While traveling in Korea, you can find that terIt's strange that for many Koreans spice is therapy. There's something surprisingly cathartic about feeling like your brain is on fire.
In a country where extreme spice is considered as basic as salt and pepper, a typical response to "I'm so stressed out" is: "Let's go wolf down something terribly spicy."Rating the dishes from one to five, here are the seven steps to be a real Korean spice-eater.
7. Buldak (Fire chicken)
Spice rating: 
This savory barbecued chicken dish covered in chili-loaded sauce became immensely popular a few years ago when the Korean economy was going through a rough patch. (See what we mean about Koreans and spice therapy?)
Buldak sparked off a trend for extraordinarily hot dishes in Korea and it remains popular at many bars -- accompanied by a cold beer, of course.The buldak-beer combo is known as chimaek.
If you want to tone down the heat, order buldak surrounded by a ring of mozzarella cheese to melt away the misery.
6. Ddeokbokki (Rice and fish cakes in chili sauce)
Spice rating:
Soft rice cakes and fish cakes cooked in sweet red chili sauce, ddeokbokki is one of Korea's most loved snacks and comfort foods.It's commonly sold on street corners and at food stands.
The Dongdaemun Yeobkki Ddeokbokki restaurant chain has roughly 80 branches across the country and delivers the hotness in airtight containers right to your front door.
Brave eaters can request extras, such as hard-boiled eggs, glass noodles, fried dumplings or hot dogs.
5. Abiko curry
Spice rating:
Abiko is a Japanese curry restaurant that offers its specialty at various levels of heat, from "best of the best" spice level to "baby" curry.
One test spoonful of her "best of the best" is enough to make common people wince and cough. A visitor described her experience eating it as "wanting to eat anything and everything to put out the fire."
4. Maeundae galbijjim (Braised short-rib stew)
Spice rating:
From an unscientific poll we carried out on the streets of Seoul, Maeundae galbijjim is one of the hottest -- in terms of popularity -- spicy dishes nowadays.Forget everything you know about galbijjim, the usually sweet and savory beef short ribs.
The classic Korean dish enters a new era of spiciness at Maeundae (mae-un means "spicy" in Korean ).One nail-size bite of the rib leaves immense pain on your tongue.The despair only gets worse as the petite restaurant offers nowhere to hide.
Steamed egg is on the menu to alleviate the spiciness from time to time.
3. Lee Kang-sun Silbijip nakji bokkeum (Stir-fried octopus)
Spice rating:
Nakji bokkeum consists of stir-fried nakji (octopus) flooded in a generous portion of red pepper sauce.Rice, beansprouts and sesame oil are on the side to help ease the pain.
Tip from an experienced eater: Don't pour all the saucy nakji on top of your rice before tasting some. This reckless act will leave your face as red as the dish.Lee Kang-sun Silbijip, founded over 45 years ago, has four spiciness levels.
The restaurant is in the Mugyo-dong district in Jongno-gu. The area has been synonymous with the classic spicy dish since the '60s and '70s.
2. Jjambbong (Seafood noodles)
Spice rating:
The first thing you're told when you sit down for jjambbong (a ridiculously hot seafood-based noodle dish) is to eat the noodles first.Once you hit the broth, infused with four different chilies from Korea, China, Vietnam and India, the fire becomes too fierce to put out through standard means.
One mouthful of noodles is enough to cause acute pain on the tongue.Add a spoonful of broth and your entire head may feel that it's been set on fire.
The version served at Shingildong Spicy Jjambbong is immensely rich. The stack of milk cartons in front of the famed noodle shop is testament to the satanic levels of spice inside.
1. Onnuriye Donkatsu (Pork cutlet)
Spice rating:
The innocent restaurant name, Onnuriye Donkatsu ("Pork Cutlet Around the World"), is deceiving. This place is actually known for serving the Donkatsu of Death, aka the Drop-Dead Donkatsu, by far the spiciest dish I've ever endured.
The pork cutlet is drenched in an ominous dark red sauce made from a rich broth of Asian herbs and what owner Song Jung-won claims is the spiciest chili on earth.Song keeps the recipe for his over-the-top sauce a close secret.
"I want to make it the utmost difficult challenge for only 0.1 percent of the population," he says. "There's something about the spiciness that draws people to it even though they're in pain. They usually think 'how spicy could it possibly be?'"
The restaurant dares diners to eat the Drop-Dead Donkatsu within 20 minutes, but be warned: They won't serve the dish unless you bring a carton of milk with you.
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