YouTuber Dojingjing's Video Goes Viral Online
Iced Americano + Cola = 25,000 Won
One bowl of tteokbokki costs 45,000 won. A can of cola is 10,000 won.
The menu prices at a cafe located in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, have become a hot topic online.
On July 7, a video titled "Is a can of cola really 10,000 won in Cheongdam-dong?" was shared on several online communities. The video, originally posted in March by YouTuber Dojingjing, who has about 156,000 subscribers, shows his experience at a tteokbokki restaurant in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu. The video has recently gone viral again.
In the video, the YouTuber compares 1,000-won tteokbokki from a local neighborhood shop with the 45,000-won tteokbokki from Gangnam. He said, "I'm going to try the most expensive tteokbokki in Korea," as he visited a shop in Cheongdam-dong. The YouTuber noted, "This place is introduced as a cafe, not a restaurant," and added, "It's a place that sells tteokbokki, but they offer valet parking. That says it all, doesn't it?"
The upscale atmosphere of the establishment was matched by its unusual menu prices. According to the published menu, items such as 'Chicken Tteokbokki' at 45,000 won, 'King Seaweed Roll Tteokbokki' at 42,000 won, and 'Mussel Cheese Tteokbokki' at 40,000 won, all commonly found street food dishes, were priced in the 40,000-won range.
The drink prices were also considerable. The YouTuber remarked, "An Americano is 13,000 won. Does that make sense? At this price, you could get three cups at Starbucks. What's even more shocking is that iced Americano costs an extra 2,000 won, totaling 15,000 won." He then revealed a receipt showing a can of cola priced at 10,000 won, saying, "Do you know what's even more shocking?" The cola was served with a cup of ice and a slice of lemon. The YouTuber expressed his disbelief, saying, "Just ordering an iced Americano and a can of cola costs 25,000 won."
After tasting the 45,000-won tteokbokki, he commented, "The first thing I noticed is that this isn't tteokbokki, it's dakgalbi. It's basically dakgalbi sauce with rice cakes added." He continued, "Was it delicious enough to justify the price? Honestly, no. It tasted just like the dakgalbi you can easily find on the street."
He went on to say, "Of course, I know Cheongdam-dong is an area with expensive land prices. But for 45,000 won, there should at least be a lot of chicken, but there was little chicken and more rice cakes. Rice cakes are a much cheaper ingredient." He also added, "Cola for commercial use should be extremely cheap, so they're probably making a huge profit here. I don't feel the price is justified at all."
He revealed that his total bill for tteokbokki, coffee, and cola came to 70,000 won. He honestly shared, "Unless it's a special day when I want to eat tteokbokki while receiving premium service from the staff, I don't think I'll be coming back."
Viewers who watched the video commented critically, saying, "Even in Gangnam's Cheongdam-dong, 10,000 won for a can of cola is over the line," and, "With the money for Cheongdam-dong tteokbokki, I could have four bowls of gukbap and five extra servings of rice." On the other hand, some viewers said, "If it's expensive, just don't go," "The shop exists because there are people who pay," and "Given the rent in Cheongdam-dong, it can't be helped."
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