To Soju or not to Soju?

Thursday May 20, 2010

I went out for my first dinner alone wandering my local streets. I stumbled into a noodle place.

I settled on Bibim nyeng myun which is cold noodle dish mixed with a red pepper paste sauce. I consider myself to have a high tolerance for spicy and hot foods. Whenever I get soon dubu (soft tofu stew) in Ktown and they offer you 4 levels of spice, I always go for 4. So I thought spicy noodles would be perfect for my first meal.

I was oh so wrong. Spice in Korea is on another level. I can't speak for West Coast Korean restaurants but for the most part, Ktown Korean food is also catering to anAmerican crowd. That is my only explanation for why I can handle the Korean food in Ktown but not these measly bowl of noodles.

One bite and my salivary glands started to immediately work overtime, water did not do the trick. For that I felt I needed soju.

I had trouble bringing myself to order a bottle.

Do I want to drink alone?

Will I finish it?

Is some old Korean man going to come up and yell at me?

Yes I love to drink and lets just say I have had many nights where I've had a few too many (that is a gross understatement). However, I have this thing against drinking alone. Perhaps because I went through a period where I was borderline alcoholic (what college student hasn't?), I like to have this rule of always drinking in the company of others. This is how I personally define alcoholic and someone who simply likes to party. Really not the correct definition, I know. I also have a big thing about wasting alcohol therefore I don't order drinks unless I feel like I can finish.

I broke both my rules and ordered a bottle mainly because I was worried that my tongue was about to singe off the back of my mouth. When the bill came I knew I made the right choice. A bottle of Soju was 3000 Won which in the states roughly equates to $2.50. Insanity.

I finished almost all of it. No one even looked at me strangely. Success.

I have trouble in countries where the alcohol costs less than a soda (ie France where a glass of wine can cost less than a glass of Coke). I sense troublesome adventures brewing already.