Banana cotton candy, carbonated sweet water, and much, much more
On a reporting trip to North Korea’s capital city, Pyongyang, last month, I had the opportunity to sample several examples of North Korean cooking, including cold noodles, barbecued meat and a whole lot of kimchi. For a country that’s often associated with starvation, North Korea takes a tremendous amount of pride in its cuisine. (The country was racked by famine from 1994 till 1998; experts say that malnutrition remains common, but starvation is now rare.)
I was particularly surprised by the city’s emerging snack culture — North Korea’s communist government has turned a blind eye to some commerce in recent years, and the city’s streets are peppered with small kiosks selling simple pick-me-ups, some in elaborate packages.
I decided to give them a try. Here are my verdicts, rated from one (inedible) to 10 (would eat it every day) .
This is a classic case of false advertising. On the shiny bag, the chips look flavorful and puffy, kind of like meat-flavored Cheetos. But look inside, and the chips are small, pale and bland, more reminiscent of plastic foam packing peanuts than the beloved American snack.
I’ d keep eating these if no one stopped me, but wouldn’ t enjoy them (or buy them again) .
