With love and spice, from Korea

A food story from my sister, who is teaching English in Korea this year. While reading this, you'll feel your tastebuds burning with heat. And you will laugh, too.

Dear Christine,

When we went to Gyeongju, on holiday, we ate at a restaurant that was something of a shack. The woman that owned it was rambunctious; she ordered us all in (we might have been one of her only customers for the night). We sat down, we tried to order, but she told us what she was making. She told us it would be hot, and she wasn't exaggerating on that one: IT WAS THE HOTTEST FOOD THAT I'VE EVER EATEN!

It was a red noodle dish. The sides were interesting: slightly pickled cabbage and sausage, and old, old kimchi - which can be normal - the older the kimchi, some believe, the better. We drank makgeli, a fermented rice wine, which is normally good, but this might have been old; we felt ourselves grow increasingly drunk on both the spice and the wine. My mouth was on fire, Kristin looked like she might pass out, Anthony was trying to play tough guy, and somehow Todd and John ate the whole bowl of unidentifiable hot stuff.

The owner kept coming over to us and laughing that we thought it was too hot. She told me to eat faster, to eat it all. We kept asking for water, and she kept laughing, but obliging our wishes. She asked us if we minded the television, we said "no." John asked if she had music since there was a boom box on the table behind us. She turned on Trott Music, Korean music with incredible precision, and she danced. We all danced and clapped our hands. I danced with her, she laughed her laugh.

When we were leaving I told her it was very good, but too spicy, and she told me if I thought that it was good that I would have eaten it. (Anthony translated for me). The next morning I felt terrible.

That was the most severe and strange of our eating experiences.

Love from Korea,
Teresa