Heart and Seoul Travel Log: Food for the Soul Series 1 Entry #3 Snacks, Stopover, and Sisterhood

After our exhilarating visit to the filming site of In the Soop in Pyeongchang, we stopped at what looked like a small mall, a kind of rest area where tourists could stretch, snack, and breathe before the long drive back to Seoul. There, we unwrapped our packed sandwiches. They were simple but satisfying. I especially loved the orange and berry juice that came with it, bright, tart, and refreshing.

At the same stop, we bought coffee and corn ice cream, yes, that corn ice cream Jungkook ate in an episode of Run BTS, during the Telepathy Game, while waiting in the car. The vanilla-corn flavor was a treat, but it was the crunchy wafer shell that gave it its reason for being. Sweet, airy, and just a little bit nostalgic.

I was already full, but one of our Tita ARMYs came by with a big plastic bag of rice pops. Shaped like a disc, it reminded me of the kropek chicharon my Nanay Leony used to sell in her sari-sari store back when I was a wee little girl. I would dip the kropek in vinegar with plenty of onions and garlic. Ah! I can still remember the sound of crackling chicharon! Then, I would wash it down with Pop Cola or Sarsi.

This rice pop, however, commonly known as dalkomhan bungtteok, was a sweet surprise. Smothered in pink sugar bits, it was chewy, not crunchy. A stark contrast to my childhood chicharon: this one didn’t snap or sizzle. It lingered. And yet, both hold a place in my memory now: one from home, the other from a shared moment in Seoul.

I marvel at how food, though different across cultures, can bring people together through shared experiences. Despite the differences in taste, texture, or tradition, a sense of commonality exists. What’s more, eating with Tita ARMY friends, both old and new, became a bonding moment I truly cherish. We were once just acquaintances online, but in that moment, we were forging friendships and making memories to last a lifetime.

This is another aspect of the trip I am deeply grateful for. And for Zoe to witness this kind of sisterhood, rooted in kindness, laughter, and shared love for Bangtan, is given grace.

As we boarded the bus once more, I realized this stopover was more than a break, it was a bridge. Between generations, between strangers-turned-sisters, between flavors familiar and new. It was the sweetness of Jungkook’s favorite ice cream, the chewiness of pink-dusted rice pops, and the laughter shared under a Seoul sky. In these small moments, the extraordinary happens.