Student Work Spotlight: Tteokguk

Student Stories

Get hungry as you read this student’s written description about a classic Korean dish!

When You Have This Food, You Get Old
By Min-Gyou Kim

photo credit: mykoreandiet.com

Tteokguk is a meal of Korean New Year’s Day. Tteokguk is always eaten with family on Korean New Year’s Day. Tteokguk is a soup made of rice, and you can add eggs or meat.

There is a traditional belief that when you eat tteokguk, you become one year older. Sometimes children have to eat two bowls because they want to be an adult. But now I’m afraid of eating Tteokguk because I think adult life is so hard.