If you thought some of US president-elect Donald Trump’s ideas were a bit ‘out there’, get a load of what North Korea’s Beloved Leader just mandated. Kim Jong Un has ban-neded SPAM and Hot Dogs, and an iconic dish made with them…
Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un has declared the preparation or consumption of a popular everyday menu favourite an act of treason. The reason? A connection with US troops who fought in the penin-sular war in the 1950s.
A hard-times invention
It’s said that some of the most iconic inventions are created during times of great social and eco-nomic pressure. So it was with the Budae-jjigae — a spicy noodle soup made using hot dogs or SPAM.
The dish was apparently created by hungry South Koreans who up-cycled discarded food they had ‘rescued’ from US army bases. The US armed forces have maintained a strong presence in South Korea since the 1953 cease-fire between the North and South. However, the dish was imported to the com-munist North from the pro-Western South Korea in 2017. And it took off like a lion chasing a three-legged antelope.
What it is
‘Budae-jjigae’ simply means ‘Army Base Stew’. It’s described as, “loaded with Kimchi, SPAM, sausages, ramen noodles and much more!” The dish is also made with Hot Dogs, which are loosely equated with SPAM in Korean cuisine.
Recipe contributor ‘Sue’ (the author / cook / photographer behind My Korean Kitchen) says the dish is, “definitely one of the most popular hot pot dishes in Korea. I can vouch for this as I used to eat this army stew at least once a week with my colleagues.”
She notes Budae-jjigae has much to commend it today’s cash-strapped home cook: “It’s reasonably cheap […] and, even […] consists of easy-to-find ingredients if you’re making it yourself.”
Part of a larger crack-down
The ban on Budae-jjigae and the ‘western’ meats it’s made with was mandated on socio-political grounds. It’s part of a larger crack-down on what Kim has called an invasion of Western culture. Other western institutions now illegal in North Korea include divorce, which has been proclaimed ‘anti-socialist’. Both sides in a divorce could be sentenced to up to 6 months in a labour camp.
The North Korean dictator has also made celebrating Christmas a heinous crime. The observance challenges Kim’s ongoing campaign to stamp out religion, and encourage North Koreans to worship him as a God-like figure. But it’s also considered blatantly capitalistic. Folks convicted of celebrating Christmas can also be sent to labour camps. In some extreme cases, they can apparently be executed for their ‘crime’!
My take
Budae-jjigae looks like a great hot pot dish. And – with the exception of the SPAM and/or Hot dogs – it seems pretty healthful. If you make it yourself, you can control the spiciness. Just replace some of the Kimchi with plain Napa Cabbage to retain the bulk and texture the veggie contributes to the dish.
My personal feeling is that an occasional indulgence in SPAM or Hot Dogs isn’t going to cause a per-son permanent damage. And we all have to live a little sometimes – especially in the depths of a Great White Northern Winter!
What better than a traditional Korean Hot Pot to warm the cockles?
~ Maggie J.