And now for something completely different…

It’s late in the evening; you’re sitting at your computer fully immersing yourself in all things SNSD, when suddenly you feel a sharp pain in your stomach. Naturally, you begin to ponder on what seems to be the cause of the pain. Could it have been something you ate? Those leftovers for breakfast maybe? Or is it because your unhealthy diet has accumulated and you are about to… Wait a minute… Breakfast? By God, YOU ARE STARVING!!!

Quick, what do you do? Well the obvious course to take is to find something to eat. But wait. What to eat, you think? What will satisfy your hunger? What will appease your appetite after spending countless hours in Soshidom?

Well, since Soshi is already on your mind and probably has been all day long… Why not let the members themselves help you out?

Every SONE knows how much these girls’ love their food right? Yep, each and every single one of them! They love their food as much as they love their fans, and as much as we love them… Well maybe not as much, but there is no denying the impact that culinary delicacies have upon our girls’. No doubt during interviews have you read, heard or seen the girls’ talk about their favorite dishes. The question comes up often. Whether they are at home in Korea, promoting in Japan or on tour elsewhere around the world, reporters and fans alike are ever curious as to what tickles the taste buds of the nine.

And so, in honor of SNSD’s fourth anniversary, what better way to celebrate than to examine the foods that our girls’ regard as their favorites. After all, food brings people together, and as SONEs we know exactly what being together means…

Besides, right now it’s Shik Sa Shi Dae!

Note: Shik Sa means meal in Korean.

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KOREAN

Hanjeongsik – Korean Multi-course food

Favorite of: All the girls’

As mentioned on: KBS2 Entertainment Relay Guerilla Date (10 April 2010)

Western equivalent: Buffet

Chinese equivalent: Yum Cha

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Sundaeguk – Korean sausage (boiled or steamed intestine) soup

plus

equals Sundaeguk

Most loved by: Taeyeon, Sooyoung, Yoona

As mentioned on: KBS2 Entertainment Relay Guerilla Date (10 April 2010)

Closest equivalent to a Western dish: Haggis thrown into some soup

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Tteokbokki – Rice cakes in red pepper sauce. Considered to be Korea’s most popular street/snack food

Favorite of: All

As mentioned on: KBS2 Entertainment Relay Guerilla Date (10 April 2010)

Chinese equivalent: Nian gao

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Haejangguk – soups that supposedly cure ailments and hangovers

Favorite of: Taeyeon and Hyoyeon

As mentioned on: KBS2 Entertainment Relay Guerilla Date (10 April 2010)

International equivalents: Most countries have some form of soup, but one that can cure a hangover? Now that’s something else!

KBS2 Entertainment Relay Guerilla Date (10 April 2010):

Food talk begins at 7:05

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Patbingsu – Korean shaved ice and red bean dessert

Loved by: All the girls’, especially Sooyoung!

As seen on:

Park Kyung Lim’s Wonderful Outing SNSD (12 January 2008)

Patbingsu at 6:08

KBS Joy Hello Baby SNSD Episode 14 (22 September 2009)

Patbingsu part starts at 3:13

Japanese equivalent: Kakigori

Filipino equivalent: Halo Halo

Singaporean equivalent: Ice Kachang

American equivalent: Snow cones or Coke Floats?

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WESTERN

 Pizza

She came to Korea and she was like, “I want pizza, Jessica!” and so we had to go eat pizza. – Jessica.

Favorite of: The American girls, Jessica and Tiffany!

Featured in:

Soompi interview with Jessica and Tiffany (11 January 2010)

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Hamburgers

Eating a hamburger in New York I was thinking “Woori Sunny likes hamburgers so much…”– Sooyoung.

Loved by: Sooyoung and Sunny

Featured in:

Sports Seoul interview with Sooyoung and Seohyun (20 June 2010)

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CHINESE

 Jiaozi – Chinese dumplings

Loved by: Jessica

Cited from: Fan accounts during the Media Shinnara fansign event at the Children’s Park Mall, Yongsan, Korea (19 November 2010)

Korean equivalent: Mandu

Japanese equivalent: Gyoza

American equivalent: Hot Pockets!

Australian equivalent: Sausage rolls?

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Peking Duck

Loved by: Sunny

Cited from: Fan account during the Kyobo Hottracks fansign event at Times Square, Yeongdeungpo, Korea (19 November 2010)

American equivalent: Roast turkey

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JAPANESE

 Takoyaki – fried or grilled octopus balls (Not literally! Do octopus even have? Uh never mind!)

Takoyaki. I’m surprised there are so many kinds of ingredients and tastes! – Yuri.

Absolutely adored by: Yuri!

As Mentioned in Elle Girl Celeb Interview (12 November 2010) (click here for the full translated article via soshified) and as seen on various Japanese interviews:

Chinese equivalent: Fish balls

Western equivalents: Meatballs

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Sukiyaki – Japanese hot pot

Sukiyaki! I ate it the night before the photoshoot and it was very delicious. It was my frist time to eat meat with a raw egg. – Hyoyeon.

Favorite of: The Chodings, Yoona and Hyoyeon!

Mentioned in: Elle Girl Celeb Interview (12 November 2010) (click here for the full translated article via soshified) and as seen on NHK Music Japan interview (24 October 2010)

Chinese equivalent: Hot pot or Steamboat

Western equivalent: Umm… Fondue?

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Natto – fermented soybeans

I’m interested in foods that are good for you, so I want to try natto. – Seohyun.

An invested interest by: Seohyun

Mentioned in: Elle Girl Magazine Japan (December 2010) and as seen on NHK Music Japan interview (24 October 2010)

Western equivalent: Baked Beans

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Yakiniku – Japanese grilled meat

Favorite of: Tiffany and Jessica

As seen on: NHK Music Japan interview (24 October 2010)

Korean equivalent: Gogi gui (Korean barbecue)

American equivalent: Texas barbecue

Australian equivalent: Backyard Barbie with the inclusion of“shrimps”, usually thrown on…

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Sushi and sashimi

Loved by: Seohyun and Yoona (with added salt!):

Also seen on: NHK Music Japan interview (24 October 2010)

Korean equivalent: Gimbap

NHK Music Japan interview (24 October 2010):

Food talk at 2:17 (unsubbed but understandable)

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Ramen – Japanese style noodle dishes

I won’t forget the store that my manager took me to for ramen! – Sunny.

Loved by: Sunny

Mentioned in: Elle Girl Magazine Japan (December 2010)

Korean equivalent: Ramyeon

Australian equivalent: Maggi 2 Minute Noodles

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Hiyashi chuka – cold noodles

I really like hiyashi chuuka. Compared to Korean-style cold noodles, the different soy sauce taste is refreshing and addicting! – Taeyeon.

Favorite of: Taeyeon

Mentioned in: Elle Girl Magazine Japan (December 2010)

Korean equivalent: Naengmyeon

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Daifuku – stuffed glutinous rice cakes

I like snacks that have red beans in it and daifuku. – Seohyun.

Favorite of: Seohyun

Mentioned in: Elle Girl Magazine Japan (December 2010)

Korean equivalent: Songpyeon

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Wagashi – Japanese confectionary

I have a sweet tooth, but I love Japanese sweets! Bread, cake, snacks… All the things I have eaten so far were delicious. – Jessica.

I often eat sushi and sashimi, but recently, I was enlightened with Japanese sweets. – Yoona.

 Japanese sweets! I ate Yuzu (a citrus fruit) sherbet the other day and it’s not a flavor found in America or Korea. It was really good. – Tiffany.

Loved by: Yoona, Tiffany, and obviously Jessica:

Mentioned in: Elle Girl Celeb Interview (12 November 2010) (click here for the full translated article via soshified); Elle Girl Magazine Japan (December 2010)

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Gyutan – Grilled beef tongue

The beef tongue I ate in Sendai.  – Sooyoung.

Liked by: Sooyoung

Mentioned in: Elle Girl Celeb Interview (12 November 2010) (click here for the full translated article via soshified)

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Shiroi Koibito – Hokkaido’s most famous confection, popular all over Japan, but generally only available in Hokkaido souvenir shops.

I also like “Shiroi Koibito“. – Sooyoung.

Loved by: Sooyoung

Mentioned in: Elle Girl Celeb Interview (12 November 2010) (click here for the full translated article via soshified)

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And of course…

Gogumas!

Irrevocably and utterly adored by: Seohyun. She is currently the farmer, owner and proprietor of two rows of sweet potato patch in Daemyung Port, Kimpo, Korea.

MUST WATCH: We Got Married Season 2 (episodes 40-91)

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BONUS

One of the things our girls’ do best:

KBS Night Star (05 December 2011) – the episode that contains a lot of eating:

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And there you have it! Hopefully, that gave you some insight into what to eat, even though the majority of these foods may not be readily available to you. In that case, it’s Mi goreng or fried egg with rice and soy sauce for you tonight! Just be careful that it doesn’t accumulate…

Happy Fourth Anniversary Girls’ Generation!

Hope you girls’ spend it together eating all the foods you love!

Written by: mikechi@snsdkorean

Credits: http://www.elle.co.jp, TeamSOOMPI@soompi.com, arghninja@soshified; TomatoeQueen@youtube and all other respective YouTube uploaders; due credit to the SoshiSubs team; pictures of food courtesy of Google Images and wikipedia.org