Korea Has Invented Ice Cream That Cures Hangovers
We'll take 1,000 boxes, thanks.
yuda chen / Shutterstock If Japan has bizarre ice cream flavors like jellyfish, miso ramen, and shark fin (they really love their seafood-flavored frozen treats), then South Korea has a different stance when it comes to everyone's favorite dessert: ice cream.
Imagine that you're so hungover and you're at a gas station, where they have those freezers filled with the miniature versions of your favorite ice cream growing up.
Now imagine if those could cure your hangover. What if you happened to be drinking out in South Korea? Well, your imagination can only take you so far because this is a reality.
South Korea is named by the World Health Organization as Asia's biggest alcohol consumer.
They actually consume twice more alcohol than Russia! And in Korean culture, "drinking is treated as the social lubricant to build workplace camaraderie, secure business deals and to earn trust." As it should be everywhere, amen.
It's such a norm that Snoop Dogg and South Korean singer Psy collaborated on a song called "Hangover."
Thus, it only makes sense for them to have a go-to cure for the definite hangover they would have in the morning.
(My usual hangover cure is dry toast and a prayer, so this might be a better alternative.)
Enter the Gyeondo-bar, translated as "hang in there," because it "expresses the hardships of employees who have to suffer a working day after heavy drinking, as well as to provide comfort to those who have to come to work early after frequent nights of drinking."
It was invented and sold by WithmeFS, a convenience store chain in South Korea, and is the first ice cream to treat hangovers. The hangover cure industry itself is a fairly successful industry in the region, is about 150 billion won, or 126 million dollars. That's a lot of money.
The Gyeondo-bar is a "grapefruit-flavored ice cream bar with a small amount of raisin tree fruit juice."
The raisin juice has actually been used by Koreans as a hangover remedy since the 1600s, and this was, later on, backed up by a 2012 scientific study, where its extract was proven to reduce intoxication in rats.
Not only is it ice cream, but it's a fruity flavor as well. Time to pair this with a mimosa and make the next best frozen drink.
Wish you could get your hands on these for Thirsty Thursdays?
Sadly, it's only available in South Korea ... for now.
But, who knows?
Maybe it's time to start planning your bachelorette party in South Korea. Maybe it's time to start planning every party you have in South Korea.
If they were really your friends, they would understand. If it really works like a charm, then maybe they'll consider going global.
Caithlin Pena has been an editor with YourTango since 2015. She has written more than 200 articles.