빼뺴로 Pepero Day!

Today is Pepero (빼 빼 로) Day!

Pepero is the name of a snack made out of a waifer stick dipped in chocolate and then often rolled around in something else, like crushed almonds or sprinkles.

Here is a photo of some super fancy Pepero I found:

I think Pepero is available in the U.S. Have you ever had them? They are a nice, light, sweet treat. Pepero is the brand name for the snack. Like Nabisco's Oreo or Tissue's Kleenex, Lotte's Pepero now kind of embodies all snacks that are stick-like dipped in chocolate.

Why a whole day? Well, today in America is Veteran's Day. November 11 is written as 11/11. All those ones look like a bunch of sticks (1 1 1 1) so it was named Pepero day. I've noticed that it is very much like Valentine's Day. Traditionally, I'm told, Pepero was given on this day romantically. However, Pepero is now given to anyone that you love, just like giving Valentines or candy to lots of people is commonplace in the U.S.

The sticks are always sold in stores, but lately there have been vendors popping up all over with Pepero gift boxes and special versions of the treat.

According to a story, Pepero Day began in 1994 by a group of middle school girls in Busan, a southeast coastal city in South Korea, who gave the gift of Pepero on 11/11 to each other with wishes to grow as tall and slender as the Pepero.

If you can find some where you are, give the snack a try today. If not, make some at home by dipping pretzel rods in chocolate and rolling them in your favorite topping. Maybe give them to your favorite veteran!

Whatever you do, enjoy your Novemeber 11. It's starting to get a bit colder here. Burrrrrr.