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How To Eat the Summer Heat in Korea July 11, 2019

I yeol chi yeol: Fighting fire with fire at eateries near campus

With the sweltering heat setting in Korea, Yonseians are searching for the best remedies to take the heat out of their system. Sure, you could always go for some cold ice cream, but what better way to fight the heat than with heat? Hot soups, spicy chicken and blazing BBQ, work up a sweat to fight back that heat.

Reporters from Yonsei University's student-led English monthly, The Yonsei Annals, have set out to provide the best places to enjoy hot and tasty summer foods near Yonsei's main Sinchon campus in Seoul and the Yonsei International Campus (YIC) in Songdo, Incheon. Boil yourself from within this summer and work up a sweat.

SINCHON CAMPUS IN SEOUL, KOREA

Soop sok han bang Land Spa

Park Jae-ha, Reporter

Furnaces fired up with blazing coal are not the things one would think of in summer. However, this surreal picture is the traditional Korean way of fighting the summer heat. In the Soop sok han bang Land Spa located just ten minutes away from the East Gate of Yonsei University's main Sinchon Campus in Seoul, Korea, you can experience the literal version of fighting fire with fire. However, only those who can tolerate the agonizing heat should enter these kiln saunas, as they can reach up to 100˚C. Along with the fiery pits, the spa also provides mouth-watering sik-hye (sweet rice beverage), sweet potatoes, Korean BBQ, and more to satisfy your cravings. So if you are looking for a way to fight off the summer heat and enjoy some delicious food, give the Soop sok han bang Land Spa a chance.

Hongcho Red Station

Lee Chae-wan, Reporter

Located in a dark corner of Sinchon, Hongcho Red Station is a pearl hidden in the deep sea. It is known for selling spicy yet tasty foods including chicken, squid and intestines. Their best-selling menu is a mayo fire chicken where mayonnaise is swirled on top of seasoned spicy chicken. If you go there with a friend, you can order a set menu that offers the mayo fire chicken along with side-dishes that make the meal even tastier than it already is. Grab two bottles of beer from the refrigerator, and eat the spicy chicken to fight off the burning heat of summer.

Bo seung hoe gwan

Alua Khangerey, Reporter

The posters in front of Bo seung hoe gwan offer you two different ways to beat the heat: with naeng-myeon (cold buckwheat noodle soup) or sam-gye-tang (hot ginseng chicken soup). It is hard to find a place where you can order a piping hot bowl of chicken in Sinchon, but the restaurant is conveniently located on an open corner on the road beside the U-Plex building near the Sinchon subway station. Stop by on your way to the subway, order the sam-gye-tang and embrace the heat. The interior is designed for sitting in small groups, which creates a cozy atmosphere to enjoy the seasoned meat while you dab away the sweat dripping down your forehead.

YONSEI INTERNATIONAL CAMPUS (YIC) IN SONGDO, INCHEON

Da-wa restaurant

Woo Ji-won, Cub Reporter

If you want to enjoy a hot, sizzling dish alone, dine in at Da-wa restaurant in Campus Town. Da-wa is the perfect place to enjoy a hot meal in peace since it has single tables and a quiet atmosphere. The restaurant serves a variety of hangover soups, served in sizzling hot pots, and all at affordable price ranges. Da-wa is famous for its beef rice soup, a beef bone based hangover soup filled with juicy chunks of beef and crunchy scallions. If you’re craving side dishes, you can’t miss Da-wa’s savory eggrolls and deep-fried dumplings. For YIC students searching for a place to beat the heat with heat, why not have a hot bowl of beef rice soup at Da-wa?

So-gong-dong: The Old Tofu House

Kwon Do-in, Cub Reporter

We can all agree on how exhaustive Korea’s summer is. The humidity and the heat drain all the life from you. If this applies to you, now is the time for you to visit So-gong-dong for some Korean soul food. So-gong-dong is a Korean restaurant on Triple Street. Their menus are typical Korean home food; hot tofu stew, flame broil, and steamed pork are some of their most popular dishes. The steamy brews are prepared with vegetables, meat and a traditional Korean sauce, which is the perfect remedy for your sun-beaten body. Continuing its history as an affordable soul food restaurant since 1962, the prices of the dishes are ideal for the average university student on a low budget. Surviving Korea’s summer is no joke, but So-gong-dong will help you get through.

Mil-kyeo-wool

Kang Su-a, Cub Reporter

Located on the first floor of Campus Town, Mil-kyeo-wool is a Korean restaurant that mainly sells kal-gook-su (noodle dish with thick noodles). The greatest merit of this particular restaurant is its low price. The kal-gook-su only costs 3,900 won and the most expensive is 5,900 won. The stock used in kal-gook-su is unique, because it doesn’t use anchovy stock like most Korean noodles, but beef stock that tastes a lot like sul-lung-tang (soup made with broth from beef bones). If you are in Songdo looking for a hot dish to help you beat the heat, Mil-kyeo-wool is a sensible choice.

[Editor's Note] This article was contributed by Yonsei University's student-led English monthly, The Yonsei Annals.

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