Get excited! November 11th is one of the greatest days of the year…PEPERO DAY!!!
What is Pepero you ask? It is a Korean snack made up of a thin, crunchy cookie stick dipped in chocolate or a flavored candied coating. Based on the flavor, it may also be dipped in another topping (e.g., almonds, peanuts, chocolate cookie crumbles, etc.). If you have seen the Japanese snack, Pocky, you’ll have a good idea of what Pepero is like. Whether you prefer original (aka chocolate), almond, green tea, hami melon, peanut, strawberry, or white cookie, there’s a Pepero flavor out there just for you.
On Pepero Day, you exchange Pepero–sometimes homemade, sometimes store bought–with your family members, friends, classmates, teachers, and–most importantly–your librarians. The commercial holiday brings in quite a bit of revenue for the makers of Pepero, Lotte. This chaebol, or family-run conglomerate, got its start making chewing gum, but Pepero is arguably Lotte’s most recognizable treat world-wide–sorry to the Binch Biscuit, Ghana Chocolate, and Choco Pie fans out there (Doyle). While some claim that Pepero Day is just a money grab on Lotte’s part, all of the mythology surrounding its inception suggests a more grassroots start to the holiday, with one of the more popular origin stories being an exchange of Pepero by middle school students in the early 1990s. Regardless of how it began, 11/11 will soon be upon us, and Ohrstrom Library is ready to celebrate!
The Korean Society will be hosting a school-wide Pepero Day Event in the Library, Room 205, on Monday November 11th at 7:00 p.m. Take a quick study break and stop by with your friends! While you are picking up your Pepero, check out one of the following reads set in Korea!
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