I have currently left Gori, Georgia 🇬🇪 , and returned to South Korea. 🇰🇷
My original plan was to head back to Georgia, but perhaps due to the aftermath of the US-Iran war in the neighboring region, rent for a small room in Georgia had become even more expensive than in Korea. Limited information access as a foreigner likely played a role, but Gori—where I stayed for about 8 months—had also seen steep rent increases since it sits within commuting distance (an hour round-trip) to Tbilisi. With little new supply and surging demand, it was an inevitable trend.
Ultimately, I left Georgia and found a small studio apartment in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where the rent is relatively low. It is actually slightly cheaper than Gori. However, food expenses in Korea are significantly higher. So currently, I focus on reading and writing from Monday to Thursday, and do Uber Eats(Baemin, in Korean) deliveries in Seoul from Friday through Sunday.
It has been about a month since I returned, and my diet has undergone a massive shift as well. Early on, when I ate standard meals, the refined salt and high-fructose corn syrup seemed to lower my brain’s clarity and cloud my judgment. So, I switched to a clean diet built around potatoes, eggs, almonds, tomatoes, and bananas. As a result, I’ve lost 7 kg, and surprisingly, I’m not getting tired of it at all, so I’ve been happily keeping it up.
While delivering on weekends, I noticed an interesting pattern. From Friday to Sunday, orders for dopamine-heavy foods like pizza and fried chicken spike dramatically, and this trend was far more pronounced in lower-income neighborhoods. On the other hand, higher-income neighborhoods had a higher proportion of door-to-door orders for fresh vegetables and dairy products.
My own circumstances are humble, so I understand the temptation to relieve stress through food. But witnessing the eating habits of the wealthy made me wonder:
- “Are they eating clean foods because they are rich, or did they become rich because eating clean heightened their mental clarity?”
- “Did they get rich to eat delicious food, or did they become rich because they practiced self-control over unstimulating food for a long time?”
In short, I started thinking that perhaps wealth disparity doesn’t dictate what people eat—rather, what people eat might actually be what creates the wealth disparity. (If I ever get the chance, I’d love to research this topic further and write about it.)
I’ll keep sharing quick life updates alongside these small observations through the “Goyang Notes” series every now and then!
(I set up my workspace with a DIY desk and chair I bought. The hi-vis vest is part of my gear for night deliveries.)
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