What does "efuse heat with heat" mean? One of my Korean friends used to say that but I don't understand how heat can defuse heat?

It doesn't sound so logical to defuse heat with heat in the hot summer. As one of the famous Korean sayings, it is one of the reasonable ways to bear the hot summer in Korea. How? It is by eating hot foods! From the olden times, Koreans believed that "food is the best medicine." They think food is not just for daily life but also a good way to keep them healthy. So most Korean foods are very good for one's health because of such healthy ingredients and they developed various kinds of food for 4 distinct seasons. You can really see the wisdom of Korean people. In Korea, summer is sultry and humid so people easily get exhausted.

Samgyetang is the most common and famous health food eaten on bongnal (the most hottest period in midsummer). "Sam" means ginseng and "Gye" stands for chicken and "Tang" is soup. Now you can guess what is samgyetang. It is a ginseng chicken soup, believed to cool the body down during hot and humid days. Ginseng, jujube and other ingredients are herbal medicines that are grown in Korea. Therefore, samgyetang is not only a seasonal food but also the best medicine for the hot summer. That is one of Koreans?wise words to overcome the hot summer heat with "heat" by eating hot food. Why don't you try it?

Koreans use chopsticks with a spoon. If you are not used to using chopsticks, it would be helpful to ask for a fork in a restaurant.

Kimchi is pickled & fermented vegetables; cabbage, radish and cucumber, seasoned with garlic, red pepper powder, ginger, green onion, radish. With its abundant lactic acid and dietary fiber Korean kimchi helps prevent constipation by causing bowel and intestinal movement. It is a low-caloric fermented food containing various kinds of vitamins and inorganic substances and helps prevent obesity.