Trying Korean Snacks

Have you ever wondered what Korean snacks taste like?  Ever tried 'Sweet Cheese and Melon' filled crackers? I have.  Recently Heather, Frances and I tried a bunch of weird and wonderful snacks found in our local supermarket (HomePlus). Many we will never touch again, while others pleasantly surprised us.

The only rule of our snack eating was that it had to be bitten into at least once and swallowed. There wasn't necessarily any need to finish every single shrimp chip in the packet - but rather to simply try it. Although, in truth I needed some convincing before I took on the fire noodles.  Here's a look at some of the unique things we ate.

1. Kinoko Mushroom Cookies

Although the name makes it sound like a delightfully home baked drug, these are in fact some pretty delicious kid friendly snacks. These little cookies are made in the shape of mushrooms with a milk chocolate cap and biscuit stem. They are incredibly 'more-ish'.

Overall score: 8.5/10 Price: 800 won (80c)

2. Shrimp Chips 

Second to taste was the shrimp chips. I very much dislike any form of seafood, shrimp snacks being no exception. To me it sort of tastes like somebody took a perfectly decent chip and rubbed a freshly gutted prawn over it, covering it in 'seafood-ie' juices. I gave it a 1/10 (the one being for the packaging), Heather on the other hand said it was alright but lacked a little flavor at 5/10.

Frances said it was the type of snack she would eat, if it came for free at a bar - a stretch for someone who doesn't drink any alcohol.

Overall score: 3.5/10 Price: 950 won (90 c)

  3. Ddeokbokki Chips

The Ddeokbokki chips were much improved at 1200 won. Ddeokbokki basically translates to a solid gelatinous rice cake that is cooked up in sauce and is a national Korean favourite. Although the chips resembled something closer to spiced dry penne pasta - the result was still pretty good. Frances admitted that she would happily buy them again. Overall, they were a pretty decent surprise. I never thought I'd like spicy dry pasta.

Overall Score: 7.5/10 Price: 1200 w ($1.20)

4. My Chew Fruit Candy

Any native teacher in the KOR will know that My Chew is the route to Korean children's hearts. I have had even the most difficult little rat become a willing and docile participant once 'My Chew' was introduced. The three of us polished off a full packet in about 20 mins. I had to go and buy more for my students the next morning.

Overall Score: 9/10 Price: 2,500 w ($2.50)

 5. Fire Noodles

 Burnt tongues, wincing, coughing and fully grown men crying, can been seen all over the internet thanks to these infamous ready noodles (or 'Booldalkbokkeummyun') .We had no choice but to give them a try. Take a look at my reaction- I feel that I held it together fairly gracefully.

Overall Score: 4/10 Price: 2,300 won ($2.30)

6. Melon-Cheese Crackers

As awful as sprayed cheese and melon stuffed between two savory crackers may sound, it really wasn't half bad. Heather described it as "a nice free gift kind of food" - meaning something that you would eat if you had gotten it for free but probably not a snack you would waste any bus change on. My assessment? If you get it for free... try a couple and pawn the rest off on your students.

Overall Score: 7/10 Price: 3000 won ($3)

Verdict?

Would I tell family and friends at home to eat all Korean snacks? Maybe not - but I'd certainly send them My Chew candy and Mushroom Cookies in the post. Who am I kidding? I'd probably send them Fire Noodles as an experiment as well.

 A big thank you to Frances and Heather for trying all the snacks! 

Here's a laugh at Frances slating 'Crunky Chocoloate' for its lack of substance. She calls it 'the sort of chocolate you'd eat last on Christmas day...worse even than chocolate gold  coins'.