Everyday Korean: Episode 46 – 라면이나 먹을까요? Shall We Eat Ramen or Something?

Everyday Korean

By Harsh Kumar Mishra

Episode 46 라면이나 먹을까요?

Shall We Eat Ramen or Something?

The Conversation

니샤: 누나, 배 안 고파요? 라면이나 먹을까요?

Nisha: Nuna, aren’t you hungry? Shall we eat ramen or something?

정민: 응 라면 좋아! 니샤는 라면을 끓일 줄 알아?

Jeongmin: Yes, ramen sounds good! Do you know how to make ramen?

니샤: 네, 아주 잘 알아요. 자주 끓여 먹어요.

Nisha: Yes, I know how to do it very well. I make it often.

정민: 아 진짜? 라면 좋아하는구나.

Jeongmin: Oh, really? You must love ramen!

니샤: 네, 어제는 세 그릇이나 먹었어요.

Nisha: Yeah, I ate three bowls yesterday.

정민: 나도 라면 좋아해서 외국에 출장 가면 많이 싸 가.

Jeongmin: I like ramen, too, so when I go on business trips abroad, I pack lots of it.

니샤: (웃으면서) 그래서 우리 친구네요.

Nisha: (Laughing) That’s why we’re friends!

Vocabulary Items

배 고프다 to be hungry 끓이다 to boil (or make something by boiling it) 그릇 bowl 외국 foreign country 출장을 가다 to go on a business trip 싸다 to pack

Cooking Expressions

요리하다 to cook 만들다 to make 삶다 to simmer 굽다 to roast 볶다 to stir-fry 튀기다 to deep-fry 찌다 to steam

Grammar Points

Noun + 나/이나:

1) Use this attachment with nouns to express that the noun is not the best option per se, but rather one of a few choices. In English, you can relate this to “or something.” If the noun ends in vowel, attach ‘~ 나’, and if it ends in a consonant, attach ‘~이나’. For example: Ex: 저녁에 영화나 볼까요? Shall we watch movie or something in the evening? 와인이나 마시자. Let’s drink wine or something.

2) Another use of this expression is to choose between things, where it has a meaning similar to “or.” Ex: 유럽이나 미국으로 여행 가고 싶어요. I want to travel to Europe or the U.S. 사과나 배를 먹고 싶어요 I want to eat an apple or a pear.

3) When used with numerical expressions, this grammar point expresses the extent of something to that point. In English, this point is made by adding more emphasis on the numerical unit. Ex: 커피 다섯 잔이나 마셨어요. I had five cups of coffee. 한국에 온 지 7년이나 지났어요. It’s been seven years since I came to Korea.

The Author

Harsh Kumar Mishra is a linguist pursuing his PhD in Korean linguistics at Chonnam National University. He is also a freelance Korean translator/ interpreter, content creator for TopikGuide.com, and does online Korean teaching through the same organization.

COMMUNITY

Burger Bridge

Meanest Burger in Gwangju

By William Urbanski

Ihave eaten well over 2,000 burgers in my life. Not all at once (unfortunately), but given the fact that between one and three burgers per week for the last thirty-odd years have found their way down my gullet, it is safe to say that I know a thing or two about the subject. When I talk at length about my passion for burgers, those who do not instantly turn their heads in disgust share my deep appreciation for the beautiful simplicity of a well-grilled patty or two between a soft, delectable bun. Second only to its Italian cousin pizza, the burger stands proudly near the top of the food pyramid thanks to its sheer boldness and deliciousness.

Without getting into a detailed history of Gwangju’s premium patty purveyors, on occasion these businesses tragically shutter their doors, each time leaving my heart in a million pieces. Classic joints such as Dongmyeong Burger and the legendary First Alleyway have etched their names into the collective Gwangju psyche for all of eternity, but the void they have left, this burger power vacuum if you will, has been filled by a player who at the time of this article, serves up the best grilled cow in the city. You read that right: There’s a new burger sheriff in town and its name is Burger Bridge.

Located in Dongmyeong-dong, the first thing that stands out about the building’s façade is that it looks like a burger joint. When you walk in, you will notice that it feels like a burger joint. The decorum is simple, and the walls are filled with autographed pictures of celebrities who came to feast. The kitchen concept is open, and it is easy to see the grill in action. In terms of overall atmosphere, Burger Bridge is definitely a few rungs above the run-of-the-mill fast food place while still being completely unpretentious: just as a burger restaurant should be. Something else I personally really like is the speed of service: It usually takes less than ten minutes from the time of ordering until you can start cramming food in your face. Burger Bridge does not just make burgers: It provides a consistent burger experience exactly the way it should be. At Burger Bridge, you can go in, grab a mean burger, and go about your day, sated, without having to deal with any sort of nonsense or rigamarole.

DAS MENÜ

While doing extensive burger research for this burger article, I realized there is no shortage of culinary nerds with strong opinions about “fat to beef ratio,” “grass-fed beef,” “mise en place,” “double-ground chuck,” “moist bread with nutty nuances,” “meat profile,” “chuck from a well-marbled steer,” and even something called “Brioche buns.” I have no idea nor do I care what any of these terms mean, but what all these gastronomy geeks forget with all their tech talk is that burgers should be extremely simple: You get a piece of meat, shape it into a circle, and grill it. Then you put it on a bun. “Organic” (whatever that means nowadays) or otherwise fancy toppings have no business touching a burger patty. Furthermore, I am going to just come right out and say it: Burgers are supposed to be a little unhealthy, not unlike an ice cream cone. To summarize, a burger is not just a food: It is an attitude – a smug and outright rejection of nutritionally restrictive societal norms.

Now that we have clearly defined what a burger is and is not, it is time to get down to brass tacks: The three-patty Tower Bridge Burger (타워브릿지버거) is the meanest and best burger in Gwangju, end of story. This bad boy is so big that it had me cursing my lack of cranial kinesis. This burger is so big there is still snow on it in the summer. This burger is so big it plays golf with Donald Trump. It is not a stretch to say that to prepare the Tower Bridge Burger, the cooks at Burger Bridge feed it smaller, weaker burgers. With respect to the rest of the menu, I am happy to report it is solid. There are roughly ten other burgers such as the American Bacon Cheese Burger (아메리칸베이컨치즈) as well as the Bridge Big Burger (브릿지BIG버거), which has two hugely satisfying patties. I have heard some talk about people not being crazy about the sauce on one or two of the burgers, but if you ever find that you are not completely satisfied with a burger, the solution to this problem is to just try the rest of them! Each and every burger there is handmade and seriously delicious, embodying a special place on the burger spectrum. A combo is in the ten-thousand-won range and comes with pop and a very decent-sized helping of fries that burst with flavor in plentiful abundance.

While I do not hold a PhD in advanced burgernomics (yet), it is a matter of scientific and statistical certainty to say that based on every relevant metric, Burger Bridge should be your first choice when you have a hankering for a nononsense burger. While I love Korean food, a nice, juicy burger seems to be a quick remedy for the occasional bout of homesickness and the important role it plays in my life cannot be overstated. For far too long, “burgers” in Korea were a tragic parody of what a true burger is. That being said, Burger Bridge is a clear sign that the future is bright and there are businesses that can put together a world-class steamed ham. In conclusion, Bridge Burger should be the first stop on the way to living your level-ten burger life.

Photographs by William Urbanski.

BURGER BRIDGE

Address: 177 Donggyecheon-ro, (Dongmyeong-dong), Dong-gu, Gwangju 광주 동구 동계천로 177 (동명동) @burger.bridge

The Author

William Urbanski is a burger aficionado and the managing editor of the Gwangju News. He can be found at @will_il_gatto