Gourmet candy chef on the streets of Huam dong.

Came across another OINK (only in Korea) today. As we walked to the playground (ie the hamster habit-trail for kids) near our home, I noticed a small store with several Atari/Pac Man era video game stations set up along the store's front outside on the street. That didn't catch my attention. What did catch my eye was a 7-8 year old Korean boy fiddling with a tiny little copper ladle on a heating element.

I watched him retrieve a copper ladle from a coffee can full of syrupy colored liquid (which appeared to be a rinsing pot) high on the top left side of this 'vending machine of sorts'. He put some coins into the machine, pressed a button and then filled the copper ladle with sugar that came out the bottom of the machine (like a dime store candy machine). He next put the ladle on a burning hot coil heating element on the top of the machine (of which there were two)--and proceeded to caramelize the sugar, using a popsicle stick to stir it. Once it caramelized, he dipped his popsicle stick into a little depression on the top of the machine that had another white powdery substance in it. I presume this was either baking soda or citric acid/flavouring of some sort. He added the powder to the caramelized sugar and it immediately bubbled/foamed up. Immediately, he poured out the confection into a lollipop mold on a 'hutch' on the top of the machine, carefully inserted his stirring/popsicle stick into, pulled down an iron press and within seconds pulled out a lollipop in the shape of a pokemon character. I WAS GOBSMACKED!!!

I had never seen any sort of vending machine like this before in my life!!! I've travelled quite extensively around the world and this was yet another first for me! I was amazed that this kid of perhaps 8 years of age even knew how to caramelize sugar, much less go through the entire process of cooking candy. I was even more amazed that it was a vending machine ON THE STREET. I can only imagine how such a machine would never be 'approved' in the US for fear of children burning themselves on the flaming hot coils or for, more likely, those kids who would craft alternative uses for the machine. Simply incredible! Now, I'm starting to wonder how many of these machines I'd walked past on previous outings that I had absolutely no clue what its purpose was. The only reason this machine caught my eye this time was because this boy was actually using it. Definitely another Only IN Korea experience!!! It's definitely one of those you have to see it to believe it things. Another reason why you should NEVER leave home without your camera!!! ;)