Many people turn on their air conditioners and rest indoors during the hot summer, or go on vacation to spots like the ocean or swimming pool. Korea, however, has a unique way of spending summer – the so-called "fight fire with fire". This means to control heat by heat. Today, we’re going to introduce Korea's secret way of fighting fire with fire in summer.



The first secret is a Korean dry sauna also known as jjimjilbang. To deal with heat by heat, Koreans visit jjimjilbang to sweat out the heat. After a sweating session in the sauna, Koreans opt in for a sweet rice drink known as sikhye with boiled eggs. Recently, jjimjilbangs sell boiled ramen, seaweed soup, cold coffee, and persimmon punch known as sujeonggwa.

 


The second secret is eating healthy food. In Korea, there is a culture of eating chicken soup with ginseng known as samgyetang on boknal (3 hottest days of the year) during summer. Samgyetang is a dish that is boiled with healthy ingredients such as chicken, sticky rice, and jujube. With the hot soup, Koreans "fight fire with fire". In addition, to supplement physical strength during the hot summer, Koreans also eat food that use healthy ingredients such as eel and abalone. These healthy meals can help Koreans recuperate from hot, humid weather and exhausting days.

 

We looked at Korea’s unique ways of enjoying summer. This may appear odd, but how about visiting the dry sauna and treating yourself to healthy meals? You might think differently afterwards!