Samgyeopsal and Soju the Top Pick for After-Work Dinners among the Koreans

Almost one in three workers eat samgyeopsal or Korean-style bacon when they get together with colleagues for dinner, a recent poll suggests.

Job search portal site Career carried out a poll on 825 employees to find out the most popular dinner menus among those who head out to eat together after work, and 30 percent of the respondents named samgyeopsal.

Bar snacks with beer were the second-favorite choice with 12.3 percent, and fried or roasted chicken came third with 11.7 percent. Sashimi, or sliced raw fish, was fourth with 9.8 percent.

Soju was named the top tipple (40 percent), followed by beer (33.8 percent), and a mixture of the two (20 percent). Makgeolli, or traditional Korean rice wine, was fourth with 3.4 percent, wine came fifth with 1.4 percent, and cocktails and whiskey followed with 1.2 percent and 0.2 percent of colleagues opting to drink these, respectively.

However, experts recommend workers temper their consumption of samgyeopsal, fried chicken and hard liquor, and opt for more low-fat and low-calorie choices that are rich in vitamins and minerals in order to keep their cholesterol and blood sugar levels down.