How many of you acquired the taste for SoJo?

I like it because you can bring 12 bottles to a Christmas party and the only people who drink with you are Army.

Only the Jinro Soju




I see they changed the package, I hope they didnt change the recipie.



All the rest is #10. Especially the Frog. The Frog got me sicker than a dog. Thats what I get for drinking with KATUSA's.

Ah... SOJU!!!

The national drink of Korea

I have a big 3.5 liter bottle of the stuff... paid less than 10 bucks for it...

Mix it with koolaid, orange juice and chilsung cider (korean version of sprite or seven up)

Jinro (the stuff in the green bottle) is very good, but that is the cheap stuff. About a buck a bottle here.

The really good stuff comes in an amber bottle, I am told. I cant remember the name off hand.

This is the bottle in my kitchen cabinet...maybe I will down it with a few friends on new years...

Quoted: I've taken many trips to Ma's Kettle Shop on The Hill, in Itaewon.

Kettle Shots

AHHHH, Itaewon.

So many lost memories.

Thanks for reminding me of the pleasure of forgetting that I am away from home.

Makes me appreciate home all the more.

Itaewon, outside of Seoul? or SOme airbase?  Don't remember, was about 18 yrs ago.  But I remember the soju experience.  We used to mix it with bananna extract and orange crush.  It was the shit.

I was at Camp Humphrey's, just outside of Pyongtaek.  


I don't know anyone who drinks Soju that wasn't in the military.

TXL

Quoted: How many of you acquired the taste for SoJo? I like it because you can bring 12 bottles to a Christmas party and the only people who drink with you are Army.

Don't know if they got hold of a bad batch or what, but a couple of guys got brain damage from drinking that shit down in the ville at Tongduchon.

I stuck with beer.

Quoted: Don't know if they got hold of a bad batch or what, but a couple of guys got brain damage from drinking that shit down in the ville at Tongduchon. I stuck with beer.

That wasnt the soju that infected them, that was from a bad short time/overnite in TDC.

Turtles need to drink Soju with an "Instructor" or "Trainer."  There is a small margin of error between having a few kettle drinks and still retaining your faculties and waking up licking the gutter after one too many...

I worked the 2nd Med Bn emergency room at Camp Casey.  (Also known as the 2nd Med Bn drug/alcohol/VD clinic.)  I was assigned there because I could fight AND stitch people.:D]

Soju drunks were the worst. Especially if they took "Skoshi Yellows" along with it.  Fought a lot of GI's on that stuff and pumped a LOT of stomachs without the owner's cooperation.  

We used to pick up soju in plastic bottles, and then mix Tang in with it. Known as a "Combat Bottle". Or, fill most of a glass up with Coke, mix in a manly shot of soju, and then a bit of liquid yogurt. This is known as a "Snoopy", or at least it was at Camp Casey around 1998-1999.

Mummmmmmmmm SoJu

Ammo Bowls were also a excellent source of joy and good cheer

I rike soju, numba one dlinkey!!!
Use to ride the munjin bus from humphries to osan airbase and drink in the ville outside of the base, can't remember the name, can't remember alot of things about that place .  

A buddy and I once went to a clothing shop to get some suits made.  My buddy starts complainang of his back hurting.  The shop owner goes behind the counter and produces a huge bottle of soju with a snake pickled inside.  He said the "snakeju" would cure my buddies back problems, he said thanks but no thanks.

When I was in Pusan in '83 there were a lot of places selling a peach based liquor in a  bottle about 1 liter sized. The military declared it off limits. MPs or Shore Patrol would bust you if the caught you drinking it ,as it supposedly had opium in it. I don't remember the name of it though. Those Koreans sure liked the hard stuff.

Quoted: I've taken many trips to Ma's Kettle Shop on The Hill, in Itaewon.

Yes Yes and the KINGS CLUB with there SoJu slushie machine...

Quoted: When I was in Pusan in '83 there were a lot of places selling a peach based liquor in a  bottle about 1 liter sized. The military declared it off limits. MPs or Shore Patrol would bust you if the caught you drinking it ,as it supposedly had opium in it. I don't remember the name of it though. Those Koreans sure liked the hard stuff.

NO wonder that sweet tasting shit got us so fucked up. I wanna say Something Duck.......It been awhile though...

Quoted: When I was in Pusan in '83 there were a lot of places selling a peach based liquor in a  bottle about 1 liter sized. The military declared it off limits. MPs or Shore Patrol would bust you if the caught you drinking it ,as it supposedly had opium in it. I don't remember the name of it though. Those Koreans sure liked the hard stuff.

Peach Oscar.  (also Grape Oscar.) Had a REALLY sneaky way of slamming you hard, but not as bad as Soju.  I was in 2nd ID 80-81 and there were no restriction on drinking it.  Heck, it's just brandy.  Soju was a LOT worse.  The bars cut it with formalin.

I could never stand the stuff, but without fail I would get stuck behind the AZZHOLE the next morning on the PT run. Talk about a contact high !

Camp Laguardia 90-91

I used to spend most of my free time at the Heavy metal club in Itaewon. I slept on those nasty ass couches quite a few nights. Soju got really easy to drink...shit, I used to drink it in the morning so I could see straight.
That was before I learned about moderation...ie "everything in".

I was stationed at Camp Hovey, Korea from 1985-87. We did most of our partying in TDC, there was a place on one of the main streets that served SoJu mixed with something like kool-aid, tasted ok. That stuff would really mess you up.

Ahhhhh yes. I did a year at Osan, 89-90, man that is like forever ago.  Bottle of Jinru, bottle of Coke, bucket of ice was five bucks.  What a way to make a bad time better.  We used to add a pint to a quart of Country time lemonade as a warm up, morning briefings were like a kimchee fart and soju nightmare.

Oh my God.

Was never in, myself.  But my buddy brought some of that shit back when he rotated out of ROK a couple years ago. (Apparently TSA can't tell it's Not Bottled Water.)

Needless to say...  I still don't know if I like it, or if I hate it. Has something to do with being way fucked up at the time.

Googled this up



It may seem socially irresponsible when describing Korean culture to start with a look at the country¡¯s most potent method of attaining rambling, retching drunkenness, yet the fact remains that soju is one of the first pieces of pure Korean culture that foreigners get to experience first hand. It also acts as a vital social lubricant among the Koreans themselves, bearing witness to business deals, family get-togethers, birthdays and first dates, as well as making teaching English to kindergarten kids fitfully bearable for foreigners. So what if it happens to be one of the worst tasting alcoholic beverages ever consumed by rational human beings - Canterbury Draught, all is forgiven – and you wake up the next morning a few IQ points lighter? Koreans are proud of their indigenous drink, and justifiably so. Where else in the world has the issue of industrial pollution been solved by bottling it and selling it back to the populace as a dinner accompaniment?

This from the esteemed Lonely Planet Guide to Korea: ¡°[Soju is] a robust drink distilled from rice, yams or tapioca, and potent as toilet bowl cleanser.¡± And how. Yet at first sight, soju has such an unassuming appearance. It ranges in hue from crystal clear - like the purest spring water, though should you mistake it for water, do not expect to survive through the night - to milky white, depending on the brand. Soju has been served to non-discerning Koreans since around 1300 AD, after introduction from mainland China. Actually, it appears that in the early years after it¡¯s arrival in Korea, soju was used mainly for medicinal purposes, probably as a powerful anesthetic. However, it is easy to imagine the nervous Koreans turning to soju as a liquid form of stress relief after yet another invasion from the Chinese or Japanese hoards. After all, if your country has been invaded over 900 times in 2000 years of recorded history, a stiff drink is never going to go amiss, is it? (A funny side note: during the Chosun period of Korean history, soju had become so popular that it was suggested to the king that distillers be taken away from the commoners because they were using too much of their rice to make soju, and did not have enough left to eat.)

Soju is generally served straight, either sipped or shot from a 50ml glass. It has a 24% alcohol percentage, though some traditional, expensive brands can reach 45%, and it is usually sold in bottles of around 330ml, though you can get it in 1.5 litre bottles. After some days teaching, alcohol poisoning is the only answer. Now, the popularity of soju today in Korea cannot be overestimated. Walk past any restaurant - and Korea has thousands upon thousands of eating establishments per city - and you will find tables littered with soju bottles at varying levels, and the restaurants littered with customers at varying levels of intoxication. Add to this the curious phenomenon of soju tents, which are quite literally tents along the side of a city street that serve soju with a variety of food, and you have a country very much dedicated to the consumption of this liquor. And it comes down to one thing (okay, one thing not counting traditional and cultural factors, but let¡¯s keep this simple): it¡¯s cheap. You can get a 330ml bottle of soju for just over 1000 won, which to put it into a NZ context, is like being able to buy a bottle of wine (12% alcohol) for around 2 dollars. It is more than enough to make you reassess your idea of what tastes ¡°good¡± or not.

There seems to be a distinct difference in opinion between the sexes about soju in Korea. Korean men appear to love the stuff, and will take any opportunity to knock it back. Many of them claim that soju increases stamina, but as a Canadian friend of mine pointed out, throwing up in the street and then falling asleep in the back of your car can hardly be mistaken for stamina. However, this is not to say that Korean men are soft touches when it comes to drinking. Far from it. After all, this is the country that has just passed legislation allowing all alcohol-related accidents to be covered by workplace insurance. It is particularly unwise for a foreigner to attempt to match Korean men shot for shot on soju, especially if you want to keep your dignity. Or your pants – there has been a distressingly high number of incidents involving grown Western men parading around sans clothes after a night on the soju.

Mention the word soju to most Korean women and the response you get is something approaching a mild panic – an explosive squeal of disgust, a deeply pained expression, head shaking, hand waving. That¡¯s not to say they don¡¯t drink it – I have personally witnessed many of my female colleagues suffer the effects, both during and after, of drinking copious amounts of soju. It¡¯s just they don¡¯t seem particularly like it, even as they pour it down their throats.

And the foreign opinion? I am yet to meet anyone who professes love for it, though there are a few who don¡¯t mind it at all. Most, however, merely see it as a necessary evil, or to put it another way, a cheap way of getting absolutely smashed. Soju to me tastes similar to the worst tequila I have ever tried, except a good deal worse (of course, good tequila is an oxymoron, so maybe that is a bad example). It manages to give the impression of what it would be like to drink ethanol mixed with water, a streamlined, no-frills form of alcohol appreciation. However, even though I was a tertiary student for six years, I have never tried ethanol and water, so this comparison is purely instinctual. But, if you want to recreate the soju experience in your own home, I suggest you go out and buy some ethanol from your local friendly chemical laboratory, mix it with water until it is 24% alcohol, and consume. Repeat until you experience a sudden urge to argue with inanimate objects, or you fall over.

And here is the funny thing. I had always thought that the traditional preparation methods and ingredients were still in use today for all types of soju. Not so. I was discussing this with one of the Korean teachers at dinner one night, and she casually remarks that the most popular, and therefore cheapest, brand of soju is actually made from, to use her delicate word, ¡°chemicals¡±. Suddenly, the fact that soju tastes a lot like ethanol mixed with water makes sense, because chances are that it actually is ethanol mixed with water. The city where I live is significantly industrial, and many of the factories here would produce ethanol as a waste product. Now I can put two and two together as well as anybody (it¡¯s four, right?), and suddenly the reason why soju is so cheap is clear. It¡¯s an industrial waste product, as if the taste didn¡¯t already give that away. And we drink it like there is no tomorrow – drink enough of it, and there will be no tomorrow. Of course, this is just a theory of mine, not based on any thing approaching a hard fact, although that I assume the Korean teacher is better informed about how her country (and alcohol) works than me. But if it is true, it may prove to be the greatest example of pro-active waste management ever seen. Now if only they can think of a way to convince us that the thick blanket of low-lying pollution that we hack our way through each morning is good for our lungs¡¦..

Just quickly, if you should come across some soju, here are three additional things I have discovered. Firstly, traditionally made soju - remember, that from rice, yams or tapioca - tastes worse than the industrially produced soju, if that¡¯s possible. Secondly, soju is best consumed with takabi, a fiery dish of chicken pieces and vegetables in a chilli sauce. Your taste buds get so battered by the chilli that they barely notice the liquid you throw over them. And thirdly, having an in-depth discussion about the merits of the new Radiohead album with a padded sofa and falling over are actually the least of your worries with drinking soju. There is also the hangover. I discovered soju, much like you ¡°discover¡± being hit by a bus, a week after I arrived, in the heat of summer. Here is an excerpt from my diary the day after:

¡°I have found that, while the actual drinking of soju creates quite a bit of a glow and generates a convivial bonhomie amongst those partaking at the time (as long as you can get past the taste), the next morning feels like the local monsoons have taken residence in the lower regions of your stomach, and your head is about to spontaneously explode, or implode, or at the very least cease to remain a functioning whole, and the room has taken on a cubist quality, where you cannot quite identify where the ceiling stops and the walls start – and the heat, you cannot shake it off and you lie there, eagerly awaiting death, hoping that heaven has air conditioning, or at the very least a fan.¡±

Went to this place... $22 buys you all the beef, pork, chicken, shrimp and octopus that you can eat... and all the beer, soju, and whiskey that you can drink...

Their were self service beer and whiskey taps, a soda fountain, and a huge tub filled with ice cold bottles of Jinro Soju

The group I was with ate, ate and ate some more, and drank, drank drank... we would have stayed longer, except we were given a four hour time limit...and we used every minute of it

When I was stationed at Kunsan in 94-95 it was tradition to take the new guys or "Green Beans" to the bars in A-Town. The first bar we went to, I had to sit down and drink a whole pitcher of " Green Slime", which was So Ju, Green Kool-Aid, and Sprite.

I felt fine until I tried to get up from the table. I remember trying to figure out why the floor had jumped up and hit me in the headh
GOOD TIMES

Its funny but when I goto a Korean resturant in town, there are always a few guys alone who are eating.  They are usually non-korean guys and you can tell by their mannerisms and what they order they are ex-military.  You usually dont see a single black guy sitting there eating kimchee, kalbi and bottle of soju.

But thanks to all the American Service men that have served in Korea.  Regardless of what the media prints most Korean like American and appreciate what they have done for both countries.  

Quoted:  You usually dont see a single black guy sitting there eating kimchee, kalbi and bottle of soju.

I have no clue where that came from, nor do I have a clue what resturants you are going to.




I still drop in for the shorttimes kimchi.

Quoted: Quoted:  You usually dont see a single black guy sitting there eating kimchee, kalbi and bottle of soju.   I have no clue where that came from, nor do I have a clue what resturants you are going to. I still drop in for the shorttimes kimchi.

CavVet, that just an example. There are other white guys too.  But just really odd because they are alone and you can tell they are ex-military.

I work with a Korean lady who occasionally makes me some cucumber Kimchee and some Kimbop sp.? and boy does my wife regret it the day after.

Korean's gotta be some tough indiviuals,"I" got drunk with a few!

Ahh.. Whitedogs by the dozen and maybe an ammobowl with some friends at Batman's or Golden dragon. Than some cat on a stick or maybe som yaki-mandu wraped in newspaper while witing to get back in the gate at like 1:59am and hoping the line goes quick. Good Times

Kwang Ju 94-95 (had to go to Kunsan for a good time, a 2 hour drive)
Osan 97-98

Quoted: Korean's gotta be some tough indiviuals,"I" got drunk with a few!

There is nothing worse than being stuck in a truck, on the Flightline, on a hot day, with a Korean that is suffering from a SoJu hangover. MOPP 4 Condition Red!!!

mmmm... kettles.

I miss them.

Quoted: Quoted: Korean's gotta be some tough indiviuals,"I" got drunk with a few! There is nothing worse than being stuck in a truck, on the Flightline, on a hot day, with a Korean that is suffering from a SoJu hangover. MOPP 4 Condition Red!!!

Been there Done that. You know they had a shit load of Kimch along with that drink. I loved kimch but it stunk like shit the next day. I loved it when the juicey girls came up to you and their breath smelled worse than their snatch. Or so I was told.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Korean's gotta be some tough indiviuals,"I" got drunk with a few! There is nothing worse than being stuck in a truck, on the Flightline, on a hot day, with a Korean that is suffering from a SoJu hangover. MOPP 4 Condition Red!!! Been there Done that. You know they had a shit load of Kimch along with that drink. I loved kimch but it stunk like shit the next day. I loved it when the juicey girls came up to you and their breath smelled worse than their snatch. Or so I was told.hr

Or even worse, that dried out "Squid Jerky" they were always chewing on. "You buy me Juicy?"

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Korean's gotta be some tough indiviuals,"I" got drunk with a few! There is nothing worse than being stuck in a truck, on the Flightline, on a hot day, with a Korean that is suffering from a SoJu hangover. MOPP 4 Condition Red!!! Been there Done that. You know they had a shit load of Kimch along with that drink. I loved kimch but it stunk like shit the next day. I loved it when the juicey girls came up to you and their breath smelled worse than their snatch. Or so I was told. Or even worse, that dried out "Squid Jerky" they were always chewing on. "You buy me Juicy?"

I forgot all about that shit. Thats funny shit. I would buy two beers and give one to them and call it good. Mamasan would get pissed for not buying the $10 kool-aid. The girls would drink it.

Quoted: ...Mamasan... You mean "Ahjeema"...(sp?)

We called em Mamasan or if it was a male Mr. Kim. They were all named Kim....

Quoted: ...Mamasan... You mean "Ahjeema"...(sp?)

It is Ahjeema ..sp?  but the lady who was in charge of all the "Juicy Girls" was called Mamasan, I know its Japanese. But hey, themz tha rules.

Quoted: Quoted: ... Where else in the world has the issue of industrial pollution been solved by bottling it and selling it back to the populace as a dinner accompaniment? ... However, this is not to say that Korean men are soft touches when it comes to drinking. Far from it. After all, this is the country that has just passed legislation allowing all alcohol-related accidents to be covered by workplace insurance. hr

Let me clarify one thing.

The ruling came out from a lawsuit where an employee was forced to drink alcohol after the workday. In Korea, a social gathering within an office happens after work, in a bar, where they have dinner sans wife, and get drunk. The social climate is to the point where ones who do not go to such functions are outcasted to some extent. And due to peer pressure, they drink a lot. If it can be shown that excessive drinking was result of this pressure, then the workplace insurance has to cover it since it is work related function.

Because of this ruling, many companies started to frown upon drinking after work.

Its called networking and kissing the bosses ass.  Its expected to show loyalty.  Same in the Japanese work culture.  You dont go home after work.  You have dinner with the buds then you drink and stagger home to go to work again in the morning.

Quoted: I've taken many trips to Ma's Kettle Shop on The Hill, in Itaewon.

+1, But only if i finish it off with some rat on a stick and spicy  Ramen with a slice of cheese at the bottom of the hill.

ETA:  Lucky enough to drink it from Panmunjom to Cheju-do.  JSA, Baby!!!

Quoted: Quoted: ...Mamasan... You mean "Ahjeema"...(sp?) We called em Mamasan or if it was a male Mr. Kim. They were all named Kim....

... or "Lee."

I use to go to a little place in the ville outside of Humphries and eat cheese romen out of a big stainless steel bowl (That place had a dried fish wrapped in  white linen (mummy fish) hanging over the door, never could figure that out) and Bee Bim Bop (sp) out of an iron bowl that looked like a cannon ball cut in half.

Used to crack me up to see all the knock off gear with brand names mispelled.

Went to the PX once and saw a a top 10 CD display, numba six was "Eric Crapton", bout died laughing. Ahh, the land of the not quite right.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: ...Mamasan... You mean "Ahjeema"...(sp?) We called em Mamasan or if it was a male Mr. Kim. They were all named Kim.... ... or "Lee."

Usually call an older male Adashee... if you dont know his name...
It's a polite Korean term...

"Adashee! (merchant)...... How much?" or "Adashee! (bus or taxi driver) stop here"

Ajima.. means the same thing...it's just for females..

They basically mean uncle and auntie.  So its a better way to approach someone then saying hey you.

Its like how we say Mister, or Maam.