A foreign student asked me a question. “Teacher, this broth is so hot, so why does everyone say it’s ‘refreshing’?” It really does sound strange the first time you hear it. Koreans take a spoonful of steaming hot haejangguk and say, “Ah, that’s refreshing!” They really do. ## It’s not the temperature, it’s the feeling '시원하다' isn't a word used only for a cold feeling. We also use it when something stuffy or frustrating suddenly gets relieved. We say "시원하다" when a blocked nose clears up, when we scratch an itch, or when we step into a hot bathhouse and our body loosens up. It's the same word we use for the feeling of hot broth sliding down your throat and relaxing your whole body. ## How Did It Come to Be Like This? A Korean table almost always has a soup or a stew on it. It's very common to have soup or broth along with your rice, isn't it? So an expression for the feeling you get when eating soup must have naturally taken hold. I don't know exactly when this phrase started being used for soup, but now everyone uses it. People say it especially often when facing haejangguk or kongnamul gukbap the day after drinking. Because it settles your upset stomach. ## Try Using It Right Away After you taste the broth, try saying, "Ah, si-won-ha-da!" The restaurant owner will smile. But if you ask "Is this soup si-won-hae-yo?" before eating, it can sound like you're asking whether the soup is cold. It's best to use this expression to describe how you feel after eating.