Friday, April 14, 2017

12 Things About Black Day


  1. Black Day is an unofficial holiday observed on April 14 each year which is mostly observed in South Korea by singles.
  2. The day is associated with Valentine's Day and White Day as a holiday on the 14th day of the month. On this day, people who did not receive gifts on the previous two days gather and eat Jajangmyeon, noodles with black sauce.
  3. Black Day builds on the romantic aspect of Valentine's Day and White Day wherein chocolates received on Valentine's Day are interpreted to symbolize a man's popularity and the chocolates given on White Day are used solely for romantic purposes, Black Day focuses on the people, especially singles, who did not receive any gifts on either of the holidays.
  4. On the day, singles who have not received presents on both days gather wearing black to 'commiserate' over black-colored food, especially jajangmyeon.
  5. This day is targeted by businesses, who hold various events and advertise their products, a strategy known as 'day marketing.' The events are highly popular, and includes matchmaking events such as speed dating, jajangmyeon-eating contests, and discounts on items.
  6. Jjajang translates to black bean paste sauce; myeon, noodle. The thick, wheat noodles, similar to pasta, are typically served in a separate bowl from the sauce made with onions meat and/or seafood like shrimp or sea cucumber. The contents are then mixed together at the diner’s discretion. The sauce often leaves a black tint on the teeth—the perfect accessory to an all-black ensemble.
  7. Jajangmyeon or jjajangmyeon is a Korean Chinese noodle dish topped with a thick sauce made of chunjang (black bean sauce), diced pork and vegetables, and sometimes also seafood.
  8. In 1905, the first jajangmyeon was made in Gonghwachun, a restaurant in Incheon Chinatown that was run by a Chinese immigrant from the Shandong Province of China. The restaurant is now the Jjajangmyeon Museum. 
  9. Although the name of jajangmyeon is cognate with the Chinese dish called zhájiàngmiàn, Korean jajangmyeon differs from Chinese zhájiàngmiàn in many ways. Yong Chen, an associate history professor at the UCI, says "Though this dish began as the Northern Chinese noodle-and-ground pork dish zhájiàngmiàn, it is thoroughly Korean."
  10. On Black Day, jjajangmyeon eating contests are held, black coffee consumption rises, and matchmaking service usage increases exponentially.
  11. Black Day is just one of the 12 Korean holidays devoted to love  celebrated on the 14th of the month.
  12. Jajangmyeon recipe
References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Day 
https://www.cute-calendar.com/event/black-day/20620.html
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/koreas-black-day-when-sad-single-people-get-together-and-eat-black-food-16537918/
http://shuangxingfu.blogspot.com/2010/02/black-day-april-14.html
https://kimchisoul.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/happy-black-day/ 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/13/korea-black-day_n_6672380.html
https://waygookinway.com/2017/02/14/what-is-black-day-in-korea/ 
http://koreabridge.net/post/black-and-blue-koreans-mend-broken-hearts-black-day-april-14-thejessicasteele
http://www.koreaboo.com/buzz/single-koreans-celebrate-black-day-possibly-depressing-holiday-ever/
http://www.buhaykorea.com/2016/04/14/april-14-black-day-jajangmyeon/
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140411001177 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jajangmyeon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKAtROtUeLU

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