One topic that I think should be addressed more often by waygooks here in Korea is weight loss. Who has lost weight since hopping over? Who hasn't?
I promise this isn't going to turn into a weight-loss blog. I just think it's an interesting subject. I've had several friends who said they'd lost weight since coming here. To tell the truth, it isn't that hard. For one thing, we aren't driving anymore. We're walking, standing up and trying to maintain our balance in buses or subways, or walking a couple of blocks to hail a cab. There is also something to be said for the physical impact of teaching. We're standing up for most of the day, for one thing. For another, we're constantly being accosted by children.
Seriously, this morning I had two children in my lap (one with her arms around my neck, pulling my hair) and one on each arm. I literally had to pick them up, two by two, and carry them across the room to the gym for stretches.
Twice.
For some reason, these children seem to think that we're a bunch of funny looking jungle gyms. Don't mind me, you're just screaming in my ear and yanking my hair out, little ones...
I digress.
Ben and I have been tossing around the thought of trying to lose weight here in SK for a while now, and though we both have been losing some weight solely by the increase in physical activity and the addition of kimchi (good Lord, the kimchi *blech*) to our diets, we've decided to go a more structured route.
We're using an online resource, but there is one nice thing about doing this in Korea. Produce isn't that expensive, and almost everything is fresh. Much fresher than the produce you get from Walmart that tastes like chemicals and GMOs. You know what I'm talking about! The spinach and carrots we buy here still have a light dusting of dirt! (Naturally, we thoroughly wash them. Can never be too careful.)
Another nice perk of dieting in Korea is that traditional Korean food ain't that bad for ya. Take the kimchi, for example. Once you get past the assault on your senses that this fermented, spicy power food packs, it really isn't that bad. Well, some isn't that bad. Some is actually really very bad. (Again, *blech*.) Sorry, my kimchi-loving friends and readers! It just ain't my thing! But honestly, Koreans and every Korean restaurant serves kimchi as a never-ending side dish, so I'm trying to get used to it. A second popular Korean side-dish is pickled daikon radish, which is really quite tasty in comparison to the kimchi. A little weird and a little sour, but it's crunchy and healthy, and Koreans eat it all the time.
Then there is the great Korean barbecue, which consists of meat cooked by you on a little grill in a restaurant. No carbs in this meal unless requested. Usually, it's just the meat (can be pork or beef... don't know if there are other options as yet), leafy greens (to wrap the meat in), spicy sauces, bean paste, kimchi (so much better if you throw it on the grill, too), garlic cloves, bean sprouts, soup, and a few other unknown pickled vegetable dishes. Probably the unhealthiest part of this meal is the salt on the marinated meat.
One particular downside to dieting in Korea, however, is not knowing WHAT THE HECK THE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION SAYS ON FOOD BOXES. For a country that has English on signs everywhere, they sure like to keep their food a mystery. Never fear, though! Here are some translations, borrowed from this very helpful message board source.
열량 Calories
탄수와물 Carbs
당류 Sugar
단백질 Protein
지방 Fat
포화지방 Unsat fat
트랜스지방 Trans fat
콜레스테롤 Cholesterol
나트륨 Sodium
칼슘 Calcium
식이셤유 Fiber
Before we found that board, we were Babelfishing everything, trying to get the translation right. Ugh.
If any of you are in Korea or planning to come to Korea soon, and you want to diet, don't be discouraged! So far the hardest part (aside from translation) has been figuring out how to categorize the food our cook serves at lunch. Today was a potato/fish-with-bones-still-inside surprise. ............... Yeah, I ate a salad today.
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