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11/12/2004
Pepero, the poor man's Pocky
Yesterday was Pepero Day, an unofficial holiday in Korea that is celebrated by giving each other boxes of Pepero - long, biscuit-like sticks dipped in chocolate. Pepero Day falls on November 11th (11/11), which resembles 4 sticks of Pepero. If you ask adults, they'll say the holiday was invented by the Pepero company to make more money. It seems to be working. This article by the JoonAng Daily said that Lotte sold $11.7 million dollars worth of Pepero last month to retailers.
My stash of Pepero and imitation Pepero. Ok... Pepero doesn't taste that good to begin with, but giving somebody an imitation of a bad snack? That's low... |
The picture to the left shows a big, long box of Pepero. This is what was inside. REALLY BAD! I threw it away, and almost spit out the one bite I had. |
I'm not a big fan of Pepero day, soley for that fact that Pepero sucks. It just doesn't taste good! The biscuit part is not very crunchy, and the chocolate is typical of chocolates made in Korea - waxy. One of the other Korean teachers I work with lived in New York for 10 years, and we both agreed that Pocky (the original Pepero, made in Japan), was much better. The sticks are the same size as Pepero, but crunchier and the chocolate tastes better. My personal favorite is the strawberry Pocky. When I was a kid and went to Asian supermarkets with my mom, I would always stealthily drop a box into her basket... five if I was daring. They were good enought that you'd want to take time lick off the chocolate, and not just devourer the stick. Back in the States, Pocky cost 99｢ for a small box, and about $2 for a regular box. In contrast, a regular box of Peperro cost about 50｢. I'd like to get some Pocky here in Korea, but don't recall seeing any.
Wikipedia had this background information on Pocky, pronouced "poe" as in Edgar Allen Poe, and "key", something you put in door.
Pocky (Japanese: ポッキ, pokki) is a snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico Company of Japan. The classic form of Pocky was first sold in 1965, under the name "Chocoteck", and consists of a biscuit stick coated with chocolate. Pocky was an instant hit among Japanese teenagers, and brought in sales of 30 billion Yen its first two years. The name was changed to "Pocky", after the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound Pocky makes when bit, "pokkin" (ポッキン). The original was followed by "Almond Pocky" in 1971, with an almond coating, and "Strawberry Pocky" in 1977. Today, the product line includes such variations as milk, mousse, and coconut flavored coatings, and themed products as "Deco Pocky", with colorful stripes in the coating, and "Men's Pocky", a bittersweet and "mature" version.
Pocky is as popular in Japan as M&Ms are in the United States. It has a significant presence in East Asian countries such as China and Korea as well. In the United States, Pocky can be found in Asian groceries and the international section of most large supermarkets, and is popular among Japanophiles and anime fans.
Strawberry Pocky is the SUPER BESTEST! Its even got bits of dehydrated stawberry. |
The many versions of Pockly. Other versions that aren't shown are grape, green tea, white chocolate, and mousse. |
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