@izabelll: Good note! Even though patbingsu is “seasonal” occasionally you can still find small cafes and stuff which sell it. Red Mango (Seoul & Dagu) is one I also found still selling it in winter. I kinda crave this stuff year round- hot or cold.

@tasting Korea: Good link to the Korean Herald page, thanks! I like their pictures and variations of patbingsu to try!

FYI: fortune cookies have been “reinvented” by Chinese Americans (I believe in San Francisco?) but the concept originates from Japan. I know a NY Times author who published a book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. She went through years of research to traveling to uncover historical facts about the origin of that and other Chinese dishes (and the migration or evolution of them; that’s also where I also got the spaghetti fact). It’s even got some funny facts on the people who’ve written the Chinese proverbs in the fortune cookies. I’m not a food historian, so it was fascinating and insightful and made me think how we build long-standing cultural myths around our foods…

I agree with history being “speculative”. I’m skeptical and try to stay neutral; though, my logic has a bias swaying towards the two cultures, I know more about as always having had far-reaching global impact. It’s a fathomable hypothesis, as their people and cultures are known to have migrated around the world; whereas, Korean culture is only now developing its travel wings and finding its place in the global stream. Most of the world is un-knowledgeable about Korean history & culture and there’s not much support in English translation to help it.

While The Korean Herald claimed a history of patbingsu from one sentence (not a paragraph or more, with no further reference or explanation); that answer was not a substantial for me. Seoul Eats quoted from the same The Korean Herald piece, so it seems we have one sentence of “fact” to stake a claim for Koreans and ‘a shaved ice & red bean dessert’. Then I question the source the “fact” came from. The Korean Herald is 1) media, 2) Korean media which is biased to Korean culture, and 3) grabs its information from the web and not always credible “researched” resources. I’m not saying I lack credibility… but my writings are based firstly, on personal experience. They once took an article of mine and twisted it to fit their supporting argument.

Every country deserves respect, and then sometimes, a culture has to prove it a bit more in order for it to be placed on the global map. I have no hash with Korea; I like it. But I write things the way I see it, feel it, experience it and it’s still proving itself to me.

In the end, this article is not trying to be a research or thesis paper. Its a blog that’s it’s meant for light travel reading and promotes something in Korean culture, I feel foreigners should try.

Spaghetti is Italian, but noodles were introduced to Italy by China. Fortune cookies are actually a Chinese American invention.

With histories outlasting Korea, it’s hard to believe Japan and China aren’t the clear initiators of patbingsu. However, being the great innovator Korea is, it’s possible they may have come up with the idea as well.

History is not something one can speculate on without evidence. It’s not something that one should take lightly as you are talking about the cultural heritage of a people and it deserves the respect due. I have looked for evidence of the origin of red beans with shaved ice. I have not found any yet, but I have found an article on the origins of patbingsu.

“Records show that during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), Seobingo ― the government office in charge of the royal ice box ― would share ice with fellow officials, who would enjoy it finely crushed and mixed with fruit for a granita-like dessert.”

http://www.koreaherald.com/lifestyle/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100812000473

http://www.seouleats.com/2011/05/origin-of-patbingsu.html

@Laura: Thanks L!