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| Is korean food spicy? |
| Yes, it burns my tongue |
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14% |
[ 6 ] |
| It has some pep, but nothing like good Thai or Mexican |
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47% |
[ 20 ] |
| About as spicy as Nacho Cheese Doritos |
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21% |
[ 9 ] |
| Well, it's hotter than peanut butter and jelly, I guess |
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16% |
[ 7 ] |
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| Total Votes : 42 |
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Wisco Kid
Joined: 07 Sep 2004
Location: Changwon
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 Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 5:05 am Post subject: Is Korean food spicy? |
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| I have to keep myself from laughing anytime a Korean mentions how hot korean food is. While not bland or tasteless, it certainly isn't peppery to my taste buds. What is your opinion? |
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rNS
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Macheon Dong, Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 5:20 am Post subject: |
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| I know, every time i eat with my director or co-workers they move all the spicy side dishes out of reach, they constantly warn me of the 'hotness' of everything and everytime i want some kimchi (really love it) everyone holds their breath as if im about to burst into flames and start crying................................I can try and explain what a good chicken madras is like until im blue in the face but they wont listen..........I just need to find a decent curry hut (not that crap one beginning with M in Itaewon) and then we'll see, oh yes.............. |
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Wisco Kid
Joined: 07 Sep 2004
Location: Changwon
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 5:26 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the back up on this one. I spent most of the past 3 years in Thailand, so I wasn't sure if it was just cuz I was growing a tollerance for chillis or because Koreans have whimpy taste buds.
Not to dis korean food--I love it. I just think I would decsribe it as more salty or sour. |
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J.B. Clamence
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 5:27 am Post subject: |
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| Not really spicy, but more of a bland, unpleasant hotness for my tastes. Doesn't burn my tongue, but gives me the hiccups all the time. |
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justagirl
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Location: Cheonan/Portland
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 5:34 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Not really spicy, but more of a bland, unpleasant hotness for my tastes |
Great description! The thing about Korean "spiciness" is that it's the exact same "spicy" every time in every dish. There's no huge variety of tastes or seasonings. If it's "spicy," it's ko-ju-chang, served up the same way every time.
Personally I prefer other country's foods more, in comparison of how spicy they are. |
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batman
Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Location: Oh so close to where I want to be
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 6:13 am Post subject: |
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| Wisco Kid wrote: |
Thanks for the back up on this one. I spent most of the past 3 years in Thailand, so I wasn't sure if it was just cuz I was growing a tollerance for chillis or because Koreans have whimpy taste buds.
Not to dis korean food--I love it. I just think I would decsribe it as more salty or sour. |
I like Korean food as well but I agree with your description of the unique and traditional Korean taste buds. Korea food is spicy like Korean coffee is strong. To me spice is something that dances on the tongue and brings a little colour to my cheeks. And goju just doesn't do it for me (it's like the Korean version of hot sauce - A-1 I believe is the name, light pink in colour - no flavour).
I view Korean food as being very utilitarian in design. It is made to be eaten and to get you out the door and back to work. And it is the only type of food I eat in the restaurants here (can never be bothered with Bennies or Outback or ...). But there is no denying that Korean food just doesn't have the aesthetic beauty of Japanese food or the range of flavours of Chinese or the spicyness of Thai. Bascially, Korean food is the cheap, filling pedestrian food of Asia.
On an added note I did see in the paper a few days back a story about French chefs 're-inventing' kim-chi. Some of the ideas looked good. But, again, kim-chi is usually sour or salty (rarely spicy) and not that pleasing to the eye. Have had a variety of kim-chi in Korea but with one exception the spiciest and (in my mind) the best kim-chi that I have had was the kimuchi in Japan. |
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zappadelta
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| �� �� �� is pretty spicy. |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 6:50 am Post subject: |
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Koreans got the term spicy wrong.
It has a lot of spices in it, so they thought it was spicy.
To use (ie people who really speak English) spicy means hot, not a lot of spices. |
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kiwiboy_nz_99
Joined: 05 Jul 2003
Location: ...Enlightenment...
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 6:52 am Post subject: |
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Kamja tang and certain kinds of Shabu Shabu can be very spicy.
I prefer Indain, Malaysian, or Thai spicy any day though. But Korean food is pretty good. |
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sadsac
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Gwangwang
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 7:17 am Post subject: |
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Korean food is wonderful, but bland compared to other Asian food. It doesn't have the flavour range of Thai or Indian, even Japanese offers a fast greater variety of taste.  |
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Thunndarr
Joined: 30 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 7:24 am Post subject: |
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| Yes, well, let's not forget the highly limited geographical region Korea is in when we start saying there isn't much variety. I'd say they're doing all right in the variety department when you take into account what they've been given to work with. |
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kiwiboy_nz_99
Joined: 05 Jul 2003
Location: ...Enlightenment...
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 8:11 am Post subject: |
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| Yes, well, let's not forget the highly limited geographical region Korea is in when we start saying there isn't much variety. I'd say they're doing all right in the variety department when you take into account what they've been given to work with. |
New Zealand has a smaller land mass than Korea, and is more geographically isolated, but has an infinitely greater variety of food available. |
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chronicpride
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 8:27 am Post subject: |
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| zappadelta wrote: |
| �� �� �� is pretty spicy. |
You mean ������? That's pretty good. I'm a sucker for the spicey food. I can eat gochu dipped in ssamjang all night. 
�������� is also pretty potent.
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just because
Joined: 01 Aug 2003
Location: Changwon - 4964
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 9:04 am Post subject: |
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I had Yuk Gye Jang the other night, it is about the only Korean dish that will make me sit up and break into a sweat.
I like Jjim(��) as well, if you het a good Jjim it can be quite spicy.
Kimchi is about as spicy as Doritos |
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SuperHero
Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="batman"]
| Wisco Kid wrote: |
| Korea food is spicy like Korean coffee is strong. |
Excellent analogy. Why not cook up something spicy and invite Koreans over to taste it, see what they think. Once I have done that a few times, my wife now knows what spicy is (if beaver wings ever opens again - get some real hot wings open that resteraunt damn you beave!
Another option is to get some real salsa sauce. The stuff you can buy at costco is only medium strength, bring some extra spicy death salsa from home and make nachos: see how that goes over. |
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