1. Choco Pie
Despite its name, Choco Pie resembles a cake more than it does a pie. It is two layers of sponge sandwiching a layer of fluffy marshmallow filling, and the whole thing is coated in chocolate! What more could you ask for? It’s a great snack for when you’re on your way to class, or for other times when you’re craving something small but sweet. There are a lot of Choco Pies available at H-mart, but I would definitely recommend the ones by Orion. They just taste so much better than the other ones I’ve tried: the chocolate is richer, the sponge is less dry, and the marshmallow layer is thicker.
2. Banana Milk
This drink was actually created by the South Korean government to encourage more people to drink milk because people were bored by the flavor of milk itself. The idea sounds a little weird, but the drink took South Korea by storm in 2014 and hasn’t stopped being popular there since. I drink a carton every day on my way to my first class. So, if you don’t like the taste of milk, then you should definitely consider trying this! The company that sells banana milk, Binggrae, also sells strawberry and melon versions of it, which are great alternatives if you’re not a fan of bananas.
3. Roasted Seaweed
If you are a sushi addict, this snack is for you! You don’t need raw fish to eat seaweed, you can eat it by itself as well. Roasted seaweed is crisp and salty, and above all, delicious. I can eat four or more packs in one sitting, it’s ridiculously addictive. If you need any more convincing, you should know that seaweed is much healthier than other snacks (bye-bye potato chips!). Seaweed contains iodine, which helps your thyroid function, and has other immune-boosting vitamins and minerals. It’s also high in fiber and low in calories. It’s literally the perfect snack.
4. Aloe Juice
This is another odd-sounding drink, but I promise it is worth it. I first tasted it in sixth grade when one of my classmates brought some to share, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I resigned myself to a life without it. But the taste has stuck with me, and when I found aloe juice in H-mart, I couldn’t have been more excited. The original flavor tastes like grape juice, with lots and lots of aloe pulp in it. Aloe pulp has the texture of jelly, and it comes in tiny cubes. I found that they also had mango and pomegranate flavored aloe juice, which also taste amazing.
5. Pepero
If you have heard of Pocky, Pepero is a very similar snack. They are both cookie sticks dipped in chocolate. In fact, they are so similar that the company that manufactures Pocky, Glico, considered taking legal action against Lotte, the company that makes Pepero. Legality aside, however, I find that Pepero is much more satisfying than Pocky. The coating of chocolate on Pepero is thicker than the coating on Pocky. In some flavors of Pepero, there are even extra chunks of cookie in the coating. Pepero is so delicious that there’s even a holiday in South Korea named after it: Pepero Day!