Waiting 10 Hours Just to Eat Rice Cakes… The Hidden Reason Behind the Craze

[Anchor]

Rice cakes are enjoying a resurgence in popularity these days, led by items like glutinous rice cakes filled with fruit or yogurt. The craze has even birthed the term "tteok-open-run," describing people lining up the night before, and experts say it goes far beyond simply eating.

Reporter An Huijae visited the scene.

[Reporter]

This is a dessert shop in Seoul.

Known by word of mouth for its "fruit glutinous rice cakes," it is packed with people of all ages from early in the morning.

[Lee Seo-yul / Gangdong-gu, Seoul: This is my first time waiting in such a long line to buy something. It has gone viral on social media, so....]

The long waiting queues continue late into the night.

[Store Official: (How long do I have to wait?) You have to wait about an hour and a half to two hours right now.]

The term "tteok-open-run" has emerged, meaning to rush in as soon as the doors open to buy rice cake desserts.

At this shop selling desserts combining rice cakes and chocolate, customers still have to wait in line even after picking up pre-ordered items.

Reviews flooded in from this store about how people had to stay up all night holding their spots just to successfully buy "mochi," though it recently switched to an online reservation system.

Even those slots sell out in an instant.

[Choi Do-yeon / Yeongjong-gu, Incheon: I kept refreshing the page and managed to grab a canceled slot. The more delicious things you eat, the happier you are, and I think a sense of competition kicks in knowing that only the chosen ones can do it.]

Despite the high prices, DIY recipe videos are also being shared widely.

[YouTube Channel 'Yunchacha': Put plenty of halved green grapes, and then add another layer of yogurt....]

The purpose of this kind of consumption goes far beyond just eating.

Experts analyze that consumers do not mind even if they devour in an instant what they obtained after a 10-hour wait, as long as they find their own meaning in the process.

[Chae Sun-ae / Director, Trend Center at Macromill Embrain: You cannot buy experience with money. Since people cannot afford major luxuries, they channel the time and money they saved into things that make their hearts race. It is a miniature version of "zero-point consumption," meaning spending precisely and surely only on things that are meaningful to oneself.]

Starting with the trend of chewy chocolate cookies earlier this year, consumers have been rapidly shifting their emotional consumption targets as dessert types change.

(Video Editing: Park Ji-in, VJ: Lee Ji-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.