You Will Never Go Hungry Here

While walking the streets of Seoul, I drooled over the food kiosks, tents, and minitrucks (if you're Filipino, you'd probably call it a "multicab") were selling. These stalls are called pojangmacha 포장마차.

This kiosk pojangmacha has tteokbokki 떡볶이 (rice cakes cooked in red chili pepper paste), pajeon 파전 (green onion pancake), kimbap 김밥 (rice rolled in seaweed), dumplings, hotdogs, pork skewers, and other things I could not identify. These go from 1000 to 6000 won (Php 40 to Php 240).

 

Tented pojangmachas usually appear at night. Go get drunk on soju 소주 (rice liquor) here.

Photo by: Bee Chavez

And here's a snackbar on wheels. This guy has set up his goodies on the bed of his minitruck. He has roasted chestnuts, dried squid, and beondegi 번데기 (roasted silkworm cocoons). The beondegi tasted...interesting. Nutty almost.

On the streets, your nose might lead you to this little umbrellaed cart selling pancakes stuffed with eggs.

Or you will do a double take at the sight of these waffles 와플 (with cream and syrup) while hurrying through a subway station. This crunchy, creamy, syrupy waffle sells for 1000 won (Php 40).

Or get tempted to try these siopao-looking things, which are really steamed mandu 만두 or dumplings stuffed with vegetables and minced meat. The steamed spicy mandu (600 won ~ Php 24) was so good, I regret having bought just one.

Photo by Ayin Ersando

Or be enticed by the steam coming out of this roadside eatery that offers noodles and mandu 만두 (dumplings). Our grumbling stomachs made us buy three kinds of mandu 만두: seafood and vegetable rolled dumplings (8 pcs for 4000 won ~ Php 160), steamed kimchi dumplings (3 pcs for 3000 won ~ Php 120), and fried vegetable dumplings (3 pcs for 3000 won ~ Php 120).

You will also find vendors selling fruits such as strawberries and grapes. Cheaper than buying these in the Philippines, so stuff yourself while you can.

Above two photos by Bee Chavez

Too lazy to go out for breakfast, too cold and tired to hunt for dinner after a long day of exploring, or running low on cash for a real meal, you can stop by a fastfood restaurant, such as Lotteria, or buy something quick from convenience stores, vending machines, and bakeshops dotting the streets and subway stations.

 A strawberry waffle (2000 won ~ Php 80) for breakfast at Lotteria. A tad bit expensive but I like waffles.

 

Blueberry yogurt (1300 won ~ Php 52) and instant noodles (900 won ~ Php 36) from a convenience store.

 

Drinks on the go: coffee (capuccino/latte/americano/green tea latte), softdrinks, juice, water. From 400 won (Php 16) to 1000 won (Php 40).

 

Breads are a bit expensive. From left to right: soybean bread (2000 won ~ Php 80), olive focaccia (2200 won ~ Php 88), and blueberry (1000 won ~ Php 40)  from random bakeshops I passed by. I absolutely loved the soybean bread (very filling) and olive focaccia (I am an olive hoarder).

And lastly, quick dinners I grabbed from the nearest convenience store:

• Ham sandwich (1600 won ~ Php 64) labeled as 듬뿍넣은햄 샌드 which literally translates to "plenty in ham sand". Yes, I agree, it did have plenty of ham in it!
• Spicy anchovy kimbap 매콤달콤멸치김밥 (1200 won ~ Php 48 and came with a free can of Pepsi). This kimbap was really delicious!
• Two triangle kimbap (samgak kimbap 삼극김밥) for 1000 won (Php 40). Flavors on my pack were spicy chicken 양념 치킨 and Jeonju bibim 전주비빔밥. If you love bibimbap then you'll like the Jeonju bibim kimbap.
• And a ready to eat dinner (3000 won ~ Php 120) I ate on the plane ride home. It had rice, kimchi, sausages, egg, pork, and vegetables. Not bad at all!

See? You will never go hungry on the streets of Seoul (as long as you have a few thousand won).

And not to worry, dear Reader, I also had time to sit in good old Korean restaurants but that deserves another post. Writing this has made me hungry, gotta go have a kimbap now.

South Korea Series:

Tourist Visa to Korea

Random Things About Kimchiland
From One Point to Another
Homes Away From Home
My First Meal is Not Korean
You Will Never Go Hungry Here (you're here!)
To the North We Go...Almost
Strolling, Collecting Sights

A Dose of History: Gyeongbokgung

Double Dose of History: Changdeokgung & Huwon

Photo Stop: Bukchon Hanok Village

Care For Some Coffee? 

Step Back in Time at the Folk Village

Trick Eye Museum

N Seoul Tower

What's in a (Business) Name? Korea

This Little Mustache Went to (Namdaemun) Market

At the Outskirts: Petite France and Namisum  

Hunting for Cherry Blossoms at Yeouido Park

Can't Pronounce It So I Stuffed It in My Mouth 

The Most Important Question