Soju

Imagine a perfect storm. What does it look like? Is it a doppler image on the weather channel? A fantastic movie starring Marky Mark? When I think of a perfect storm I imagine the living room of any 20 something foreigner here in Korea after discovering the bottle. This 12 oz. green, glass bottle can be found almost anywhere, costs only a dollar, and may be the most dangerous substance in the country. I'm talkin' bout soju.

Soju is the most popular beverage in Korea and more recently the world. You will find them on almost every table at every restaurant at every meal. If there's only one then it's probably a married couple out to dinner and if you see seven it's three co-workers out for lunch. I was stunned to find the drinking culture far more uninhibited here than back home. Koreans may be reserved about a lot of things but strapping on a pair of wastey-pants isn't one of them.

Soju tastes like a watered down vodka with a slight chemical after taste. It's not horrible by any means and Lord knows I've seen and drank much worse. It can be mixed with damn near anything and is totally unnoticeable. This is great and terrible all at the same time. One such mixture is Powerade and Soju, hence the moniker Poju (ironically "poju" means pimp in Korean). If the Poju mix still can't convince you to try Korea's best, then lucky for you there are several games that can be played after opening a bottle to ensure it disappears along with your memories of the evening.

The stuff can be brutal if you're not used to it. I brought a couple bottles back home with me last October and I remember everybody dancing and then just disappearing in front of my eyes. Vaporized! If you have no tolerance for it, it will reward you with the best hangover you've ever had. But I shouldn't give soju such a bad wrap. They also make school lunches much more bearable.

Soju, check

Thomas Tried Out