This month, we went on a cultural trip with a few of the SDLAP members to NOVA, where more Korean stores, restaurants, and activities can be found. During this trip, we tried to recreate what a normal hangout in Korea would be like. We had Korean food, Korean desserts, visited a Korean bakery, and also did karaoke, which is a very common activity in Korea.
Our first stop was a boba shop. Boba (bubble tea) originates from Taiwan but is not widely spread internationally. In Korea, there are multiple famous boba shops such as Gongcha, The Alley, and Amasvin. Gong Cha is definitely the most popular with unique flavors. They have also expanded their chains here in America. Recently, they released a product of spicy rice cakes (tteokbokki) made with bubbles as a joke for April Fools' Day.
Our second stop was karaoke, which was connected to a cafe. Unlike karaoke in Korea, most karaoke places here are connected to a cafe or a restaurant, or they are open to the public. Additionally, the prices of karaoke in America are much more expensive than in Korea.
Our third stop was a Korean bakery. Korea is well known for its bakeries, as bakeries and cafes are popular hangout spots. Hanging out at these cafes is a big part of Korean culture, especially on a day off. Korean bakeries also use a lot of unique ingredients that are hard to find in American bakeries. A very popular ingredient incorporated into bread is red bean paste.
The fourth stop of our cultural trip was a KBBQ restaurant. KBBQ is the most popular Korean dish in America, so we had to experience a place where we cooked the meat ourselves. This place was an all-you-can-eat restaurant that provided a variety of meats, including pork, beef, and intestines. They also provided popular side dishes like kimchi, steamed eggs, hot soup, and potato salad.
After KBBQ, we also had shaved ice, which is a very common dessert in Korea. Shaved ice comes in various flavors such as mango, strawberry, red bean, and ingulmi (bean powder).
Our final destination was H-mart, one of the most famous Korean grocery stores in America. Among Koreans, H-mart is the most accessible and best Korean grocery store with the most authentic Korean products. They have a lot of frozen foods as well as fresh produce and meat that are hard to find in other international markets.
During my personal time this month, I have been reading a lot of articles and watching a lot of Korean YouTube videos. The topics vary from business to current events happening in Korea. Naver news articles are definitely my go-to resource for following up on the main events happening in Korea. YouTube is also my favorite resource for trending topics, slang, and events.
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