Culture shock remains one of the biggest obstacles to successfully settling into a new country, and the differences between cultures are not limited to new types of music, handshakes or weather. There’s also the issue of food. In the developed world, many people have chosen vegetarian diets and may find it difficult to live in countries with meat filled diets like Korea. The Korea Herald discusses some of the issues facing expats whose diets are at odds with their new country’s cuisine:
Most foreigners’ initiation to Korea comes sat around a BBQ with coworkers, sharing drinks and endless cuts of meat. This can be hard for people with dietary restrictions hoping to assimilate without much ado. So for practical reasons, some find themselves making exceptions.
Jill Murray, vegan for a year, struggles when out and about. “I sometimes feel like a burden to my friends here because there are so many restaurants that only serve meat,” she explained.
Rae Dohar did make changes in her first few weeks and ate seafood, egg and some dairy cookies. “I wanted my co-teachers to understand that I was appreciative of their culture and willing to try new things.” But, now they know her better, she said they are understanding.
As long as you are sensitive and polite with your requests, most find restaurants are happy to accommodate. “Cuisine here is very personal,” said Vanessa Burke, who recommends not picking unwanted parts out of your food. “I have yet to offend because I’ve learned a lot of Korean, know what ingredients are in what and am specific of my lifestyle choices.”
I think the biggest problem with having unique dietary needs is that it interferes in socialization. For instance, if you are Muslim and do not drink, you may have a more difficult time in an alcohol soaked culture like Britain, Ireland or Russia. Since drinking is a way of meeting people, you may be forced into other social networks whether you like it or not.
However, as our world becomes more interconnected, I think people become more understanding of cultural differences, particularly those related to immigrants/expats. A brief explanation that you do not eat or drink certain items should solve most problems.
Should you change your diet to fit in better? If you are looking to move permanently to a country, I would suggest it. If you are just passing through, I wouldn’t bother. Obviously if the reasons behind dietary choices are religious in nature, or related to health issues, then no choice is possible. But for the rest of you who have specific diets simply because you have made a choice to not eat certain foods, it may be best to put those aside to succeed in a more challenging goal: fitting in.
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