The Night I Opened a Delivery App and Immediately Closed It


I was starving. My friend said “just use the app.” So I downloaded one.


I opened it. Everything was in Korean. Photos of food I couldn’t read. Buttons everywhere. I tapped one. More Korean. I panicked and closed the app.


I ended up eating a protein bar from my suitcase. It was 11 PM. I was sad. My stomach was sad. The photos of fried chicken on the app were not sad. They were taunting me.



Korean food delivery rider arriving at a Korean apartment building at night, food delivery app visible on smartphone screen


My Friend Ordered for Me and I Felt Useless


The next day I complained. My friend just took my phone. Tapped for like 10 seconds. Handed it back.


She said “done.” I said “what did you order?” She said “surprise.”


20 minutes later a guy was at my door with a bag. There was food. Real food. Hot food. I didn’t do anything. I just sat there.


I felt like a baby. A very hungry, grateful baby. I still don’t know what I ate. It was orange. It was good. I wanted to cry.


Smartphone showing the Baemin food delivery app interface alongside Korean chopsticks and side dishes


I Tried to Copy Her and Almost Ordered 10 Dishes

A week later I felt brave. I opened the app again.


I used my camera on the screen. The words turned into English. Kinda. “Spicy fire chicken leg no bone happy set.” I don’t know what that means. But there was a picture. I tapped it.


Then I tapped another picture. And another. Suddenly my “cart” had 5 things. I didn’t mean to. The buttons were too small. My finger is too big.


I got scared and closed the app again. Went back to the convenience store. Bought triangle kimbap. It was safe. It did not judge me.


Person using Google Translate camera function to read a Korean food delivery app menu in Korea


The Guy on the Scooter Knows My Building Better Than I Do


When my friend orders, the food just shows up. Fast.


The delivery guy always knows exactly which building. Which entrance. Which floor. Even though I still get lost in my own hallway.


One time it was raining. He showed up in a full yellow suit like a superhero. Handed me the bag. Bowed. Left. The whole thing took 8 seconds.


I tipped him. He looked confused and handed it back. I got embarrassed and bowed too. We bowed at each other in the rain. It was weird. I still think about it.


Multiple Korean delivery food dishes laid out on a Korean dining table, including tteokbokki, fried chicken, and jjajangmyeon


Summary


I thought ordering food would be easy. It’s not.


The apps are all in Korean. I can’t read. My fingers are too big for the buttons. My friend has to do it for me. The scooter guys are faster and nicer than me.


📌 Things I Noticed


  • The apps are not in English: I opened it and immediately felt dumb.
  • Pictures save lives: I just tap the pictures now. I don’t know what I’m getting. It’s a surprise every time.
  • If you’re new: Find a friend. Or just accept the protein bar life. I’ve done both.

This is just what happened to me. I don’t know how the apps work. I’m not a tech expert. Don’t ask me to order for you. I’ll accidentally buy you 10 chickens.


Korean food delivery rider in Seoul at dusk, city lights visible in background


👉 Discover more Korea guides here

You may also be interested in:

👉 [Next in this series]:  The Night I Thought We Were Going Home at Midnight and Everyone Laughed

👉 [Previously in this series]:  The Day I Tried to Open an Apartment Door and Realized There Was No Handle

댓글

댓글 쓰기

이 블로그의 인기 게시물

Samgyeopsal Guide: How to Eat Korean BBQ Like a Local

이미지
I still remember the first time I tried samgyeopsal. It was a cold winter night in Seoul, and a friend dragged me into a tiny restaurant packed with people. The moment I stepped inside, the smoke hit me first — thick and fragrant, smelling of charred pork fat and sesame. Then the noise: laughter, clinking glasses, the sizzle of meat hitting a hot iron grill. I had no idea what I was doing. I just watched the person next to me. She grabbed a lettuce leaf, piled on a piece of meat straight off the grill, added a smear of dark ssamjang, a sliver of golden garlic, folded it all into one compact bundle — and ate it in one bite. I did the same. That was it. Completely hooked. Unlike American bacon, which is typically cured and smoked before it reaches the plate, Korean samgyeopsal is served fresh and thick-cut. The focus is on grilling it at the table and sharing the experience.   Grilled Korean pork belly on a hot grill. But what stays with me isn't just the flavor. It's the ritual....
Read more »

Korean Jjimjilbang: The Ultimate Korean Spa Experience

이미지
I almost didn't go in. Standing outside a jjimjilbang for the first time, I genuinely had no idea what I was walking into. The sign said bathhouse, but the building was seven floors tall and there were families walking in with overnight bags. A friend just laughed and said, "Trust me. Go in." So I went in. I handed over my shoes at the entrance, received a small locker key and a pair of shorts that somehow fit everyone, and followed the arrows. The air inside was warm and faintly humid, with a clean mineral smell I couldn't quite place. Within an hour, I had relaxed in a hot pool that left my skin feeling refreshed, sat in a room that smelled like charcoal and cedar, enjoyed a hard-boiled egg that tasted better than any egg I'd had before, and rested on a heated floor next to complete strangers. And I felt completely at peace. That's the thing about jjimjilbang that nobody warns you about. It's not just a spa. It's a reset button. Koreans come here aft...
Read more »

A Journey Through Time: Essential Guide to Seoul's Royal Palaces

이미지
The first time I walked through the gates of Gyeongbokgung, I felt like I had stepped through a crack in time. It was a Tuesday morning, grey and quiet. The tourists hadn't arrived yet. I walked through the main gate alone — or nearly alone — and stood in a courtyard looking at a palace that had survived invasions, fires, and a century of occupation, and was still standing. The mountains behind it were framed so perfectly by the rooftops that it looked like someone had arranged them on purpose. I'm not a historian. I don't usually slow down for plaques or guided tours. But something about Gyeongbokgung made me stop. Maybe it was the scale. Maybe it was the silence. Maybe it was the woman in a red hanbok who walked past me like she belonged to a different century entirely. I stayed for three hours. I came back the next day. Seoul is a city that moves fast. Its palaces are its reminder to slow down. The Five Palaces of the Joseon Dynasty Seoul has been the capital of Korea fo...
Read more »