Chicken lovelies

EVERY food seller in Korea - be it a commercial street stall or restaurant - likes to advertise the fact it's been featured on TV.

Most will hang a not-too-subtle banner in the window with horribly distorted photos taken from the television clip to entice you inside.
It seems no one has realised the value of point of difference. I think I would actually prefer to eat at a restaurant which hasn't been on TV now that every eatery is a PR tart.

But I more than easily set that view aside for this chicken stall, a few weeks back, which took great pride in declaring it had also joined the pack and was seen on TV.

I like eating hot protein on the run. It's a nice zing of energy without making you feel too full or bloated, much like rice cakes could do to you after mistakenly purchasing an entire bag.

These chicken lovelies came in two simple flavours: salt or sauce.
We purchased one of each and waited until the stallholders gave us the nod. In the meantime we admired their handywork.

The grill was chock-full of plump juicy chunks of chicken, each stick getting its own bit of attention to ensure it came up to standard (after all, there was a reputation to uphold, being on TV and all).

The sauce sticks received a slick of juice every few seconds, allowing it to marinade the meat before receiving another brush and a careful turn on the grill. The salt sticks were slashed neatly with scissors, for even grilling, and liberally sprinkled with salt and pepper.

For all of its grilling, the sauce stick somehow managed to be on the cold side of warm. But the sogum variety was, just as its simple name promised, salty and juicy and crisp. Just like a salt-lover would want it to be.

"How does it taste?" asked an eager man sitting nearby.
After pocketing our change, replacing the camera lens, wiping our greasy fingers and taking a bite, we managed a "very good".

Mine was lip smackin', salt-crisped, sticky-finger goodness actually.
But I wasn't sure how good his English was, so "very good" would have to suffice.

(And in a true salute to the elusiveness of street stalls, this particular one was nowhere to be seen the following Saturday. Off filming, perhaps?)