’t hard at all. Sure, it might not be drowning in all-vegan restaurants like my hometown of L.A. is, but I found it pretty easy to navigate my way through menus and felt very satisfied overall.
How to Say Key Vegan Phrases
First off, you’ll need to be able to explain to people that you don’t eat meat and dairy “products.” The terms “vegan” and “vegetarian” are interchangeable in the Korean language because the vegan lifestyle is still pretty new there. So here are some key terms to help ya out:
“I’m vegan.”
나는 채식주의 자야.
(Naneun chaesigjuui jaya.)
“Are there animal-derived products in this?”
동물성 식품 들어있어요?
(Dongmoolsung shikpoom deuluhissuhyo?)
“Please don’t put meat or eggs in it.”
고기하고 계란 넣지 마세요.
(Gogihago gyeran nuhji maseyo.)
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Note: All traditional Korean food is dairy-free, so as long as you’re eating authentic cuisine, you’re good to go on the dairy “product” front.
What to Eat at a Traditional Meal
At every meal (breakfast, lunch, AND dinner), you always have a bowl of rice to yourself plus a bunch of side dishes (banchan) in the center of the table that you share with everyone. Many of these dishes are already vegan!
The following are generally safe to eat: gim (seaweed), namul (cooked veggies), pickled garlic, gochujang (red pepper paste), deongjang (fermented bean paste), vegetable buchingae (savory pancakes), and yeongeun jorim (candied lotus root).
Usually during a meal, you’ll be served soup or stew. Korean stews are often flavored with fish or pork, so be sure to ask if it contains meat. Kimchi is a dish traditionally made with fish sauce, although vegan kimchi is becoming easier to find. Japchae (a glass noodle dish) can sometimes be nonvegan, so ask if there’s meat in it when you order.
Finding Vegan-Friendly Restaurants
The easiest way to find restaurants with vegan options is to use HappyCow.net. Some notable vegan restaurants in the country include the following:
Living as a Vegan in Korea
Are you planning to move to Korea and worried that you might not be able to enjoy American vegan goodies such as Follow Your Heart Cheese or Field Roast sausage? Well, fear not, because many online vegan stores ship worldwide! You can order vegan items from sites such as VeganEssentials.com or iHerb.com and skip out on the FOMO. 🙂