Lesson 4 Some Like It Cold, Some Like It Hot

What else do you expect in summer in Seoul, Naengmyeon, however, is not complete without its

besides the long days and hot, sleepless nights? It cold noodles being topped with hot spices. The real

was summer again in Korea, and I was melting like taste of mulnaengmyeon comes out when the

an ice cream in a child’s hand on Seoul’s hot noodles are topped with mustard sauce, and that of

summer streets. bibimnaengmyeon when the noodles are served with

a red pepper sauce. Thus, it’s not just the coldness

Luckily, in the middle of the city, I found the perfect
of the noodles, but the heat from peppers that

thing to freshen me up and met the perfect person

Koreans have used for centuries to beat the summer

to help me out. After taking a relaxing walk along

heat.

the back streets of Jongno, I happened to drop into

a noodle shop, enjoyed their cold noodles, and met As the old saying ‘fight fire with fire’ goes, enjoying

a kind old man. “We enjoy cold noodles when the hot spices in the summer helps people stay cool,

summer heat arrives,” Mr. Kim said. He also told me and this, interestingly, is supported by modern

that we are healthy only when the degree of findings in herbal medicine: certain herbs and spices

coldness and hotness of our body is balanced. This cause sweating, which naturally cools the body.

is exactly what I read about in a book on Korean

When we parted, the wise old man told me that a

culture and philosophy: When our yin and yang are

real ‘fight fire with fire’ experience comes with

out of balance, our body is in need of a good tune

samgyetang in the very middle of summer. Later,

up. “Of course, during summer in Korea, that is often

with the summer progressing, the weather kept

easier said than done, and that’s why we have cold
getting hotter. So I decided to try out my newly
noodles in summer,” he added. From this old man, I

attained cultural wisdom, and walked outside along

learned that naengmyeon is wonderfully diverse, but

the hot street to find Mr. Kim’s cure all, samgyetang.

that the two main versions are mulnaengmyeon―

water chilled noodles, and bibimnaengmyeon―mixed

chilled noodles. When you want something cool and

refreshing, go for mulnaengmyeon. When you want

something a little drier and spicier, try

bibimnaengmyeon.
The idea of eating samgyetang sounded good, but I Needless to say, we filled the bone bucket with the

didn’t want to try it all alone. So I asked my friend empty chicken bones. We cleaned each dish on the

Damil to join me, and then I committed to the table and stared at each other in amazement. There

experience. After researching nearby restaurants, I we were, sweating, full and happy. Then we looked

decided on one specializing in this soup. When we around. We were not alone. The whole restaurant

arrived, the owner of the restaurant gave us a broad, was filled with people, eating and sweating, sweating

curious smile, and showed us to a table covered with and eating. There wasn’t an unhappy face to be

kimchi, hot green peppers, and red pepper sauce. seen.

Within minutes, two boiling bowls were placed on

As we left the restaurant, I felt a breath of fresh air.

our table. With a delight only matched by children

Whether the wind was real or imagined, and whether

on Christmas morning, I blew on the soup to part

the benefit of the soup was real or imagined, I felt

the steam and catch my first glance of this tasty

truly refreshed.
treat: a whole young chicken stuffed with ginseng,

garlic, and rice, served in a clear broth.

With that feeling came a sudden understanding of

the ‘fight fire with fire’ wisdom: enjoy something

It all made sense now. I finally understood the old

really hot, let the body breathe out, and find yourself
man’s wisdom. The ingredients used in samgyetang

refreshed in a breeze.
would take my summer blues away. I turned the

chicken around and investigated it, looking for the

Finally, Seoul’s summer heat felt as cool and fresh as
most logical place to begin. Still not knowing, I
the late fall in Los Angeles. Damil and I didn’t go
alternated between tender chicken, rice, and broth. I
home right away. We stayed around to enjoy the
ate every drop. Damil wasn’t far behind me, and
summer evening, laughing and talking about another
between the two of us, we ate the entire dish of
‘fight fire with fire’ experience―the chance of
kimchi, two peppers each and a whole lot of
enjoying spicy ramyeon after taking a boiling bath at
cucumbers.
a hot spring.

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