Yes you have got to love Korean mandoo:

Here’s the main reason I gained an adult version of the freshman 15 when I moved to Seoul a few years ago — the tteok mandu guk at Sinpo Woori Mandoo.

Allow me to translate.

Sinpo is the name of a little neighborhood in Incheon, where, 38 years ago, a very smart man began making woori mandoo — our dumplings.

Now, this chain restaurant is popular throughout Seoul (and even in Vancouver and New York City). It specializes in handmade dumplings filled with various combinations of pork, shrimp and vegetables. They sell for about 3,000 won — a little more than $2 — for an eight-piece serving.

That’s right. Homemade dumplings for about a quarter each.

And it gets better. Sinpo puts these steamed pork goodies in a big bowl, then covers them with beef broth, ground sesame, egg, dried seaweed and tteok — a chewy pasta made from rice rather than wheat. The combination makes for a peppery, earthy soup that keeps you warm all day long.

Traditionally, Koreans eat this hearty soup to celebrate Lunar New Year, the biggest celebration each January or February. I, however, showed no such restraint.

During my first year in Seoul, I ate tteok mandu guk, at 5,000 won per bowl, with reckless abandon. As I began shopping for bigger clothes online, one wise friend clued me in. “It’s the tteok that’ll get you.” Never were there more true words.  [Teri Weaver - Stars & Stripes]

Read the rest here, but this article is making me hungry.