Needless to say, street food plays a large role in shaping your experience while you are visiting another country. Myeongdong, the heart of tourism and fashion in Seoul, is also known for its various kinds of street food. Korean street food stands out from others since they are sold in the so-called “tent” restaurants called pojangmacha(포장마차).

不用多說，相信街頭食物必定是你對一個國家印重的重要元素之一，而首爾的旅遊和時尚心臟—明洞，也是有著各種街頭小食而見稱的地方。韓國街頭小食店特別之處在於他們會在小型帳篷餐車或路邊攤擺賣，而這些小食攤被稱為布帳馬車(포장마차)。

Usually abbreviated as pocha, pojangmacha literally means tent-covered wagon. Those tent restaurants on wheels offer sets of food from staples such as tteokbokki, fishcakes and bungeoppangs, to seafood pancakes, live octopus and much more.

布帳馬車通當簡稱為Pocha，字面意思是有帳篷蓋著的車。這些小食店多數早傳統的韓國美食，如韓式炒年糕、魚糕、雕魚燒、海鮮煎餅，甚至生八爪魚。

There are two types of pocha – snack pocha and drink pocha. The first one is where you “stop by” and the second is where you “hang out.” When you feel like a snack, you stop by a pocha to snack off on tteokbokki and fishcakes; during the night after work when you feel like drinking, you hang out and drink at a pocha, which will typically include the evil green bottles and some food to accompany. What is special about pocha and its culture for Koreans can be seen in three aspects – friendship, finding love, and overcoming breakups.

Pocha主要分為兩種，第一種是你被車上的小食吸引著，停下吃一點炒年糕或魚糕，再繼續自己的行程；而第二種則是你工作完畢，希望跟朋友暢談或打發時間，那你就可以到這些檔攤邊享受美食，邊喝酒。到底這些Pocha有甚麼特別，而當中如何包含了韓國人對友誼、尋找愛情和面對分手這三方面的文化呢？

Friendship

Pocha is a rendezvous for close friends where you can find snacks and meals at cheap prices but large in portion. All Koreans have this memory from childhood, dropping by a pocha and sharing snacks with best friends after school. In Reply 1997 (응답하라 1997), two characters, Yoon-jae and Joon-hee who are classmates, visit a pocha after school and engage in a deep conversation.

Pocha是一個讓你跟好友相聚的地方，你可以在這個小小的地方找到不同種類的食物，而且價錢還相對平宜。每一個韓國人都有著同樣的童年，就是放學後跟好友一同到Pocha分享美食。在《請回答1997》中，兩個角色Yoon-jae和Joon-hee在放學後都會到Pocha進行深度對話。

We recommend: Hansin Pocha (한신포차)

Hansin pocha is one of the chain restaurants run by the star chef Baek Jong-won. With its reasonable price and tasty menus, Hansin pocha makes a good choice to visit with friends. There are many locations around town, with the most popular one at Hongdae.

推薦：Hansin Pocha (한신포차)

Hansin Pocha是星級廚師白種元的連鎖餐廳，它的價錢合理而且食美質料都得好，絕對適合跟朋友一起到訪。首爾不同地方都有它的分店，而最受歡迎的就是在弘大的分店。

地址 Address: 13, Daehak-ro 12-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (종로구 대학로12길 13 청민빌딩)
開放時間 Open Hours: 18:00 ~ 9:00 (全年無休open all year around)
聯絡電話 Contact: +82-2-744-7710

Finding love

If the concept of “hunting” is new to you, listen carefully. In Korea, “hunting” refers to the act of hunting for guys/girls, with the implication of a potential love interest. Since sharing tables is a rare practice in Korea, some pochas adopted the concept of hunting to their business by having their guests “hunt” for other tables that they might want to sit together with, with the rest being up to them.
如果你不明白「 Hunting」(狩獵)這個概念的話，那你就要知道在韓國，「Hunting」這個字是指在愛情上尋找女生或男生的動作。因為「搭枱」這個行為在韓國來說是很少出現，所以有著Pocha就採用了「Hunting」這個概念，讓人可以尋找自己有好感的對象再一同進食。

We recommend: Samgeori Pocha (삼거리포차)

Samgeori pocha is a popular pocha located in Hongdae , along with Gangnam and Apgujeong that is famous for the so-called “hunting” concept. It is owned and run by the president of YG Entertainment, so if you are lucky, you might see Korean celebrities. They also receive music recommendations strictly on Kpop that were released before 2010. It has a rule that you must pay first if you wish to join another table. Young Koreans and many foreigners commonly visit.

推薦：Samgeori Pocha (삼거리포차)

跟江南和狎鷗亭對「Hunting」概念的流行程度一樣， 弘大最出名的Pocha就是Samgeori pocha，是由YG Entertainment的主席所創立的，所以如果你幸運的話，絕對有機會遇到藝人，而且他們在選歌方面亦有一定的要求。另外有一個規矩是若然你要轉枱的話，那你就要先付款，很多韓國的年輕人和外國人都會到訪。

地址 Address: 70, Wausan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul (서울 마포구 와우산로 70 군봉빌딩)
開放時間 Open Hours: Weekdays平日 18:30 ~ 6:30, weekends週末 18:30 ~ 7:00
聯絡電話 Contact: +82 – 2 -3144 – 6748

Overcoming breakups

One of the most commonly used cliché in Korean TV dramas is when the character visits a pocha alone to drink excessive amounts of alcohol when he/she is going under great emotional distress, especially after breaking up with someone. For example, at a tvN drama “Let’s Eat (식사를 합시다2),” the male character visits a pocha all alone and drinks soju, drinking his sorrows away from single-sided love. In case you want some privacy, we recommend you to visit a local pocha in less crowded districts.

其中一個最當用的韓劇劇情是主角在承受著精神痛苦，特別是分手時，就會到Pocha喝酒舒解心情，例如在tvN劇集《一起吃飯吧》(식사를 합시다2)中，男主角獨自一人到Pocha飲燒酒去舒發單戀之苦。若然你想要多點私人空間的話，那你就可以選擇位於那些較清靜地區的地道Pocha。

TEXT: LITTLEBUNNY
DESIGN: JOANNE L/HOKK FABRICA