Cycle 15 – Item 334

POST 5,447

4 (Wed) December 2024

Tang-Bok-Myeon

1.5

from Shanghai

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with DJ and IZ

Try Every Rice Dish at Shanghai (see TERDS)

The 6 standard split-bowl combos offered at Korean-Chinese restaurants, each featuring 2 of the 4 essential dishes, named as a portmanteau of the dishes:

1. 1. Jjam-Jja-Myeon: jjambbong + jjajang myeon (see most recently 12.128 Hella Zzamzza)
   2. Jjam-Bok-Myeon: jjambbong + bokkeum bap
   3. Jjam-Tang-Myeon: jjambbong + tangsu yuk
   4. Bok-Jja-Myeon: bokkeum bap + jjajang myeon
   5. Tang-Ja-Myeon: tangsu yuk + jjajang myeon (see generally 12.216 Tangjja Myeon)
   6. Tang-Bok-Myeon: tangsu yuk + bokkeum bap

Obviously, the name “tang bok myeon” doesn’t make sense, as it doesn’t include any noodles (myeon).  But the other combos, which do in fact contain noodles, end in “myeon,” and Korean-Chinese owners as a species are incapable of coming up with meaningful/logical names for dishes (see for example 15.163 Teuk Bap), so they stuck with “tang bok myeon.”

In my life, I’ve only encountered 1 restaurant that has offered combos other than the standard 6 (see 15.154 Gganpunggi + Fried Rice (+ “Jjajang Myeon” + “Jjambbong”)).

On my own, I would never ordered this combo, as I am not a fan of either component, but did so here just to point out the silliness of the name.

(See GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)