You might already know that jjajangmyeon is one of Korea’s favourite Chinese dishes, but do you know its origins and the reason for its immense popularity in Korea?
We went to Chinatown in Incheon out of pure curiosity, to see how the Chinese in Korea live. It’s interesting to see how your own culture is adapted and shown in other countries. Even Chinese culture in Singapore has its differences from that in China.
In any case, the Chinese food in Korea is already pretty foreign to us. Jajangmyeon is one of the food that looks slightly different from the 炸酱面 (zhajiangmian) that Chinese eat (which we don’t really eat in Singapore anyway).
Tangsuyuk is also different from the 糖醋肉 (tangcurou) that the Chinese usually eat (I know this as sweet add sour pork, at least in Singapore).
Food is, indeed, a very good reflection of culture and lifestyle habits. If you want to know a bit more about Chinese food in Korea (sorry because I’m not an expert on this), you can read a Wikipedia page on this.
*UPDATED: This location was featured in Suits!
What to see at the Jjajangmyeon Museum
The museum is pretty small, with only 2 storeys. It was also a tad hard to find – we walked a few rounds around Chinatown to locate this.
Admission is really cheap though, with a 1,000won ticket giving you access to more than one museum!
Unfortunately, this museum is not as tourist-friendly as you would expect it to be.
The signs are written mostly in Korean and Chinese, with English only available for certain headings and titles. I guess they’re probably targeted at Koreans themselves, the Chinese population in Korea, and Chinese tourists.
If you’re not proficient in Korean and Chinese, you might have to resort to guessing what the exhibits mean.
Jjajangmyeon appears really very often in portrayals of the olden days in Korea. I suppose that’s testament to how long it’s been around in the country!
Chinese food in Korea is also synonymous with food delivery. Just in case you are mistaken, you can actually eat Chinese food in Chinese restaurants (usually opened by, of course, the Chinese).
However, when one mentions order-in in Korea, the first things that come to mind are jjajangmyeon and jjampong. Apparently it’s something the locals enjoy eating especially when they move house!
Our visit ended with this impressive display of instant jjajangmyeon. Who knew that there were so many different brands and varieties!!
Other than jjajangmyeon, there’s also jjajangbap (myeon = noodles, bap = rice). I guess it shows how seriously the Koreans take their Chinese food, and I think it’s interesting how it’s so well-loved by the Koreans.
Is Jjajangmyeon Museum worth visiting?
Although we spent just about slightly more than one hour in this museum, I really enjoyed the visit! I felt like I left a bit more knowledgeable about my favourite Korean-Chinese dish (haha).
The museum wasn’t too crowded because we went on a weekday afternoon. However, it is likely to be more crowded on weekends as we saw quite a number of locals (yes, you read that right) sightseeing in Chinatown.
Most of the museum visitors were also Korean, so you’ll likely be expecting a sizeable crowd on weekends.
I think one of the major points you’ll have to note is that many of the signs don’t come with English information, so you need to be proficient in Korean and/or Chinese. It’s not the most tourist-friendly, and you may have to rely quite a fair bit on Google Translate!
ADMISSION FEES
Individual – Adults 1,000 won / Teenagers 700 won / Children 500 won
Group – Adults 800 won / Teenagers 500 won / Children 400 won
OPENING HOURS
09:00-18:00 (Last admission 17:30)
DIRECTIONS
Address: 56-14, China town-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon
인천광역시 중구 차이나타운로 56-14 (선린동)
For more information, visit KTO’s website here.
Related Posts:
- Lucky China (幸運大飯店): Chinese Food in Incheon
- Hong Kong Banjeom 0410+: chain Korean-Chinese restaurant
- Museum Kimchikan: unique food museum in Seoul
PIN THIS!
Leave a Reply