Gyosan Hangwa: Traditional Sweets in Gangneung
When you steam snow crab, you have to wait about 20 to 30 minutes. The fish market seems like it would have a lot to see, but once you buy your fish, it's all the same and there isn't much else to look at. For people like us, there's a very spacious coffee shop on the second floor. Maybe because it's not well-known yet, there weren't many customers. It's a shame there were so few people considering the effort put into the space, but personally, I expect good word of mouth to spread soon. The owner is so kind and explains everything so well that I feel like it'll end up on TV at least once.
Anyway, I asked the coffee shop owner where the hangwa (traditional Korean sweets) village was and which shop was famous. They said the other places are all fine, but they personally order from 'Gyosan Hangwa' to give as gifts to acquaintances. Since it was a local's recommendation, we headed straight to Gyosan Hangwa without a second thought.
Was it just past 5 PM? The darkness was already smacking its lips to swallow the sun. The hangwa village is located in Sacheon-myeon, and whenever I hear 'Sacheon,' I just think of some farmer-turned-politician who used to wear a hanbok, whose name I can't even remember anymore. Chuckling to myself while making up these weird connections in my head, we arrived at Gyosan Hangwa. (The original place name is Moraenae Hangwa Village. Personally, I think Moraenae is a prettier name than Sacheon, but I suspect Sacheon might be a remnant of Japanese colonial rule. I wish it was called Moraenae Village or Moraenae Hangwa Village instead of Sacheon-myeon.)
When we arrived, it was pitch black outside and the doors were closed. Only random dogs were barking at us, so I was thinking about moving to another shop. Just in case, I gave them a call, and someone hurried out from a nearby house. They said they had already finished packing for the day and didn't have much left, asking if we'd be okay with the bruised and ugly ones. Since it was just for our family to eat, I said, "No problem!" Not missing this opportunity, my mom started asking for a discount. Oh, come on, please.
It's not a diner or a restaurant, but I highly recommend it because it's just so delicious! It's completely different from the hangwa you buy at a regular supermarket. It's not overly sweet, and it doesn't stick to your teeth. They say they make it all by hand—I'm not sure exactly how much of the process is manual, but the flavor isn't overpowering and it's definitely good. With hangwa, taste is important, but texture is key. When you first bite into it, you feel the crispy exterior, almost like a seared steak, and an airy empty space inside that feels like it should hold juices. After that, if you roll it around with your tongue and let it melt, it turns into a small lump. Cheap supermarket hangwa sticks to your teeth and is so sweet that your throat feels dry after eating a few, but the hangwa here gets stuck in your teeth much less (it's not that it doesn't stick at all) and isn't overly sweet, making it really pleasant to eat. I hear people send this neighborhood's hangwa as gifts to homes holding ancestral rites, and I can completely understand why.
For reference, in Gangwon-do province, hangwa is called gwajil. They call it gwajil in North Korea too, and the owner said that's because the Hamgyeong and Gangwon dialects are similar.
