mary eats

For a while I’ve wanted to capture street eats and without further ado….

The Breakdown:

Hutdok, a fried dough round stuffed with brown sugar and spices. They are 500won, roughly 50 US cents for one. These are mad popular. I have waited up to 20 minutes for one. But the wait is worth it. Fried dough. Glistening, sugary fried dough. Does it get any better than that?

Mini-kim bap. There are many varieties, clearly marked in English and Korean. Expect to pay 2,000won-3,000won depending on how many you select. This particular stand is in Insadong and the ajuma is quite sweet. Through her giggles she kept handing me cups of water after seeing my face turn fuchsia while eating that crazy spicy kimbap

Mondu twigam, freshly made fried mondu. These are some of the best I’ve tried in Korea. 2,000won for three. I have only seen these in the Hwanghak-dong flea market. If you walk down the chunggyecheon, east of Dongdaemoon, you’ll hit the flea market. Some of the buildings have large numbers painted on the upper right side, and this stand can be found, I think, between 14 and 15? Maybe 16? There is a dude selling used books on the corner, this is where you should turn right. The stand will be on your left.

Cups of fresh summer cherries, around 2,00won. Fruit is a popular summer street snack. You can often find spears of melon or pineapple for 1,000won. The sliced fruit is kept on ice for all you would be health inspectors out there.

On the right Japanese favorite tako-yaki, dough balls with chopped octopus and veggies. 2,000won for 5, 3,000won for 8. They are super hot and will scald the inside of your mouth if you are not careful.

A variety of dried and roasted squid on a cart. Koreans eat it like Americans eat beef jerky. It is quite a sight to see someone gnawing away on a foot long purple octopus tentacle, suckers still intact.

Mini sausages are starting to replace the full sized sausages, and I am glad. It has always concerned me, these long sausages on a sharp wooden stick. What if you were taking a bite and someone ran into you on the street. That skewer would totally go through your cheek and you’d be on your way to the emergency room. Much better, I think, to gingerly poke at a mini sausage with a toothpick. 2,000-3,000won.

Kimchi guk-su, a noodle dish with kimchi, acorn jelly, chopped lettuce and seaweed for 2,500won.

Egg toast. Eggs mixed with cabbage and carrots then placed in between two slices of bread. Around 1,500won. You can always jazz it up with a slice of processed ham or processed American cheese.

Sweet dough is filled with a dab of sweet red bean paste on the left. 1,000-2,000won. These always smell good, and are nice when wandering the cold winter streets.

The ddokboggie stand. From left to right in the back is, sundae, a popular blood sausage, ddokboggie, rice cakes in a fiery chili sauce, and chicken and leek skewers brushed with a sweet chili sauce. In the front, twigam, mixed veggies, sweet potato, chili peppers, squid, small kim bap, and mandu, all battered and deep-fried. Expect to spend 2,000-5,000won depending on how much you order.

A snack many Koreans eat as children, then again as seniors, bundaegi, simmered silkworm larva. The stench alone keeps me from trying this, but many people swear to me that it has a savory taste, like chicken. You can get a better look at bundaegi here.

In touristy areas such as Insadong, where many of these photos were taken, Dongdaemoon market, or Myeongdong vendors are patient with tourists. Point to what you want, and smile.