https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cM8-i_WDcJaPH5Go9BpGrQ-PTGUHmxJvXdKW44ADT3E/edit?usp=sharing
Recently someone said to me,
Really? That seemed unbelievable to me. Are beans really more expensive than meat? (Vegans usually eat beans and legumes instead of meat.)
I'm vegan and I'm interested in travelling to Korea. So I want to know about this.
I'm not rich
I am just a college student. I only have a part-time job. My income is low. Rent is expensive in Australia, and especially in Sydney. I spend 60% of my income on rent 😡 I am 100% vegan, so being vegan is not too expensive in Australia.
Check the facts
I did some research to learn the truth about Korean food prices. I looked on Gmarket. I also found a food prices chart. And I asked my Korean friends who live in Seoul.
Lentils
Lentils are a legume. They have iron and fibre. They are 25% protein.
They only cost about $2.50 for 1kg. 200 grams only costs 50 cents ($0.50).
Kidney beans
I often eat kidney beans. In Australia they are affordable. They are much cheaper than most kinds of meat.
They cost about $5 for 1kg. Kidney beans are more expensive in Korea than in Australia. So if you want to save money in Korea, then lentils or other beans are better than kidney beans.
Tofu
Actually, I don't eat tofu often. But it is okay. The taste is bland, so it needs spices to be tasty. I like tofu in Thai green curry.
This soft tofu costs about $8 for 1kg. Tofu is also high in iron and protein.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas are also popular among vegans. I think their texture is nice. They are often used in Indian and Middle-Eastern dishes. They are also used to make a dip called hommus.
They are about $3 for 1kg. That is really cheap.
Rice
Next is brown rice. Brown rice is much better than white rice. But is it expensive?
The price is not bad. It is similar to the price in Australia. I eat brown rice for breakfast sometimes.
Rolled oats
I eat oats for breakfast every morning. I cook porridge and add banana, berries, nuts and seeds.
Rolled oats are actually quite expensive in Korea. A 900g bag costs about $9.
Cereal, brown rice, toast or bread are cheaper. Breakfast bean burritos are a good choice too.
Beef
If it is really expensive to be vegan in Korea, then meat must be really cheap! Let's see...
Oh... It is about $16 for 1kg. That is not cheap at all! That is 6x more expensive than lentils.
General food prices
Here is a chart with many common foods and their average prices in Korea.
The most expensive things are animal products. 1kg of potatoes is less than $4. A potato-based diet is actually good for health.
One of my Korean friends, who lives in Seoul, gave me these prices:
- 500g of tofu - $3.50
- 500g of kidney beans - $7.00
- 500g of lentils - $2.90
- 500g of chickpeas - $7.50
- 1kg of brown rice - $4.50
Her prices are more expensive than Gmarket. On Gmarket the kidney beans and chickpeas were much cheaper. But her prices are still cheaper than beef. Pork is not as expensive as beef, but pork is also not very cheap.
Another friend, who also lives in Seoul, gave me these prices:
- 500g of tofu - 2600₩
- 500g of lentils - 4000₩
- 500g of chickpeas - 2500₩
- 1kg of brown rice - 4000₩
- 500g of beef - 7000₩
Lentils, tofu and chickpeas seem to be the best overall for price and nutrition. Rice has less nutrition, but provides healthy calories.
Cafes and restaurants
On Youtube some Korean vegans have tried vegan cafe breads and cakes. Those breads and cakes are usually expensive. But I don't often eat bread or cakes as snacks. For a snack I like to eat fruit, nuts, seeds or chips.
It seems that most vegan restaurants in Korea are expensive. If you only eat at restaurants, being vegan could be more expensive.
But if you must eat at a restaurant, you could ask for vegan food. Because vegan food does not have meat, eggs, fish or cheese maybe it will be cheaper. Meat, eggs, fish and cheese are expensive.
Many Korean Buddhist monks are vegan or vegetarian. The Buddhist temple food is cheap or free.
In conclusion
Being vegan in Korea is not too expensive. It is the same as or cheaper than being non-vegan.
So I think people who say 'Being vegan is too expensive' are wrong.
Are you a reasonable person with some compassion? You should think about the problems of eating animal products.
People who eat animal products will probably get cancer, diabetes or have a heart attack or stroke. Medical treatment is expensive.
Farming animals for meat and other products causes very big environmental problems. Fishing is also destroying the ocean. Trying to fix environmental problems is expensive.
We don't need to eat animal products, but we make animals suffer terribly. Animals can feel pain and sadness and they want to live. They are injected with hormones and antibiotics. Please have compassion for them.
Please reply with questions and comments in Korean or English.
@chalchal
twitter.com/steemitchalchal
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