2.159
13 (Mon) June 2011
Spicy Odeng Skewers
3.0
at Shab-Deng
(E-Mart)
-Seongsu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-
w DJ
Odeng (오뎅) is Korean-style fishcake. The term derives from the Japanese oden, a soup that contains fishcakes, as well as other ingredients. These days, motivated largely by anti-Japanese sentiment (see also 2.110 Dak Tori Tang), the trend has been to dump “odeng” and call them “eomuk (어묵),” which literally means “fish cake,” but the vast majority of people still use the former. One of the most common methods of preparation, found in all street-side food carts throughout the country, is to skewer the the fish cakes on long sticks and dunk them in a vat of simmering stock; a customer takes a stick from the vat, dips the odeng in soy sauce, and eats it directly off the stick. A variation, sometimes referred to as “Busan eomuk,” is to slather the odeng in a spicy/sweet gochujang sauce, similar to ddeokbokki sauce.
At our E-Mart, a stand sells odeng skewers, both the regular and spicy varieties. 500 won (regular), 600 won (spicy). Available to be eaten standing on the spot or to go in a cup. DJ eats them plain. I like them spicy. The stand happens to be located right after the escalator from parking lot, right before entering the store, so it’s a good way to avoid hungry grocery shopping.
(See also FOODS.)
(See also PLACES.)
