Put a bowl of steamy rice into a delicious broth and place a well-ripened diced radish kimchi on top...

The power of words is immense. As you read along descriptions written on a book, the smell of the ink suddenly turns into a good memory of my past.

Jangheung Chueotang has maintained its place with the same taste for 45 years over two generations. They grow dried radish greens in a garden behind the restaurant and use domestic loaches as ingredients. Such devotion has led to a great pride in its chueotang, or "loach soup". Tasty-looking side dishes are served first and a sauce is offered to enjoy the soup with a deeper, richer flavor. A typical way to eat chueotang is to mix the soup with ground garlic, chili peppers, perilla powder, and garlic chives, but there is one more strange sauce here - Chinese peppers with a scent of lime. The name does not sound too familiar, but it is a widely used spice in China that serves to neutralize the fishy smell and cold nature of loaches. Because it is quite spicy, it is recommended that you add it according to your preferences. You may also come with a friend who does not eat chueotang because there are other dishes on the menu. By the time a bowl of chueotang and the side dishes are emptied, my body became filled with warmth.

Written and photos by Ko Yeon-joo

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