Ding! Dong! Food Is Here!

If you’re too busy or too lazy to make your own food, worry not! There are tons and tons of food that can be delivered to your door, whether that is soups, meats, rice dishes, or even a whole buffet. The delivery system in Korea is so normalized that it would be strange if a restaurant did not have a delivery service. Korea’s small geographic size makes it so much easier for delivery since they do not have to travel very far. Although quite rare, there are some famous restaurants that flaunt their ability to deliver “anywhere in the nation!” That is unheard of in the U.S. for obvious reasons. 

When I was traveling in Korea, I was most surprised by the full-on buffet you could order to your house. Since it had been six years since I had visited my relatives in Korea, we had a big gathering with almost all my relatives from my mother’s side. To cook for fifteen people was too burdensome for my mother and aunt, so we all decided on catering. Here is what we ate: 

In the first row, we have spicy fried pork, marinated salmon, and raw beef. Spicy fried pork is a common food to be delivered home, as it keeps its warmth well and retains its crispiness even with time. Raw beef, on the other hand, is a little less conventional to see as a catered food because of the high quality of meat that has to be used. Personally, I don’t like eating raw meat, so I can’t say much about its flavors… However, I can say that the spicy fried pork is pretty suitable for anyone’s tastes as they contain the familiar sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. 

In the second row, we have ribs, sweet and sour pork, and cheese and meat sushi. Ribs is a traditional Korean dish, marinated with soy sauce and garlic sauce and topped with several colorful vegetables. It is best eaten hot as it softens the meat and intensifies the umami scent. Because this is usually a sit-down meal at a restaurant, it surprised me that they delivered this dish right to our door. Sweet and sour pork is another favorite of mine (maybe I just enjoy fried pork…). One of the biggest feuds in Korea is whether you should dip the sweet and sour sauce or pour it over the fried pork pieces. As for me, I like dipping because it retains the crispy texture over time. The cheese and meat sushi is a little unconventional as it doesn’t contain the typical ingredients of vegetables, eggs, and ham or crab. The pieces were quite sizeable so it was very difficult to eat in one bite. So open wide!

In the third row, we have kale-wrapped rice, smoked salmon in lemon dressing, and nigiri sushi. All three dishes are what I would expect to be served at a fancier restaurant, but Korea’s delivery system really shows you can have anything at the convenience of your own home. 

In the last row, we have a medley of seafood and noodles, giant shrimp, and spring rolls. I was impressed by the freshness of the seafood even though it was catered food. Since the seasoning on these dishes wasn’t so strong, young kids enjoyed them a lot. 

As you can see from this 12-course meal delivered right to our door, there is great variety of what you can get in Korea. Delivery isn’t limited to just a few restaurants and you can pig out at your home however you want! It is a true dream-come-true for many introverts like me.