Korean-Chinese Food

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           If there's Chinese-American food (yes, orange chicken and fried rice are not authentic Chinese food), there's also Chinese-Korean food. I'm not sure how Chinese-American food came to be, but Chinese-Korean food was invented when a Chinese chef in Korea made Jjajangmyun (pictured above), and voila! Just like you can't find the American version of Chinese food in China, you can't find Korean-Chinese food in China, either. Well, maybe they do have it in some places now, both America's and Korea's version of Chinese food. 

         It's interesting how in America, we call the American version of Chinese food just "Chinese food" when it really isn't, yet that's what we take it as. It's the same in Korea. You say, "I'm eating Chinese food" and it's not referring to the authentic Chinese food.

Jjam-bbong
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           There are interesting customs that have come from these Korean-Chinese food. Jjajangmyun is noodles with black bean paste sauce and since the color is dark, April 14th is a day for singles called Black Day, black to represent sadness. Depressing, yes, but it has become a fun thing. Ironically enough, jjajangmyun is food that is popular among children, so it's considered children's food while the spicy noodle, jjam-bbong (pictured above) is considered a grown-up's food. 

Tang-su-yook
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          Another tradition that has come out of Korean-Chinese food is eating it when Koreans move. Korean-Chinese is typically ordered by phone and delivered to your home, so it's another type of fast food, so when Koreans move, they can't settle to cook for a regular lunch, especially since by then they had packed away their table and chairs. So what they do is order "Chinese" food, spread some newspapers on the floor and eat. You may be wondering why this is such a notable tradition, well, it's really because it's been so commonly practiced to the point that it's become representative of what Koreans do when they move. 

        In contrast to American Chinese food, Korean-Chinese food is deep rooted into Korean culture. It has become a large part of Korean life, so that although it's called Chinese food, it's no different from just being Korean food.

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