Diet
Spicy pickled cabbage (called Kimch'i) and rice are the mainstays of the diet around which most other dishes revolve. Meals usually contain several spicy vegetables, soup, fish, and Kimch'i. A favorite food is naengmyon, a cold noodle dish. The consumption of soybeans and corn is high, as is millet and wheat. Food is generally spicy.
Mealtime
Families rarely have time to eat daily meals together. Fathers often leave early in the morning and return late at night. They commonly eat their meals at workplace cafeterias. Koreans consider eating while walking on the street impolite and offensive, something only a child is allowed to indulge in. Except during lengthy dinner parties, conversation during meals is quite limited. Eating with the fingers is considered impolite, but slurping soup and noodles is accepted; it is a practical way to eat hot food at the rapid pace Koreans are used to. Spoons for soup and chopsticks for everything else are the most common utensils.