Posted by : Contributory Writer
2020 has been a year of staying home and for the K-Drama and K-Pop fans, it became a little easier to follow that as we got a lot of new and interesting Korean content from time to time to keep ourselves entertained without going out of our homes and we are loving it !
In recent times , the ‘Hallyu Wave’ has been spreading all over the globe at a never seen before speed! Even in a country like India, where the home grown film industry occupies the heart of the Indians, K-Dramas have been trending on Netflix as well.
K-Dramas and K-POP have become an intrinsic part of the lives of millions of people but the ‘Hallyu Wave’ is a much broader and bigger phenomenon than just K-Dramas and K-POP . It brings with it a whole new world of Korean Culture , Korean Lifestyle , Food , Traditions and anything and everything Korean!
The food culture in Korea is also extremely vast and diverse, bringing the consumer with a wide variety of lip-smacking delicacies. From pure traditional to street style modern form snacks, from wide varieties of Seafoods , Soups , Stews , Meat dishes to hundreds of different types of Desserts. The deeper you dive in , the better and bigger your options get. As people usually get more interested in learning about Korean culture and lifestyle after getting into K-Dramas and K-Pop, we though what can be a better and an easier way to start learning more about K-Culture, than by K-Dramas themselves ?
So , we’ve made a beginners guide for all the K-Drama fanatics , foodies and everyone interested in learning more about Korean food culture to get to know a little bit more about common Korean dishes. We present to you with the list of 5 Korean dishes commonly featured in K-dramas. Get ready for some serious food cravings to hit in by the end of this article!
Source : maangchi.com
There’s no K-Drama without Kimchi because Kimchi takes up a major part of the lives of Koreans. An average Korean is said to consume almost 22 kg of Kimchi annually, according to The Korea Magazine.
It is a side dish made up of salted and fermented vegetables. But the Korean traditional Kimchi is mostly made by fermenting salted Napa Cabbage in Gochugaru ( Red chilly pepper flakes ) seasoning and based on personal preferences and taste, it can range from different types and styles making it a multi-version dish. Some of them are Radish Kimchi , Vegan Kimchi , Cucumber Kimchi and many more. As it is fermented, Kimchi does have a strong smell.
Kimchi can also be used to make different kind of dishes like Kimchi Jjigae ( Kimchi Stew ) , Kimchi Pancake , Kimchi Fried Rice to name a few. Overall , It can go well with anything and everything, be it as a side dish or a main dish.
Source : tumblr.com
Ramyeon in particular is something that can’t be missed out in a K-Drama. These Korean style instant noodles are easily available in almost all of the Korean convenience stores and make a good choice for inexpensive yet delicious late night snacks. It comes in different flavors but most has a distinct and spicy touch to it. It is usually made by adding Gochujang (Fermented paste of Chilly flakes , Soybean and Rice), Gochugaru (Korean Chilly Flakes) and sometimes Doenjang (Fermented Soybean paste) in the noodles and then add whatever you want like egg , kimchi ,chicken, cheese , seafood or anything as per your taste and preference and your Korean style instant noodles are now ready to eat ! Easy to make but extra tasty ! Ramyeon generally comes in cup style packaging or in rectangular packet.
What is your version of Ramyeon? Do tag us and share with us!
Source : aeriskitchen.com
Another very famous and very common convenience store food seen in K-Dramas is the Samgak Kimbap. It is mainly triangle shaped rice filling wrapped in seaweed sheet. In addition to Rice filling , it also contains Tuna filling , Garlic , Black Pepper, Hot Pepper paste , Kimchi , Sesame oil , Sesame seeds , Soy sauce , Vinegar , Sugar etc. It is a dry, crispy and non- spicy snack which is relatively cheap and easily available.
Since it comes in a triangular shaped plastic packaging, even if you’re busy and can’t sit and eat, this can be eaten while on the move. Have you tried this version of Kimbap yet?
Source : wikipedia.com
When it comes to street food , Tteokbokki can never be left out from K-Dramas. In a lot of K-Dramas the ‘Rich male lead’ tries street food with the female lead for the first time and then , they are shown eating Tteokbokki ! And of course, the male lead is found falling for its taste because why not!
One of the most popular street foods in Korea, Tteokbokki is stir fried Rice cake covered in spicy chilly sauce. It is a soft , sweet and spicy snack consisting of Korean Rice cakes , Korean Fish cakes , Korean Soup stock and Tteokbokki sauce as the main ingredients.
One can never get bored of it because it comes in multiple variations like spicy Tteokbokki , non-spicy Tteokbokki, Soy sauce Tteokbokki, Tteokbokki with Ramyeon and many more.
Source : maangchi.com
We now know about popular street food but when it comes to delivery food , Jjajangmyeon is the most commonly ordered/ home delivered food shown in K-Dramas !
This Chinese style Korean dish mainly contains Noodles in black bean sauce with vegetables and diced pork. It is a great choice for lunch or dinner.
The chewy noodles are cooked in a smooth and slightly sweet Chunjang ( Black bean paste ) which gives it a medium spicy to a mild sweet flavor with a rich and saucy texture. Now, toss in some vegetables, diced pork in it and your Jjajangmyeon is ready to eat ! Sounds easy but delicious, right ?
It can also be served with boiled egg or sliced cucumbers as well so, you can instantly add new flavors in it!
Have your food cravings started to hit in ? Mine started hitting in too while writing this article !
What’s your pick ? Are there some dishes we missed out on ? If yes, Do let us know.
Tags: Jajjangmyeon, Kculture, kdrama, Kfood, Kimchi, Kimpap, korean food, Ramyeon, Tteokboki
‘K-POP’ maybe a genre in itself but Korean music isn’t just about Korean pop, it also includes Korean R&B, Korean -Indie, Korean Hip-Hop, and many more.
7 hours ago
“There are so many people who trusted and supported us throughout our journey. From our friends, family, followers to the Doctor and medical shop owner who supplied us all these essentials really made us believe in humanity. We would like to thank each and every person who trusted and supported us in every way possible.”
19 hours ago
19 hours ago
P.C: KOZ Entertainment
Namaste Hallyu is super excited to share our interview with our Artist of The Month – Singer and Songwriter Dvwn!
If you’re a fan of versatile Korean music, you might have definitely heard his song, ‘Being Left’ with Zico or ‘Fairy’ or even ‘Last’ and if you’re a KDrama fan, you must have heard him when listening to the OST ‘No Problem’ from the drama, ‘The Uncanny Counter’ or you might have seen Park Shin Hye featured in his latest music video, ‘Free Flight’.
Soundcloud has been a big platform for various artists around the world, both popular and rising and this platform holds the stories of many world famous artists who initially started there including Dvwn’s musical journey. He gathered a lot of attention on Soundcloud and is known for his soothing melodies that are self-written and composed and this caught the attention of one of the biggest South Korean rapper, Zico. Dvwn is now signed with Zico’s KOZ Entertainment, a subsidiary of HYBE Corporation (formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment).
P.C: KOZ Entertainment
Dvwn has not only made music for his fans but he has also worked with various artists. Dvwn has worked with EXO’s Lay Zhang and Chanyeol, separately for ‘Mapo Tofu’ and ‘SSFW’. He further participated in SHINee’s ‘Heart Attack’ from their recent album, ‘Love Yourself’ by Eric Nam, Babylon’s ‘Karma’, and had also featured in Kang Daniel’s track ‘Movie’. Dvwn has also received IU’s appreciation for his cover songs.
What we love the most about Dvwn is how he effortlessly shifts genre and makes it his own. Dvwn cannot be classified as one genre of artist and that is why, it is best to understand his style of music by listening to his music because he creates a genre of his own. But if we have to categorise him, then it would be ‘Versatile’. Ahead of his EP ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ releasing on the 14th of April, we got to speak with Dvwn. Read on to know about his musical journey, his inspirations, the upcoming EP and more, including a special message for his Indian fans.
Namaste Hallyu (NH): First of all, congratulations! You came back with a new single ‘Free Flight’ and it has been well received. What does the song ‘ Free Flight’ mean to you ? You have also mentioned that it was written and recorded two-three years ago, is ‘Free Flight’ in any way different from your album series ‘Dawn Defibrillation’- lyrically and musically?
Dvwn: Thank you very much! I tried to express a journey of flying into one’s dream to tell things that I wouldn’t be able to tell in reality, and then flying back to reality with clearer conscience with ‘Free Flight’. A friend of mine who is a producer wrote the song as an instrumental track, which we rearranged to complete it as it is now. This song was supposed to be one of the tracks in ‘Dawn Defibrillation’ and you will find many similarities but on the other hand, the topic of the lyrics and the genre form are quite different. ‘Free Flight’ is a song where I tell a story in a more calm manner.
NH: You have been giving us so many amazing songs. What is your process when you’re writing a song? Any musical artist/art in general that has a major influence on your style?
Dvwn: The music writing process differs for each song. I sometimes stumble across a word in my daily life and start from that word and sometimes I get inspired by a book. Most of the time, I start by just sitting down in a chair. The artists that influences me the most, changes all the time and recently, I’ve been most inspired by films directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
NH: It has been two years since you released your first self-produced album, ‘Panorama’ and ‘Fairy’ still remains as your most streamed song from that album and since then, it has been a journey of so many amazing songs. Which is your favorite work so far?
Dvwn: My favorite work changes all the time. I always find myself liking the most recently written song the most and I believe that many artists would relate to that. Of all the released songs, I like ‘Free flight’ the most. It must be because I prefer calmer music nowadays.
NH: You mentioned in a previous interview about how The Black Skirts is one of your favorite musician, have you ever thought of a possible collaboration and how do you think it will turn out?
Dvwn: I do like The Black Skirts very much but a collaboration is a very difficult process. I feel that it would be better to keep my favorite artist as the favorite artist and nothing more but if I were to collaborate with him, I think the song will turn out to be a very rocking one.
NH: You have never been bounded by a single genre and in the past, you had mentioned that you would like to try ‘Gospel’ music, is that still the same or is there any particular genre that you want to try?
Dvwn: Yes, I still want to try Gospel music someday, as the majestic feel of the genre can’t be replaced by any other. Other than Gospel music, I would love to try to write psychedelic or alternative rock music.
NH: ‘Dawn Defibrillation’ has continued as a series and you have also expressed that it will be finalized as an EP or LP. So can we expect it in the near future?
Dvwn: I have currently pushed the project to a later time, and am focusing on the upcoming album. As it is a series, I feel that I would need more time to think about it. It will happen when the time is right.
NH: You had shared a snippet in your Instagram Story which seemed like a demo of ‘Free Flight’ but in English. If it is the English version, we were wondering if your fans would get a chance to listen to it.
Dvwn: It’s actually not an English version, but a demo with rough melody guides. I normally sing in gibberish English when I’m writing the melodies, and it must have sounded like an English version. I would love to release an English version if the meaning of ‘Free Flight’ can be translated into English without losing its meaning.
NH: You have recently sung the OST, ‘No Problem’ for the K-Drama ‘The Uncanny Encounter’ and it has been wonderfully received. How was the experience? If we are not wrong, isn’t this your first OST? In addition, is there an OST of any Drama or Movie in particular that you like a lot?
Dvwn: Yes, it was my first time, and it was a very unique experience. I have never had anyone direct me in the recording process and so, it was awkward at first but I enjoyed the experience. I love the OST of Reply 1988, “A Little Girl” sung by Oh Hyuk.
NH: We heard that your new EP ‘It’s not your fault’ will be released soon. As it’s the first record after signing with KOZ Entertainment, we are wondering what kind of story it contains. Could you give us a spoiler before it’s released?
Dvwn: I think the listeners would find the album quite heavy overall. It contains many feelings and stories and its difficult to explain in a short sentence, but I would say the main keywords are sadness and loneliness. You will know what I mean when you listen to it. To spoil it a little, the album consists of songs with many different genres. Please don’t miss out on ‘It’s not your fault’.
NH: Lastly, any message for your Indian fans and what to expect from you?
Dvwn: Thank you so much for listening to my music. I have been working hard to present good music to you. My new EP ‘It’s not your fault’ will release soon, so please look forward to it! Thank you so much again for all the love!
Dvwn has an intense passion for music and sheds light on the importance of fans being able to resonate with his music. We are very happy to have interviewed such a versatile artist who produces fervent music and we are grateful to Dvwn and KOZ Entertainment for the opportunity. We look forward to all the new music and we hope to see him perform in India, someday.
Dvwn’s new EP, ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ is releasing on April 14 featuring various artists like lIlBOI, CHE, jane, and Kwon Jin Ah. KOZ Entertainment Announces Dvwn’s Comeback
1 day ago
April 9th, 2021
What started with a mere fondness for the Indian culture has now become a 1M+ family. Korean Dost is a YouTube channel by two Koreans, Min, and Hoon and the channel is all about their love for everything Indian- Food, Clothes, Music, Films, and People.
January 30th, 2021
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” A Room of One’s Own’ but we can all relate to it, food is after all the gateway. If you watch Korean Drama, by now you would have seen multiple varieties of Korean Food and you might have already tasted few, if not all. And even if you are not into Korean Drama but you’re a foodie, you might have probably heard of Ramyeon, Kimchi if nothing else and have probably tried it. We love our food and we especially love Korean Food and so, in our culture section, we wanted to take you around India, introduce Korean Food, find places which serves Korean Food while also taking you behind the scenes and telling you their story. To begin with this segment, the KING’S BAKERY at Kolkata.
November 29th, 2020
2020 has been a year of staying home and for the K-Drama and K-Pop fans, it became a little easier to follow that as we got a lot of new and interesting Korean content from time to time to keep ourselves entertained without going out of our homes and we are loving it !
September 11th, 2020
Last updated on October 10th, 2020 at 12:25 pm
An important thing that you can’t leave out when talking about K-POP is the live concerts.
January 3rd, 2019
Last updated on January 11th, 2019 at 05:25 pm
A new year calls for new K-dramas to get hooked on!
P.C: KOZ Entertainment
Namaste Hallyu is super excited to share our interview with our Artist of The Month – Singer and Songwriter Dvwn!
If you’re a fan of versatile Korean music, you might have definitely heard his song, ‘Being Left’ with Zico or ‘Fairy’ or even ‘Last’ and if you’re a KDrama fan, you must have heard him when listening to the OST ‘No Problem’ from the drama, ‘The Uncanny Counter’ or you might have seen Park Shin Hye featured in his latest music video, ‘Free Flight’.
Soundcloud has been a big platform for various artists around the world, both popular and rising and this platform holds the stories of many world famous artists who initially started there including Dvwn’s musical journey. He gathered a lot of attention on Soundcloud and is known for his soothing melodies that are self-written and composed and this caught the attention of one of the biggest South Korean rapper, Zico. Dvwn is now signed with Zico’s KOZ Entertainment, a subsidiary of HYBE Corporation (formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment).
P.C: KOZ Entertainment
Dvwn has not only made music for his fans but he has also worked with various artists. Dvwn has worked with EXO’s Lay Zhang and Chanyeol, separately for ‘Mapo Tofu’ and ‘SSFW’. He further participated in SHINee’s ‘Heart Attack’ from their recent album, ‘Love Yourself’ by Eric Nam, Babylon’s ‘Karma’, and had also featured in Kang Daniel’s track ‘Movie’. Dvwn has also received IU’s appreciation for his cover songs.
What we love the most about Dvwn is how he effortlessly shifts genre and makes it his own. Dvwn cannot be classified as one genre of artist and that is why, it is best to understand his style of music by listening to his music because he creates a genre of his own. But if we have to categorise him, then it would be ‘Versatile’. Ahead of his EP ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ releasing on the 14th of April, we got to speak with Dvwn. Read on to know about his musical journey, his inspirations, the upcoming EP and more, including a special message for his Indian fans.
Namaste Hallyu (NH): First of all, congratulations! You came back with a new single ‘Free Flight’ and it has been well received. What does the song ‘ Free Flight’ mean to you ? You have also mentioned that it was written and recorded two-three years ago, is ‘Free Flight’ in any way different from your album series ‘Dawn Defibrillation’- lyrically and musically?
Dvwn: Thank you very much! I tried to express a journey of flying into one’s dream to tell things that I wouldn’t be able to tell in reality, and then flying back to reality with clearer conscience with ‘Free Flight’. A friend of mine who is a producer wrote the song as an instrumental track, which we rearranged to complete it as it is now. This song was supposed to be one of the tracks in ‘Dawn Defibrillation’ and you will find many similarities but on the other hand, the topic of the lyrics and the genre form are quite different. ‘Free Flight’ is a song where I tell a story in a more calm manner.
NH: You have been giving us so many amazing songs. What is your process when you’re writing a song? Any musical artist/art in general that has a major influence on your style?
Dvwn: The music writing process differs for each song. I sometimes stumble across a word in my daily life and start from that word and sometimes I get inspired by a book. Most of the time, I start by just sitting down in a chair. The artists that influences me the most, changes all the time and recently, I’ve been most inspired by films directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.
NH: It has been two years since you released your first self-produced album, ‘Panorama’ and ‘Fairy’ still remains as your most streamed song from that album and since then, it has been a journey of so many amazing songs. Which is your favorite work so far?
Dvwn: My favorite work changes all the time. I always find myself liking the most recently written song the most and I believe that many artists would relate to that. Of all the released songs, I like ‘Free flight’ the most. It must be because I prefer calmer music nowadays.
NH: You mentioned in a previous interview about how The Black Skirts is one of your favorite musician, have you ever thought of a possible collaboration and how do you think it will turn out?
Dvwn: I do like The Black Skirts very much but a collaboration is a very difficult process. I feel that it would be better to keep my favorite artist as the favorite artist and nothing more but if I were to collaborate with him, I think the song will turn out to be a very rocking one.
NH: You have never been bounded by a single genre and in the past, you had mentioned that you would like to try ‘Gospel’ music, is that still the same or is there any particular genre that you want to try?
Dvwn: Yes, I still want to try Gospel music someday, as the majestic feel of the genre can’t be replaced by any other. Other than Gospel music, I would love to try to write psychedelic or alternative rock music.
NH: ‘Dawn Defibrillation’ has continued as a series and you have also expressed that it will be finalized as an EP or LP. So can we expect it in the near future?
Dvwn: I have currently pushed the project to a later time, and am focusing on the upcoming album. As it is a series, I feel that I would need more time to think about it. It will happen when the time is right.
NH: You had shared a snippet in your Instagram Story which seemed like a demo of ‘Free Flight’ but in English. If it is the English version, we were wondering if your fans would get a chance to listen to it.
Dvwn: It’s actually not an English version, but a demo with rough melody guides. I normally sing in gibberish English when I’m writing the melodies, and it must have sounded like an English version. I would love to release an English version if the meaning of ‘Free Flight’ can be translated into English without losing its meaning.
NH: You have recently sung the OST, ‘No Problem’ for the K-Drama ‘The Uncanny Encounter’ and it has been wonderfully received. How was the experience? If we are not wrong, isn’t this your first OST? In addition, is there an OST of any Drama or Movie in particular that you like a lot?
Dvwn: Yes, it was my first time, and it was a very unique experience. I have never had anyone direct me in the recording process and so, it was awkward at first but I enjoyed the experience. I love the OST of Reply 1988, “A Little Girl” sung by Oh Hyuk.
NH: We heard that your new EP ‘It’s not your fault’ will be released soon. As it’s the first record after signing with KOZ Entertainment, we are wondering what kind of story it contains. Could you give us a spoiler before it’s released?
Dvwn: I think the listeners would find the album quite heavy overall. It contains many feelings and stories and its difficult to explain in a short sentence, but I would say the main keywords are sadness and loneliness. You will know what I mean when you listen to it. To spoil it a little, the album consists of songs with many different genres. Please don’t miss out on ‘It’s not your fault’.
NH: Lastly, any message for your Indian fans and what to expect from you?
Dvwn: Thank you so much for listening to my music. I have been working hard to present good music to you. My new EP ‘It’s not your fault’ will release soon, so please look forward to it! Thank you so much again for all the love!
Dvwn has an intense passion for music and sheds light on the importance of fans being able to resonate with his music. We are very happy to have interviewed such a versatile artist who produces fervent music and we are grateful to Dvwn and KOZ Entertainment for the opportunity. We look forward to all the new music and we hope to see him perform in India, someday.
Dvwn’s new EP, ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ is releasing on April 14 featuring various artists like lIlBOI, CHE, jane, and Kwon Jin Ah. KOZ Entertainment Announces Dvwn’s Comeback
1 day ago
2 weeks ago
March 3rd, 2021
Big Naughty (Seo Dong Hyun) from H1gher Music is a 2003 born soloist with a soothing voice perfect for the sensible rap that he is known for. His vocals does not limit him to rapping as he sings well too and recently he released his latest contemporary R & B Genre, EP “Bucket List”. In his EP, he has shown a different side of his music taste from that he is usually known for. Read on to read our review.
