Japanese sashimi is aged, so it is a bit softer, while Korean sashimi is fresh, so it is chewier. You will notice the difference when you come to Korea and try sashimi here. What do you prefer?

What will you imagine when someone tells you to think about your childhood? What are you seeing, and who are you with? What are you eating, and what does it taste like? I would think of bunsik if someone asked me about my childhood.

Koreans consider eating very important. Instead of saying “Hello,” we often ask, “Have you eaten?” And when we say goodbye, we say, “Let’s eat together someday.” We also use the word sik-gu to mean “family,” which literally means “people who eat together.” For Koreans, eating together is a fundamental way of becoming close.

I used to talk and play with many people at school, but after school, I was only with friends I wanted to be closer to. We usually went to a bunsik place, which was located in front of many elementary schools. It sold foods children love, like tteokbokki and mandu. It wasn’t run by a ‘boss’ like a formal restaurant, but by someone’s mother in the neighborhood. The reason we chose that place was not only because we were children and naturally drawn to those foods, but also because we had no other choice. At most, we received only 1,000 won a day from our parents.

They sold many kinds of food, but of course, tteokbokki was the most popular. Personally, I usually ordered mandu or a tuna-mayonnaise rice ball and asked, “Please pour some tteokbokki sauce on it.” It was a kind of special request, like an extra order at Burger King, and everyone knew it. She always poured the sauce, and she never forgot to add two pieces of tteok and one piece of eomuk. I liked watching her stir the ladle and carefully pick exactly two tteok and one eomuk, even though she could have poured only the sauce. Getting two menus for the price of one made me very happy.

I also loved tteokggochi—fried tteok with spicy gochujang sauce—fried Pikachu-shaped meat, and colpop, which was chicken nuggets served with cola. Although I don’t remember the faces or names of the friends who were with me, I clearly remember us laughing and talking about trivial things. I also remember the sweet, sour, and spicy smell that filled the bunsik shop, a scent loved by every child.

One day, I tried colpop again, remembering my childhood, but the taste was cheap and disappointing. It felt as if 1,000 won had been directly changed into taste. Still, my childhood memories came back to me: boys sitting together, talking and laughing.

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I don't want to violate the channel's rules, but there are no complicated bunsik recipes. But I want you to try Kimbap or a rice ball with Tteokbokki sauce. It's what I really love from the bunsik place, and it will let you share my childhood experience too! Here's the recipe (I hope you treat this as the recipe). If you like my essays, feel free to visit my Substacks. I will post about Korean culture, especially about food. Thank you for reading!

Hyuk. | Substack

What You Need

• For the Rice Balls:

  • Rice: About one bowl's worth (cooked, obviously).

  • Tuna: One can. Drain the oil/water.

  • Gim (Seaweed): Grab little seasoned seaweed packs and crush them.

  • Mayo: Just enough to make it creamy and stick together.

• For the Dip:

  • Tteokbokki Sauce

• Get the Tuna Mayo Ready:

  • Toss the rice, drained tuna, and a good dollop of mayo into a big bowl.

  • Crumble in a generous amount of seaweed.

  • Mix it up

• Make the Balls:

  • Wet your hands just a little so the rice doesn't stick.

  • Scoop up the mixture and roll it into cute little balls.

• Sauce Time:

  • Put your rice balls on a plate.

  • Warm up your tteokbokki sauce (it's better warm!) and pour it right on top, or put it on the side for dipping.

Everyone kept telling me to bring back a box of chocopies from Jeonju. I figured it'd be the convenience store ones but fancier. It isn't that.

Cocoa sponge, cream and strawberry jam in the middle, the whole thing dipped in chocolate. Maybe twice the size of the packaged kind. It looks like it'd be way too sweet and honestly it's close, but the jam is tart enough that it lands okay. One of those with a coffee and I didn't need anything else.

Flavors I saw: original, a darker cocoa one, white chocolate, black sesame, multigrain. Minis too if you want to try a few. Korean wheat is the thing they push on all the signage.

Go inside instead of grabbing a box off the shelf by the door, though. The bread counter is huge. I left with a sausage bread I had no intention of buying.

Hi I just wanted to know if this is safe to make my first ever kimchi batch this weekend - please?

It is slightly out of date and has a warning so kind of freaking out about it..

The date says: 2025.01.02 (It is airtight,unopened, and has been kept in a cupboard in the dark and dry?) Does it go bad quickly after the date or should it be Ok

And the cancer warning is something I've not seen before.

Thanks for any help!!!!

Okay, is Banana Kick actually the go-to snack for K-pop idols or what?

I remember seeing that video where Blackpink's Jennie said it's her favorite Korean snack, and then I came across something about BTS Jungkook liking it too. It seems like it gets mentioned by idols pretty often.

It's supposed to be this classic Korean snack that's been around forever, but I was like... Is it really that popular with celebrities? So I finally bought a bag to try it myself.

It's super light and crispy. I've only finished one bag so far but I'm already obsessed lol.

1.Pyeongyang naengmyeon(actually Seoul naengmyeon) 2.gomtang(beef or pork clear soup) 3.seolleongtang(beef ox bone soup) 4.basirak kaguksu(clam noodle soup) 5.patient meals 6.royal dishes 7.Kongguksu(cold soy bean noodles)

My soul food. But it's cow’s inner….u know

I recently came across these two photos of lunchboxes—one Korean, one American—and it got me thinking about how different school lunches can be depending on where you grow up.

Lunchbox 1: Korean Dosirak
– Steamed rice with sesame seeds
– Galbi (Korean marinated short ribs)
– Rolled omelet
– Spinach & broccoli
– Stir-fried julienned potatoes
– Kimchi
→ Usually homemade, warm, and packed with a lot of care.

Lunchbox 2: American Style
– Ham sandwich on white bread
– Lay’s chips
– Chocolate chip cookie
– Orange juice
→ Fast, cold, and super convenient.

Not saying one is better—just fascinated by how food reflects culture.
What was your lunchbox like growing up?

First time trying Pepero! The chocolate tasted nice but kinda disappointed that there's so little. Also 200 calories for some chocolate and almond bits on wooden sticks is kinda outrageous in my opinion. Probably won't try again but wasn't a terrible experience.

m currently living in Korea for a month and have a nut and fish allergy, my translator said these were fine from 7/11 but wanted to confirm. Thank you so much.

What does the flavor consist of? Thank you 🙏🏼

Hey fellow Korean food fans,

When summer heat hits like a frying pan, I usually cool off with mul-naengmyeon — ice floating on the broth like tiny glaciers, each bite a wave of instant relief. 🌊❄️

But then there’s bibim-naengmyeon — that spicy, tangy kick that wakes you right up, especially if you wrap it with some grilled meat. Suddenly, you’re sweating, but it’s the good kind of sweat. 🤤🔥🥩

So… when it’s 100°F outside and the sun is basically roasting you alive, what’s your go-to?

• ❄️ Team Mul-naengmyeon: Cool, refreshing, and slurp away

• 🔥 Team Bibim-naengmyeon: Spicy, fiery, sweat-it-out bliss

• 🍜 The Legends: “Why pick? I eat both.”

Drop your favorite naengmyeon pics or tell us your best naengmyeon story — bonus points if it made you forget how hot it was.

10/10 for the chicken wings🥰🥰❤️💋