A comforting bowl of jajangmyeon can mend a broken heart

It is one of South Korea's national foods, with an estimated 1.5 million bowls sold in a day.

A bowl of hearty jajangmyeon - Chinese-style noodles topped with a thick black bean sauce mixed with diced meat and vegetables - is also known to bring comfort to Koreans young and old.

"People always have cravings for jajangmyeon," said marketing consultant Joanna Choi, 25, who moved to Singapore from Seoul to work in 2012.

Those growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, especially, would have fond memories of being rewarded with a bowl of jajangmyeon when they do well in school, or when there is an occasion to celebrate.

Some even think that this dish, which originated in China but was later modified to suit Korean taste buds, is more popular than bibimbap, or Korean mixed rice.

When it comes to home delivery foods, jajangmyeon which can cost as low as S$4 a bowl also gets more calls than pizza, which is pricier.

In 2006, the South Korean government endorsed jajangmyeon as one of the top 100 Korean cultural symbols.

And it can have healing powers too - on Black Day, a day when singles slurp jajangmyeon to keep away the blues.

Sales of the noodles can triple on this day, according to Korea Bizwire.
Ms Choi shared the story of how she took a girl friend out to eat jajangmyeon on Black Day in Seoul last year, so the latter could get over her ex-boyfriend who broke up with her the day before.

"She almost cried while we were having jajangmyeon and talking about her ex-boyfriend, but in the end, after finishing the noodles, she thanked to me," she said. "A bowl of delicious jajangmyeon was good enough to make her feel much better than before, and after that she found a new boyfriend."

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