Romaine and I visited Korea and Japan at the end of March and early April. I had shoulder surgery on my right, dominant arm at the end of January (my second orthopedic surgery in one year, brutal). After an almost too peaceful two months of healing, I was rested, able to use chopsticks, and revved up to explore and (mostly) eat. Our itinerary: Seoul, Busan, Osaka, Kyoto, Kinosaki, and Tokyo.

Seoul has always been a special city to me, and I have been visiting since I was a baby, each time tagging along with a family member, experiencing the city through the lens of my guides. My dad loves walking through the gardens and historical sites of Seoul, observing how different the city of his youth had become after he immigrated to the U.S., occasionally sharing surprisingly vulnerable truths and stories. My mom, a true gourmand, sought to savor and recapture the flavors of her past, taking us on aggressive food crawls, saying yes to every single bite and sharing with us. We could not keep up with my mom’s appetite, and I watched in awe as she haggled with the vendors at the market for sport. I’ve toured the city with my cousins and friends, learning which spots were trendy and which were timeless. We’d visit my family, travel to the countryside of Jeolla-do—the region my family is from—and explore a different part of the country.

After a long flight, Romaine and I landed in Seoul in the early evening. Our friends from our Paris days, Hangyeol and Kyejung, picked us up from the airport. After a lovely reunion, they drove us to their Airbnb where they graciously hosted us. We dropped off our luggage, toured their gorgeous pastry shop 데시데 pâtisserie décidé, and then went straight to dinner. Our first meal was bossam: succulent, tender, boiled pork served with ssam, geotjeori (fresh unfermented kimchi), and chewy spicy buckwheat noodles that you mix with a gloved hand. This was a delightful first meal back in Korea, and one I find myself thinking about regularly. 

From Seoul, we took a train to Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea, and a FOOD town. Busan is a port city known for beaches, great food, and big touristy areas. But I was struck by Busan’s natural beauty was while walking through Taejongdae Park peering over the cliffside into the azure sea. We learned about the city’s history through its food: slurping millmyeon, a wheat noodle dish North Korean refugees brought during the Korean War; eating hoetteok at markets; and grilling meats at BBQ.

There is so much I have yet to learn about Korean cuisine. I relished soaking in as much as I could, tasting flavors that felt familiar and experiencing techniques and ingredients that were new to me. I was surprised at how many tourists we saw in Seoul, a huge shift since my last visit in 2017. It’s been striking to see how Korean culture has spread globally—and how perceptions of our culture and food have changed. I love this video of Jordan who is proud of her lunch, and am grateful for how much progress we’ve made for my nephews’ generation.  

While I love living in Vermont, and though our state is progressive in many ways, I’ve noticed some extractive mindsets toward world cultures, especially when it comes to food. I sometimes wonder whether this stems from the state’s lack of racial diversity. Did the broader American food media conversations about cultural appropriation during Covid happen here?

After this trip, I find myself especially unsettled by those who exploit and profit from Korean food and culture: careless interpretations of kimchi (pricey ferments resembling sauerkraut), and workshops or tastings built around products that bear little connection to Korean cuisine or the people. It’s painful to witness. Beyond stripping our food of its history, communal culture, vibrancy, and flavors, it feels like yet another form of erasure that silences the lived experiences of immigrants like my mother, who endured and worked to preserve and share this rich, deeply rooted food tradition.

I’ve hesitated to write about my travels because I feel as if I don’t have a right to share as a visitor. But, I receive a lot of questions from friends, acquaintances, and folks online asking for my recommendations. I end up sharing them one-off via text which is simply not an efficient use of my time.

So, I’m happy to share some spots I enjoyed in Seoul and Busan. I live to luxuriate and eat and am quite serious about optimizing each precious meal whilst vacationing. These are some spots I would happily revisit and recommend to my friends. My only request is that you be a polite tourist, self-aware and considerate. Please be nice to everyone who is laboring to provide you a service. And do not embarrass me, especially if I’m sending you somewhere.

You can find the links to my recommendations for Seoul and Busan below. Let me know what you think, and whether you would like my recommendations for the Japan leg of our trip. 

Warmly,

Jen Kim

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