Cup-bap (Korean: 컵밥) is a food truck offering that consists of bap (rice) in a paper or plastic cup with a variety of toppings. Created in the 2000s for Korea street food, cup-bap has become a popular quick meal or snack for students from private cram schools known as hagwons (Korean pronunciation: [haɡwʌn]) in the neighborhood of Noryangjin.

Definition and history

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food cup-bap

In the streets of Noryangjin, many students would come out to eat at the same time which had been causing long lines at restaurants. Noryangjin had only offered very basic quick snacks such as hot dogs, so food trucks with cup-bap then filled the demand for quick, cheap, and more satisfying meals with rice, meat, and egg.[1] Food trucks are able to quickly fill cup-bap orders, because they stir-fry the ingredients in advance in a large frying pan; when the cup-bap is ordered, the pre-cooked toppings are put in a cup with rice and egg. Because cup-bap is convenient to eat on the go as well as a more satisfying meal than other quick snacks, it grew in popularity with students. More food trucks started offering cup-bap along with a wider variety of toppings to satisfy various tastes.[2]

Types

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types of cup-bap

Some of the most popular kinds of cup-bap are stir-fried kimchi, Bibimbap, bulgogi, pork-belly & ham, chicken teriyaki,[3] chicken mayonnaise, tuna mayonnaise, etc.

Main consumers

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In Korea, cup-bap is a food truck offering that academy students eat for a snack or as a meal on the Noryangjin Institutes Street, and as it became more popular, new franchises opened near the schools. The main consumers are students and others who need a quick and cheap meal.[4]

Korean food has gained huge popularity in Vietnam due to the influence of the Korean wave. Among them, sales of products such as tteok-bokki, cup-bap, and japchae has risen by 38 percent. Cup-bap has also been very successful In Cambodia.[5]

Disadvantages and problems

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  1. Cup-bap nutrition has both benefits and drawbacks. It's a meal made up of meat with eggs on top of rice with relatively few vegetables available. So although it's a more nutritious meal than some basic snacks, it's high in carbohydrates, fat, and salt while lacking in vitamins and minerals. Without much fiber, it doesn't always digest well.[6] In general, sodium and sugar content are high.[7]
  2. Hygienic management is challenging because many ingredients are stored pre-cooked; so bacteria that could cause enteritis is more likely to develop than in freshly prepared food truck offerings.[8]
  3. Under South Korea's law on the labeling of origin of agricultural and fisheries products, the country of origin for beef, pork and chicken in cup-bap must be listed on the menu, but few food trucks follow this law. Cup-bap food trucks are not authorized businesses by the Metropolitan Government, so they aren't obligated to abide by the law, and they don't pay taxes.[9]

Commercialization in food companies

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Starting from Noryangjin's food truck cup-bap, you can now find shops that sell cup-bap all over the streets of Korea, plus dried cup-bap as instant food. Convenience stores and famous Korean food companies are also launching a variety of cup-bap products. In particular, Korea's leading convenience store GS25[10] and food company Ottogi[11] are making great efforts to expand its presence abroad.[12] One-person households in Korea have increased significantly and it is now considered more acceptable to have dinner alone; as such more convenience stores and food companies are offering cup-bap.[13][14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ https://n.news.naver.com/article/009/0004446049."노량진 鷺梁津-조용한 열정 그리고 공시생과 컵밥". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-04. <Noryangjin, Silent passion, and test-takers and cup-bap>, maeil news, 2019-10-17, There is the beginning of a cup-bap in the third paragraph.
  2. ^ https://n.news.naver.com/article/022/0002330636."고시생 끼니에서 소풍·파티 음식으로... '컵밥'의 진화". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-11. <From student meals to picnics, party food...the evolution of cup rice>, world-news, 2011-11-10
  3. ^ http://www.wtable.net/themes/20?r=."아내의 식탁". www.wtable.net (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-04. "Wife's dinner table", explain how to cook Chicken teriyakicup-bap.
  4. ^ https://n.news.naver.com/article/047/0001998327."2000원 컵밥을 둘러싼 '노량진 전쟁' 아십니까". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-04. <Noryangjin War over 2,000 Won Cup-bap>, oh my news, 2012-04-12, It is said that the first paragraph is very popular with students who lack time and money. For example, an office worker, a college student, a high school student, etc.
  5. ^ http://www.foodnews.news/news/article.html? no=28636,www.foodnews.news (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-06, <Korean Young Man Continues the Story of Success in Cambodia>, food-news, 2019-10-21
  6. ^ https://n.news.naver.com/article/422/0000140232."[현장IN] 취업준비생 밥상 잔혹사…노량진 '삼시세끼'". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-04. <The cruelty of the students preparing to get a job; meals in Noryangjin.>, Yon-hap News tv, 2015-10-04, Experts are concerned about the malnutrition of cup-bap.
  7. ^ 유, 승목 (2020-09-02). "식사로는 부족하고 짜다…'컵밥의 배신' - 머니투데이". news.mt.co.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  8. ^ https://m.asiatime.co.kr/news/newsview.php?ncode=179547399070784."동작구, 노량진컵밥거리 등 거리음식 위생 점검". m.asiatime.co.kr (in Korean). 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2019-12-04. <Sanitary inspection of street foods, such as Noryangjin Cup-bap street, etc.>, aisa-time, 2019-04-24, The sanitary conditions of street food were seriously poor, and the city government conducted a sanitary inspection.
  9. ^ https://n.news.naver.com/article/586/0000004695."[용산참사④] '노량진 컵밥거리', 단속 대신 상생으로 갈등 해법 찾아". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-11. <Noryangjin Cup bop problem, trying to find a win-win solution instead of cracking down on it.>, Current affairs journalism, 2019-01-20. It is an article that says the government is discussing with food truck vendors to solve the legal problem of cup bop.
  10. ^ https://n.news.naver.com/article/421/0003589357."GS25,컵밥 출시". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-04.<gs25 cup rice rollout>, seoul economics, 2012-04-04, Gs25 is launching cup-type lunchboxes.
  11. ^ https://n.news.naver.com/article/031/0000460714.Noglasses@etoday.co.kr,안경무 기자 "'간편식 명가' 명성 이어가는 오뚜기". 이투데이 (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-04. . <Ottogi Continues to Celebrate ' hmr(Home Meal Replacement) Representative'>,etoday, 19-10-22 Ottogi is launching a variety of instant foods, including cup-baps.
  12. ^ https://n.news.naver.com/article/031/0000460714."GS25"베트남 편의점서 '즉석 조리 식품' 인기"". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-04. <GS25, Instant Food Popularity at Vietnamese Convenience Stores>, I-news, 2018-08-28, Vietnamese people often visit instant food such as cup-bap and tteokbokki at convenience stores, in a survey.
  13. ^ http://m.etoday.co.kr/view.php?idxno=1828461.''쌀 소비의 역설'...개인은 줄고 즉석밥ㆍ도시락 덕에 기업은 늘고". 이투데이 (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-11. <The paradox of rice consumption, private consumption decreased, and companies increased thanks to instant rice and lunch boxes.>, E-today, 2019-12-03
  14. ^ https://n.news.naver.com/article/018/0002603481."도시락전문점의 이유있는 돌풍". n.news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2019-12-11. <The Growth of lunch box and Cup-bap Chain store>, 2012-05-21
  15. ^ "[오늘 통한 과거리뷰] 컵밥". 파이낸셜리뷰 (in Korean). 2022-08-25. Retrieved 2022-09-05.