On ramyeon and spiciness
Jan. 16th, 2004 06:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tarigwaemirAd Mundo Exteriore,
I wanted to add that I totally aced my Korean oral final today. And I literally did not study for it at all. I've never spoken better Korean in my life! ^_^
I'm eating a huge...tub of instant noodles right now (the super size bowls) and it's bringing back good memories. The first time I remember eating ramyeon was when I was about seven and not as capable of handling spicy foods as I am now. I had a little bowl with the alphabet in pastel letters around the rim (I used to give names to the colored letters as I ate my meals), and Father, who was eating a whole pot of ramyeon by himself, let me have a few chopstickfuls of noodles in my little bowl. It was incredibly spicy, but you know how wonderful food is when you're getting a small taste of someone else's meal. My eyes teared but I ate it all.
My favorite ramyeon brands are the ones that are probably too spicy for other Asian countries to handle. They're also usually horribly unhealthy. My favorite is Shin ramyeon, which was what I had that first time in my alphabet bowl. My parents like the nonspicy brands that are supposed to imitate other noodle dishes because the noodles aren't as greasy. There are ramyeon brands for kalguksu and jjajangmyeon, but I have to admit that what I like best is the deep-fried noodles boiled in a soup dark red from all the red pepper. (Add eggs, bean sprouts, and a drop of sesame oil, and it's really not as unhealthy as it seems.) My second favorite brand, Neoguri, has better noodles--less greasy and more chewy--and is probably healthier since it has less sodium, but I have a soft spot for the Shin brand nonetheless. Shin ramyeon is much spicier than Neoguri, but not as spicy as my third favorite brand, Sutamyeon, which has the thickest, chewiest noodles. I only put in half the soup powder and pick out the red pepper flakes from the vegetable packet though. My ability to handle spiciness stops short after Shin ramyeon, and even that leaves the skin around my mouth burning.
My mother says that once you like spicy foods, your taste buds are spoiled forever, since anything else tastes bland in comparison. It's true, though. I still can't handle spiciness as well as my parents do, but I've gotten addicted, nevertheless. Korean bouillabaisse, which is made to be both hot and spicy, is one of my favorite stews, and I've also forced my mother to make less "diluted" kimchi. The kimchi you eat at my house tends to be "whiter" than regular kimchi because my mother was afraid my tongue wouldn't handle it but it's gotten a lot "redder" after I've discovered the addiction of spicy foods. (It's also fresher and a lot healthier than the stuff that you find in the supermarket because (1) my mother still makes kimchi by hand, which is pretty rare these days and (2) it doesn't contain flavor additives to make it taste better.)
I also like sour foods, but that's a whole different story.
I went to a ramen restaurant in Manhattan, over break, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that while the spiciness of Japanese ramen is at a child's level, they still did a pretty good job of making the soup "red". Japanese ramen is really nothing like Korean ramyeon, instant or otherwise, except for the fact that noodles and soup are involved. I prefer the Korean brands of course, but the restaurant was still pretty good in its own right and not so greasy, which is typical of Japanese food. ^_^ My meal was paid for as well, which made it even better. (I'm such a cheapskate.) I should probably go there again during intersemester, if I can find the place. Oniichan, want to have lunch around then? Maybe we can get Val-oneechan to come too.
(Oh, and by the way, I wanted you to join AonE because they not only sub Naruto, but also Full Metal Alchemist.)
...Tari
I wanted to add that I totally aced my Korean oral final today. And I literally did not study for it at all. I've never spoken better Korean in my life! ^_^
I'm eating a huge...tub of instant noodles right now (the super size bowls) and it's bringing back good memories. The first time I remember eating ramyeon was when I was about seven and not as capable of handling spicy foods as I am now. I had a little bowl with the alphabet in pastel letters around the rim (I used to give names to the colored letters as I ate my meals), and Father, who was eating a whole pot of ramyeon by himself, let me have a few chopstickfuls of noodles in my little bowl. It was incredibly spicy, but you know how wonderful food is when you're getting a small taste of someone else's meal. My eyes teared but I ate it all.
My favorite ramyeon brands are the ones that are probably too spicy for other Asian countries to handle. They're also usually horribly unhealthy. My favorite is Shin ramyeon, which was what I had that first time in my alphabet bowl. My parents like the nonspicy brands that are supposed to imitate other noodle dishes because the noodles aren't as greasy. There are ramyeon brands for kalguksu and jjajangmyeon, but I have to admit that what I like best is the deep-fried noodles boiled in a soup dark red from all the red pepper. (Add eggs, bean sprouts, and a drop of sesame oil, and it's really not as unhealthy as it seems.) My second favorite brand, Neoguri, has better noodles--less greasy and more chewy--and is probably healthier since it has less sodium, but I have a soft spot for the Shin brand nonetheless. Shin ramyeon is much spicier than Neoguri, but not as spicy as my third favorite brand, Sutamyeon, which has the thickest, chewiest noodles. I only put in half the soup powder and pick out the red pepper flakes from the vegetable packet though. My ability to handle spiciness stops short after Shin ramyeon, and even that leaves the skin around my mouth burning.
My mother says that once you like spicy foods, your taste buds are spoiled forever, since anything else tastes bland in comparison. It's true, though. I still can't handle spiciness as well as my parents do, but I've gotten addicted, nevertheless. Korean bouillabaisse, which is made to be both hot and spicy, is one of my favorite stews, and I've also forced my mother to make less "diluted" kimchi. The kimchi you eat at my house tends to be "whiter" than regular kimchi because my mother was afraid my tongue wouldn't handle it but it's gotten a lot "redder" after I've discovered the addiction of spicy foods. (It's also fresher and a lot healthier than the stuff that you find in the supermarket because (1) my mother still makes kimchi by hand, which is pretty rare these days and (2) it doesn't contain flavor additives to make it taste better.)
I also like sour foods, but that's a whole different story.
I went to a ramen restaurant in Manhattan, over break, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that while the spiciness of Japanese ramen is at a child's level, they still did a pretty good job of making the soup "red". Japanese ramen is really nothing like Korean ramyeon, instant or otherwise, except for the fact that noodles and soup are involved. I prefer the Korean brands of course, but the restaurant was still pretty good in its own right and not so greasy, which is typical of Japanese food. ^_^ My meal was paid for as well, which made it even better. (I'm such a cheapskate.) I should probably go there again during intersemester, if I can find the place. Oniichan, want to have lunch around then? Maybe we can get Val-oneechan to come too.
(Oh, and by the way, I wanted you to join AonE because they not only sub Naruto, but also Full Metal Alchemist.)
...Tari
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-16 04:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-16 08:45 pm (UTC)Yeah, I've been adding hot sauce to my food lately too. Partially to keep warm. Brr.
O.o
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-17 06:52 am (UTC)I don't particularly like the paste myself, unless it's mixed into stew, soup or other dishes. But my parents like to eat jalapeno peppers dipped in that sauce. They say it's refreshing. Actually, having tried it once, it is pretty good, but I try to avoid vegetables when I can.
...Tari
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 08:56 pm (UTC)O.o
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-20 06:25 am (UTC)...Tari
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-20 11:31 am (UTC)Yeah, that stuff is more soupy. Like Tabasco. I don't like it, because it makes my dumplings soupy. Paste is better.
O.o
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-17 06:32 am (UTC)Hey, gimme a wallpaper analysis so I can feel like I can upload to Aonline. >__<;;
If it's not spicy, I'll try it out... oO;;
BTW, question. Doing something like this: "suddenly", is of British grammar? oO;;
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-17 06:48 am (UTC)I thought I did give you a wallpaper analysis: Whee! I love it! It's on my desktop now! Waaaahhhh!
(One tiny little criticism...the image of the Crusader seems a little, uh, "rough" compared to the smooth background. I don't particularly mind but some AO people might.)
...Tari