보기 좋은 떡이 먹기도 좋다 (A rice cake that looks good will taste good too)

This 잠언 means “What looks good tastes good”.

보기 (bogi) – “to see”

좋은 (joeun) – “and to be good”

떡 (tteok) – “rice cake”

먹기도 (meokgido) – “and to eat”

좋다 (jota) – “good”

Literal Translation/Meaning: A rice cake that looks lovely also tastes good.

Use: This phrase can be used when you are confident in the quality of the final product or result. A skilled chef would invest the same effort in its appearance as he would in its taste. As one of the pleasures is also seeing food, this aids the chef in elevating the dish.

Which kind of rotates in this one because when you see something that looks well-made, you can infer how much effort was put into it. Chef wouldn't offer too salty dishes with that much focus on looks, right? 

Many people would disagree with this adage because, after all, beauty comes from within, correct?

Although it may sound good, in Korean society, outward appearance is very important. Koreans have worked hard to make their surroundings aesthetically pleasant for many decades.

The classic architecture, clothing, and even minor decorations attract us with their beauty since they felt it important to embellish the exterior of everything around them.

According to the rationale behind this, if someone put a lot of time into producing an aesthetically appealing final product, it suggests they put a lot of effort into it, thus the quality will be good as well.

Example:

민수: 이 책, 내용이 주제별로 잘 분류되어 있고 사진의 질도 참 좋네.

Minsu: I chaek, naeyongi jujebyeollo jal bunryudoeeo itgo sajinui jildo cham jonne.

Minsu: “The contents of this book are well-organized by topic, and the quality of the photos is great.”

철수: 보기 좋은 떡이 먹기도 좋다는데, 한번 읽어봐.

Cheolsu: Bogi joeun tteogi meokgido jotaneunde, hanbeon ilgeobwa.

Cheolsu: “What looks good is usually good too, so read it.”

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