Gourmet Ramen

The other day, my co-teacher invited me to lunch with her and her friend.  They took me to a place on the beach that I probably would never have gone in.  It wasn't a shady place, it just didn't look interesting and I honestly wouldn't have even noticed it except for my co-teacher pointing it out.

We sat down and my co-teacher and her friend ordered for us.  The food they brought out was a big pan with lots of vegetables and hot dogs.  A type of seasoned water was poured into the pan.  The waitress left and came back with a square of ramen noodles.  Ordering ramen noodles at a restaurant is not uncommon and I've done it several times.  I have just never had "gourmet" ramen before.  Haha!

"Gourmet" ramen - Budae Chigae (or Jjigae)

My co-teacher said that this dish was invented by American soldiers during the war.  I thought that was a neat story to share with my American family and friends.  However, after doing a little research, I have found that my co-teacher was not entirely correct about the origins of this soup.

The name of the dish is actually Budae Chigae (or Jjigae).  "Budae" means military base and "Chigae (or Jjigae)" means stew in Korean.  After the Korean War, there was little food.  People were able to use the leftover food (mostly hot dogs and spam) from the American army bases.  The soup is basically ramen noodles, vegetables, and a form of meat, usually hot dogs or spam.

Yeah, I know.  Riveting read, right?  Haha!  I just think it has a neat (although a little sad) story behind it.