I wrote about the first time I ate Dukbokgi, or spicy rice cake, in my time when I exchanged to korea.
I wrote my moral, or what I learned from it, and other stuff!
It is a rough-final draft!
Real, Deep advice is appreciated! Thank You!
Whew! Duty all finished, except homework! It is a tired day's happy night.
Everyone was wearing coats, and the sun was shining down, but it was cold as if but the wind took the sun's warmth power away.
Ahh. The breeze blowing on my body, was cold but it felt good after a day of swimming- I smell like Clorox, but I don't care- no worries, just go home-
And then a face jumps into my brain, and the voice.
"Seongjun Hyung!" my school junior shouted from 100 feet away
"Hey, Minjun!" I said, cheerfully
"Hello, Seongjun!" Minjun's mom said.
"Hello, Minjun's mom!" I said, politely
"Do you wish to join us in eating some spicy rice cake?" Minjun's mom asked
I hesitated, because I did not really like spicy food, at all, and I did not like those type of Korean food, and
"Hey, Hyung, the bill is on me!" My junior said, very proudly
Minjun's mom and I laughed.
'Yeah, sure, let's just walk across." I said, pulling my blue "Saab" bike.
We walked across the crossroads.
We locked our precious bikes, and then we went inside the shop.
"Welcome!" the store clerk said.
The smell of tempura, spicy rice cake, boiled fish cake vibrated into the air, and it all smelled very edible and delicious but the thing that attracted me more was that everyone inside the store was slurping, mmm-ing, and chewing, so gracefully, and I knew from their faces, that the food was delicious.
But I don't know for myself. Was it delicious or not? Will I be able to defeat the heat of gochujang (hot pepper paste)?
We sat down at a round, brown table in the way back.
We rubbed our feet, our hands and our body to make our selves warm.
"So let's go down to the main point. We are eating Spicy rice cake." Minjun's mom said
Minjun's mom called the waitress, and she ordered spicy rice cake.
Oh, here comes the challenge. I thought to myself
A few minutes later, the hot rice cake came.
It looked like a big cylinder, slightly bended object, plopped down on a white plate with some hot sauce paste and it looked weird.
The spicy rice cake teased me as it said Ha-ha! You can't eat me! You hate spicy food and I am going to burn your mouth off.
So I totally sat there for 2 minutes, hearing the rice cake teasing me inside my brain.
"Why are you sitting there like a crash test dummy that's about to be crashed in a 'Rated Poor' car, Hyung?" my school junior said
"Oh, never mind." I said
"You are not there because you can't eat that, yes or no?" my school junior said in a teasy voice.
Oh, that's just great. Now not only the spicy rice cake is teasing me, my school junior is teasing me too.
"No, Minjun, I am not." I said, very clear and loud.
Screw you, Minjun (school junior), and screw you, spicy rice cake, and Postscript for spicy rice cake, I am going to eat you, so stay there quietly.
So I picked up one, extra spicy, and chewy rice cake, and I put it in my mouth.
In my mouth, I chewed and I chewed, and it felt sweet, because of corn syrup.
Ahh. What a sensation! My mouth said
But I totally forgot: this was not Gong Joong rice cake.
The spiciness swept my mouth like a tsunami, and my mouth was a land with no protection.
"AAAAAAAAAAAA! OMGOMGOMG! MY MOUTH IS BURNING! I NEED SOMETHING TO DRINK! I NEED SOMETHING TO DRINK! IT IS SO SPICY! I NEED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER! CALL FIREMAN! AYAYAY! IS THIS THE TOP OF THE SCOVILLE SCALE?" I said, and I sounded like a wild beast roaming around to fight its enemy.
Ha-ha. I told you so, sucker! The spicy rice cake shouted in my mouth
"Geez. Hyung, calm down! Drink this." My school junior said, in a calm voice
Ahh. It felt like a fire extinguisher, but the taste of peach, and it helped my mouth like if the Red Cross came for help in Mouthland.
"Admit that you can't eat spicy food." My school junior said.
"OK. Geez. I admit." I said
"But try it again, it will feel better this time." Minjun's mom said
"OK." I said, but not even dare to touch that wild beast again
I did eat it again, yeah! This time it felt better and I kept trying and trying and trying! It got not spicy every time I ate it!
It was a new sensation.
Minjun and I finished almost a half plate. Minjun's mom barely ate one. I felt sorry for her.
We were done, and full, and our belly was bigger than Buddha's belly!
"That was GOOD!" my school junior said, in a happy voice.
"Yeah, it was good." I said, with a weird voice, for a fact, my mouth was still burning.
We walked out of the store, and it felt like the arctic when I came out of the store.
"OK, Minjun, I got to go home now." I said
"OK, Hyung, Bye!" he said
"Goodbye, Minjun! Goodbye Minjun's mom!" I said
"Bye, Seongjun!" Minjun's mom said
But it came back to my normal night, go home, take a shower, do homework, eat and sleep. Now it was normal. My mouth was not burning, and I was fine. It was normal now.
When I remembered this story again, I have recognized that small stories in our lives have a lesson too. Like going to school, or immigrating, or whatever all has a lesson. I also learned to try new things, like trying new food or culture or anything. Even thought the new thing might taste or feel weird, but when you get to know it, it gets tasty and tasty, every time you try it. So don't be afraid to try new things. It might be spicy, but it will get better over the times.
