So today at lunch, I was asked about American cures for hangovers.  It appears the soup served at lunch was Hae Jang Kuk, a soup that is traditionally served for hangovers.  Apparently, there are restaurants that specialize in this, which are open extra early in the morning, for all the late-night imbibers who haven’t yet made their way home.

Here’s an article on the soup:

ZenKimChi’s Korean Food Journal entry on Dinosaur Soup

They said that beansprout soup, also, is a good soup for hangovers, and that both these remedies really work well.

Actually, this is one of my favorite, favorite soups here.  (everyone thinks I’m weird because I eat my soup towards the end of the meal, because I don’t believe in watering down my digestive process before it’s even begun – but here, soup should be super hot and eaten right away, when it’s about to burn your tongue off – it is often served still boiling)

There are also a lot of hangover drinks at the convenience stores.  These are SUPER expensive, considering most beverages cost 600 to 1,500 won.  I had the one in the can on the far right (cut off in the photo) and it was SUPER NASTY and smelled bad.  Thick, like Chai, but with a ginseng taste and sickly sweet.

I guess there’s a lot of pressure to get so wasted you can barely walk.   Your glass is supposedly never empty, and when it is filled, those at the table chant, “one shot” and you’re supposed to down it in one gulp.  But, I haven’t really experienced this here, as most of my colleagues have all put those days behind them, they don’t spend their money on that kind of thing, and there isn’t much reason or priority given to socializing after work, and being that I teach at a Christian school, it’s also frowned upon by the administration should word get out.  The business sector, where greasing palms and good times are all pivotal to business deals is another story.  Every afternoon when I walk home, the suits are well on their way to nirvana, and if I venture out a few hours later, they are holding each other up, well on their way to leaving splatter art on the sidewalks.