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Post by Fritz on Jun 2, 2017 1:41:32 GMT
What goes well with watching Korean dramas? Well, how about Korean snacks?
If you're like me, you've seen plenty of snack food product placements in the dramas, but you've probably never tried any of these things (most aren't readily available at your local grocery or convenience store). Are they any good?
To satisfy my curiosity and answer that question, I've tracked down some genuine Korean snack foods to sample and I will feature them here as I try them.
BTW: Korean word for "snack" is gwaja (과자).
Without further ado... Lotte Choco Pie (롯데 초코파이)
Okay, we might as well start with something pretty familiar to many KDrama watchers, the ubiquitous Choco Pie.
A Choco Pie is a chocolate-covered snack cake consisting of two small round layers of cake with marshmallow layer in between. It seems quite similar to an American "Moon Pie", but with cake, instead of graham crackers.
I'm not going to pull any punches here with my reviews, so I'll just say they're merely okay, but nothing to really write home about. The cake is rather dry and nondescript and the gelatinous filling, I honestly wouldn't have identified as marshmallow, if I hadn't known what it was supposed to be.
I've heard that there is a thriving black market in North Korea for Choco Pies. North Korean workers at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea apparently receive Choco Pies as part of their compensation. The snack is used in lieu of hard cash in paying bonuses. I suppose if you are a North Korean, living on the edge of starvation, a Choco Pie would certainly be "manna from heaven", but for an American with aisles full of delicious goodies to choose from, these frankly wouldn't rate very high on my wish list.
My rating: ★★★☆☆
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Post by Fritz on Jun 3, 2017 16:36:58 GMT
Lotte Almond Pepero (롯데 아몬드 빼빼로) Next stop in my journey down the Korean snack food aisle is another one familiar to most Hallyu fans, Pepero. These long, thin cookie sticks now come in a wide variety of flavors and sizes, including the almond and chocolate covered ones I'm trying today.So how do they taste? Well, the plain bare biscuit stick is pretty bland, but with the chocolate and nuts, they are delicious! I can see why they are so popular. I'd be happy to have them again and I would like to try some of the other varieties as well.
It's probably a good thing that this package wasn't bigger because I wolfed 'em down in no time.
Of course, besides just eating them as a tasty snack, there's always the ever-popular "Pepero Game":BTW: The unofficial Korean holiday Pepero Day is November 11 (ie. 11/11 - likely because the numbers look like 4 Pepero sticks). My rating: ★★★★★
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Post by Fritz on Jun 10, 2017 1:27:15 GMT
Lotte Butter Coconut Biscuits (롯데 빠다코코낫)My next Korean snack is one I was not previously familiar with, Butter Coconut Biscuits. These biscuits (cookies?) are quite light and airy, like a crackers, but with a buttery sweet taste. The coconut flavor is very subtle. My overall impression is that they taste a bit like Animal Crackers, but not nearly as dense. Not bad at all. My rating: ★★★★☆
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Post by Fritz on Jun 10, 2017 19:28:05 GMT
Lotte Scotch Almond Candy (롯데 스카치 아몬드)This snack is a very small one. It consists of a small block of hard butterscotch candy with an almond stuck on top. Crunchy, this somewhat odd pairing goes surprisingly well together. I liked it. My rating: ★★★★☆
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Post by Fritz on Jun 11, 2017 16:59:49 GMT
Lotte Kkokalcorn Chips - Original (롯데 꼬깔콘 고소한맛)Up until now I've been trying sweets, but sometimes you crave something salty, rather than sweet. Today's snack, Kkokalcorn, are corn chips. They are a fairly obvious knock-off of General Mills Bugles. In fact, they are apparently made by Lotte under license from General Mills. They taste pretty much the same too, perhaps a bit lighter and less oily. Like Bugles, Kkokalcorn chips come in a variety of flavors, but these are the plain originals. They're not bad, but certainly they have nothing to recommend them over the much cheaper and readily available Bugles, though I would be interested in trying some of their more uniquely Korean flavor varieties at some point. My rating: ★★★☆☆
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Post by Fritz on Jun 17, 2017 19:22:06 GMT
Lotte Milkis Apple Soda (롯데 밀키스 사과)After eating salty snacks, you might need something to wash it down with. Koreans have plenty of beverages that would be familiar to us, bottled water, iced coffees and teas, sodas, and fruit juice. How about something a bit different? Milkis is soft drink with similar ingredients to our sodas with one unusual addition - milk! It comes in a variety of flavors, including this relatively new Apple one. What you notice most about this drink is that it is much thicker and syrupy than your typical American-style soda. It is very sweet and not heavily carbonated. You can't really taste the milk, but it definitely gives the drink a very different texture and finish. I liked it, but I'm glad it comes in these little 8.45 oz cans; I don't think I would want 12 oz of this at one sitting - it's just too full-bodied for that. My rating: ★★★★☆
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Post by Fritz on Jun 24, 2017 16:20:11 GMT
Lotte Mother's Handmade Pie (롯데 엄마손 파이)Also known as "Mother's Hands", I'm not really sure why they are called "pie" as they are not pies at all; they are definitely cookies. I expect these dense, crispy little cookies are intended to go with some hot tea or coffee. By themselves, they are pretty unremarkable. Not bad, but nothing I would run out to the store to get again. My rating: ★★★☆☆
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Post by montana on Jun 25, 2017 15:03:42 GMT
Lotte Milkis Apple Soda (롯데 밀키스 사과)Root Beer Float I don't drink a lot of soda; however I do like a little cream(half&half) in my Dr Pepper. My rating: ★★★★☆
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Post by Fritz on Jun 26, 2017 11:31:47 GMT
Root Beer Float I don't drink a lot of soda; however I do like a little cream(half&half) in my Dr Pepper. The texture is similar, but there's no foamy head on it. There's also none of the tanginess of root beer or Dr Pepper.
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Post by Fritz on Jul 1, 2017 16:25:32 GMT
Samyang Handmade Noodle Soup (삼양 손칼국수)Sometimes a light snack just won't do. For those times, there's always ramen noodles, or ramyeon ( 라면), as the Koreans call them. The flavors and varieties in Korea are almost endless. Today I'm trying Samyang Handmade Noodle Soup. In addition to the usual brick of plain dried noodles, the package included a separate packet for the dried veggies and another for the powdered broth. The broth packet seemed a bit larger than necessary and my prior experience taught me that these flavors can be pretty overpowering - I used a little more than half of the packet. The directions were all in Hangul, but I was able to glean 550 ml of water and 4 minutes, pretty standard for ramen noodles everywhere. I opted for 5 minutes in the microwave, as I like my noodles a little more tender. Like the picture on the package, I garnished my soup with some strips of roasted chicken. I often add an egg to my ramen, but for this taste test, I stuck to standard recipe. Instant ramen noodles the world over are pretty much the same, but the flavor of the broth was what I was most interested in. It was quite tangy, but not overpowering (I am glad I only used half the packet). Overall, it was tasty and definitely quite filling. I'd eat this again (and I actually can, since I saved half the broth packet). My rating: ★★★★☆
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Post by montana on Jul 1, 2017 21:57:13 GMT
I'm not sure were I've seen this before; however BEER and RAMYEON is my snack of choice when watching K Dramas ( I do add fresh, garlic,onions and jalapenos or habaneros ) just worked the job from hell - brunt shit, drive 5 hours to cut brunt trees for 6 hours and cough all night long,,, I'm going for a beer,ramyeon and " Sassy Girl" + "Ruler:Master of the Mask"
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Post by Fritz on Jul 3, 2017 18:16:31 GMT
Ottogi Tuna Rice Porridge (오뚜기 참치죽)Another item that would be considered a hearty snack (or side-dish for a proper meal) is this Tuna Rice Porridge. It is basically rice porridge with tuna and small bits of various vegetables, including carrots, onions, and cabbage. This quick dish is ready after 1:30-2 minutes in the microwave. The package also contains a cute little folding plastic spoon for folks on the go and a small packet of optional Sesame Oil ( 참기름). Well, I can't honestly say that this dish impressed me much. It was basically a fishy mush with not much flavor. The sesame oil gave it a slightly nutty taste. I'm rather reminded of the classic line from Crocodile Dundee, "Well, you can live on it, but it taste like shit." LOL Hey, I didn't really expect to like everything. My rating: ★★☆☆☆
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Post by Fritz on Jul 3, 2017 18:19:27 GMT
Cheong Woo Chestnut Rice Cake Cookie (청우 밤 찰떡 쿠키)These soft cookies are like little pastries with filling. These cookies are soft and crumbly on the outside with a sweet, slightly chewy inside filling. Not bad at all. My rating: ★★★☆☆
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Post by Fritz on Jul 8, 2017 17:03:33 GMT
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Post by Fritz on Jul 16, 2017 17:04:26 GMT
Ottogi Ppushu Ppushu - Bulgogi Flavor (오뚜기 뿌셔뿌셔 불고기맛)Okay, this has to qualify as one of the odder snacks - Ppushu Ppushu. It's basically dry, uncooked ramen noodles. As the instructions say, you crush the brick of ramen into bite-sized pieces while in the sealed bag, then remove the separate flavor packet inside. You sprinkle the flavor powder over the contents and shake the bag to spread the seasoning, then eat. Well, I'm sure this snack was inspired by desperate college students with a bad case of the late-night munchies, but I have to say, it's really about as appetizing as it sounds. As for me, I think I'll stick to cooking my ramen in the future. My rating: ★★☆☆☆
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