Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Vegetarian in Seoul

Dear Dr. P, Hi, I have accepted an offer from Seoul, and I will be working on a scientific project there. My question is regarding the availability of vegetarian food in Seoul. I am from India and am very strict in my food habits. I do not take any non-vegetarian stuff. I am very much worried, whether I will be able to manage in Seoul. Let me mention that I prefer cooking myself. But I would like to know, whether raw vegetables, rice, dal and other grocery items will be available at Seoul without any problems? Hope your answer will provide me more idea about this. Thanks in advance. Dear sender, In Korea, it is very hard to find a pure vegetarian restaurant, but they do exist, and many are creating vegetarian options. If you use facebook, I strongly suggest you join the Seoul Veggie Club, which is on facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/seoulveggieclub. Regarding the ingredients you listed, the best places to go shopping are located in and around Itaewon. The Seoul Veggie Club members are great at giving out advice on where to buy specific ingredients. Traditiona

Oct 12, 2012

Doctors advise planned pregnancy

By Yoon Ja-young Korea has designated Oct. 10 the Day for Pregnant Women. The choice of this date has in large part to do with the general belief that October is the month of harvesting and abundance. Despite the government policy of encouraging childbearing to balance the rapidly aging population, pregnant women are increasingly becoming apprehensive about the health of their unborn children because of factors such as late marriages, pollution and stress. Meanwhile, doctors are admonishing would-be parents for making advance preparations before confirmed pregnancies. According to professor Han Jung-yeol at Cheil General Hospital & Women’s Healthcare Center, “The health status of a pregnant woman is also determined by her health status before pregnancy.” Most of all, planned pregnancies can spare would-be mothers the apprehension that in general comes with carrying a child. Often the joy of pregnancy soon turns to anxiety, especially if the woman has a history of drinking, taking medication or exposure to some form of X-rays. According to research by the Korean SafeM

Oct 12, 2012By Yoon Ja-young

(207) Destructive feng shui

By Janet Shin In practicing feng shui, people consider different aspects depending on the country and culture. While feng shui-orientated interior design, to make money or lead to a successful life, is becoming more popular nowadays, traditional Korean feng shui masters have read more into natural landscapes, such as mountains, rivers and the shapes and direction of the land. Selecting an auspicious place for ancestors’ tombs and locating homes at prosperous sites has been an important ritual. It is common to read in history books that Korean kings of many generations tried to pick burial grounds with good feng shui for their ancestors. And this has also been respected by recent national leaders in order to try and maintain power. Seoul was cleverly chosen as the capital of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) after taking feng shui into consideration. Mountains to the north, west, east and south, with regards to geographical position of rivers were cautiously considered for the glory of the royal family, welfare of the people and prosperity of the nation. Various criteria, such as

Oct 11, 2012

Living together without tying the knot

By Ryu Chang-gi Many young Korean men and women no longer take marriage for granted. They opt to live together under the same roof without tying the knot for a variety of reasons. Some parts of society considered cohabitation as scandalous and tantamount to living in sin, however, it is true that Korea is turning more generous toward diverse family structures So why are these couples going against the social norm of settling into married life? Some are trying each other out for a while and want to make sure that their relationships are sexually and socially compatible before getting married. Others cite soaring marriage and housing costs as key reasons behind their cohabitation. It is said that the number of unmarried couples is increasing steadily, although reliable statistics are as yet unavailable. And the trend is likely to continue given the difficulty of getting married amid soaring costs and the increasing openness of society toward cohabitation. It is no secret that many young collegians are living together to share rental costs in residential areas near

Oct 9, 2012

Living together unmarried under same roof

By Ryu Chang-gi, Jun Ji-hye, Rachel Lee Marriage is a social commitment couples make to live together permanently. But many break up despite the intention of their vows, leaving a fundamental question in the wake ― what’s marriage actually for? An increasing number of couples, instead of rushing down the aisle, are choosing to live together. This is emerging as an alternative to marriage for many couples. Cohabitation is not common in this conservative Korean society which in some quarters still stresses Confucian values. But public favor is turning more towards living together without marriage. More than 55 percent of young Koreans aged between 15 and 32 showed a positive reaction to cohabitation, according to a recent report by the National Statistical Office. Moving in together is a huge step and a sign of serious commitment between two people. However, just as a marriage license doesn’t necessarily certify a permanent relationship, cohabitation is also prone to problems and misunderstandings about money and other issues. Still, many young couples are expected t

Oct 9, 2012

Living together without tying the knot

Fighting depression

Dear Dr. P, I find myself half a world away from my friends and family and feeling lost and alone. I went through several rough patches in my life prior to coming here and feel that I'm still being dragged down. I was considering visiting a psychiatrist but I'm afraid it will jeopardize my current position (I'm an English teacher at a public school). Is it possible to come in for counseling and not get fired? Will my insurance cover it? Will it help, or should I just give my adjustment more time? Thank you. Dear sender, I can understand how much you have suffered from loneliness in this unfamiliar foreign country. First of all, there are no disadvantages for you to visit a psychiatrist and have counseling to treat your depression. Of course, you are not going to be fired because of visiting a psychiatric clinic. Legally, a psychiatrist must keep a patient’s confidentiality, so you don't have to worry about that. It is true that people used to be prejudiced against psychiatric treatment in the past, but things have changed since then. People have started to think

Oct 5, 2012

More people on vegetarian diet

By Yun Suh-young To become healthy, many people rely on dietary supplements. Tablets of vitamins ranging from A to E and comprehensive nutritional supplements, including iron, magnesium and other substances, are examples. But the paradigm of how people are taking care of their diet and the type of dietary supplements they take are changing. In terms of diet, if people paid special attention to their food intake for weight control or for energy-supply reasons, recent trends show people are taking extra care of their diet for detoxification purposes. Consuming vegetables is a good example. More and more people are on a vegetarian diet not because they loathe meat or because they are against slaughtering of animals but because vegetables are excellent detoxifiers. “I started eating vegetables as my main diet since last month and I saw immediate effects. I used to have constipation, now I don’t have any problems in my bowel movements,” said Eileen Chung, a 26-year-old graduate student. “I also feel that my digestive system is more comfortable,” she said. The e

Oct 5, 2012

(206) Awash with fortune telling too much fortunetelling?

By Janet Shin People seek various ways to find a solution when they go through hardships or make important decisions. Consulting others who could suggest an answer may be a natural approach for many people. Someone say that saju becomes more popular during recessions as people want to know why their lives are so hardscrabble and when they can escape the dark tunnel. They also want to read specific figures’ fate during the important transfer of political power, such as presidential elections as now, while they are always eager to know their own destiny for the critical events of their life ― weddings, success, death or failure. Fortune telling in Korea has evolved depending on demands of the times. It has progressed but on the other hand, also experienced stagnation and regression. Shamanism has always been there accompanied by “gut,” a practice of exorcism. Face reading has been on the decline because of its limited predictions with a comparatively narrow scope of reading. However it catches people’s attention most easily and quickly without cumbersome preparation. It

Oct 4, 2012

Hongdae losing indie spirit

By Jung Min-ho, Bahk Eun-ji, Kim Bo-eun Hongdae, the area around Seoul’s Hongik University, has long served as an incubator for indie bands and poor urban artists. Rumble Fish, Jaurim, Crying Nut, and other musicians performed there before they rose to stardom. However, musicians are leaving what used to be a hub of freedom and underground music, as a plethora of commercial shops are quickly occupying the area. Lee Young-jik, a 23-year-old keyboard player of indie band Peacock Green, said an obvious change is taking place in the cultural mecca of Seoul. “Hongdae is still packed with crowds every weekend but now the place is building its reputation as a dance club district while less people visit the area to see indie bands’ performances,” Lee said. “I can sense the change, a bitter but apparent fact for many musicians.” As the glory days of indie bands in Hongdae seems to be on a downward curve, many musicians who have lost their jobs are forced to leave to seek opportunities in other places. With the area gaining international recognition, the rent has gone u

Oct 3, 2012By Kim Bo-eun

Working with Koreans

Dear Dr. P Hi, I am a foreigner from Hong Kong and I've started my job in Korea since last July. I work for a Korean company and my job required to work as a team with my colleagues. The problem is all my coworkers are Korean. Since I can only speak basic Korean and haven't experienced any authentic Korean culture in my life, it's really hard to get along with my coworkers even though they all speak quite fluent English. For example, one of my seniors (sunbae) is three years older than me and I can sometimes see he ignores me because of the age difference. It's totally fine but I just can't stand on his typical ajussi-styled macho-ism when I worked with him. Another problem is I don't drink any alcohol and I am a vegetarian so it's very difficult to get along with co-workers after work. In this case, what should I do? Any advice? Dear sender, It seems that the difficulties you are suffering in your company could happen to every- body in Korea. It may be more serious for you to deal with these issues because you are a foreigner. First off, try to treat and underst

Sep 28, 2012

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