In the summer, due to hot weather, many people seem to lose their appetite. Thus, to find their taste and overcome the heat, people tend to prefer stimulating and cool food. That is the reason why summer is called the season of bibimmyeon (cold noodles mixed with sauce, in English). In fact, sales of bibimmyeon increase exponentially in the summer. Particularly, this year, the early heat that has come since May and the quarantine caused by COVID-19 led to a sudden increase of bibimmyeon sales. According to E-Mart, one of the leading large discount stores in South Korea, sales of bibimmyeon increased 125.2 percent from May 1 to 3 compared to the same period last year. The increase is expected to continue, so many instant noodle companies have released new bibimmyeon products in a rush. Among them, The UOS Times selected four new products of Korea's leading instant noodle companies and some reporters reviewed them.

1. Jin Bibim Ramen by Ottogi 1,000 KRW average score 3.8★★★★☆

It features a hot taste of sun-dried pepper and a sour taste of tamarind sauce. Twenty percent increase in weight than existing products and chewy noodle are also its strong point. It has sold more than 20 million units in just two months.

Choi: Its wrapping paper looked the best. The color and picture of the wrapping paper made my mouth water. Regarding the taste, I thought that it was like the basic flavor of bibim (mix, in English) noodle. However, it is most sour, especially the aftertaste.

Jang: Since it was not spicy at all, I think it can be eaten comfortably by many people. It was delicious without any big drawbacks.

Kim: It is well harmonized and much better to eat together with grilled pork belly. I felt something is missing when I ate only the noodle. I think it would be far better if eaten with vegetables like lettuce.

Hong: Surely, it is the largest in quantity. When put in the same container and compared with other products, I could see it immediately. Its taste was adequately sweet and sour, so I ate it without difficulty.

Hwang: The first taste was not bad, but I felt that I was getting tired of it. Despite that, I really liked the moderately chewy texture of the noodles.

2. Paldo BB cream myeon by Paldo 1,150 KRW average score 1.0★☆☆☆☆

It was released as the result of a collaboration with cosmetic brand MISSHA after thinking about how to enjoy bibimmyeon in a different way. Unlike the original Paldo bibimmyeon, it added a cream powder seasoning based on cheese, cream, parsley.

Choi: To me, it was too greasy. Since I am the person who cannot eat foods like cream soup or carbonara, eating this noodle was challenging. If someone likes the greasy taste of dairy products, it may suit his or her taste.

Jang: Its taste makes me laugh. Unlike it looks, it was quite spicy, but I thought that its cream powder seasoning flavor was too strong to be balanced with spicy sauce.

Kim: I could not understand why this instant noodle collaborated with a cosmetic brand. I have no intention of paying for this with my money, but I am trying to think positively that I could experience something experimental.

Hong: I wish there was more of the spicy liquid sauce because the sauce seems to be lacking. When the noodle was mixed with sauce, the color was completely different from the picture on the wrapping paper. It was a lot whiter than the picture.

Hwang: It was not like bibim ramen and it reminded me of cheese bokki (one of Korea’s cheese instant noodle, in English). I quite like this kind of cheese powder flavor, so it was not that bad to me.

3. Kal-bim-myeon by Nongshim 1,200 KRW average score 2.7★★★☆☆

The most unique point of it is its noodle. The noodle was inspired by Kalguksu (Korean style thick noodle, in English), so it has a chewy, rich texture. They put chopped kimchi in the sauce, embodying the taste that familiar to Koreans.

Choi: As soon as I put the sauce on the noodles, I could instantly smell Kimchi. However, contrary to my expectation, even when I ate some kimchi flakes, I could not sense the kimchi flavor.

Jang: Among the four products, this was the sweetest, but sweetness felt artificial, so it was not pleasant. Yet, I liked the point that it was not salty.

Kim: At first, it was not spicy at all. Nevertheless, the more I ate, I could feel my lips were getting hot. Maybe that is because I am vulnerable to spicy food. Soon, that hot feeling went away, so I think most people wouldn’t mind the spiciness.

Hong: The noodles were thicker than the common instant noodles, but it was not heavy or burdensome to chew. Rather, I preferred its thickness and texture. It was so soft.

Hwang: I totally agree with Hong. It was fun to chew its elastic noodles.

4. Challenge! Bul-Dak (hot chicken, in English) bibimmyeon by Samyang

1,200 KRW average score 2.3★★☆☆☆s

It is designed for consumers who prefer and enjoy spicy food. It has two types of liquid sauce: one is plain that is sweet and sour made from dongchimi (radish water kimchi, in English) essence, and the other is a challenge sauce which is extremely spicy, so people can eat to their liking by mixing the two sauces.

Choi: We were all surprised because its noodle had an orange color! I do love spicy food, so I had great expectations, but it was not that spicy and addictive even when we put all the challenge sauce. Since it is not that challenging, if you like the spicy taste, I recommend you to not be afraid of it and give it a try.

Jang: Without the challenge sauce, it was bland, and I felt the flour flavor a lot, so we needed to put that sauce. The sauce seems to be a necessity, not an option.

Kim: It is definitely different from the original Bul-Dak ramen. The savor of a chicken lacked, and only the spicy flavor was left, so it was not delicious compared to the original Bul-Dak ramen.

Hong: It was sweeter than it looked and lacked the sour taste, so it could not stimulate my salivary gland. Its taste stopped me from keep eating.

Hwang: It was certainly the spiciest of all. However, But that spiciness was far from the spicy taste of bibimmyeon. The taste was like eating capsaicin that hurt my tongue.

The UOS Times hopes that readers enjoyed our reviews and will have fun by buying interesting products that The UOS Times introduced and eating with friends. Soon the summer vacation will begin. Although we cannot take a summer trip or enjoy energetic activities like past, we will definitely be able to find meaningful things in our daily lives! The UOS Times will always cheer for everyone not to be discouraged and have a happy vacation.

Choi Hyun-jung