“You should always eat hot foods on hot days and cold foods on cold days”

My informant was told by his grandparents that on hot days one should try to eat hot foods and cold foods on cold days. He first told me it is actually good for one’s health if you follow this rule. Aside from health beliefs, Koreans actually feel it is really refreshing to eat hot foods on hot days. It seems counter-intuitive but Korean like to eat not just high temperature dishes but very spicy dishes as well. Even though its hot that day, the hot/spicy Korean foods gives them a cool, refreshing feeling in their bodies. As for cold days, some Koreans believe cold foods like shaved ice cream tastes even better on cold days than hot. 

Being Korean, I can testify that hot/spicy foods can sometimes give me that cool, refreshing feeling. It is very difficult to explain in English what that cool feeling actually feels like. Actually there is no translation that exists for the feeling other than “refreshing.” Perhaps it is the combination of perspiring along with the flavorful ingredients that causes one feel cool when actually hot? As for the cold foods, I’ve never tried them on a cold day.