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Life I learned Korean version Zhajiang-mian, 짜장면 is the BEST of all!
2020.01.22 07:39
Literally we grew up with 짜장면 as I recall. Everyone I know of has one own story related to 짜장면 to be sure.
I also have tons of memories involved in 짜장면 like others. Indeed, my memory goes all the way back
to my childhood with such special occasion of family excursion to Inchon once a month to stop over
at China town to have Chinese foods, remaining with such unique smell of Chinese dishes, especially 짜장면,
I still vividly recall.
So no one would doubt 짜장면 was a part of everyday life for us, Koreans, especially during the high school days
through the college days – I am sure you all remember 진화춘- to become our food culture base.
Soon after I left Korea in 1968 to start a new life here in the U.S., I realized 짜장면 was one of few I miss most
so that the first thing I did on my first visit to San Francisco in 1969 was to proceed to Chinatown expecting
to have 짜장면. But what a despair/disappointment! No 짜장면- they served dandanmian -!
However, Jae-Ik Kim, my godfather as well as my best man, who was at Stanford U then, for his Ph.D. work -
later killed by Rangoon bombing/terrorism while serving to Korean government-, felt so pity on me
that he gingerly searched to find out there was one Chinese, recently immigrated from Inchon,
serves 짜장면 at his restaurant in downtown.
He took me there on my second visit to San Francisco. It was heaven! I almost cried on the first bite!
The chef also felt pity I couldn’t give up the chopsticks so that he gave a small portion of 춘장as a gift
to take to Richmond and I enjoyed it to the last drop with slices of onions.
Two years later I went back to that restaurant - we did have American College of Surgeon Meeting
at San Francisco every three years- and so saddened to find out that Chinese restaurant was closed.
Such despair made me get so obsessed with this 짜장면 through these many years I guess and
when I went back to Seoul in 1994, I was so disappointed with the 짜장면 they serve which is NOT
a same kind of 짜장면 I tasted 25 years ago- too sweet, too many new stuffs like potatoes, etc!-.
So good old 짜장면 is sadly gone, no more!
Since then, whenever I go to China- I practically visit China once if not twice a year since I came back home
to the U.S. in 2004 through these many years - , I always tried to get the 짜장면and repeatedly disappointed
with a different version of 짜장면 with different tastes. The thing starts to bother me further is the 짜장면,
they call Zhejiang-mian, became BEIJING’S SIGNATURE NOODLES as a part of Mandarin/Beijing cuisine.
We all know there is NO such cuisine to be claimed as their own as ‘Beijing’ cuisine.
It is the cuisine they borrowed from Shandong, the eastern coastal province you all know too well.
Indeed, the imperial kitchen of the Ming Dynasty originated from the South, Jiangsu province, has been known
to bring Huaiyang/Jiangsu style cuisine to Beijing when the imperial capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing
and contributed greatly to Beijing Cuisine together with Shandong cuisine through Qing/Manchu dynasty-
all the chefs at the imperial kitchen through the Qing dynasty were from Shandong province-.
So, 짜장면 is the signature noodle dish of Shandong cuisine after all, although many consider the seafood is
a Shandong cuisine highlight (e,g. 해삼탕). Together with such famous ‘extreme heat stir-frying in the wok’,
so-called "bao" stir fry method, Shandong cuisine is different from other regional cuisines like spicy Sichuan Cuisine
or hot and sour Hunan Cuisine, using relatively little spice or sugar.
Nevertheless, the 짜장면 we grew up with is NOT a genuine Shandong version of 짜장면 either but evolved
to suit our Koreans taste buds over time since it was introduced by Chinese merchants refugeed to Inchon
from the mainland of China following WWII. But this original Korean version is no more available even
in Korea now. But, amazingly, I tasted this genuine old Korean version 짜장면 at one Chinese restaurant in Atlanta, Ga
where my classmate, Kim HyunHahk took me, years ago. I learned that when 박정희literally kicked out
Chinese immigrants from Korea by taking away the land ownerships(?), a majority of these Chinese refugees
immigrated to the U.S. and many settled at Atlanta, Ga and one of them opened one restaurant to serve
a Korean version 짜장면 I tasted- heard the old man who made 짜장면 for our visit passed away and his son
took over the business now-.
So such good old Korean 짜장면 remains only in the memories of 청요리 and I dream it once in a while!
BB Lee of ’63 Class
P.S. I learned Huaiyang cuisine is same as Jiangsu Cuisine for the first time when I visited to Suzhou
and Nanjing of Jiangsu province with my mentor, Melville Williams of the Hopkins, who was born in Suzhou
as a son of the missionary sociology professor; it is regarded as one of the Four Great Traditional Chinese cuisines
but together with other seven cuisines: Cantonese, Sichuan, Shandong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Anhui Cuisine,
Huaiyang/Jiangsu Cuisine is well accepted as one of the eight Great Cuisines of China.
Comment 11
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Glad you enjoyed my 잡담, Dr. Ohn. Indeed, it is always fun to try new exotic food wherever I go
and the market place has been my most favorite place to visit and try/challenge local ethnic food.
Naturally, I always demanded the host who invited me to provide this unique opportunity through years
and love to talk about my culinary venture with my colleagues.
So I do have a lot of funny stories along with the foods I tasted, which goes back to the Year 1960
through my first foreign venture/trip to the gold coast African countries to attend WAY
(World Assembly of Youth) as Korean representative, held at Accra, Ghana, to taste
the monkey brain and steamed maggots, etc.
Anyhow, thanks for this historical background on Chinatown in Inchon
and 원조 Korean 짜장면you brought up.
I learn every day!
Warm regards,
BB Lee
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I read it with great interest. Needless to say that 짜장면 has been one of our favorites.
Some Korean reporters made ambitious travel through the entire Chinese cities looking
for the authentic 짜장면 and its origin, but without any results. Pretty much like the American story
of Italian pizzas: American tourists made their determinations to eat the best and greatest Italian pizzas
in the city of Rome, but regrettably well-known restaurants don't have pizzas on the menus,
besides pizzas were not recognized in most places.
Apparently pizzas must be poor-man's dinners much like Korean 빈대떡, which was originated
from 빈자(貧者) 떡=Poor-man's cakes. So much for 짜장면 타령. By the way, I like Chinese 호떡 too.
On my next Korean visit, I will try Chinese restaurants for 짜장면 and 호떡.
Are these two favorite items a good combination?
What the hell should I care?
-
https://m.blog.naver.com/ariaart/221303606458
(순희네 빈대떡집)
대한민국 최고의 빈대떡집입니다. 먹거리 골목에 있어서 비좁고 허름한 공간에서
먹어야 하지만 맞은 일품입니다.
호떡은 남대문 시장에 가시면 1000원 짜리 호떡을 노점에서 팝니다. 줄이 긴 노점을 골라
가시면 틀림 없습니다.
(진아춘; 대학로 중국집)
학창시절에 짜장면, 군만두, 탕수욕등을 즐겨 먹던 진아춘은 지금도 있습니다.
원래 위치에서 좀 안쪽으로 들어가 있는 것으로 알고 있습니다.
-
Attaboy, KwanHo, how can we skip talking about호떡 while we talk about 짜장면!
I still remember hopelessly burned mouth/tongue by hot melted sugary content inside of 호떡 on the first bite.
Indeed, on way home from the high school, we had once 호떡먹기내기 at one tiny Chinese 호떡집 near
to 안국동and I had a stomach-ache for three days! But it became an old memory to make us nostalgic, buddy!
By the way, I still quote ‘호떡집에 불낫다’ to express a loud vulgar noisy Chinese language/ conversation
whenever I caution to Chinese residents/fellows – I provide a class to young Chinese colleagues to teach
how to present the paper in English on the contest every year through Capital Medical University in Beijing -
to calm down. By the habit of Mandarin Chinese accent with such strong up and down tones,
they can’t help but speak English on Chinese tone whenever they get excited, irritating/confusing
the examiner to fail.
Warm regards,
BB
P.S. Your comments: ‘pizzas must be poor men's dinners much like Korean 빈대떡’ reminds me
of my arguments with the Northerners (Italian) who always look down the Southerner,
from the Neapolis/Napoli down to Sicily, including their/Southern dish like pizza.
My argument point is poor Southern Italians like Sicilians are not as sophisticated like the rich Northerners
with proud history of Habsburg Empire but their food culture is rather sophisticated enough to create
the pure Italian version pizza with its tomato sauce and cheese - though the people believe Marco Polo
brought the idea of pizza from China together with the spaghetti- and Napoli is the Birthplace of Pizza
with no doubt when you taste Pizza Margherita, genuine Italian pizza while in Napoli -
my wife never fails to tag along to come to Napoli every other year with me
for the Vascular Congress and, eat Pizza Margherita, paying homage to the original Italian style pizza,
every day from a tiny pizza house where Pope and Vatican team order whenever they come to Napoli!-.
American version of the pizza is much different as you all know very well with a variety of topping
with the meat, various cheeses, and vegetables, etc which I love most.
-
It sounds like chatting among not-so-famous gourmet trio specialized in 짜장면, 호떡, 빈대떡 and the last not the least. Italiano pizzas.
Shouldn't we meet at some place here in America or in South Korea and enjoy these YUMMIE's along with 막걸리 or 약주 instead of French red wine? How's that?
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굶 주렸던 1-4 후퇴 피란 생활이 끝나고 1953 년 서울로 환도-- 국민학교 3 학년으로 전학온 나에게
어쩌면 유일한 락은 만화책-동화책 보는 것과 여름 방학 때면 집에서 한 10-15 분 거리에 있는 아버님 병원-clinic 으로 점심때 출근-- 사주시는 짜장면을 먹을 수 있는 즐거움이었다. 재수가 좋으면 탕수육 까지 곁 들여서--
양파를 춘장에 찍어 먹고는 배탈도 가끔 앓았던---꿈 같은 시절이었다
대학로에 있던 서울의대생들의 추억의 식당 진아춘--
지금은 주인도 바뀌었고(친척?) 옛날 자리에서 이사 골목 속으로 옮겨가 있다. 서울시 문화 유산 건물의 하나---
짜장면 맞도 탕수육 맞도 모양도 옛날같지 않다.
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Good to know you share my feeling/impression on the 짜장면 with no longer same taste, Dr. Choh!
As said, one of the first disappointments when I got back to Korea in 1994 was a different 짜장면 they serve either by the local restaurants, Korean run, or famous restaurant like the one at Shilla Hotel with Chinese chef, etc.
Yes, the 짜장면 they serve in these days are not the same one we used to have during our childhood. Generally speaking, they are too sweet and too many lumpy potatoes and onions and some stuffs I couldn’t figure out.
Of course, I went back to new(?) 진아춘 now at different location, as you kindly showed its photo, with my old friends remaining at SNU Med School soon after I started to work at SamSung Hospital in early '90. Yes, the 짜장면 at 진아춘as well had not the same taste I expected although the 탕수육 was the same taste by surprise. The owner of 진아춘, a nephew of the original founder, who immigrated back to Korea from the U.S., came by to chat with us and again, he said the taste of Koreans has been changed so that many prefer the sweet one. Excuse?
Interestingly, many years ago when I visited to Taipei with my senior Japanese colleague, Prof. Nakajima, one of his Chinese students took us to one old Chinese restaurant near by National Museum and voila, they served exactly same 짜장면with same taste of Korean version as well as same smell. But I also found out the 짜장면 they served is a Kobe/Japan style, Prof. Nakajima loves most, to surprise me.
Believe or not, it was right! We confirmed his claim on Japanese 짜장면 when we visited to China town in Kobe not only its taste but also such familiar 청요리 smell - I am sure you recall the smell pouring out from the home delivery box/wooden container when the delivery man opened to take out the dishes!-.
Well, sadly, those 짜장면 as a 청요리 we enjoyed is no longer available in Korea but amazingly you could enjoy it in Japan, not only in Kobe but also in Nagoya and even Kyoto market place my wife claims the best, I let you all know!
Warm regards,
BB
-
KwanHo, if you would visit us to Washington, I would be happy to give you a tour for the Korean 짜장면-탕수육 though they are not exactly same one we used to enjoy but quite close! Yes, we do have pretty(?) good quality of 짜장면-탕수육 at one Korean Chinese restaurant in a new Korea town at Chantilly, here in Northern Virginia, as well as one in Maryland suburb - Washington metropolitan area holds more than 150,000 Koreans having two different Korea towns at Annadale and Chantilly. They even have a 찜질방 if you happen to like! -.
Indeed, when any Korean friends visiting us to Washington should insist to taste Korean Chinese foods with priority, we always take them to these restaurants to offer 짜장면-탕수육.
So, buddy, feel free to come to Washington DC and be my guest!
Warm regards,
BB
P.S. We, however, always propose/offer Greek, Turkish, Persian/Iranian, or Afghanistan foods first since we believe no other places throughout the country, even in New York cannot provide same quality. Indeed, such Middle Eastern foods are much better than Chinese foods, and Washington DC offers such unique opportunity of a great variety of excellent cuisines throughout the world because many chefs of the embassies throughout the world never go back but settle here to open the restaurant for their native food; even we have an excellent Nepalese restaurant to serve Nepalese foods like Dal-bhat and Momo, Nepalese version of 만두).
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Dear BB. Thanks for invitation to DC. I don't have any current plan for travel there, but there is such a proverb, "Never say never". Whenever I have an unexpected chance to visit the Nation's capital, I'll certainly remember you and call you for sure. Not only tasting these rare foods, there should be tons of talks such as 漢詩 and the related stories which could be never ending.
My mother was a learned person with an excellent education of Chinese literature from a famous 한문학자, 즉 유명한 정다산의 손자. Chinese poems and proses were almost all related to the historical background. I had heard from mother.
My family was originated from 경상도 진주, but my mother is 한양 native, living there for several hundred years. They were poor 양반 for several hundred years. What does that mean? Maybe 남산골샌님???
So my maternal family was truly 한양 Native. Mother retained the very auathentic Seoul accent better than anyone I've seen. I haven't seen any Koreans commanding better authentic Korean language.
My father was 경상도 토백이셨지만, after ten years American education in his very younger days starting age 10 or 11!, when he returned home, he couldn't call mother when he embraced his mother(my grandma) since he could speak only a few words. Afterwards he became the first YMCA English teacher and made many, many friends mostly from the literarsociety including 이광수, 염상섭. etc,etc. So he relearned Korean language, which is just mixture of 서울말 and 경상도사투리.
Lately I began to develop my 잡담, but the real 잡담인 in our class was 이종욱, whose 달변 I still miss. I would call him a 최고 달변인.
Thank you very much for eveything.
Kwan Ho
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How interesting story, KwanHo! Your comments on 서울말 and 경상도사투리 reminds myself, speaking dual tones, 서울말 and 경상도사투리, although I was born and raised in Seoul. Indeed, entire surrounding condition of the house I grew up was a typical 경상도 status since whole group of the servants were either from my mother side, 영양 or my father side 영천despite I seldom had a chance to visit to 경상도. Naturally I spoke in 경상도 사투리 all along whenever I talk with the family member to surprise my friends to come to our house.
But, interestingly, after I moved to the States, my brain somehow started to confuse with my memory of Korean language, to bringing up 경상도 accent unconsciously whenever I meet old Korean friends and talk making me get embarrassed!
Anyhow, even though I do speak quasi 경상도 사투리 as my wife always make fun of it, I felt so bad this 경상도사투리/dialect accents really ruined/contaminated genuine 서울말 I found out when I went back to Seoul in 1994. A new strange Korean accent made me feel so offended and I was barely able to understand the half of such strange language.
One thing I felt so good when I left Korea 2004 was I no longer need to tolerate such funny weird accent as the outcome of the contamination of damn 경상도 사투리!
BB
https://youtu.be/BU_ajsDlbe8
(인천공화춘)
1882년 임오군란과 1884년 갑신장병을 해결하고 친일 개화파와 일본세력을 제압하고
청나라가 조선을 1894년 청일전쟁 때 까지 조선을 직접 지배했습니다. 이때 호떡등
청나라 음식이 많이 들어왔다고 합니다. 인천에 차이나 타운도 이때 형성 되었다고 하네요.
그러나 짜장면집은 1908에 생긴 공화춘이 원조 랍니다.
이선배님의 짜장면 이야기 재미있게 읽었습니다. 감사합니다.