Amuse Bouche

Running around Seoul and looking for food to go? Then you're spoiled for choice. Street vendors in the South Korean capital tempt passersby with a tasty, Technicolor range of snacks, of which the most popular is o-deng . It has the consistency of a sausage, a distinct salty flavor, and is rumored to be made of fish. (Just don't ask what part—explanations from Koreans range from "the fishy part" to a blunt "I don't know.") Another favorite, and one of less obscure provenance, is duk bok gi —rice noodles as thick as cigars, smothered in red pepper paste.

Some...