For my second weekend with my host family, I had the opportunity to visit the city of Daejeon. A one-hour drive from our program’s host city of Cheongju, my host family and I made our way over after breakfast. As we are currently in monsoon season here in South Korea, the weather was perfect to try some of Daejeon’s popular foods. One of Daejeon’s signature foods is kalguksu, knife-cut wheat flour noodles.
Daejeon is known for kalguksu. As my host family explained, kalguksu became popular in Daejeon thanks to the geographic location of the city. With the rise of trains for traveling long distances throughout the country, Daejeon’s centralized location in the country made the city a perfect rest stop location for many train riders. My host parents explained to me that trains would usually stop in Daejeon to give train riders a short break. That break was long enough for train riders to get a quick meal, but short enough for riders to try to find a dish that would be quick to eat, but still filling. That dish was kalguksu.
As I had never had kalguksu, my host family decided that our first stop would be to a popular restaurant in the center of the city that specializes in the dish. Served in a large bowl with warm broth, the noodles were thick and long. The noodles were joined with seaweed on top and a side of steamed pork. With the pork, we ate it wrapped in lettuce, garlic, and kimchi. The warmth of the dish made it the perfect dish for the rainy summer season.
After lunch, I did some walking and street shopping with my host family. We explored the small streets of downtown Daejeon. Even though rain was pouring down, the streets were still lively. This led us to our next major food stop in Daejeon: the Sungsimdang Bakery.
Daejeon is known for having the Sungsimdang Bakery. As my host family explained, Sungsimdang Bakery is only located in Daejeon, so it was a must-visit. It is a famous bakery for both locals in the city and those throughout the country. The bakery is special both thanks to its delicious bread and its long history of humanitarian work. Sungsimdang was founded in Daejeon in 1956 and has a deep history of helping those in the city and outside of it. This has made the bakery an important cultural aspect of the city.
Entering the bakery in the main building (the bakery has expanded to four different outlets), we were presented with so many options for pastries. From sweet breads filled with red beans, to croissants, to pies, the choices were endless. After making our purchase, my host family and I took our bread and headed over to the Sungsimdang Cultural Center to enjoy our bread together. In the cultural center, I got to spend some time with my host mom and host sister to look more into the history of the bakery and its impact on the community, as the building housed not just a café, but also a small museum.
I spent an amazing time with my host family trying local food in Daejeon, while also learning the deeper history that comes with it.
Judith Ehm Foundation Fellowship Recipient
Korean Intensive Summer Language Program (KISLP) Participant
Cheongju, South Korea, Summer 2023