November 11th: Pepero Day

You know how holidays in the West like Valentines Day are manufactured by big business trying to unload over-priced greeting cards and sub-par candy? Well here in Korea it's just the same, only better.

November 11th (Veterans Day back in the States) is Pepero Day; a day to buy your loved ones, friends and teachers a particular cookie from the Lotte company. It's a long pretzel stick dipped in chocolate.

It's November 11th because it's the 11th day of the 11th month and when you put four Pepero sticks next to one another, it looks like 11 11.

What's great about this "holiday" is that it's completely manufactured. Nobody has any false notions that it's about love or some historic incident. It's just about getting and giving one particular cookie. And it works! Marketing genius!

So if you're sick of commemorating the sacrifice of veterans on November 11th and would rather celebrate the true hero of the west, commercialism, pick yourself up some chocolate-covered pretzel sticks.