Vegetarian Living in Korea: Bean Burgers, Shellfish Divers — A Travel Tale — Description

My issues with vegetarian living in Korea are pretty much all cleared up now. I’ve learned enough Korean to express my dietary restrictions and I’ve figured out which meals are always a safe bet. I haven’t had to eat meat because of a lack of options and I don’t think I’ll have to.

But I do have a confession to make. I ate shellfish, willingly and intentionally.

My friend Andrew, another CouchSurfer, told me about soju tents in Taejeongdae where you can see women diving to collect the shellfish (clams, scallops, and mussels), and bringing it to the tents, where it’s prepared on the spot.

Children playing on a rocky beach with ships on the horizon, a water hose leading to the ocean from an unseen beach restaurant where ethical eating and vegetarian living in Korea is made that much easier.
Vegetarian living in Korea isn’t too hard, and for ethical eaters and pescatarians, Taejeongdae Beach is a great seafood option! The beautiful views are bonus (winky face).

I couldn’t see how the method conflicted with my ethics, so I gave it a try. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Andrew, his girlfriend Eunyoung, and I headed to a rocky beach for soju, beer, and Korean barbecue.

The clams, cooked slowly right at our table, were my favourite. Simply delicious!

I experienced a lot of guilt, though, and eating shouldn’t make me feel like crap emotionally. I’ll have to put some thought into whether I’ll be eating wild fish and wild meat when I go back home.

For now, I’m just grateful I’m no longer having problems with vegetarian living in Korea.

And a true bonus for vegetarian living in Korea: I found a place that serves veggie burgers in Busan!!!! I’m so excited! I’ve been to Breeze Burns in Haeundae twice already and I only found the place about a month ago. Hadn’t realized how much I missed burgers…

For more on my day in Taejeongdae and the vegetarian ethics that allow me to eat wild meat and fish, see Memories of a Carnivore.