Korean netizens are having a heated discussion over a recent conversation between Yoo Jae-seok and Mi-joo on “Hangout with Yoo”
Netizens’ opinions are divided over singer-broadcaster Mi-joo not knowing the meaning of the proverb “Hunger is the best sauce”.
The September 24th broadcast of “Hangout with Yoo” showed Yoo Jae-seok, Mi-joo and Jung Joon-ha eating kalguksu (chopped noodle soup) at a snack stand.
While enjoying kalguksu, Yoo Jae-seok exclaimed, “The market is a side dish (Hunger is the best sauce)”. Mi-joo reacted “Isn’t it a proverb?” as if she didn’t know its meaning. Yoo Jae-seok stared at Mi-joo for a while and asked, “Do you know what it means?”
Embarrassed by the sudden question, Mi-joo said, “Doesn’t it mean side dishes are sold a lot at the market?”, drawing laughter.
Yoo Jae-seok then explained, “We often say ‘sijanghada’ when we feel hungry, right? That proverb means everything tastes good when you’re hungry. Not a lot of side dishes at the market”, adding “You just got to know a new thing today”. (In Korean, “sijang” also means “the market”)
This scene spread to various online communities right after the broadcast. In particular, the topic attracted more than 1,000 comments on theqoo and FMKorea each with various opinions from netizens were poured out. Some people think it is understandable if Mi-joo doesn’t know the meaning of the proverb, but many are surprised by the fact that more people don’t know the proverb than they thought.
Others commented, “I was personally shocked. I can’t believe that so many people didn’t know this proverb”, “I was born in 1997 but I’ve heard this proverb a lot”, “It’s so sad that proverbs are disappearing one after another like this”, etc.
On the other hand, many netizens also said, “She may not know it. As you Jae-seok said, we’ve just learned a new thing today”, “I understand her since people don’t use this expression these days”, “Just because she didn’t know it doesn’t mean we should bring up a discussion about common sense”, etc.
Source: Wikitree
