11/11: Pepero (빼빼로) Day

 

Boxes of Pepero

Happy Pepero (빼빼로) Day! For those of you who don’t know, Pepero is the Korean version of Pocky sticks. For those of you who don’t know what Pocky is- it’s a cookie in the shape of a stick, dipped in chocolate (and sometimes covered in nuts). The genius part is that the lower portion of the stick isn’t covered in chocolate, so that your hands can remain chocolate-free.

A whole section devoted to Pepero gift sets

People hand out Pepero to friends and family on Pepero Day, and people consume them in the hopes of getting thinner and taller (you should eat 11 packets of Pepero on 11/11 at 11:11 AM and PM in 11 seconds- for “maximum” benefits… or a stomachache!). However, in typical Korean fashion (remember White Day?), Pepero Day is now geared towards couples and is like a mini-Valentine’s Day. Alex and I forgot to exchange Pepero yesterday… I guess we’re stuck being not-so-tall and not-so-thin, but we did avoid some unnecessary calories. 😛