Hello

The keyword for this post is International Hot and Spicy Food Day, and the theme is sharing the snacks I reach for when gaming starts to get a little stressful. This was actually the first time I learned there was a day like this at all, and apparently it falls on January 16 every year, with the idea of highlighting spicy dishes from different countries and the ingredients used in them.

In Korea, hot and spicy food is so ordinary that it almost feels unnecessary to set aside a special day for it, so in that sense it seems only natural that this occasion does not receive especially much attention here.

I am the type whose stomach reacts badly as soon as the spice goes past a certain point, so I cannot handle anything too dramatic and only seek these things out from time to time. So today, I will be sharing a few personal favorites that people like me—those who are comfortable only up to about Shin Ramyun level—can still enjoy quite nicely.

Spicy Saewookkang

Saewookkang has quite an impressive history behind it, having first been released all the way back in 1971 and still remaining popular now. I have seen that it currently comes in four varieties—Original, Black, Wasabi, and Spicy—but I only eat the spicy one. It has a bit of heat, but it is very manageable.

I am not particularly into snacks, not especially fond of shrimp, and not even much of a spicy-food person, yet this is one of those flavors that pops into my head now and then, so I end up buying it once in a while. For that reason, it is a rather curious snack to me personally. While looking it up this time, I also learned something surprising—that, just as the description above says, it contains more shrimp than I expected.

It is good just as it is, of course, but it is also nice dipped in sauces like ketchup or mayonnaise, so if the chance comes up, I would recommend trying it that way as well.

Yongsa Ramen

Anyone who actively goes after spicy food has probably already tried Yongsa Ramen, and people like me might look at it and think it does not really fit the mild-spice theme I mentioned earlier, but what I mean here is, of course, the basic version without the finishing powder packet.

As you can tell from the mushroom expression on the rare chair, the basic soup base is only mildly spicy, and it is honestly better than you might expect. Since it is a game collaboration product and puts such heavy emphasis on how extreme the spice can get, it does not exactly make the most reassuring first impression, but not only from my own experience—other reviews also seem to have quite a few people saying it tastes pretty decent.

Of course, the finishing powder is included in the price, so skipping it can feel a little wasteful, but if you are weak with spice and eat it anyway just because it seems a shame not to, it is fairly obvious you may end up paying more for medicine afterward, so I would firmly recommend giving up on that packet altogether.

Kkokkomyeon

Kkokkomyeon has quite an unusual history for an instant noodle product, because it was first introduced by comedian Lee Kyung-kyu on a variety show, later officially released, and is still being sold to this day.

It has been long enough that I did not remember the details exactly, but there was a program called [Qualifications of Men] that held a ramen contest as one of its in-show segments, and this was the ramen Lee Kyung-kyu developed there himself. Apparently it was the only entry from that contest that actually made it to market, and early on it caused quite a sensation.

Later on, it was no longer quite as hugely popular as it had been at first, but considering that the show aired in 2011, I think it is fair to call it a successful product, and I have also seen it described as the starting point for white-broth ramyun, which is rather impressive. Naturally, the fact that its developer was not even someone who worked professionally in food product development makes it all the more noteworthy.

In any case, Kkokkomyeon is not something I would eat every day, but it has a quietly addictive quality and a pleasantly peppery edge, so it is one of those ramyun I keep around and make whenever the mood strikes. If you have not tried it yet, I would recommend giving it a try at least once.

Also, in the case of this ramen, the base itself is of course not spicy at all, but if you add some red pepper powder, it becomes pleasantly sharp and delicious. This is another way I enjoy it whenever the craving comes around.

Thank you for reading.