Happy Pepero Day

Here's some information about an interesting Korean holiday.

 Pepero Day is an observance in South Korea similar to Valentine's Day. It is named after the Korean snack Pepero and held on November 11, since the date "11/11" resembles four sticks of Pepero. The holiday is observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange Pepero sticks, other candies, and romantic gifts. Lotte denies starting the holiday and instead states that they noticed a bump in Pepero sales around November 11 and after continued popularity they decided to then encourage the holiday with special gift boxes and other promotions.

Lotte usually does about 55% of their Pepero business in November every year.
 

Lotte is a huge corporation here. Lotte Mart can be compared to Walmart. The one we go to here in Daegu is smaller than the average Walmart back home, but similar. It includes a Lottetteria! I bet you can guess that is their in-store cafeteria. They don't sell burgers or subs, but traditional Korean dishes. Lotte also has a huge amusement park in Seoul called Lotteworld! I have also seen apartment complexes called Lotte Castle.

So it appears that marketing is alive and well right here in South Korea. Who else has a holiday built around a type of food? Well I guess America has a few, doesn't it! But not necessarily a holiday for one brand of food. Maybe we should start Oreo Day. My son-in-law would promote that one. So what date would Oreo day be celebrated anyway? Since we don't have a month that has four zeroes I would suggest February 21st. That is the birthday of the son-in-law previously mentioned!