What I Eat Now

I discovered these the first time I tried to take the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple Tour in Busan.  A young Korean couple had also shown up on the wrong day, and they were eating them at the bus stop.  In the course of our communication about the nonexistent tour bus, I asked them what they were eating.  They took me across the street to FamilyMart and pointed these things out to me in the refrigerator case.  Now I can't stop eating them.

They're kind of a sushi roll thing, that is, it's rice with some kind of filling in the middle (usually fish), wrapped in seaweed.  You eat them cold, so they're great for traveling.  But what's really amazing is the packaging, which keeps the seaweed separate from the rice until the package is opened.  By following the instructions very carefully you can remove the packaging in such a way that the seaweed slips out and wraps the treat.  It took me three tries to get one open without tearing the seaweed, but now it's like second nature to me.  There are other brands that don't have this trick packaging, but the seaweed gets soggy, and that crispy seaweed crunch really goes nice with the gooey-chewy rice and filling--totally worth getting over the learning curve.

And at ¥110 (about $1.40) each, they're cheap.  Two of them is perfect for a light lunch on the go.

I have absolutely no idea what they're called--in Korean, Japanese, or any other tongue.  I just put them on the counter, the clerk scans the barcode and points to the screen, and I try to part with as many coins as possible; then--sometime later--I enjoy the immensely satisfying experience of successfully opening the package and sating my hunger.