This is a picture of a popular Korean dish called 두부김치 which translates to tofu kimchi. It is a fairly self explanatory name because usually, the dish just comes with fried kimchi and large chunks of tofu. It is often eaten as a 술안주 which is the name for a drinking snack. Korea has a huge drinking culture: partially because of the lower drinking age and partially because of its easy availability, among many other factors. In Korea, the drinking age is 20 years old, which is roughly 18 or 19 depending on your birthday because your age in Korea is essentially one year above your age in the United States. Because Korea operated on the lunar calendar for a while, there are some complex situations where you could be two years older in Korea than in the United States, but it is usually a year older. In Korea, you become an adult at 20 years old, whereas in the United States the age is 18. The fact that the drinking age is the same as the age you become an adult, makes it a very common occurrence to start drinking once you turn 20. The extremely easy availability of alcohol is another reason why there is such a huge drinking culture in Korea. In Korea, the most popular form of alcohol is soju-- a clear liquor that is roughly 15%-20% alcohol content. In Korea, soju can be found at nearly every single convenience store, and it is usually around one dollar a bottle. Most restaurants in Korea that are meant for group settings (e.g. korean barbeque restaurants, traditional Korean food restaurants, etc) also serve alcohol. This widespread availability and the sheer cheapness of an alcohol that is one dollar per bottle contributed to the huge drinking culture in Korea. It is also very typical to get several dishes and eat while you drink in Korea, and these dishes are called 술안주. I personally really like this dish and always get it just as a meal. At this restaurant, they had fried spicy pork along with various vegetables like onions and scallions in the dish as well. It was delicious and I will probably visit again. I ordered and talked to the waitress in Korean. The experience of ordering food in your non-native language is always a little nerve-wracking but I was glad I got to try this new food and interact with a native speaker. Our conversation went something like this:
I said 안녕하세요 (hello) and the waitress said 네 안녕하세요 주문하시겠어요? (hello. Would you like to order?). I responded 네 저 두부김치 하나만 주세요 (yes, just one tofu kimchi please) and the waitress asked 음료수는 물로 괜찮으세요? (is just water fine to drink?). I said 네 괜찮아요 (yes that’s fine) and the waitress said 네 알겠습니다 (okay) to which I said 감사합니다 (thank you). After a while, the food came out and the waitress said 여기 두부김치 나왔습니다 (here is your tofu kimchi) and I said 와 맛있겠다! 감사합니다! (wow this looks great! Thank you!). The waitress said 네 맛있게 드세요 (enjoy your food).
Comments
Wow, I didn’t know that your age could be different on a different calendar. Is it because the year on the lunar calendar is a year behind the Gregorian calendar or what other factors play into that? Also, good on you for ordering in Korean!