Jen In Korea: Becoming the Martha Stewart of Korea

Living in Korea means that some things require an adjustment. For example, I’ve gotten used to pretty much never knowing what’s going on. I just look around, see if I’m in immediate danger, and go from there. That, however, is something I expected. What I didn’t expect was to have to adjust my cooking.

When I first came, I knew I’d have to make some substitutions in cooking. I didn’t expect Korean grocery stores to carry all of the same products. I’d read that cheese is less common so I knew not to expect a big selection of cheese at the grocery store. I’d also read that different spices were available and that more international products (like tortillas or hummus) are difficult to find. To combat this, I bring my favorite spices with me and improvise with the rest.

While I was ready to make ingredient substitutions, I wasn’t prepared to alter my style of cooking. Korean homes don’t have ovens and I never realized how much I used the oven until I got here. I’d read that you can easily buy an oven though. I tried to do this but really, only toaster ovens are readily available. I can’t bake a cake or roast a chicken in a toaster oven.

Since I didn’t have an oven, I had to learn to cook everything on the stovetop. I’ve even learned to make a few no-bake desserts using ingredients that are easy to find here. This wasn’t so bad when I lived in the big apartment with the 4 burner stove. Now, however, I live in a smaller place with a 2 burner stove.

The 2 burner stove brings even more challenges to cooking in Korea. Now, I have to use readily available ingredients, cook everything on the stovetop, and juggle my pots and pans to ensure that everything is hot and ready at the same time. To accomplish this last one, I’ve started making a lot of combo bowls. For example, on Monday, I wanted meat, rice, beans, and vegetables. Well, I made a stew-like dish with these items. It was easier to combine everything than to try to make them in 2 burner increments. The resulting stew actually tasted pretty good but it wasn’t the prettiest meal I’ve ever made.

Cooking in Korea is an adjustment I’ve had to make. It’s an adjustment, however, that will make me better. If I can learn to consistently make good meals on a small 2 burner stove, I’ll be giving Martha Stewart a run for her money in no time.