As we all know, in addition to producing K-pop culture, Korean dramas, Korean cuisine is also a major feature of South Korea.
Military hotpot is also popular in South Korea. Unlike hot pot in other countries, however, South Korea’s military hot pot has recently become controversial.
Korean Army Hotpot is a very famous dish in South Korea, which is similar to fried rice cake and kelp soup.
Military hotpot is a stew of luncheon meat, spicy cabbage, Shin Ramen, cheese and other foods, and is popular among Koreans. But the origin of the army hot pot, but often by some of his Chinese jokes.
On the origin of the army hot pot, folk spread different views.
There is a myth that adult Korean men do two years of military service, but they are not good at cooking, so they throw all the food in the pot, stew it in a mess, and it tastes surprisingly good.
But the more widely acknowledged, and often ridiculed, version is that Army hotpot is made from the leftovers of American troops.
The New York Times tweeted a recipe for “Korean Army Pot” written by a Korean American, introducing that the dish originated from the Korean War, Guancha.com.cn reported.
It was originally made from the surplus rations of the U.S. Army. Kimchi, Korean hot sauce, luncheon meat, and sausage were cooked in a stew, then served with American cheese and rice.
The article is not without foundation. In the 1930s, the economic crisis in the United States was widespread, long-lasting and destructive. The Great Depression caused many Americans to go bankrupt, lose their jobs, and even face food and clothing problems.
It was in this environment that cheap canned meat (now called “spam”) came into being, which not only saved many poor families, but also became the biggest food ration of World War II.
During World War II, spam became a panacea for all American soldiers and a culinary feast for the rest of the world.
World War II was followed by the Korean War. The United States sent the United Nations troops to land in Incheon, South Korea, and the Chinese people’s volunteers also began to join the army, which is known in history as “resisting the United States and aiding Korea”.
When American soldiers were stationed in Korea, they produced a lot of canned spam. Many spam cans are thrown away before they are even eaten, and much of the excess meat is stale and ends up as kitchen waste.
At that time, many countries were rebuilding after the war, and the Korean people were not out of poverty. So even stale spam is a rare treat.
The army hot pot is produced in such a historical background, in the ruins of the war to search for food became the only way for the Korean people to survive.
Korean people will these leftovers precious, put in a pot of chaos stew, into a pot of delicious food. It’s also called Army hot pot because it’s made by the US Army.
So far, military hotpot has been improved from sloppy food to real dining, but despite this, military hotpot is still ridiculed by many people in other countries.
It can be seen that the background of military hot pot does not justify its delicious “name”.
Back to the original point of the article, after the New York Times shared the recipe on Twitter, it was slammed as “racist.”
One netizen said the dish is more like a symbol of the U.S. occupation of Korea, or a symbol of U.S. imperialism.
But it is strange that while most foreign Internet users are defending the Korean people and accusing them of “racism”, some South Korean Internet users are reacting in a very sober way.
Not only are there few people angry about the move, but most Korean netizens in the comments and reposts are struggling with one thing: Why put pickled radishes? Your cooking is not authentic! Recipe correction comments like this keep popping up.
Only a few South Korean Internet users expressed their discomfort with the recipe recommendation.
One South Korean netizen pointed out that the mouth-watering dish was actually a symbol of the “neocolonialism” of the US military.
“It’s like praising old people who are working three jobs for their survival wisdom without bemoaning what a terrible shame it is that they have to live like this.”
