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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Korean invasion

Korean invasion

Published Jun 9, 2023 04:04 pm

MEDIUM RARE


The invasion happened round about 2005 when ABS-CBN imported the first Korean soap, after which Filipino audiences could not have enough of K-drama.
Years later, when Paolo was 10 years old, I heard him arguing with his father, who was all set to take the family on a vacation to Seoul. No, Paolo said, let’s make it Hawaii. “I already live in Korea. There are plenty of Koreans living in our building, every time I’m in the elevator I’m with one or a few of them. In the mall, there are Korean restaurants everywhere. I can’t help it, I eat Korean food, too.”
Paolo is 17 now. I think he has accepted the reality of a Korean invasion, part 2, because he has not brought it up again. Now I’m thinking I should’ve let him tag along on a food trip to a place offering 100 Korean ramyeon. A restaurant daring to offer instant noodles, on Maginhawa, Quezon City’s street of eats?
To see is to believe. The Filipino owners call it a ramyeon bar, almost a self-service canteen patronized by adults who (on that day) didn’t look older than 22 summers. On one wall, vertical rows of ramyeon were displayed in their original packaging – could there be 70 packs of them? Lower at eye level, another display of 30 packs, which I gathered were samples of what’s actually available for cooking and eating. (Even at 30 flavors, you’d have a different one for each day of the month!)
After choosing their ramyeon, the diners brought their tray to a chiller, from which they picked the “real” food to add to the soup: shrimp, fish, veggies. The rapid cooking was done by the restaurant’s cook. Before returning to my table, I pulled out a green-glass bottle of “green grape,” only to discover that it wasn’t a fruit drink but Soju, not wine and not beer.  After one gulp and before I’d get drunk on what looked (and probably tasted) like rubbing alcohol, I decided to take the bottle home.
Before bedtime, searching for the 11th episode of “Where My Love Blooms,” I couldn’t believe my eyes, for there it was, the very same Soju bottle standing on the table shared by the two lovers.

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