I just had some street vendor tteokbokki, a spicy rice cake dish, for dinner. This happens to be one of my favourite Korean foods, and at one point in middle school, I would have died happily just to eat this every day. Well, the one I had tonight was great, but also . . . really bloody, horrendously, awesomely spicy! Now, my stomach hates me for it! However, I digress. I love that dish too much.

Strangely, if I do eat tteokbokki, it usually has to be the street vendor kind. The ones they sell in actual restaurants do not taste the same. And I’m not the only one who seems to think that way. Many of my friends agree. Once in a while, I’ll get a restaurant kind, but that’s really rare.

Speaking of restaurant and spiciness, if anybody comes to Seoul and loves spicy food, I have to introduce you to a place call Red Station. That place specializes in spicy chicken. I haven’t tried the actual chicken, but I did try their variation of tteokbokki along with a couple of friends. The verdict? Holy Crap with a capital H and a C. That was truly the most spiciest thing I’ve had in my life. One bite, and my friends and I were guzzling our drinks down our throat.

Anyway, if you like spicy food and rice cakes . . . try this dish out — although I’ve been told it doesn’t taste quite the same outside of South Korea. But that’s beside the point. This dish is even better with ramen noodles. Mmmm. Labokki! Now I want some.