Food for Thought

Street vendors like this are scattered all over the city in a variety of forms. They are very popular and used by pretty much everyone from all walks of life.

As a foreigner in Korea, the deliciousness of what's on offer varies greatly.
One of my favourites are pungorbang, sweet fish-shaped (but not fishy tasting) 'cakes' of pancake style batter filled with bean curd. They might not sound that great, but if I tell you that for the first three months I was in Korea I thought they were filled with chocolate you'll get more of an idea. They're served (often piping) hot and are a must-have on a cold winter's day.

Another one I love is takoyaki. Not as popular as other street food (it's Japanese) but available if you know where to look, takoyaki is more batter based joy, this time with a white savoury sauce and small pieces of octopus inside. The whole thing is topped off with fish flakes and a spicy or non-spicy sauce of your choosing.

Now at the other end of the scale, for me, most foreigners, and quite a few Koreans too, is beondaegi. This revolting fare comes in the form of a giant pan of bubbling silk worm larvae and is quite the stomach turner for many. Just on looks alone most waygookin (foreigners) are looking for the sick bag, and when I say they smell like shit I don't mean they just smell bad - they actually smell like shit!
I have tried them and it wasn't pleasant.

There are a million other street treats in Korea, in all tastes, shapes and sizes - these three are just my high and low lights. There is also the next logical step, the soju tent, where you can squeeze into a tented, seated area with the vendor. The snacks are a bit more elaborate, often impressive, and you can drink a beer or some soju to boot!