I've come a long way

Tonight after work I thought I'd try something new for dinner, so I stopped into a restaurant that  I know has a English menu, and ordered "noodles with vegetables". Doesn't sound too exciting, I know, but it's the type of thing I look for in this meat rich country. I thought I was trying something new, but it turns out that this was exactly the dish I got on my first night in Seoul, when I had to meet my boss in my scared and jet-lagged state. At that time, I couldn't even choke it down and wanted to cry. And now, here I am enjoying it! Well, before I enjoyed it, the waiter asked me if he could mix it with his hand, and I sat there staring at his bare hand, horrified, before he clarified that he would get a glove. So I sat there while he rifled through my big plate of noodles with his gloved hand. It was awkward.