Jajangmyeon, the iconic black bean sauce noodles, stands as a culinary emblem of modern Incheon, South Korea. Born in the late 19th century at the bustling port of Jemulpo, it was a swift and satisfying meal crafted for laborers – thick wheat noodles cloaked in a savory black bean sauce, a testament to practicality and flavor.

For the author, this humble dish is interwoven with poignant memories that span decades, each strand of noodle and drop of sauce carrying echoes of the past.

His earliest recollection transports him back to his elementary school classroom. There, by the sun-drenched window, his homeroom teacher would partake in her midday meal: invariably, a bowl of jajangmyeon. Delivered by a nimble employee from the neighborhood Chinese restaurant, the dish arrived shrouded in newspaper, its rich, roasted aroma instantly captivating the young students. Spoons would pause mid-air, anticipation hanging thick in the room as they inhaled the savory scent.

The teacher’s ritual was a spectacle in itself. Snapping a pair of disposable chopsticks in half with a decisive crack, she would then theatrically rub them together in the air, a gesture the author likened to a barber honing his razor before a grand shave. This ceremonial prelude would culminate in the vigorous mixing of the glossy noodles and the deep brown sauce, a swirling vortex that further tantalized their young palates.

The dream of indulging in his own bowl of jajangmyeon seemed within reach on the day of his middle school entrance exam. His mother, a woman of frugal farming roots, had promised a celebratory lunch. Yet, instead of the anticipated black bean noodles, she led him to a modest snack shop near the school gates. There, he encountered his first bowl of udong, served in a dented pot. Though a far cry from his culinary desire, he accepted it with gratitude, silently vowing that his first earned money would be dedicated to the coveted jajangmyeon, a promise made to soothe the yearning of his youthful heart.

His university years at Sungkyunkwan University’s College of Pharmacy in Seoul brought another layer to his jajangmyeon saga. The arduous commute from his home in Mansu-dong, Incheon, to Myeongnyun-dong, Seoul, was a daily odyssey involving three buses and a slow-chugging diesel train on the Gyeongin Line, often with a frustrating 40-minute interval between trains. The journey entailed a bus ride to Ganseokogeori, followed by another to Bupyeong train station. Upon reaching Seoul Station, a final bus ride to Myeongnyun-dong and a hurried 20-minute trek uphill to the pharmacy college nestled at the foot of Mount Bukhan consumed four to five hours daily, leaving him in a perpetual state of weary semi-consciousness.

The demanding academic schedule of the pharmacy program, with its frequent examinations, offered little respite. Weekends and the days following national holidays often brought the unwelcome prospect of written tests, leaving no room for the idealized “university romance.” Consequently, the night before an exam became a ritual: packing toiletries and textbooks for an all-night study session at the dokseosil(a private study room) near the campus gates. The invariable dinner on these grueling nights was jajangbap – jajangmyeon sauce served over rice. The familiar, comforting aroma that had captivated him since childhood was now paired with the satisfyingly substantial rice, providing the fuel needed to power through the long hours of study. Even later, as the president of the Incheon Pharmaceutical Association, stationed daily at his office, he would often order jajangmyeon, finally satiating a lifelong craving.

Now, half a century has passed. The elementary school teacher, his thrifty mother, the Myeongnyun-dong dokseosil illuminated by the glow of late-night study fueled by jajangbap, and the local Chinese restaurants of his youth have all faded into the annals of time. What remains, a constant in the ever-shifting landscape of his life, is the memory of Incheon’s jajangmyeon and the rich tapestry of recollections it evokes. It is a dish that transcends mere sustenance, a culinary touchstone that connects him to his past, a simple yet profound reminder of the people and moments that have shaped his journey. The sweet and savory taste of the black bean sauce continues to stir the depths of his memory, a timeless flavor that carries the weight of cherished moments and unwavering nostalgia.