Wednesday Gourmet (Wednesday Food Talk / 수요미식회)

Welcome to the 192nd episode of Wednesday Food Talk.

Welcome. - Welcome.

We have guests today.

We don't even need to describe him.

The master of Chinese cuisine, Chef Lee Yeon Bok.

Hello.

Nice to meet you. Long time no see.

His lips look more and more like those of Angelina Jolie's.

I told you it was too red.

I told you it was too red.

He didn't like it. - We said it's okay.

He's the Park Bo Gum among ladies.

He's the middle aged idol.

It's Kim Seung Soo.

Hello. - Nice to meet you.

It's my second visit here.

Right. - I continue to use that nickname,

but it's still embarrassing.

You can continue to use it...

because Bo Gum didn't complain. - I got his permission.

That's good. - I've always known...

that she was a good singer...

and funny on variety shows,

but recently she appeared on a drama and is on a roll.

It's Solbin of LABOUM.

I've fallen for you.

Hello. I'm Solbin in charge of unexpected charms...

in LABOUM.

She still does it alone.

When she's with everyone...

Have you talked to your members...

about how long you're going to do this?

Yes. - Like, let's stop after 40.

Are you still going to do it on "Gayo Stage"?

We agreed to do it until the end. - Until the end.

That's right. There's no expiry date.

No, there isn't.

Let's begin Wednesday Food Talk now.

The topic for today is...

loved by many people these days.

Once you try it,

you'll be surprised by its unique spicy flavor...

that numbs your mouth.

Try it twice,

and you can never get out of that food.

The menu for today is...

the spicy flavor from China.

It's spicy mala.

When was the first time you tried mala, Seung Soo?

About five years ago,

I've had a chance to try it while having hot pot.

When my acquaintance suggested me to try it, I didn't know what it was.

I asked him what it was and he said...

it was just Chinese style spicy food.

So, when I first tried it,

I thought I was allergic to it.

My tongue... - Right.

It felt numb, but other people looked fine.

That makes sense.

Whatever you eat after, you can't taste it.

I thought I was allergic to it.

You may feel that way. - That's what I thought,

but when I asked them,

they said that's how it's supposed to be.

After I tried it, I don't know about the first day,

but two days later,

I craved for it again. - You crave for it again.

I kept craving for it. - Right.

It's addictive. - It's addictive.

I asked my friends...

for Wednesday Food Talk.

I asked nine people,

and five of them said they love it.

I realized that many people eat mala...

nowadays. - That became popular.

As soon as I saw Seung Soo today,

I knew he was a professional. It was unbelievable.

Since it's the Mala Special today,

he grew a mustache like Chang Chen from "The Outlaws".

I thought he did that on purpose.

I thought...

he was very meticulous. - You don't need to do that.

What a pro. - It's to enjoy mala longxia...

that is coming up. - My gosh.

You should've talked in that dialect too.

By the way,

when you try it for the first time,

you don't understand why people eat it.

Just like eating cilantro for the first time.

There's some Korean food you don't like at first.

I heard from staff...

that when A Young tried mala for the first time eight years ago,

she was very shocked.

It was when I was traveling Hong Kong.

It was a Chinese restaurant.

In the menu,

it said, "Sichuan Style Spicy Soup."

That's mala soup. - So, I thought...

I can eat spicy,

so I ordered it.

As soon as I tried it, I could feel it right away.

As if I was shot by a tranquilizer gun,

I went numb.

That spicy taste wasn't something you're used to.

No. - The spiciness we're used to...

hits only once no matter how spicy it is.

The taste of pepper. - But the spiciness of mala is...

slippery.

It doesn't hit only once, but slips inside my mouth.

I thought I had cosmetics.

I wasn't sure if that was the right spicy flavor.

I was like, "What's this? I'm never eating this again."

"This isn't food." I thought that was...

something you don't need to try in your life,

but after a week, just like him,

I was like, "What was that again?"

"I'd like to try it again."

You all felt numb. When I first tried it,

I felt numb too, so I thought I should get my tooth pulled.

It felt like I was in a dentist. - It felt like...

an anesthetic shot in a dentist. - It feels anesthetized.

Joon Woo...

who has the taste of a child on our show...

I can't help pointing it out today...

because I heard you can't eat anything spicy.

Are you not able to...

feel this fantastic spicy flavor?

Aren't you happy to see me after being called for a childish taste?

Yes, I've never seen anyone who is more baby than me.

I'm in Grade three.

Are you calling him a baby because he has a baby's taste?

Yes, of course. He also washes kimchi before eating.

No, I do eat kimchi.

Really? - Is that why you looked sad lately?

Because he hasn't been to kindergarten lately.

Sorry for calling you for the shoot.

It's all right. - You're in kindergarten.

It's all right. It's all great. Hang on.

As for spicy flavors,

I can't eat anything that says spicy like...

spicy chicken feet or spicy tteokbokki.

And I love wasabi, mustard, black pepper...

and Sichuan pepper.

That spicy. - That's different spicy.

I'm just weak at pepper and capsaicin,

but I like other stuff.

That makes sense.

Actually, Koreans love spicy flavors,

but people are shocked to meet mala...

at first.

It's spicy,

but it's not the spicy flavor we used to enjoy.

It's burning.

It also has a strong smell of spices.

At first, I thought it was strange and weird,

but it's the spice that gives that feel,

right?

Right. La in mala is the spicy flavor from using Sichuan chili.

So, we're somewhat used to it.

However, ma is the difference.

That's right. - It includes spices like...

black pepper, clove,

nutmeg, and Sichuan pepper.

Sichuan pepper is what gives the burning flavor.

In English, it is Sichuan pepper...

meaning Sichuan black pepper.

In China, it's called Flower pepper...

meaning flower or Mountain pepper...

meaning black pepper from the mountains.

It's similar to...

marten in Korea. - Marten.

We add it in mudfish soup. - In mudfish soup.

It has a burning flavor,

but since the soil is different,

Sichuan pepper tastes...

spicier than Korean marten. - Stronger.

It gives the burning flavor.

By the way,

mala is one of Sichuan food.

Is Sichuan food one of China's signature food?

Isn't it very famous? - Right. It's one of...

China's top 4 food, and top 8 food.

You can find...

many Sichuan restaurants throughout China.

Not every Sichuan food is spicy.

They have distinguished food culture especially their spicy food.

Where exactly is Sichuan in China?

Where is Sichuan?

It's at the west end of China. - The west end.

During the period of Three Kingdoms,

it was the base of the Qing Dynasty.

It's a mountain region and a basin.

So it's very hot in summer. - Right.

Every summer,

when they talk about how hot it is in China,

they always mention the cities in Sichuan.

I heard summer in Korea is less hot.