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1. 1123 (Goryeo Dynasty) — Song Dynasty Envoy Xu Jing, Illustrated Account of Goryeo “They are fond of eating heavily and take pleasure in offering food to one another.” “They always pack up whatever is left over after eating their fill, and do not consider it shameful in the slightest.” 2. Late 15th Century (Joseon Dynasty) — Appeal to the King by scholar Yi Geuk-don “In years of good harvest, they consume without restraint, eating in a single sitting what a Chinese person would consume in an entire day. That is the problem.” 3. 1592 (Imjin War) — Military Rations Record & Ming General Li Rusong For a single meal, a Joseon soldier’s ration was 7 hop of rice (roughly 1.26 liters / 42 fl oz), whereas Japanese soldiers received a mere 2 hop. Ming General Li Rusong: “If the commoners eat this much, how is the state supposed to even operate?” 4. 17th–18th Century — Joseon Envoys (Tongsinsa) reacting to Japanese portions 1636, Kim Se-ryeom: “The Japanese eat barely a couple handfuls of rice per meal.” 1643, Yi Gyeong-jik: “The rice amounted to no more than a couple of hop, and there were only a couple of side dishes.” 1719, Nam Ok: “Watching the palanquin bearers eat… it’s just a few cups of sake and a few hop of rice. From this, one realizes how unusually hearty our country’s eating habits are.” 1719, Hong Chi-jung: “The food was served in tiny bowls, and the portions were incredibly small.” 5. 18th Century — Joseon Scholar Yi Ik, Seongho Saseol “Our people are unmatched in their dedication to eating huge quantities. People of the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa) mocked our people, saying, ‘How can you avoid poverty when you heap up and consume such enormous amounts of rice?’” 6. Late 18th Century — Joseon Scholar Hong Dae-yong “The rice bowls of the Chinese were exactly the size of our teacups.” 7. 1844 — Qing Dynasty Envoy Bai Jun, Diary of a Mission to Joseon “Meats, vegetables, liquor, and fruits are laid out in abundance. They carry the round tables high upon their heads to formally treat their grand guests. How funny! Even if our chefs lack culinary skill — they can consume huge amounts, easily eating the portions of two men.” 8. Mid-19th Century — French Catholic Missionary Bishop Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy (Daveluy lived in Korea for over 20 years and wrote extensively on local customs) “When it comes to eating, there is no distinction between high officials and commoners. Koreans regard the ability to eat large quantities as a point of pride and value quantity over quality.” “The standard meal for a laborer is a full liter of cooked rice, which fills a massive bowl to the brim. Even after finishing one, they are often ready for more, with many easily eating two or three portions.” “One of our congregants, a man in his thirties, once ate seven portions on a wager — and this wasn’t even counting the many bowls of makgeolli he drank with it.” “An old man between 64 and 65 years of age emptied five full bowls while complaining of a ‘loss of appetite.’ Koreans call anyone who can handle ten bowls a jangsa (a strong, burly man).” “When a cow is slaughtered and beef is offered in unlimited quantities, no one fears a plate overflowing with meat.” “When serving fruit, like large peaches, even the most restrained person eats about ten, and some frequently consume 30, 40, or even 50. As for Korean melons, they normally eat about ten, but sometimes consume 20 or 30 in a single sitting.” “Korean mothers were often described as encouraging children to eat until their stomachs were completely full.” “Koreans love beef tripe and fish, but these rarely ever made it to the dinner table — because they were consumed the second they appeared.” 9. 1874 — French Missionary Charles Dallet, Histoire de l’Église de Corée “Heavy eating was commonly noted among Koreans regardless of wealth or social class. Observers often remarked on their unusually large appetites.” 10. 1884 — US Naval Officer/Diplomat George Clayton Foulk “At 10 A.M., the breakfast table was brought in. I couldn’t help but be astounded by the sheer volume of food piled high on the table… In the evening, a banquet was held for me. The small, round dishes filling the table were stacked with enough food to feed ten men.” 11. Late 1880s — Russian Officer Dadeshkeliani, Korea as I Saw It “Fifteen minutes later, I received not one, but two tables laden with fourteen different kinds of dishes: fish, meat soup, eggs, fish in red pepper, meat dumplings made of sorghum and peas, dried beef, undercooked chestnuts, rice, honey, kelp, and octopus beautifully cut into flower shapes… Soon, seven Korean officials entered the room, bowed, and apologized that the hospitality was so meager.” 12. Early 1890s — British Missionary Griffith John “Koreans generally eat twice as much as the Japanese.” 13. 1894 — Austrian Traveler Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg, Korea: A Summer Journey “In terms of Koreans being heavy eaters, there was simply no standard of comparison. When I went to Japan, the Japanese told me their neighbors ate about three times more than they did, and when I later arrived at the treaty port of Jemulpo, I saw it was entirely true.” “While the Chinese and Japanese eat at fixed hours, Koreans eat regardless of the time, and an unbelievable amount of rice vanishes in an instant along with a handful of red peppers.” “Koreans tend to eat more meat than people from neighboring countries, accompanied by massive amounts of red pepper powder, vinegar, and seasoning.” 14. 1894–1897 — British Explorer Isabella Bird Bishop “Koreans usually consume three to four portions in a single sitting, and it is commonplace for 20 to 25 peaches and melons to disappear on the spot.” 15. Late 19th Century — American Missionary Lillias Horton Underwood “As a general rule, if Koreans go to a feast, you can assume they will eat an absolutely unbelievable amount of food right then and there. (Moreover, it is not considered strange at all to stuff their sleeves or hands as full of food as they can carry when leaving.) Also, they often starve themselves for days in advance just to eat heartily on feast days. To my mind, they generally seem to value quantity far more than quality.” Obviously a lot of these were written by foreigners in culture shock, and plenty were probably feast-day observations rather than everyday meals. Still, it’s hard to ignore 800 years of Chinese, Japanese, and Western visitors all saying basically the same thing. Historians point to grueling agricultural labor, a rice-heavy diet, and hospitality culture as the usual explanations — and notably, it cut across class lines. Yangban and commoners ate the same way. As a Korean, I’ll add one thing: even today, nine out of ten older Koreans coming back from a trip to Japan will complain that the portions were way too small. Turns out they’re saying the exact same thing as the Joseon envoys did 800 years ago. submitted by /u/New-Adeptness-3522 |
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