Best Snacks From Around the World

While being an English teacher in a South Korea, I've met people from all over the world who are or were teachers living here for a short time, travelers, exchange students, business people, etc. While meeting those people, you get familiar with all different kinds of snacks and sweets that you've never had while in the U.S. I've made a short list of different sorts of tasty ones that I've had from other countries:

Australia

Tim Tam's

You gotta love the description on Wikipedia. Tim Tam's are two malted biscuits (cookies) separated by chocolate cream filling coated by a thin layer of textured chocolate. Now I don't know if that makes you hungry but it should! I love the country filling and the decadence of chocolate in this snack. I'll judge anyone who doesn't like these! The various flavors include dark chocolate, white chocoate, dark chocolate mint, caramel, and choc (chocolate) orange.

Canada

Maple cream cookies

The filling is of the cookie is made with real Canadian maple syrup which is sandwiched between two shortbread cookies. One of my weaknesses is maple syrup, so these are like heaven to me. These are absolutely amazing and Barak Obama even bought these as souvenirs when he visited Canada.

England

Jaffa Cafes

They're named after Jaffa oranges and have been in the U.K. since 1927. I tried these 5 years ago when I went to London for the first time. I couldn't believe what I was missing out when I tried one. They're one of the most delicious snacks I've ever had. It's a cookie that is has a spongy base (Genoise style to be exact) with orange flavored jam and a chocolate base. How can you not like it?? And you can find them in any convenience store in England. The U.S. is missing out on this treasure.

Digestives

My second favorite snack that comes from England is the brand Digestives. Interestingly enough, these snacks were invented by two Scottish doctors in 1839 to aid in digestion because they were made of sodium bicarbonate when they first came out. The original ones are made of wheat flour, malt extract, and sugar. The better ones have a chocolate layer on top. They're great with coffee. Mmm good!

Japan

Crisp Choco

These gems have been in Japan since 1978. These are like rice crispy treats but with a chocolate flavor and a bit crunchier. They're 8 small pizza shaped wedges of chocolate flakes held together by even more chocolate. I can eat so many of these at one time. They're that good! They're wonderful with a cold glass of milk.

Sapporo Ichiban (Beef) Ramen

Korea has decent ramen noodles but I have yet to find any ramen noodles that are as tasty as the Sapporo Ichiban brand. I also believe that ramen noodles in Tokyo are much better than the ones in Seoul. They're so good that you can buy them at Walmart or on Amazon.com.

Kaki No Tane

Translated as persimmon (kane) seeds (tane), they're slightly spicy because they contain some chili powder and usually include peanuts. They're very crunchy and tasty. They're a bar snack and usually served with beer.

Wasabi Peas

I'm not a fan of peas but this snack is great. They're crunchy with a spicy kick due to the wasabi flavoring. This snack is underrated but I can find them at the Asian stores in L.A. The great thing is that they have a lot of fiber and protein. The bad thing is that they have a lot of calories like most snacks do. Just like Kaki No Tane, they're a bar snack or great with beer.

South Korea

Almond Pepero

The Japan/Korea rivalry lives on with this snack. Pocky (the Japanese version) came first in 1966. The original Pepero was a carbon copy of Pocky and began to be sold in 1983 by Lotte (located in Japan), which is run by a Korean man that lives in Japan half of the year and Korea half of the year. However, Pepero has the edge when it comes to the almond flavored ones. These are addictive and I can easily eat a small box within a few minutes. The almond peperos come in a green box whereas the regular peperos come in a red one, just like Pocky.

Ghana Chocolate

Koreans actually do a pretty job when it comes to chocolate but in my humble opinion, Ghana is the best Korean chocolate. It's very rich and very sweet. You can get the dark chocolate version, milk chocolate, or extra mild one. Lotte started marketing Ghana in Japan in 1964 and in Korea in 1975.

Nongshim Shrimp snacks

Nonghsim is the leader in the Korean food industry and has since September 1965. They made a great product with these shrimp snacks. They're crunchy and have a mild shrimp flavor. These are great with beer and/or when you're watching a sporting event.

Chocolate Rice Cake Pies

From the picture you're probably thinking that these chocolate rice cake pies look disgusting. That was my initial assumption. But once I tried them, I was surprised at how good they were. The chewiness combined with the chocolate flavor actually was a great match and I ate about three of them before I told myself that I had to stop eating any more. They even make a banana flavored one which you can see in this video.

Nongshim Onion Rings

Nonghsim advertises this product by saying that they add fiber to this snack and that it's very popular among Korean women. Well, I definitely know that it's popular since I saw this snack when I first arrived in Korea in 2003. And people still buy them when they have parties. That's because they're very crunchy, taste like fast food onion rings, and last longer!

Mong Shel Cream Cakes

The most popular Korean cake snack is Korean Choco Pies but I think they're the most popular because the government gives them to Korean soldiers during their time in military service. There's a lot of history when it comes to Choco Pies but they pale in comparison to this delicious item. Lotte makes a wonderful product called Mong Shel Cream Cakes, which melt in your mouth and are 10 times better than the regular choco pies. Take my word for it. You won't be disappointed!


Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

"My Pain, Your Gain" by Pastor Eddie Chun

Colossians 1:24-29

Can you think of a time when you went through pain physically or mentally but you knew it would be worth it in the end? (Pastor Eddie recalls his time when he did "suicides" in basketball.) It was painful and I expected to be in shape and to become a better basketball player. Would you willing go through some pain for someone else for their gain? Maybe this message can motivate you to say "My pain, your gain."

 Paul is thanking God in this passage because the Colossian church is mostly a healthy church despite some false teaching surrounding it. See verse 24. "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake..." Paul is not saying something was lacking in salvation due to Jesus's death. Jesus reconciled us on the cross ("It is finished").

Then what is he saying? What is lacking in Christ's afflictions is that Jesus is no longer there physically. All of the suffering Paul is going through is a visual representation of Christ's suffering. See verse 25. Paul's goal was to make the gospel known to everyone. It was his mission in life. He also wanted them to be mature in God. This is why Paul suffered so much. He was beaten, mocked, whipped, shipwrecked, and sick. Why? So others would know more about Christ.

Jesus bled and suffered so we could have the gospel. We're worshipping in Korea because someone sacrificed to bring the gospel here. My father consistently prayed at 5:00am to pray for my family and because of him, I became a pastor. Can you remember the last time you suffered for someone else?

The point is not to seek out suffering. No one likes that and we aren't made for that. We don't have to look for it. Suffering will happen on its own. See John 16:33 and 1 Peter 4:12-13. Don't be surprised when you suffer as a Christian. If you are surprised, you are following the prosperity gospel. The world hates God, so Christians will suffer.

We need to embrace suffering. What does that mean? It means we need to "rejoice in suffering". It means to say that honestly "It hurts but your will be done, Lord." You're thankful because you realize God is doing something in the long term. Maybe it's drawing you closer to God to help others go through the same problem.

What causes people to say "My pain, your gain"? See verses 26-27. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." The mystery of Jesus dwells in every single believer despite lack of holiness because Jesus is that High Priest who sacrificed his life to atone for our wicked sin. He renews us and sanctifies us until He returns. This is why we can rejoice in our sufferings. If this wasn't true, then it would be pointless to rejoice in our sufferings. All of the suffering in the world does not compare to the glory that awaits us (Romans 8:18).

See verse 29. With all of Christ's energy, not Paul's energy, it was Paul's pain for others' gain.


Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

My 12 Favorite Places in Rome (Not including the Colosseum) in Pictures

At Piazza della Trinity dei Monti above Piazza Spagna

There were so many places that I enjoyed about Rome so it was hard to pick only 10 places that I enjoyed the most, so I broke it down to twelve. In a previous blog post, I talked about the Colosseum because that's an obvious place that everyone needs to go to. Therefore I didn't include it in this post. I also left out the piazzas since they all had a certain charm about them. Having said that, here are the twelve places that I enjoyed the most. Let me know what you think of my list in the comments below.!



1. Foro Romano (The Roman Forum)

What I liked most: It was amazing to be among to be amongst beautiful architecture that dates all the way back to 8th Century BC. My favorite place to view it was at Palatine Hill (Palatino in Italian), which shows how spectacular this place is. It's right next to the Colosseum.

2. Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums)

What I liked most: I loved the busts of Roman poets, philosophers, and politicians as well as the outside of the museum. The statues make this museum. It's conveniently located near the Roman Forum.

3. The Vatican Museum

What I liked most: This place is enormous but every room was amazing. The ceilings were astounding, the Renaissance paintings were beautiful, and of course the painting of The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel to top it off. You'll spend most of your day here easily.

4. Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter's Basilica)

What I liked most: The view at the top of St. Peter's Basilica gives you a view of Rome that you just won't believe. The dome inside the church itself is pretty large and artistic and you can even take time to pray in one of the prayer rooms. It's the world's largest church building and located in Vatican City.

5. The Pantheon

What I liked most: My wife and I got to see the largest dome in the world, saw two nuns praying together inside, and didn't pay anything. I can't believe this was built between 118-128 AD!

6. Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo

What I liked most: This was one of my favorites as far as interior design goes. See the pictures below.

7. Night view of Castel Sant'Angelo (The Mausoleum of Hadrian)

What I liked most: Although my wife and I got here late, we couldn't go inside. However, we ate a nice dinner on the Tiber River at 5:00pm and stayed until it got dark. Then we got some beautiful views of the Castel and St. Peter's Basilica from a distance. It was well worth the wait.

8. The Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Palazzo Barberini

What I liked most: I loved the beautiful paintings and few people were here. I got a picture of the Henry VIII painting and although it didn't come out well, I thought the following three pictures represented how beautiful this museum was. If you do come here, don't forget to go behind the museum. You'll see a beautiful garden with a fountain (but, of course) that many people might not realize is there. It was quiet and very relaxing.

This ceiling was so big that I couldn't capture all of it.

9. Museo Nazionale Romano (The National Roman Museum)

What I liked most about it: I loved the courtyard and the Roman history. There are a lot of statues including a bust of Nero and other notable Roman figures.

10. Museo Nazionale Di Palazzio (National Roman Museum) near Piazza Venezia

What I liked most about it: The inside of the museum wasn't that amazing but the roof made up for it. You can get a great shot of Venizia Square (Piazza Venezia) with the Italian flag and beautiful Roman architecture all around this place.

11. Chiesa del Gesù (Church of the Gesu)

What I liked most about it: The lighting that shone through this beautiful church.

12. Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain)

What I liked most about it: Although this place has A LOT of people around it and annoying people trying to get you to buy roses, it's still a very large and well constructed fountain. To actually be at one of the most copied fountains in the world was pretty cool.

Overview of Rome: Rome was fantastic. Although the city wasn't the cleanest, the architecture stood out the most obviously and made up for it. One of my favorite style of paintings is during the Renaissance era, so Rome definitely satisfied my curiosity there. Also, The food was wonderful and the prices were generally moderate. The food that stood out the most were the tortellini pasta, the thin pizza with prosciutto, and the firm linguine pasta noodles. I had no complaints with the food at all. The people were mostly friendly and the service was good at the restaurants. I recommend anyone to visit Rome once in their life!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy