The recent Bilibili video, "Why Koreans are so fond of drinking iced Americanos?", hosted by cybersecurity YouTuber "赛博食录", delves into the topic of Korean culture and society through the lens of food. The video highlights a statistic that 51% of Korea's coffee sales come from iced Americanos. This introduces the topic of American coffee in Korea, which was initially introduced as a military ration during the war. The C-rations, a type of military rations, contained powdered coffee, which was initially mixed with other ingredients to make a "部队锅" (army stew) and later used as the base for iced Americanos. This exposure to American coffee led to its popularity in Korea. The YouTuber introduces the concept of "卷学历,工作,并躺平体制" (Collapsing educational and career pathways) in Korean society, where people have to work hard to climb the social ladder. The YouTuber suggests that drinking iced Americanos serves as an affordable luxury for Koreans, who cannot afford to relax or "躺平". The YouTuber's personal introduction on the channel notes: "不止科普,更提供一种观察食物的角度" (It's not just about science, but about observing food from a different angle).
This piece of content highlights the connection between food, society, and personal identity. It suggests that natural and social environments shape our preferences, and that exploring different types of food can be an act of spiritual immigration. The YouTube host backs up this idea by sharing the possible reasons for the Korean love for iced coffee: "其实跟习惯冰水有关。原因可能是当时自来水厂净化技术不够,即便将水烧开,依然有铁锈等异味。所以需要做成玉米须茶,麦茶。这就能盖住异味,然而UA防止发酸,就需要冷藏起来,自然就養成了喝冰水的習慣。
This observation demonstrates the symbiotic relationship between culture, environment, and human behavior, and the YouTuber's realizations on the human condition.