Eating cold noodle on a heat up floor is like
jumping into a
cold / hot sauna.
Eunkyung Zebby Kang - Illustrator - Korea
I know it sounds crazy
but Korean (including myself) eat ritually hot boiling soup in a stone bowl in the
summer, and we enjoy cold noodles with half frozen broth in winter to cope the
severe weather.
Naengmyeon is a bowl of
buckwheat noodle in cold beef stock. Yes, it's cold noodle originated from
North Korean capital - Pyongyang and ironically it's loved by South Koreans.
It's a popular summer menu but winter is the best season to taste it right.
There's a few
restaurants to make it original North Korean recipe in Seoul. When you
arrive, choose the ondol seat. Ondol is an 'under floor heating system' and one
of the brilliant inventions of Korea. It defreeze your body especially cold
feet and bottom and warm up your body instantly. When you are seated, the boiled
noodle water will be served and you drink it as a welcome tea. Eating cold noodle on heat up floor is like a
jumping into cold / hot sauna back and forth. It is so very nice to feel
your body warms up and soon your cheeks are blushed and it doesn't feel cold
any more.
Don't be surprised by
the size of bowl. it's huge, sip a cold stock first, and it is better to drink
it than using spoon (most restaurants doesn't have spoons!) Share a dumpling with
it, and enjoy the noodle with north korean kimchi and pickled daikon.
