Cow’s Blood Soup? Yep…

April 8, 2010 Butterfly Jewel
Tags: blood, cow, cow blood, cow's blood soup, entertainment, food, Korean, soup, South Korea, teaching EFL/ESL experience, Travel

Well, let me start by saying, I can eat almost anything. That paired with the fact I’m from deep down south, well let’s just say when it comes to traveling, food won’t be a major issue…lol. I’ve learned that for something a person in one place may not eat or consider something acceptable to consume, someone somewhere else would love it. At the same time, foods that one person in one part of the world may scoff at the fact that someone in another part of the world eats, somewhere someone else probably will feel the same way about something that person eats.

For example, one of my English students back home was from Burundi, a small country in Africa. One day we were looking through a book of different animals and foods. I was sharing with her some of the things that Americans eat, and she was sharing some of the things Burundians eat. When we got to the pig, she asked “Americans eat?” I told her that some do. She immediately began gesturing and saying, “No eat! No eat!” So, while in America, pork is considered the other white meat. Apparently, to my student, pork was not considered food…haha…

Now, getting to “Cow’s Blood Soup”, that’s what I found out it’s called. Well, I had lunch with a fellow English teacher one day at a nearby restaurant here in Korea. He tried to order some vegetable soup, but instead when the wonderful server came back with the food, we could tell that it definitely was not vegetable soup. Though, there were some vegetables in it and vegetables for side dishes (kimchi)…lol. We knew it looked like beef parts, which ones though, we tried to figure out.

I think I tasted some tripe (intestines) in their. So, that was my first time having any, and it was pretty good. I had wanted to taste it before back home but never had. There were some other parts too which could have been brain, liver, etc.

All in all, I liked it and would gladly have it again. It’s funny how I actually found out the name, though. I thought it was just beef soup. I happened to go to another nearby restaurant with my school. When they were ordering and asked me what I wanted, I asked what soups they had. They said there were three: one with bean sprouts, another with cow parts (pointing at their stomachs and giggling as they were trying to explain so I could understand), and the other they didn’t know how to explain. I just said I wanted beef thinking it was the soup I had had a while back. Well, when the server came out with the food, I saw two different soups, one was a clear tan color, the other looked like the one I had had before. So, when he put the clear like soup in front of me and handed the one I thought I was getting to the other teachers, I thought he had made a mistake. Puzzled, I asked the teacher if that was beef? She said, “Yes”. I told her that the one she had was the one I had wanted. She told me that it was Cow’s Blood and for me to taste mine, and if I didn’t like it, she would trade with me. Well, the beef soup was actually pretty good, too. So, I kept it.

Kimchi is served at almost every meal in Korea. There are many varieties and different tastes depending on many factors during it’s making. Its ingredients are very good for your health.

Look at me perpetrating like I could really use my chopsticks…Well, I don’t have to perpetrate anymore…haha!!! Looking forward to having some Cow’s Blood Soup again…If you ever come to Korea or eat at a Korean restaurant in the U.S.A. or somewhere else, you should try it!!!

Korea, Gotta Love It!!!

Entry Filed under: Entertainment,Food,South Korea,Teaching EFL/ESL experience,Travel,Uncategorized

5 Comments Add your own

• 1. Avalon  |  April 23, 2010 at 10:04 am

  How did you get your hair like that?
  I’m assuming it’s not relaxed? Are those two strand braids that you then unraveled? Great blog by the way. I’ll be there this summer and I don’t want to wear extensions the whole time…

  Reply

  • 2. Butterfly Jewel  |  April 25, 2010 at 9:26 am

    Thanks:-) Yes, they are 2-strand twists unraveled (twist-out). There are places that you can get your hair done, just ask around & do a little research. If you’re on facebook, there’s a great group, Brothas & Sistas of South Korea, that you can peruse discussions on hair care & places people recommend or warn regarding getting your hair done. Definitely though, you may want to bring many of your products you use with you (or have them shipped by your family or someone else) as there is not necessarily a good variety of black hair care products, especially if you lean more towards more natural products & even if you find products that you would find in any beauty supply store at home, they’re usually much more expensive here.

    Reply

    • 3. Avalon  |  April 25, 2010 at 10:33 am

      Thanks!

• 4. liawrites  |  April 26, 2010 at 1:18 am

  Love that you have a blog on Korean soups, as I love them too. We also have a dish in the Philippines we call here chocolate meat, as it’s also made from cow’s blood and its so brown it looks like its made of chocolates. We also eat pretty much anything so I can’t wait to try the Korean version. I also saw on Three Sheets (Travel Channel) that it’s the perfect cure for a hangover.

  Reply

  • 5. Butterfly Jewel  |  April 26, 2010 at 4:28 am

    Chocolate Meat is certainly an inviting name for a dish.I’m sure it tastes good,too.Being that I’m from the South in the U.S. I’ve eaten quite a bit of things like you, so I’m usually open to trying new things, especially in other cultures.Interesting information too from the Travel Channel…lol…maybe I should have added a hangover category for this blog:-)

    Reply

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