Spotlight On Korean Food: Naengmyeong

"These noodles are too hot!",  Momma Bear said.
"These noodles are too cold!", Poppa Bear said.
"Screw it, let's eat the cold ones!", they all said.

And thus, Naengmyeong (냉면) was born.

Ok, maybe not really, but Naengmyeong is literally Korean for "cold noodles" (Myeong = noodles, naeng = cold).  There are many varieties of cold noodles that you can get, but the most common one that we see is usually cold buckwheat noodles in some sort of broth, with an egg and vegetables mixed in.  This is usually served with containers of vinegar and mustard to mix into the broth. 


I know that you are probably thinking right now.  "Cold noodles.  Ick!  Why would I want that?"  For one, it's really nice on a hot day.  If you think about being outside in the sticky humidity all day and then coming in to eat steaming noodles, it's not that appealing.  Throw some ice it it, and it's a way to fill up and to cool down.  Second, don't think of it so much as noodles.  Think of it like a salad.  Once you mix in the vinegar and the mustard, which act as a kind of salad dressing, it really just tastes like a noodle salad.

If you ever do order this there's just one tip: use the scissors!  You might find it odd that with a bowl of cold noodles comes a pair of scissors, but they are useful.  Use the scissors to cut the noodles and the vegetables into smaller pieces so that they are easier to eat.  Otherwise, you're going to be sucking on noodles for a long time!