November 11 is approaching, which means Korea’s convenience stores are getting serious about chocolate sticks. It’s Pepero Day, when people exchange the crunchy snacks with friends, coworkers, and loved ones. Why November 11? Written as 11/11, the date looks like four biscuit sticks standing together.
An evening in Seoul, one plate at a time — October 23, 2026
Tonight’s dinner took me to ONYVA (오니바) in Cheongdam-dong (청담동), Seoul. Six photographs tell the story: a colorful opening plate, a crisp folded bite, mushrooms beneath a yellow sauce, a fish course, a meat course, and a simply presented chocolate ice cream dessert.
Imagine walking into a Korean convenience store for a snack and leaving with a tiny piece of literary culture. A cream-filled bun, a collectible bookmark, and a famous book cover: suddenly, buying bread becomes a bookish adventure.
That unexpected combination is a timely way to discover 텍스트힙 (tekseuteu hip), a Korean expression connecting reading with personal style.
One of my favorite ways to explore everyday Korean life is through food shopping. A small neighborhood market may seem like an ordinary place to pick up groceries, but its shelves are full of opportunities to discover unfamiliar ingredients—and learn a little Korean along the way.
Today’s photo is a good example. These round packages of beans might catch your attention, especially if you have never seen them before. The large letters on the label reveal what they are: 청국장 (cheonggukjang), fermented soybeans commonly used to make a hearty Korean stew.
In a Korean supermarket checkout area, I spotted a tub of gum making an unusual promise. Lotte’s I’m Control Banaba (아임 컨트롤 바나바) says it may help 식후 혈당상승 억제—limit the rise in blood sugar after eating. That is a lot of responsibility to give a piece of gum.
First, banaba (바나바) is not banana (바나나). Banaba is a tropical tree whose leaves contain compounds such as corosolic acid (코로솔산). The tub says it contains 0.7% banaba leaf extract powder. Lotte says each piece supplies 0.15 mg of corosolic acid. Its suggested routine is one piece before or after each of three meals, for 0.45 mg a day. (lotternd.com)
Foreign tourists visiting Korea are always looking for interesting Korean products to take home. These days, one unexpected item is attracting attention: the yellow container of sweet sauce associated with Isaac Toast (이삭토스트).
Seoul has countless cafés, but Brian’s Coffee (브라이언스커피) in Dogok-dong is one that I return to again and again. In fact, it may be my favorite bread shop in Korea.
The coffee is excellent, but what keeps bringing me back is the bakery. Brian’s Coffee specializes in beautifully made scones, madeleines, financiers, salt bread, cakes, cookies and other pastries. Everything is displayed simply and elegantly, making it difficult to choose just one thing.
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