Cherry Blossom Season Night Market 'Overpriced Goods' Experience Story Gains Attention
As the cherry blossoms begin to bloom and spring outing crowds increase, a story has emerged about experiencing "exorbitant prices" at the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, Korea's representative cherry blossom festival.
On the 28th, a netizen named A posted on their blog about the food at the Jinhae Gunhangje night market, and the post and photos have been spreading on online communities.
The shared menu photo showed prices at a local food stall: whole pig barbecue large (Dae) 50,000 won, pork belly and pork ribs large (Dae) 50,000 won, whale meat small (So) 60,000 won / large (Dae) 80,000 won, seafood pancake 20,000 won, hagfish 30,000 won, stir-fried sundae (Korean blood sausage) with vegetables 30,000 won, skewered fish cake 10,000 won, among others.
A said, "Although it is a local food stall, I believe most prices are similar," and added, "I ordered the whole pig barbecue and seafood pancake. The visual was shocking."
The photo A posted showed only about half a plate filled with meat. A said, "This photo is untouched," and added, "That pork barbecue costs a whopping 50,000 won. Even if I expected to be overcharged, isn't this a bit too much?"
A also said, "The seafood pancake is 20,000 won. I could just cook it at home," and "I also bought tanghulu (candied fruit skewers) for the kids, but each was 5,000 won."
Netizens who read the story poured out criticism. Some speculated that the seller might have placed cabbage under the meat to make the portion look larger.
However, there were counterarguments that considering the cherry blossom season demand, it is somewhat understandable that night market food is sold at high prices.
Meanwhile, the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, which had been suspended due to COVID-19, was held again on the 24th after four years. The downtown area of Jinhae, Changwon, Gyeongnam, is bustling with spring visitors from all over the country. The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival is scheduled to continue for 10 days until the 3rd of next month.
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