True rice cakes, as used in Korean food, aren't the Styrofoam disks that dieters often eat: they're chewy and tender, though not too soft. To find the real thing, haunt your local Asian market or bakery. The best time to get the fresh kind, which often come in two-inch ropes, is on the weekends.

Eating Korean food is an excellent way to avoid deep-fried foods, if you're on a diet. Unlike Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian cuisines, Korean dishes tend to be boiled, blanched, boiled, steamed, and stir-fried or pan-fried in vegetable oil.

Korean food etiquette is somewhat different from that used for other Asian foods. For example, Koreans do not hold their food bowls while eating, even when eating with chopsticks; rice, for example, is eaten with a western-style spoon, though chopsticks may be used.