Snapshots from South Korea: Fried Things on Sticks
From May 8 to May 12 I visited Seoul for the first time, mostly to eat as much food as I could and learn about a cuisine I knew little about.
A food stand in Myeongdong, Seoul.
Judging from the popularity of street food (and restaurants in general) in Seoul, I'm under the impression that Seoulites are hungry all the time, or they really like eating. Which means, aside from not knowing how to speak Korean, I fit right in.
The variety of food was overwhelming, making it impossible to tackle in its entirety. If you want grilled meats, sweet potato french fries, dried fish, rice cakes, taco-like concoctions, boiled silkworm pupae*, waffles, or cream puffs while roaming around the city—Myeongdong being my most oft-visited neighborhood during my trip—you should be able to find it on a nice day or night. But it's not just the central foodstuff that's important in street food. Street food tends to incorporate two other important characteristics: deep frying and sticks.
It wasn't my intention to pick foods that resided in both the "deep fried" and "comes on a stick" categories; that's just how it worked out.
First "fried thing on a stick" was the Tornado Potato, a swirl-cut potato wrapped around a long stick and deep fried. Although this snack isn't limited to South Korea, the first I ever heard of it (and seemingly most of the Internet) was when I read Seoul-based blogger Superlocal's post about it.
The vendor took a Tornado Potato fresh out of his oil vat then rolled it in powdered cheese before handing me what was basically a really long potato chip. But a freshly fried potato chip. On a stick! Crispy + carby + fatty = delicious. Get your own spiral cutter to make them at home. (If you look at that site, you'll see hot dog dogs wrapped in Tornado Potatoes. I can't believe I didn't see anyone in Seoul doing that.)
Second "deep fried food on a stick" was the french fry-encrusted battered hot dog topped with a squiggle of ketchup. I tracked it down more out of a necessity than want; it sounded too excessive to pass up. Like the Tornado Potato, I found this gem somewhere in Myeongdong, at a stand that was also selling tteokbokki, non-french fried hot dogs on sticks, fish cake-wrapped hot dogs on sticks, and fried dumplings. The FFEBHD was easily the least appetizing thing there. On top of that, I had unfortunately come down with some sort of nauseating sickness that morning and didn't have an appetite.
It tasted like what it was made of without any surprisingly eye-opening flavor combinations to be found: fried potato chunks around soft, mildly sweet bread, around a processed meat core accented by the tang of ketchup. My friend and I shared a few bites before deciding that it had to go so we could save our stomachs for better things. I can't imagine how anyone could eat a whole one unless they were starving or drunk.
But someone must be buying them or else that woman wouldn't be snipping all those french fries for the FFEBHD.
If I had more time I would've liked to have tried more savory street food (I've got a sweet review coming up). Then again, I'm not sure anything would've been better than the crispy tteokboki I had on my first day.
* The weird thing about bundaegi, steamed/boiled silkworm pupae, is that it didn't smell all that bad from afar, but up close was another matter. From a distance, it had kind of sweet, nutty, inoffensive smell; up close, it was more putrid, dank, and excrement-like. And then it has the potential to haunt you, as I found out after getting that first whiff and subsequently picking up phantom bundaegi stenches. I know someone much be eating it since I came across it multiple times while roaming around Insadong and Myeongdong; I just didn't see anyone actually...eating it. If you like bundaegi, feel free to tell me what I missed out on.
Related
Photo of the Day: Tornado Potato
The Craziest Food Ever: Deep-Fried, French-Fry-Coated Bacon on a Stick
Sous-Vide Version of South Korean Street Food
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19 Comments:
Holy God! I love that potato swirly thing! And that hot dog?? Hells Yea!!!!
arm1970 at 10:48AM on 05/26/09
saw the tornado potato at the 6th ave street fair last week
kapnic at 11:13AM on 05/26/09
Tornado Potato pic is awesome
chinolam at 11:41AM on 05/26/09
@arm1970: I like the idea of the hot dog, but as something to eat in its entirety...I am less sure. ;)
@kapnic: Oo, I'll have to check out a street fair next chance I get.
@chinolam: Here's another fun one. I wasn't sure how that police officer would feel if I splodged his photo up here, not that I think he would ever find this site.. :)
roboppy at 11:45AM on 05/26/09
I don't actually like bundaegi, but I've had it on numerous occasions. It's definitely a taste that needs to be acquired, but... honestly. imo, you're not missing out on much....
Although, if you were at Myungdeong.. and didn't try the Myungdeong Kalgooksoo at Myungdeong Gyo Jah.... you definitely missed out.....
sushiburger at 1:00PM on 05/26/09
@sushiburger: I did eat there! WOOHOO, I didn't fail for once. Post is forthcoming. :)
roboppy at 1:02PM on 05/26/09
I encountered silkworm pupae during a trip to China one year. There was a bunch of them embedded into a giant savory egg custard, served family style. I can only assume it was savory because I was either 13 or 14 at the time and nearly fainted when someone waved a spoonful of it in my face.
Still one of the things I won't eat, based on appearances alone. I can still see their fat, pale little bodies with those tiny black legs...so many of them...aghhhhh *trauma*
hungryhungryhippo at 1:48PM on 05/26/09
Love those spiral fried potatoes on a stick. I had them for the first time at shwarma shops in South Africa about 6 years ago... I later saw them in a couple of other countries (again at shwarma shops). The best thing was that they had many different seasoning powders in shakers -- from sour cream & onion to spicy curry to whatever -- and you could shake your choice onto your potato stick.
jayevee at 2:19PM on 05/26/09
have you found any ho tteok?
wookie at 2:51PM on 05/26/09
@wookie: I ate it twice.
roboppy at 2:54PM on 05/26/09
Awesome pictures! Wow. I was surprised by the tornado potato. It actually tasted good. I hope you are well. i'm planning on coming to NYC for a day trip, hopefully we can meet up.
Dan
Seouleats at 7:12PM on 05/26/09
There's really nothing in the world like the smell pouring from a steaming pot of bundaegi to clear out an entire intersection. When I was in Seoul, there was an ajoshi with a bundaegi cart that would show up in Shinchon at wee hours of the morning. It only took one night of attempted force-feeding by a heavily intoxicated (albeit very attractive) young korean woman to make me draw the line. Chicken feet? Sure. Blood sausage? You bet. Steamed mystery-organs drowned in ddoekboki sauce? Try and stop me. Atomically spicy nakji? My digestive tract will hate me later. Boshintang? Let's just say no one eats it for the taste....
But bundaegi? Can't do it.
sandmansd at 7:45PM on 05/26/09
Pupated silkworms have GOT to be better than a durian. Great photography here, folks. The spiraling french fries are most impressive. I'm gonna hafta give that one a try. Did anyone see 'em prepping the taters?
Grumpy Old Man at 7:52PM on 05/26/09
@sandmansd: I felt kinda weaksauce for not trying it, but...I don't feel so bad now. Haha. I didn't try blood sausage though, DOH.
@Grumpy Old Man: I didn't get to see the prepping of the taters!
roboppy at 11:02PM on 05/27/09
When I was a young girl, I LOVED eating bundaegi from the streets. I haven't had it in years, so I'm not sure if I would still like it. From what I remember, it was salty and sweet and just downright delicious!
Question for you - do they still have ppopggi on the street? Melt sugar on a ladle atop a fire, add baking soda, then consume?
Ambitous at 11:40AM on 05/28/09
@Ambitous: Yup, there's lots of that on the streets! Another blog post in the making.. :) I bought it one night when I wasn't able to find the french fry hot dog, hehe.
roboppy at 12:06PM on 05/28/09
I used to eat beondaegi as a kid, but can't do it anymore. No way. I clearly (and somewhat unfortunately) remember its texture and taste, though. Beondaegi is usually boiled/steamed, so it's wet -- there's a flavorful juice. When you bite into it, there's a soft crunch and a pop, as you'd expect from biting into a bug, and then what you get is a kind of dry, starchy texture. Not as chewy as roasted squid, but certainly not oozy or mushy. It's quite flavorful, actually... SIGH... This memory is so deeply ingrained in my brain that every time I think of beondaegi, my mouth waters but the rest of me gets goose bumps and I gag-shudder in disgust.
dotorious at 6:16PM on 06/01/09
@dotorious: What a conflict of emotions you have...watering mouth vs gag reflex!
I think I'd veer towards the gag reflex. Thanks for the description. ;D
roboppy at 11:02PM on 06/01/09
spiral 'taters on a stick oh yes, please!!! As far as that FFEBFHD, I think even stoners would consider that one a "food of shame", and steer clear, opting perhaps for a bulgogi dog or better still a nice kimchee dog, I know I would be first in line for that.
iamon02 at 3:31PM on 06/05/09