Cycle 15 – Item 116

30 (Tue) April 2024

Dosirak

3.0

by me

in the conference room at work

-Seongsu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

solo (with other lunch-packing staff)

So tired of the restaurants near the office, I will now pack my lunch, when possible.  I’ve done it on occasion in the past, but never systematically, only if I happened to have certain kinds of easily transportable, easily reheatable leftovers (e.g., curry).   Last night, I cooked rice, made miso soup, grilled a mackerel, and prepared a batch of spinach namul, all for lunch today.   It was good – nutritious and tasty.  Though I did wonder whether it was worth the expense and effort, compared to paying 7,000 won for a balanced meal at my baekban joint (see most recently 15.110 Gyeran Mari), even if I can’t choose what to eat there on any given day.

Incidentally, a packed lunch is referred to generally as “dosirak,” even if not packed in a rectangular lunchbox (see also 15.094 Jumbo Doshirak), like how “brown bagging” doesn’t necessarily involve a brown bag.

(See also HANSIK)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)