You may think you know all there is to know about food delivery...but you're wrong. Korea has somehow perfected delivery in the most brilliant way. First of all, almost all restaurants here in Korea deliver. No matter what type of food, there's a 98% chance it can be delivered to your destination. If you don't happen to know the phone numbers of any restaurants close by, need not worry because these little flyers from nearby places get put on apartment doors every day. I find new ones stuck to my door about every day after I get home from work.
My favorite thing to order by delivery is Korean Chinese food, which includes jjajangmyeon (Ja-jang-myun) and tangsuyuk (tang-su-yeuk). Jjajangmyeon is a type of noodle dish with diced pork and vegetable bits that is smothered in a salty black sauce made from soy bean paste. I know what you're thinking: "black soy bean paste...WTF?!?!", but it's seriously good! Don't knock something until you give it a chance.
Tangsuyuk is my personal favorite though and is more foreign-tastebud friendly. Tangsuyuk is fried crunchy goodness! Basically it's sweet and sour fried pork (Korean style of course). The pieces of pork are covered in a thick sweet and sour jelly-like sauce. There's usually some sliced carrots and pineapple chunks thrown in there too.
Tangsuyuk: fried pork pieces covered in a sweet and sour jelly
Jjajangmyeon: noodles smothered in a salty black soy-bean paste sauce
After calling for delivery, food typically arrives at your destination within 30 minutes. All delivery drivers ride motorized scooters to make deliveries. After dropping off the food, it's time to eat--but the first thing you'll notice is that the food isn't packed into cardboard or styrofoam takeout containers; instead, restaurants use real plastic dishes, covered tightly in plastic wrap, along with real metal utensils. How genius is that?! No dishes and no bulky takeout containers to throw out!
McDonald's delivery driver on his scooter
So what do you do once your done? When you've finished up, you just stack up all the dishes and utensils in an orderly fashion and leave them outside your apartment building's main doors. Sometime later, the delivery driver will be back to collect everything.
Best delivery system ever! No dishes. No takeout boxes hogging room in your trashcan or waiting to be dumped. Better for the environment. And feeling like you're eating a decent meal because you're eating off real dishes. Sometimes it's the simplest things that make me love Korea. It's delivery service is absolutely great.
Setting my delivery dishes outside my apartment
for pick up.
