I have always been a foodie (lover of food). If there is one thing I am certain my friends will use in describing me, it would be my love for cooking and eating food. I always tell people that my love language is food and that the surest way to my heart is through food; in other words, if you love me, just keep giving me food. Another characteristic of mine is that I am not afraid to try out new things or to embark on new adventures and it is this desire for new experiences that drew me to the world of K-Food. My journey with Korean culture, in general, began in 2012 after watching ‘Boys over Flowers”. Something that caught my attention in that kdrama was the way they showcased various types of Korean cuisine, including street foods. The drama featured K-food such as kimchi, gyeran mari, odeng (fishcake) and ramen noodles, among others. Watching the main characters consume these foods with excitement on their faces left me longing for an opportunity to experience that same feeling of happiness that comes from eating delicious food. Nevertheless, it was difficult for me to fulfil this longing for Korean food because of the absence of a Korean restaurant or a Korean store in my state of residence at that time coupled with the fact that I did not really have friends around me that shared my love for Korean drama or Korean culture. The years after saw me becoming more invested in K-culture, particularly Kdrama and Kpop. Flash forward to 2022, the world had become more globalized and interconnected than it was in 2012, with more people now being exposed to Korean dramas, Korean food, and all things Korean. In fact, at this time, we now have a growing community of Nigerian Korean lovers, which then made it easier for me to fulfil my long-held yearning to taste Korean foods.
My first experience with eating Korean food was in March 2022 through a friend who was a Hallyu Content Creator and had gotten some Korean food products delivered to her from the Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria (KCCN) for reviews. We were flatmates at that time so when she got the products, I was beyond excited as it was like a dream come true for me. The first Korean food we tried out was Goldongmyeon; the package came along with the recipe for preparation but because this was not something we had eaten before, we decided to watch several YouTube videos on how to prepare it. In the end, even though it came out looking better than expected especially in terms of its appearance, this first attempt was largely unsuccessful especially since I did not get that food orgasm that people in the YouTube videos I watched seemed to have while eating it. It was cold, sugary, and unsavoury, which probably meant that somewhere along the line, I must have forgotten some of the steps. To make matters worse, I ate it with canned kimchi as a side dish. Since I was a first-time Kimchi eater, I was unaware that garlic is one of the major ingredients used in preparing Kimchi. On opening the Kimchi can, the smell of garlic that came out was so strong that I found difficult for me to stomach because I am not a lover of garlic. This experience did not discourage me but rather made me more motivated and determined to learn how to prepare Korean dishes. I started watching Korean cooking classes on YouTube as well as watching Korean reality shows about food. To familiarise myself better, I also began reading books about Korean foods, especially on the health benefits of the different foods. I also got to learn about terms used in describing Korean foods such as Hansik for Korean food; Bap for cooked rice; and banchan for side dishes.
My next experience with eating Korean food came months later and this time it was cooked by professional Korean chefs. I had gone to visit a friend in Lagos State, here in Nigeria and because She was also a Kdrama lover and knows how much I have been craving Korean food, she took me to a restaurant in Lagos that specialises in Korean food. On getting there, we were amazed by its welcoming and relaxing ambience, with an artificial cherry blossom tree displayed inside the building, which really gives you that unique Korean vibe that you get while watching Kdrama restaurant scenes. We decided to try out the different Korean menus that were available, particularly the ones we knew from kdramas. As Kdrama lovers, we could not resist ordering the Korean barbecue (bulgogi), which we had to grill by ourselves after following the instruction of the chef. Indeed, it was a fascinating experience. For drinks, we ordered Jinro Chamisul (Soju), which was a little too strong for me because of its high percentage of alcohol. We also ordered Gyeran mari (rolled omelette), tteokbokki, Gimbab (Bulgogi), Haemul bokeum japchae (spicy seafood noodle), traditional kimchi, and Soju. We started with the gyeran mari and bulgogi gimbab, which was not peppery but was very tasty. I enjoyed eating the spicy seafood noodle and it gave me the vibe I was expecting while eating Goldongmyeon. The rest of the meal also tasted great that we had to order extra servings to take home.
We also asked one of the chefs for recommendations on the best Korean noodle to try and he recommended the Shin Ramen because of our love for spicy food. I enjoyed all the foods we ate there to the extent that even though it was quite expensive when compared to our Nigerian dishes, all through my stay in Lagos, I made it a point of duty to visit that Korean restaurant at least once weekly to try out different Korean cuisines, including the Shin Ramen the chef recommended. This visit to Lagos helped to deepen my love for Korean food and since then I have been exploring and trying out other Korean cuisine. Today, I have become something of an expert when it comes to eating Korean food. Since I tasted the Korean Shin Ramen, it has become increasingly difficult for me to eat any other noodles and I happily recommend it to noodle lovers. Thankfully, I now have both an online and an offline store where I order Korean foods, Korean food products, and other Korean items.
My love for Korean food has also led me to attend different Korean food festivals here in Nigeria, the most recent of which was the Korean Food Tasting Event held by the Korean Wife Store in June 2023. One of the major things I love about Korean food is that it meets the need of a variety of audiences and preferences. For instance, there are options for persons that can deal with spicy food and those that find it difficult to consume peppery food. For instance, while I love the spiciness in traditional kimchi, for those that do not like spiciness in food or side dishes, baek kimchi and dongchimi is the ideal option to go for. Furthermore, if you love spicy noodles, the Shin Ramen represents the perfect fit, while persons with a low tolerance for pepper can go for options like chapatti. The same applies to Tteokbokki and many other Korean cuisines.
Another thing I love about Korean food is that there are made with lots of health-promoting ingredients, with most of them relying on healthy seasonings and organic/freshly sourced materials for their preparations, which is important, especially at a time when concern for one’s health has become very paramount. Most Korean foods such as kimchi, jeotgal, twigak, and jangajji, go through various fermentation and preservation processes which are known for creating a wide variety of nutrients such as vitamins, enzymes, and fatty acids which not only make food healthier to consume but also easier to digest. In fact, it was from learning how to eat Kimchi that I got to learn about the many health benefits of eating garlic. Once I got over the smell of garlic, I could not stop eating it and nowadays, it has become almost impossible for me to cook any dish without putting a generous amount of garlic in it. In addition, what I also found really interesting and unique about Korean food is that there is no scarcity of options to choose from when it comes to selecting side dishes that can be eaten alongside various Korean dishes. I am equally fascinated by the way in which Korean foods are being presented and served because it is usually appealing to the eyes, which increases one’s longing for them.
Overall, I love food adventure and indeed my experience with Korean food has been an amazing one and it has exposed me to the richness of the Korean food culture. While I await an opportunity to visit South Korea in person, I will keep immersing myself in Korean culture here in Nigeria through Korean foods as well as through Kdramas and Kpop.