The Hallyu Wave, otherwise known as the Korean wave, refers to the popularity of Korean food, music, entertainment, and culture in general. Due to this widespread, a lot of people have taken interest in the Korean Hallyu wave for reasons like health, entertainment, fame, and many more.
Let’s take a look at one of the reasons why the movement is so strong, everyone’s favorite topic; Food.
A vast majority of people that haven’t been to Korea have only ever seen Korean food in Korean dramas (K dramas) or social media. There is a reason why the viewers’ favorite thing to see, apart from Lee Min Ho, of course, is the food they eat. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing Yangnyeom tongdak (Korean fried chicken) and a bottle of soju on the table.
The food is rich in nutrients, it is colorful and very pleasing to the eye, it has loads of side dishes that complement the main food, and let’s not forget how amazing the food tastes.
Koreans pride themselves in the ability to create healthy yet delicious meals. A few of the most popular Korean dishes are;
- Kimchi
- Bibimbap
- Tteokbokki (Red rice cakes)
- Bulgogi
- Jjigae (Korean stew)
- Jajangmyeon
- Samgyeopsal
- Korean fried rice
- Bibim Nengmyun (Spicy cold noodle)
- Samgyetang (Ginseng chicken soup)
Food is very important in Korean culture. They believe that food and medicine share the same origin, and therefore perform the same objectives. This simple fact has been able to trick and treat everyone who eats the food. This is one of the many reasons that the Koreans are able to look a lot younger than they are. I don’t know about you, but I would very much like to look half my age at 60.
In the popular K drama ‘Squid Game’, we see a popular caramel treat called ‘Dalgona’. This little snack game shows that they make food very interesting to eat. They totally disregarded the phrase ‘don’t play with your food’ and made a very fun game out of the treat.
Written by Laura
