Thank you for this video, it was perfect. I am planning a Solo trip to SK and this was sooo helpful. I was worried I'd have to miss out on the bbq experience. This video gave me hope and confidence to eat authentic Korean food alone
I've gone many times solo to Korea, and just ate American like fast food or convenience stores. Ordering in mom/pop's was too daunting. thanks for this video. The only time I ate 'real" food is when I met up with friends.
@eunsihae it was quite daunting my first time as well to be honest. I think these hon-bap places are nice because so many other people are eating alone as well, so you don't feel out of place at all. Definitely give them a try next time!
@girleyborer472 wow 15 euros for soju sounds so expensive after living in Korea for 11 years! Haha. Although when having Korean food there is no replacement that quite hits that spot, so I'd probably end up paying it anyways!
I recently read a post on reddit, of a foreigner who lives in korea, who frequently eats alone. They said when they do, that sometimes random korean people will join them at their table without asking, it seems like they didn't want the poster to eat alone. People in the comments were commenting that it's seen as bad luck to eat alone and that it's socially frowned upon slightly, and that's also why mukbang is so popular in korea.
Haha this kind of thing might happen in the countryside for sure! When I first came to Korea I lived about an hour out of Seoul (Osan) and people would sometimes sit beside me if I was eating alone and they would almost always pay for the meal too. I felt like they were treating me too nice haha. However, recently with Korea's shrinking population and increase of independantly minded single people, eating alone (especially in Seoul) is getting a lot more common, and the stigma behind it is disappearing a lot!
thank you for this video! i actually watched this and added it to my itinerary. i was able to find the exact place, so thank you so much! i documented my trip and reviewed the food, i got: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ywi9sJzA0xI.htmlsi=wa876ckZMKgs7cj4 spoiler alert: it was so so good!
Wow nice @jimbob2861! Haha you might be a bit anxious the first time, but just do it and you'll see how easy and relaxing it is! Have an amazing trip! 😁
Thank you for the video! Went today to Hongojib and its foreigners friendly. There is IFU on the wall near each seat, and also the staff was very helpful, one of the guys asked me if I'm doing it for the first time and explained all about process and souses in English
Thanks so much for watching @SunChasingJourney! That's great to hear that it was foreigner friendly and that they gave explanations as well. Hope you have a great trip to Korea!
this has given me a lot more confidence in going to korea in 2 weeks. honestly going to try that bbq place and honsul's while im there. thank you for such a good video
Thanks so much @Tonybasten39! Really glad that it was helpful! There are a lot of Shabu Shabu (샤브샤브) / Hot pot places around near the BBQ place too that are great to eat! Here's a map link to one if you need, and it's a chain so you can find them in other areas too: naver.me/xejrnSHj
Aaah this video was perfect, I will be visiting Korea in April by myself and I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to enjoy all the yummy food Korea has to offer. Thank you so much!!
Really glad the video helped you @bixby451! Thanks for letting us know! Hope you have a wonderful trip to Korea, and even if a restaurant looks intimidating on the outside to eat alone, I recommend just walking in with a smile on your face (and PapaGo open on your phone to translate if needed) and I'm sure the staff will be really helpful and friendly!
OMG thanks!!! I really needed this video! I thought that the BBQ experience was only for groups and I'm gonna travel alone 😢 this is really helpful ❤️❤️
@camilaortiz1780 so happy to hear we could introduce the solo barbecue to you! It's really worth it, and there is now one in Myeongdong as well if you are staying near there: naver.me/FhU3NJge All the best with your trip to Seoul!
Love you videos. Thanks for the advice. I’m heading there late July on my own. What do you do with your rubbish if you sit out the front of convenience store.
Thanks so much for watching and for the nice words @ashjenkins1130! Every convenience store has garbage bins inside, so you can walk back in and throw everything away after you are finished.
@@Miguel_Noether couldn't find any places where you grill the meat yourself, but this place grills it for you and then gives it to you on a hot plate. [네이버 지도] 육첩반상 대전은행점 대전 중구 중앙로164번길 26 naver.me/FxXtombm
Strange... I don't even blink at doing things alone. And often look forward to it. Even in Korea. I wondered why so many people were looking at me quizzically all those years ago... Now I know. Good tips! ps. keep your vlogging style 👍. There are too many over-the-top RU-vid personalities out there. You two come across as "real"
Haha for sure! Back then (pre-2017-ish?) it was super rare for people to eat alone, but now it's getting more normalized. Thanks so much for the nice words too man! That helps a lot! Still trying to learn how to be a "RU-vidr" without being too obnoxious or making others around us feel uncomfortable. Definitely a bit of a learning process!
@tobyk8125 haha back in 07 I wonder if there were any hon-bap / "eating alone" restaurants. The trend got really big in about 2014-2015 from what I remember.
Wow @barcher thank you so much for your support and generousity! That's incredibly helpful for us, and we'll use it as motivation to keep learning and working hard to make videos in the future. We'll add your RU-vid ID to the back of the videos if that's okay, and hope you have an amazing weekend!
Love your videos man! This takes me back to the time I spent over there. Nothing better than having a beer outside of a busy 711 after a long day! When people would ask me what's the best bar in Seoul I'd always point them to the MiniStop along Hangang Jamwon 2nd Branch. No joke, I loved that place lol I wonder if the solo dining places are a new trend? When I lived over there (Mid 2000s) it was impossible to get BBQ if you were alone. I actually convinced a local joint that I could eat enough for two so they'd take me in when I was craving BBQ but didn't have a second person to join me.
Thanks so much! Haha love your name Apgujohn! Totally agree that there's nothing like sitting at a convenience store! Also Ministops have now all changed into Emart 24 convenience stores, Family Marts have now become CUs, and I don't know if there were GS25s in the middle 2000s but I'm curious if there were (it's arguably the most popular convenience store now). Eating alone places are becoming a trend, especially in Seoul. Korea is definitely becoming a more independent place overall, so a lot of places have adapted as a result. Most BBQ places are still 2 or more though.
Great update! Don't feel shy about vlogging. You are extremely natural at it in person. And also there are so many live streamers and vloggers these days, it's totally normal! And makes for great content.
I would say that it can actually be a bit of an honor to have the interest of such a diligent content creator such as yourself - as opposed to some of the low effort streamers!@@lostthenfound
@Albireo20 hope you can try it when you come back next time! There are other similar restaurants around Seoul too (although not many), so definitely keep an eye out!
Wow, what an amazing video. Where were you in 2002 when I first visited Korea? You are doing a truly remarkable and commendable job of introducing the Moguk to newbies. Back in 2002 my only guide was my one year of studying Korean at a Hagwon here in NYC and my trusty Lonely Planet. Yes, it would have made my life so much easier had I seen your wonderful videos in advance, but this was pre-RU-vid. On the other hand, I wouldn't trade anything for my newbie memories, especially the weirdest ones, like going to a basement Dabang in Andong and finding out that they didn't sell tea, per se. Or my first visit to a non Western gay bar, in Gwangju, and pretty much being forced to sing "My Way" on the small Karaoke stage.
@barcher thanks so much for the kind words! Haha I can imagine the experience was a whole lot different coming to Korea in 2002! I have a similar dabang experience, and the lady working there felt bad for me I think for not knowing and she just gave me a coffee for cheap like a regular cafe! Haha. Korea has definitely changed a lot over the years for the better in a lot of cases, but the chaos was fun in its own way!
@@lostthenfound I miss the old Pimatgol. It was so authentic and old school twenty years ago. Basic, basic tiny godeungeo places, hanging electrical wires, the occasional cat. And now....
@@lostthenfound I should add that in 2001 the hagwon I attended here in Manhattan was using old textbooks from Yonsei that featured many conversations in which we discussed going to a dabang and what delicious teas we would drink there. And my teacher was in his 70s and probably remembered when a dabang served yujacha. Imagine my surprise.
@barcher hahaha oh that makes a lot of sense then! You must have been so shocked going in there expecting a traditional teahouse! I guess that's why Insadong exists now, to give people that type of an experience without having to take a gamble.
Great video and much needed as well. I will be going to Korea alone next year and was daunted at the thought of how and where I could go out and eat alone.
Thanks so much @oilin2558! Glad it was helpful. Luckily these days most of the tourist places in Seoul have tons of restaurants that cater really well to people eating alone. I send you the challenge of finding a random place on Naver Maps like in the video, as you can create a really awesome memory, and if you struggle with the menu or anything I almost guarantee that people will help you out!
