Introduction
This guide introduces Korean dishes that travelers may want to try when visiting locations associated with Our Blues (우리들의 블루스). The drama is set in the fishing villages, open-air markets, and coastal communities of Jeju Island — a world of haenyeo divers, fish vendors, and daily market life.
Rather than a restaurant recommendation guide, this is a food and travel guide for international readers who want to understand local Jeju foods and what to look for when visiting places connected to the drama.
Drama and Region Connection
Our Blues is strongly associated with Jeju Island, with many of its scenes filmed around the island's villages, markets, and coastal areas. The drama's characters include haenyeo (female free-divers), fish market vendors, and itinerant merchants — people whose daily lives are built around Jeju's coastal and market culture. Locations like Goseong Five-Day Market and the waters around Gapado Island appear as natural backdrops to the story.
The food culture around these locations reflects the kind of simple, local eating that fits naturally with the drama's setting — market snacks, seafood dishes, and traditional Jeju food that has been part of island life for generations.
Omegitteok (오메기떡)
What is it?
Omegitteok is a traditional Jeju rice cake made from glutinous millet flour, shaped into small rounds, and coated with red bean paste. It is one of the most well-known traditional snacks associated with Jeju Island and is commonly found at Jeju markets and traditional food stalls.
What does it taste like?
The texture is soft and chewy, similar to other Korean rice cakes. The millet gives it a slightly earthy, nutty flavor that is different from standard rice cake. The red bean coating adds a mild sweetness. It is not a heavy snack — one or two pieces is usually enough as a light market bite.
How Koreans usually eat it
Omegitteok is eaten as a snack rather than part of a meal. At traditional markets, it is typically sold by the piece or in small sets. Visitors eat it standing at the stall or walking through the market. It pairs naturally with a cup of warm tea or barley tea. There is no specific etiquette involved — it is simply a casual market snack.
How is it eaten?
It is served at room temperature, often wrapped in paper or placed in a small tray. The outside is coated in red bean powder or paste. It is eaten in one or two bites and does not require utensils.
Where to try in Korea
Omegitteok is closely associated with Jeju Island and is most commonly found at Jeju's traditional markets, including Goseong Five-Day Market and Dongmun Market in Jeju City. It is also available at some specialty Jeju food shops and traditional snack stalls across the island.
Can you make it at home?
This dish is best enjoyed in Korea, particularly on Jeju Island. The millet flour used in omegitteok is not easy to find outside Korea, and the texture relies on fresh preparation. If you are visiting Jeju, picking one up at a local market is the most practical way to try it.
Bingtteok (빙떡)
What is it?
Bingtteok is a Jeju-style buckwheat crepe filled with seasoned radish. A thin buckwheat pancake is made on a flat pan, filled with stir-fried or blanched radish strips, and rolled into a cylinder. It is a traditional Jeju snack that has been eaten on the island for generations, and is still commonly found at markets and traditional food stalls.
What does it taste like?
The buckwheat wrapper has a slightly nutty, earthy flavor and a thin, soft texture. The radish filling is mild and lightly seasoned — not spicy. The overall taste is simple and clean. It is not a strongly flavored dish, which makes it easy to eat for those who are new to Korean food.
How Koreans usually eat it
Bingtteok is a market snack, eaten casually while walking or browsing stalls. It is not a sit-down dish. One roll is usually enough as a snack between meals. It is eaten by hand, holding the rolled crepe directly. No dipping sauce is typically served with the traditional version.
How is it eaten?
It is served as a rolled cylinder, similar in shape to a thin spring roll. It is held in the hand and eaten directly. It is served warm or at room temperature.
Where to try in Korea
Bingtteok is associated with Jeju Island and is most commonly found at Jeju's traditional markets, particularly Goseong Five-Day Market and Dongmun Market. It is less commonly found on the Korean mainland.
Can you make it at home?
A simplified home version is possible if you can find buckwheat flour, which is available in many countries. The filling uses daikon radish, which is also widely available. The technique is straightforward — similar to making a thin crepe. A simple home-style version can be introduced in a separate recipe guide.
Jangter Gukbap (장터 국밥)
What is it?
Jangter gukbap refers to the hearty soup-and-rice dishes commonly sold at Korean traditional markets (장터, jangteo). At places like Goseong Five-Day Market, vendors serve bowls of warm, filling soup — typically pork-based broth with rice, or blood sausage soup (순대국) — as a quick meal for market-goers. It is not a single specific dish, but a category of simple, satisfying market food.
What does it taste like?
The broth is savory and warming, usually pork-based, with a mild to medium depth of flavor. It is filling and practical — the kind of meal designed to sustain people working at or visiting a busy market. Blood sausage soup (sundaeguk) has a deeper, richer broth with a slightly stronger flavor.
How Koreans usually eat it
Gukbap is eaten as a full meal. The soup and rice are served together, either separately in two bowls or combined in one. Diners typically add the rice directly into the soup and eat everything together with a spoon. A small amount of kimchi and simple side dishes come alongside. It is a casual, no-frills eating experience — most market food stalls have simple benches or low tables.
How is it eaten?
It arrives as a large bowl of hot soup with rice either already in the bowl or served separately. Kimchi and one or two small side dishes come alongside. The meal is eaten with a spoon. It is a solo meal, not a shared dish.
Where to try in Korea
This type of market gukbap is widely available across Korea at traditional five-day markets and local market food stalls. In the context of Our Blues, Goseong Five-Day Market on Jeju's northeast side is the most directly associated location. Similar market food is found at traditional markets across the country.
Can you make it at home?
A simplified home version is possible. Pork-based soup with rice is a straightforward Korean home dish, and the basic ingredients are available in most countries with a Korean or Asian grocery store nearby. A simple home-style version can be introduced in a separate recipe guide.
Gapado Haemul Jjajang and Jjamppong (가파도 해물 짜장 · 짬뽕)
Left: Haemul Jjajang · Right: Haemul Jjamppong
What is it?
Gapado is a small island off the southern coast of Jeju, known for its green barley fields and as a destination associated with Our Blues. The island has become well known among Korean travelers for two dishes in particular — haemul jjajangmyeon (seafood black bean noodles) and haemul jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). Both are Korean-Chinese noodle dishes made with fresh local seafood rather than the usual pork, giving them a clean, oceanic character that reflects the island's fishing community.
What does it taste like?
Haemul jjajang has a thick black bean paste sauce with a mild sweetness and savory depth. The seafood version is lighter and cleaner than the standard pork version. Haemul jjamppong is a spicy, red-broth noodle soup packed with seafood — bold, warming, and more intensely flavored than jjajang. The two dishes are often ordered together at the same table, making for a natural contrast between mild and spicy.
How Koreans usually eat it
Both dishes are single-bowl meals. Jjajangmyeon arrives with the sauce on top and is mixed together with chopsticks at the table before eating. A small dish of pickled yellow radish (단무지, danmuji) and raw onion with black bean dipping paste typically comes alongside — these are eaten between bites to cut through the richness of the sauce. Jjamppong is eaten directly from the bowl with chopsticks for the noodles and a spoon for the broth. It is common for a group to order one of each and share.
How is it eaten?
Jjajang: mix the sauce and noodles at the table, eat with chopsticks, use pickled radish as a palate cleanser between bites. Jjamppong: eat directly, alternating noodles and broth. Both are informal, satisfying meals.
Where to try in Korea
The seafood versions connected to Gapado are associated with the island, accessible by ferry from Moseulpo Port on Jeju's southern coast. Standard jjajangmyeon and jjamppong are widely available across Korea at Korean-Chinese restaurants (중국집), but the Gapado seafood style is specific to that area.
Can you make it at home?
This dish is best enjoyed in Korea. Black bean paste (춘장, chunjang) can be found at Korean grocery stores, but the Gapado seafood experience is tied to the local setting and fresh local seafood. It is more of a travel food experience than a home-cooking dish.
Sea Urchin Miyeok-guk (성게미역국)
What is it?
Miyeok-guk is a seaweed soup that is deeply embedded in Korean food culture. The version most associated with Jeju uses fresh sea urchin (성게, seongge) harvested by haenyeo divers, making it a dish that reflects the island's diving tradition. Sea urchin miyeok-guk has a rich, oceanic flavor distinct from the more widely eaten beef version.
Miyeok-guk is also one of the most culturally significant dishes in Korean everyday life. It is traditionally eaten by mothers after giving birth — seaweed is rich in iodine and calcium, nutrients important for postpartum recovery. Because of this, Koreans eat miyeok-guk on their birthdays as a way of remembering and thanking their mothers. The connection between this soup and birth, family, and gratitude is a well-known part of Korean food culture.
What does it taste like?
Sea urchin miyeok-guk has a clean, savory flavor with a natural sweetness from the sea urchin. The seaweed is soft and slightly slippery in texture. The broth is light but has depth. It is a gentle, nourishing dish rather than a bold or spicy one.
How Koreans usually eat it
Miyeok-guk is served as part of a full Korean meal — alongside rice and small side dishes. The soup and rice are eaten together, with diners alternating between spoonfuls of soup and bites of rice. It is not eaten as a standalone dish. On birthdays, it is the centerpiece of the meal, often made by a parent or family member at home. At restaurants, it typically comes as part of a set meal rather than ordered alone.
How is it eaten?
It is served in a bowl alongside rice. The soup is eaten with a spoon. It is a mild dish that pairs well with kimchi and simple side dishes.
Where to try in Korea
Sea urchin miyeok-guk is most closely associated with Jeju Island, where fresh sea urchin is available from local haenyeo. It can be found at Jeju restaurants, particularly those near the coast. The more widely available version — beef miyeok-guk — is found at Korean restaurants and home kitchens across the country.
Can you make it at home?
Fresh sea urchin is difficult to find outside Korea, so the Jeju version is best enjoyed on the island. However, miyeok-guk made with beef is one of the most accessible Korean soups to make at home. Dried seaweed (miyeok) is available at Korean and Asian grocery stores in many countries, and beef is easy to source anywhere.
A home-style beef miyeok-guk recipe is available here: Korean Beef Seaweed Soup Recipe — kdrama-recipes.com
Korean Restaurant Tips for First-Time Visitors
1. Spoon and chopsticks
In Korean restaurants, cutlery is often not placed on the table automatically. Check the table drawer, a cutlery holder beside the table, or a small storage compartment underneath. Both a spoon and chopsticks are standard at most restaurants.
2. Calling staff
Many Korean restaurants have a call button on the table — press it when you need something. In restaurants without a button, you can quietly say "yeogiyo" (여기요) to get the staff's attention. Calling for staff when you need something is completely normal and expected in Korea.
3. Tablet ordering
Many Korean restaurants now use a tablet at each table for ordering, requesting extra side dishes, calling staff, and paying. The tablet may be in Korean only, so it can help to have a translation app ready.
4. Water and side dishes
Some restaurants have a self-service area where you collect water and side dishes yourself. Side dish refills are available at many restaurants, but not all. When in doubt, it is fine to ask.
5. Rice, soup, and side dishes
Korean meals are not served as courses. Rice, soup, the main dish, and all side dishes typically arrive together. Side dishes (banchan) are shared and can be eaten in any order, on their own or with rice.
6. Market eating
At traditional markets like Goseong Five-Day Market, food stalls are informal. You order directly at the counter, pay immediately, and eat at simple benches or standing. There are no reservations and no table service. It is practical, casual, and part of the experience.
7. Payment and bill
In most Korean restaurants, you pay at the counter after finishing your meal. Some restaurants use kiosks or table tablets for payment. Look for a cashier area near the entrance when you are ready to leave.
8. Tipping
Tipping is not part of Korean restaurant culture. There is no expectation of a tip.
Food Summary
| Food | Korean Name | Regional Specialty? | Where to Try | Home Cooking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omegitteok | 오메기떡 | 🌿 Jeju | Jeju markets | Best enjoyed in Korea |
| Bingtteok | 빙떡 | 🌿 Jeju | Jeju markets | Possible with substitutions |
| Market Gukbap | 장터 국밥 | — | Traditional markets nationwide | Possible with substitutions |
| Gapado Seafood Jjajang / Jjamppong | 가파도 해물 짜장 · 짬뽕 | 🌿 Gapado, Jeju | Gapado Island | Best enjoyed in Korea |
| Sea Urchin Miyeok-guk | 성게미역국 | 🌿 Jeju | Jeju coastal restaurants | Home-style beef version → |
Related K-Drama Travel Guide
Planning a K-drama trip to Jeju? You can also explore the filming locations from this drama here:
👉 Our Blues Filming Locations — scene-note.com
Sources and Notes
This article is a general food and travel guide for international readers. It does not recommend a specific restaurant or claim that these dishes are officially featured in the drama.
Food availability may vary by region, season, and restaurant. Information about Jeju regional dishes is based on general Korean food culture references, Jeju tourism information, and commonly recognized Jeju food traditions.
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