What Does Traditional North Korean Food Taste Like? K-Town
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Date: 2020-05-20
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Comments and reviews: 10
Kit
You know, North and South Korea have been apart for long enough where they've begun to split their own dialects of Korean, and it's possible to have two genetically similar Koreans, one from the northern north (near China) and the other from Jeju Island, and have them speak Korean to each other and at some points they would have linguistic disconnects, where one of them literally can't understand certain words or phrases that the other is saying. Which is sad because they're two countries who are genetically and culturally identical (good luck trying to tell a North and South Korean apart right off the bat, and they're caught up in a mess of trying to be as different from each other as possible that it actually starts to happen.
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You know, North and South Korea have been apart for long enough where they've begun to split their own dialects of Korean, and it's possible to have two genetically similar Koreans, one from the northern north (near China) and the other from Jeju Island, and have them speak Korean to each other and at some points they would have linguistic disconnects, where one of them literally can't understand certain words or phrases that the other is saying. Which is sad because they're two countries who are genetically and culturally identical (good luck trying to tell a North and South Korean apart right off the bat, and they're caught up in a mess of trying to be as different from each other as possible that it actually starts to happen.
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Wilde
This food is for high class people who are just lightly less oppressed than their dirt poor counterpart. People who have the luck to get a job that pays enough to allow them to eat here. A majority of North Koreans are stuck eating nothing but rice and anything that happens to be as common as rice for all days of the week, for all three meals. The dishes that are being shown are dishes that existed in Northern Korea before the communists oppressed the region. This is in the sense of Northern Korea is traditional to the region, not the country. In all fairness these noodles are also quite popular in South Korea too.
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This food is for high class people who are just lightly less oppressed than their dirt poor counterpart. People who have the luck to get a job that pays enough to allow them to eat here. A majority of North Koreans are stuck eating nothing but rice and anything that happens to be as common as rice for all days of the week, for all three meals. The dishes that are being shown are dishes that existed in Northern Korea before the communists oppressed the region. This is in the sense of Northern Korea is traditional to the region, not the country. In all fairness these noodles are also quite popular in South Korea too.
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Courtney
Time is running out on reunification for the North and South. As the first generation that lived during the split dies off, the children and grandchildren of each country have less and less to do with one another. There are newer defectors but not enough. Germany was kind of a miracle and Korea is going to need one too if they are to reunite. I don't think South Koreans feel that desire as strongly as they might, knowing just how big a financial burden aiding the North would be should their wall come down.
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Time is running out on reunification for the North and South. As the first generation that lived during the split dies off, the children and grandchildren of each country have less and less to do with one another. There are newer defectors but not enough. Germany was kind of a miracle and Korea is going to need one too if they are to reunite. I don't think South Koreans feel that desire as strongly as they might, knowing just how big a financial burden aiding the North would be should their wall come down.
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Fair
Mathew, I really like your videos. My Father was also from the North Korea and my Mother is from Seoul. South Korea has many different Boo-chee-gae or Boo-chim-gae meaning Pancakes. There are Kimchi Boo-chi-gae, Ho-bock-jeon(squash, Paa-jeon(green onions, Gam-ja-jeon(potatos, Hae-mool-pa-jeon(mixed seafood pancake, Go-choo-jang-tteoak(korean chili paste, Doen-jang-tteoak(korean bean paste) and Nok-doo-bin-dae-tteok(mung bean with pork slices) etc. They can open Khop(not Ihop) the Korean House Of Pancakes.
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Mathew, I really like your videos. My Father was also from the North Korea and my Mother is from Seoul. South Korea has many different Boo-chee-gae or Boo-chim-gae meaning Pancakes. There are Kimchi Boo-chi-gae, Ho-bock-jeon(squash, Paa-jeon(green onions, Gam-ja-jeon(potatos, Hae-mool-pa-jeon(mixed seafood pancake, Go-choo-jang-tteoak(korean chili paste, Doen-jang-tteoak(korean bean paste) and Nok-doo-bin-dae-tteok(mung bean with pork slices) etc. They can open Khop(not Ihop) the Korean House Of Pancakes.
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Ernest
I wish the host Matthew Kang were open to going deeper into the very political dynamics that may have been the reason his grandfather was do stoic and uncommunicative about his time in North Korea. To at once say that food is political, but then to skirt the political issues that were at play in Korea during the 1930's and 1940's does a disservice to both the North Korean history and legacy and the ways in which these food traditions do or don't translate into viable and satisfying constructions today.
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I wish the host Matthew Kang were open to going deeper into the very political dynamics that may have been the reason his grandfather was do stoic and uncommunicative about his time in North Korea. To at once say that food is political, but then to skirt the political issues that were at play in Korea during the 1930's and 1940's does a disservice to both the North Korean history and legacy and the ways in which these food traditions do or don't translate into viable and satisfying constructions today.
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Lilith
The part the chef is talking about the beef is so sad. The elite has plenty, so much that they get tired of the ways of cooking. The ordinary people use cows to work the land and get executed for butchering one. This means that people have low rations and low calorie food. The use of cows to work the land means that there are no agricultural machines. Producing food for the population must be difficult this way. Many people must be hungry in the land of the Great Chairman.
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The part the chef is talking about the beef is so sad. The elite has plenty, so much that they get tired of the ways of cooking. The ordinary people use cows to work the land and get executed for butchering one. This means that people have low rations and low calorie food. The use of cows to work the land means that there are no agricultural machines. Producing food for the population must be difficult this way. Many people must be hungry in the land of the Great Chairman.
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Lala
In all seriousness, the fact that North Koreans are so poor, and that many of them starved, is actually killing North Korean culture. If they can't afford to eat cultural dishes, the responsibility of continuing the food tradition falls on very few hands, such as this chef's. I hope he takes an apprentice to pass down his knowledge. Although, of course what would be better is if they could reunite with SK.
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In all seriousness, the fact that North Koreans are so poor, and that many of them starved, is actually killing North Korean culture. If they can't afford to eat cultural dishes, the responsibility of continuing the food tradition falls on very few hands, such as this chef's. I hope he takes an apprentice to pass down his knowledge. Although, of course what would be better is if they could reunite with SK.
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Dog
its interesting that even cooking for the rich in North Korea, those recipes have relatively little meat. I have eaten a lot of South Korean food due to one of my friends being Korean, and raw vegetables always seemed to be common. But there was usually a lot of meat to go along with it too. Here it seems like its a lot more vegetables than meat, and the scarcity of ingredients shows in the dishes still.
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its interesting that even cooking for the rich in North Korea, those recipes have relatively little meat. I have eaten a lot of South Korean food due to one of my friends being Korean, and raw vegetables always seemed to be common. But there was usually a lot of meat to go along with it too. Here it seems like its a lot more vegetables than meat, and the scarcity of ingredients shows in the dishes still.
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Busterdrag
I think he has a point when he says that North Korean cuisine is closer to traditional chinese or korean cuisine. Im not an expert, far from it, but I watched and read quite a few videos and articles on traditional Korean food and the slow/revivalist korean food movement and yeah. theres a lot of similiarities.
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I think he has a point when he says that North Korean cuisine is closer to traditional chinese or korean cuisine. Im not an expert, far from it, but I watched and read quite a few videos and articles on traditional Korean food and the slow/revivalist korean food movement and yeah. theres a lot of similiarities.
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Startron
For those of you sympathizing with the North Koreans realize that many Americans have it just as bad. Stagnant wages and many are uninsured. I have a massive painful growing lump on my breast and I have no health insurance. So I cant find a doctor to see me. Right here in the United States. Think about that.
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For those of you sympathizing with the North Koreans realize that many Americans have it just as bad. Stagnant wages and many are uninsured. I have a massive painful growing lump on my breast and I have no health insurance. So I cant find a doctor to see me. Right here in the United States. Think about that.
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