[Neologism Dictionary] Cheopcheop Doctor - Eating Is the Best

Cheopcheop Doctor is a variation of Chukchuk Doctor, referring to a person who has extensive knowledge about food or can eat a large amount. Illustration by Seongsu Oh

[Asia Economy, reporter Kim Heeyoon] Sim Nosung, who served as a civil official during the late Joseon Dynasty, was an obsessive chronicler who could only be satisfied by recording everything he saw, heard, and experienced in writing. His sharp prose especially shone when discussing gourmet food. “Even when I lived in Seoul, I always sought out fine dishes, and the pork sold at Chimkyo (Jae-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul) was the tastiest, comparable to the pork soup at Osujip in Seogyeong (Pyongyang). In Seogyeong, the fatty pork belly was as thick as a palm, but when sliced thinly like snowflakes and placed in the mouth, it melted like ice, and even when grilled, it was a delicacy beyond compare.” While exiled due to political strife, a single piece of pork from a village ancestral rite reminded him of the famous pork soups of Seoul and Pyongyang he had tasted. It is said that he could only be satisfied if he managed to eat the foods he craved, even if he had to make them himself. During a trip to Mount Geumgang, when he longed for naengmyeon (cold noodles), he searched every nearby town for noodle dishes. Finding no restaurants, he learned that Woljeongsa Temple had a noodle press, so he immediately gathered the monks and made noodles from buckwheat flour. While in exile in Gijang, he even procured a Japanese stove to better control the heat for grilling beef, and he fondly remembered nabak kimchi made in February with Wangsimni water parsley for the rest of his life. Sim Nosung was a unique scholar-official of his time, exceptionally knowledgeable about ingredients and cooking methods.

Cheopcheop Doctor is a variation of Chukchuk Doctor, referring to a person who has extensive knowledge about food or can eat a large amount. Nowadays, it is common for people to visit popular restaurants and share photos of their meals on social media, but in the Joseon Dynasty, which was rooted in Confucian culture that regarded the pursuit of pleasure as taboo and valued moderation as a virtue, a nobleman’s passion for gourmet food and his detailed records of it were seen as eccentric and even a subject of ridicule. Regardless, Sim Nosung’s gourmet pursuits continued even after his exile, as he left records of his indulgence in a wide range of foods, including meats, seafood, buckwheat, and fruits. He was especially known for his love of persimmons, to the extent that he called himself “Sichi” (meaning “persimmon fool”). Even after turning fifty, he reportedly ate 60 to 70 persimmons in one sitting. If he were alive today, one could imagine him becoming a true Cheopcheop Doctor, equally versed in theory and practice, and a famous mukbang YouTuber.

Example

A: I'm craving soondae soup. Is there a good place nearby?

B: Wait! You can't just go anywhere. Give me a second.

A: Hey, I'm hungry. Can we just go to the nearest soondae place?

B: The soondae soup place across the street has good assorted soondae, the one in the alley specializes in Baegam soondae, and if you go toward the station, there's a 50-year-old Wangsoondae House. Take your pick.

A: It's like having a Michelin guide right here. You're a total Cheopcheop Doctor. Let's go to Wangsoondae House, and I'll treat!

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.