Choco-Pie!

Time now to talk of many things -- shoes, ships, sealing wax, cabbages and Choco-Pie. I don't remember the exact moment during my time in Japan when I discovered Choco-Pies, but discover them I did. A sometime treat for me in those days, because they were a bit expensive in their shiny boxes of eight (or was it 10?), I enjoyed them anyway, the MoonPies of the Orient. Just the name is fun to say. Say it with with emphasis on the "pie" and you'll see: ChocoPIE! It was years before I found out that they weren't native to Japan, but were rather Korean. Not that that matters to me.

Not long ago I read the Wiki entry on Choco-Pies. It's a fine example of multi-source writing, because it starts off in fully idiomatic English and then switches suddenly to English written by someone whose native language is clearly something else. I preserve the text here, because the Wiki entry might changed without warning, perhaps losing the charms of the fractured-English section.

As of today, anyway, it says: "Choco Pie is a confectionary treat created and manufactured since 1974 by the Orion Confectionery, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Similar to a moon pie, a Choco Pie consists of two layers of chocolate-dipped cookies, with a marshmallow filling.

"The Choco Pie is considered a quintessential Korean treat, similar to the status of the Oreo cookie in American culture. Lotte Confectionery makes an imitation which is priced below that of the Choco Pie in order to compete...

"In recent years Orion has used the Choco Pie to gain a foothold in foreign markets, and Orion now controls a 2/3 share of the Chinese cookie market, with a third of Orion's revenue now coming from outside Korea. Whole series of choco pies have been sold more than 12.1 billions all over the world.

"Orion company selected 4 main position - South Korea, Russia, Vietnam and China. In China, choco pie had a repuation of having a big success on whole market going through stable deal.

"In South Korea, choco pie has a strong image of Jeong which indicates closeness among people in Korea. Its advertisments stil have a large point on impressive relationship among family members, companions and so on. Its CM song is widely known.

말하지 않아도 알아요 (I can know your heart without your telling me.)

눈빛만 보아도 알아 (When I see your look, I can understand)

그냥 바라보면 마음 속에 있다는 걸 (Just look at you. It lies within your heart.)"