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beachbumNC



Joined: 30 May 2007
Location: Gumi

PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:01 am    Post subject: "Can you..." Reply with quote

"...eat Korean food?"

"...eat hot peppers?"

"...drink soju?"

does anybody else get this kind of thing? seems like a few of the locals are quite amazed that in my short time here i have tried several Korean dishes and liked most of them, that i LOVE hot food and (let's be honest) most of theirs isn't really that hot, and soju didn't kill this whiteboy.
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Treefarmer



Joined: 29 May 2007

PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

hehe

the amount of times koreans have said 'isn't kimchi too hot for you?' Very Happy

no it isn't, i'm english, curry is one of our national dishes, i think we have more tolerance to spicy food than koreans,
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Young FRANKenstein



Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)

PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Treefarmer wrote:
the amount of times koreans have said 'isn't kimchi too hot for you?' Very Happy

I just tell them to try my Texas Death Chili and THEN ask me that again.
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Qinella



Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib

PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Treefarmer wrote:
no it isn't, i'm english, curry is one of our national dishes


Ah yes, curry--the quintessential English dish. When I think 'English cuisine', first thought that pops up is spicy food.


OP, how did you know about kimchi?
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kermo



Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.

PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah yes, the ubiquitous and incredulous

"An chuoh?"
"An maewayou?"

It makes me feel like some kind of death-defying super-hero when I walk around in short sleeves, eating dwenjangjiggae.
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Vancouver



Joined: 12 Dec 2006

PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i had kimchi at my relatives' places, and it wasn't spicy. I was expecting it to be spicy, but it wasn't
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Wondering



Joined: 23 May 2007
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not in quite a few years, but I expect that to start up again once I'm out in the boonies. Considering having a billboard made that I can wear while out shopping until word gets around. Laughing
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Young FRANKenstein



Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)

PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kermo wrote:
Ah yes, the ubiquitous and incredulous

"An chuoh?"
"An maewayou?"

It makes me feel like some kind of death-defying super-hero when I walk around in short sleeves, eating dwenjangjiggae.

At the little corner store near my place, the old man running the joint and I have developed a good albeit superficial relationship over the years. It started not soon after moving into my place and he's outside (summertime) with the portable burner, cooking samkyeopsal, and drinking soju with his friends. I buy some stuff and he offers me some of the food as I'm exiting. He's trying to be friendly, then he gets that mischievous gleam in his eye as he offers me a huge uncut piece of garlic. I play it cool, pop it in my mouth, and chew it down. Watching his face go from shit-eating-grin to surprised-frown to disappointed-grimace as I ate the garlic without wincing or running around breathing fire... just a quiet "Mmm, massiseoyo. Kamsamnida." I was the 용배 foreigner (dragon stomach) after that day.

I still chuckle at the memory.
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Zulu



Joined: 28 Apr 2006

PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Treefarmer wrote:
hehe

the amount of times koreans have said 'isn't kimchi too hot for you?' Very Happy

no it isn't, i'm english, curry is one of our national dishes, i think we have more tolerance to spicy food than koreans,


Agree all the way.
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chasmmi



Joined: 16 Jun 2007
Location: Ulsan

PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 7:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had to laugh when I went out with some friends and when my Indian friend asked for some chillis the ajjuma asked him to be careful because they are spicy. Rolling Eyes
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djsmnc



Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe

PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Are you from Wilmington, OP?
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ajuma



Joined: 18 Feb 2003
Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 9:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah...Korean food is a little spicy....but not very. Most other cultures use MORE THAN ONE OR TWO spices! In Korea you have gochu-jong and MORE gochu-jong...or garlic and MORE garlic! Korean curry is a joke. Try some Indian or Sri Lankan curry...or Mexican...or Thai!

Of course if you ask most Koreans if they've tried some of these foods (NOT the Korean version!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), they'll say "No...I only like Korean food because it's spicy!!" Rolling Eyes
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DRAMA OVERKILL



Joined: 12 Apr 2005

PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

K: "Do you like kimchi???"
Me: "No, I don't."
K: "Ahhh..." (whispering to others at thge table) - "foreigner... too spicy!"
Me: "No, I like spicy food. I just don't like kimchi because it tastes like *beep*."
K: "???"
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pkang0202



Joined: 09 Mar 2007

PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 10:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ajuma wrote:
Korean curry is a joke. Try some Indian or Sri Lankan curry...or Mexican...or Thai!


Korean curry and Japanese curry is very similar. I think the Japanese created that version of curry and it then moved on into Korea.

As for the spiciness, Korean food isn't spicy compared to other dishes. However, most of the foreigners in my building will disagree.

On a scale 1-10 of spiciness Id say:

American food - 1
Japanese food - 2
Chinese food - 2.5
Southwest/Tex-Mex - 3
Indian food - 4
Korean - 5
Thai Food - 8

I've had some Bibim Nengmyun in Korea that could rival the spiciest dishes around the world.

Korean food might not have the spiciest foods, but if you look at their staple dishes then it was pretty spicy on a consistent basis. Like Soondooboo chigae, Boodae Chigae, Maewoon Tang, Yookgaejang, Kimchi Chigae, Kimchi, gochoo bokum, Bibim Bap, Bibim Nengmyun, Kimchee (includes most of the varieties), Gae Jang, etc...

I think the spicy factor in Korean food isn't the strength of the spiciness, I think it has more to do with the frequency to which it is served. Every single meal there will be something spicy on the table.
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