Super Faminto: Naengmyeon (Chilly Korean Noodles)

São Paulo has the second largest Japanese population outside of Japan (about 650,000+), but since my arrival here I've been pretty bummed by the lack of good Japanese restaurants. Thank God for the Koreans!

Koreans immigrated to SP with promises that Brazil was the country of the future -- and Brazil still strives towards this dream. Brazil is booming and the potential is endless. The first trailblazing Koreans left their homeland in the mid-1950's after the devastating Korean War with hopes of prosperity. But the population really grew after 1963 and continued on through the 80's (now with over 50,000), mostly populating the areas of Bom Retiro and Aclimação. These two neighborhoods are teeming with lively places full of cold beer, hot meat (uh-huh that's right), kimchi, and loads of noodles.

When it is hot as shit like it is today -- the scorching summer heat is killer --  you want something a little more refreshing. So pair up that hot bulgogi (thinly cut beef bbq'd) or ribs, some cold beer and icy naengmyeon noodles.



Mul naengmyeon (mool-nang-mee-yawng). Mul = water; naengmyeon= cold noodles: cold buckweat noodles in an icy broth bath.

Mul naengmyeon served in a tangy broth are often flavored with a mustard sauce and vinegar. Yum.



My bibin-naengmyeon with its spicy power and less broth. Still cool but not as icy.

Bibim = mix. This cold noodle mix is topped with egg, spicy chogochujang sauce, daikon, cucumber, and chilled buckweat noodles.

Mix the mix.




Scissors: the most useful item ever seen used to make noodles 4-feet long edible.





Hot rib meat. 



I ran out.

My obonim (father-in-law) ran out too.

Gone rib meat.