Dear Korea #092 - Some Things are Better Left Alone

Oh jeez, I hope you guys don’t hate me yet. I do apologize for being a couple of days late with this strip. You know how us old people get. I’m already starting to lose track of time.

Now that I’ve used up all of my excuses, let’s talk about bread! Living in Korea, I’ve come to appreciate the large variety of bread and desserts that can be found in any neighborhood. The bakeries here are so awesome with their sausage bread, croquettes, bagels, baguettes, etc. Certain chains also have a little something my friends and I like to call Shame Cake. Now, what is Shame Cake? It’s basically a small, circular cake that’s small enough to hold in one hand (usually comes in chocolate or cheesecake). I’m pretty sure you’re actually supposed to share it with friends, but I think the most common way for people to enjoy Shame Cake is to devour it while hiding in a corner, away from the world that drove one to eat their feelings away. Hm, that got weird, didn’t it?

Anyways, as much as I love many of the offerings at the local bakeries, I have personal issues with it comes to the garlic bread. Who doesn’t love garlic bread? It’s buttery, full of garlic, and delicious! I’d eat it all the time if my limited pant size would allow it! Sadly, for some reason, Korea has gotten into this trend of putting sugar and/or syrup on their garlic bread. The worst part is that you can’t tell from looking. The sugary coating hides itself on the surface of the bread like a ninja, ready to disappoint. I know I don’t exactly have a right to complain, as I’m sure eating garlic bread in this fashion is popular with the locals. Still, I wish I could have the option of not having the food I love sweetened. This actually goes for a lot of Korean food, but we’ll stay focused on the garlic bread for now. I wonder if someone actually tried to sell original garlic bread in the past, only to be met with disapproval from the locals. I guess for now, I should just learn to make my own at home while staying convinced that anything I see at a store is filled with sweet lies.

On that note, I’m pretty sure this strip/rant is the worst First World Problem I’ve ever made.

Jen Lee's Dear Korea

This is Jen Lee. She likes to draw.
She also likes green tea.

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