Black (Bean Noodle) Day Over Valentine’s Day

[Reporter] On a scale of one to ten, how single are you? 

[CECILIA NAM] TEN. 

[LENA CHOE] TEN.

[SEAN PARK] HUNDRED.

[JED KIM] TWELVE. 

[SALLY SO] TEN.

[DAVID PARK] THREE-THOUSAND TWO-HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX POINT FOUR TWO THREE.  

ACCORDING TO MERRIAM WEBSTER, IT’S CUFFING SEASON. IT’S BEEN CUFFING SEASON SINCE OCTOBER, AT LEAST UNTIL VALENTINE’S DAY. BUT IF YOU’RE STILL SINGLE, YOU’RE NOT ALONE. 

TWO SINGLE SECOND YEAR STUDENTS YEJIN SOHN AND DAVID PARK SAY THIS DAY WON’T BE TOO SPECIAL FOR THEM. 

[Yejin Sohn] I plan to work at my work study job and then go to class. I met up with friends who are also single to the movies. I usually have had to help my friend pick up her boyfriend’s gift for her. 

[David Park] I haven’t really planned out anything yet, but I don’t think it’s going to be that different from a normal school day. I’ll be attending classes, studying at main, yeah that’s about it. 

BUT IF VALENTINE’S IS FOR COUPLES, IS THERE A DAY FOR SINGLES? 

[DP] I’ve heard of White Days, which is pretty similar to Valentine’s Day but nothing for single people, no. I’m sure someone must’ve felt single and wanted to feel included, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there were one. 

[YS] I’m Korean, so I know about Black Day. I think that’s the only holiday that I know. 

FOLLOWING VALENTINE’S ON FEBRUARY FOURTEENTH AND WHITE DAY ON MARCH FOURTEENTH, BLACK DAY IS A POPULAR NATIONAL DAY IN SOUTH KOREA ON APRIL FOURTEENTH. 

[YS] When everyone who didn’t get something on Valentine’s Day or White Day, you go and eat jjajangmyeon, and you cry together. 

AS SOHN MENTIONED, BLACK DAY WAS KNOWN AS A DAY OF SORROW, ONE OF THE REASONS IT’S NAMED BLACK. THE NAME IS ALSO DERIVED FROM THE BLACK COLOR OF JJAJANGMYEON, BLACK BEAN NOODLES, THE DISH KOREANS ENJOY ON THIS DAY. 

[Reporter] Have you celebrated Black Day in the past? 

[YS] Actually, I think I have, but for fun with my mom. We had nothing to do that day, so we just went to go eat jjajangmyeon, but my mom is not single. So I don’t know if that counts. 

FOR THOSE WHO WERE NOT BORN AND RAISED IN KOREA, THE CONCEPT OF BLACK DAY IS COMPLETELY NEW. 

[DP] It would be something kind of along the lines of Black History Month, where Black people celebrate their history and culture?

TODAY, THE PRESSURE OF THE NEED TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN THE KOREAN CULTURE. RATHER THAN MOURNED, THE SINGLE STATUS IS NOW CELEBRATED. FOR THOSE WHO TAKE THE DAY TO EXTREMES, THEY DRESS UP IN BLACK, WEAR BLACK ACCESSORIES, APPLY BLACK NAIL POLISH TO MATCH THE BLACK THEME. 

[YS] I think it’s great. I think every country should celebrate it, because being single is great.In the U.S., not a lot of people know about it; not even Korean Americans know about it. But whenever I explain it to them, they always get really excited about it. They’re like “oh my gosh, that’s great.” Goes back to the point that every country should have Black Day. 

UNLIKE SOHN WHO ADVOCATES THE CELEBRATION OF BEING SINGLE, PARK DOESN’T SEEM LIKE THE BIGGEST FAN.

[DP]I guess if people really want to, then sure. Personally, I don’t really see a point in celebrating singleness, because it seems like the default. Not to generalize or anything, but most people don’t want to stay single and creating a day equivalent to Valentine’s Day for single people just seems like it’ll make you feel even more lonely. 

SOME KOREAN COMPANIES TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS DAY TO HOST BLACK BEAN NOODLE EATING CONTESTS OR MARKET THROUGH DISCOUNTS. WHILE SUCH ACTIVITIES ARE QUITE DIFFICULT TO FIND IN THE STATES, AMERICANS ALSO DESIGNATED FEBRUARY FIFTEENTH, THE DAY AFTER VALENTINE’S, AS SINGLE AWARENESS DAY. 

WITH VALENTINE’S COMING UP IN FOUR DAYS, IT IS TIME TO BUY CHOCOLATE AND GIFTS FOR YOUR LOVED ONES. OTHERWISE, PERHAPS IT’S TIME TO CONSIDER WAITING TWO MONTHS TO DEVOUR THAT JJAJANGMYEON. NEAR CAMPUS, YOU CAN FIND THE DISH AT SHANG NOODLE IN DOWNTOWN EVANSTON. 

THIS IS JEONGEUN JENNIFER KIM SIGNING OFF FROM WNUR NEWS. 

[music – Black by G-Dragon]