Cycle 16 – Item 328
Post 5,807
29 (Sat) November 2025
Sundae sans Ddeokbokki Sauce
2.0
-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-
with W
Oksu-Dong Ddeokbokki is a Korean snack shop. Offers only 4 items: the Korean street food core 4 (see for example 4.166 Full Set). The owner previously operated a food cart at Oksu Station.
My parents and I first moved to our Oksu Joongang Heights apartment in 1997, when several food carts operated under Oksu Station. I was a regular at Cart #4 (see generally 3.134 Sundae in Ddeokbokki Sauce) (carts aren’t actually numbered, but this one was the 4th/last in line).
After W and I began living there in 2009, we frequented Cart #1 (the one closest to Exit 5), which had better food and a nicer owner (see generally 3.164 The Trinity).
At some point after we moved away in 2014, the food carts were all shut down.
Recently, the former owner of Cart #4 opened a brick-and-mortar shop in the neighborhood.
Over a decade since our last encounter, she recognized me as soon as I stepped in, perhaps even a glimmer of amusement to see me, recalling that I used to be a professor and asking about DJ.
And so, upon ordering sundae, I requested a bit of ddeokbokki sauce, as I’d done countless times in the past – much to my shock, she refused and said that I would have to order ddeokbokki to get ddeokbokki sauce. I looked back at her, mouth agape, like “WTF?!” Even if this is the new store policy, I would’ve thought that she’d make an exception, maybe just this one time. This kind of thing is probably why I’d stopped patronizing her cart.
Which is a shame, because the sundae was excellent, as good as I remember it. Compared to the pale, bland sundae at most places these days, old school sundae has more blood and thus more flavor. But without ddeokbokki sauce, I’d rather not even bother.
Not sure whether I’ll eat here when we move back to Joongang Heights next spring.
(See RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)
(See GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
(See HANSIK)
(See BOOZE)