After the school, if students get hungry, where do they go? They might go to a Korean snack bar to eat tteokbokki, convenience store, hamburger heaven and some other places. Then, after the company work, if office workers get hungry, where do they go? I believe that they might go to the cart bar, named Pojangmacha. In Pojangmacha, there are so many foods which they can eat with alcohol, especially soju and beer. A lot of people can enjoy there so freely.

A cart bar, Pojangmacha is a place where you can buy and drink alcoholic drinks and eat some foods. Maybe Koreans are very familiar with it but other countries are not. If you are a foreigner, you may view it as a street vendor. The origin of Pojangmacha is uncertain, but it is known back on the 1950s and 1960s when many street vendors drag their wheeled carts with some goods on it. It has been improved along with the country's economic development since then in the fields, which is about the place, the way to sell, menu and some other things.

▲ The past of `Pojangmacha`

If you do not still know about the Pojangmacha, then watch some dramas and movies, which include the Pojangmacha scenes. The characters in the dramas and movies drink soju with anju, especially foods when they are happy, sad, hungry and tired. Or, they go there because they just want to drink alcohol and eat food.

To start the Pojangmacha, there is one thing people have to do. People who want to open it have to register their business. If not, it is illegal. In reality, in Gwangju, about thirty to fifty seaters Pojangmacha do not register their carts, so they did the illegal behavior. The unregistered Pojangmacha are not monitored about food safety and sanitation. So, it is dangerous to eat.

▲ The Pojangmacha street

When you are happy, excited, sad or tired, where do you go? I strongly believe that most people go to the cart bar, Pojangmacha. If you are rich, you can go to an expensive restaurant to make your mood better. However, there is the best place you can enjoy. It is Pojangmacha. Then, are you allured by it?

Dec, 23th, by Taehee Lim