Samyang’s Meat Spaghetti Buldalk Bokkeum Myeon had me reminiscing about my childhood and I’m sure that some of you can relate. After taking a single-bite of these peppery noodles, I was struck with the thought that I had tasted this flavor before. After a bit of thought, sure enough, the memory coalesced into a perfect picture from my youth.
Flavor:
The flavor was eerily similar to the cheap, canned pasta that your babysitter fed to you in order to increase her profit margins for watching your annoying childhood self. And you thought that your babysitter was looking out for your well-being? Well, he or she definitely wasn’t looking out for your best interests if they fed you this concoction of MSG and soybean-laced meatballs. However, it looks like Chef Boyardee has come a long way since then…
Now I know that the man himself, Mr. Chef Boyardee, does have quite the cult following, so I should also add that I didn’t NOT enjoy eating those canned abominations.
Getting back to the instant noodles, if you took a can of Chef Boyardee Spaghetti & Meatballs and sprinkled in just a touch of hellfire, you can kind of start to get a clearer picture of what these noodles taste like. They still have the classic flavor of the Original Buldalk Bokkeum Myeon, plus the addition of babysitter’s guilt in the form of Chef Boyardee.
Spiciness:
In terms of overall spiciness, these instant noodles are rather mild compared to some of the more challenging noodles Samyang has to offer. They are no more or less spicy, in my opinion, when compared to the original. The sweetness of the Chef Boyardee sauce does mask the heat a bit and might create the illusion of the ramen being less spicy. Stupid tongue!
Smell:
While my tongue tasted Chef Boyardee, my nose smelled only Buldalk Bokkeum Myeon. What trickery is this? Your guess is as good as mine. My only conclusion is that the spicy liquid is just so overpowering that the powdered meat sauce flavoring just simply doesn’t stand a chance against the flaming brew.
Texture:
Last, but not least, the consistency of the noodles becomes rather gooey and sticky after the addition of the powdered flavoring. I enjoy eating my instant ramen noodles with less liquid, so this might have brought out more of the gooiness than anticipated. It’s not necessarily a bad texture, but the noodles just tended to form a single gelatinous mass that gravitates to the center of your bowl.
Overall Impression:
Is the flavor radically different from the Original Hot Chicken Flavored Ramen? Not really… But, if you’re looking for a more challenging or adulterated Chef Boyardee flavor, then I think you’ll absolutely love Samyang’s Meat Spaghetti Buldalk Bokkeum Myeon.
What do you think about this instant ramen? Did you have better babysitters than I did? Let me know in the comments!
