Young women in Seoul are using a smartphone app to meet strangers and jointly purchase tteokbokki to reduce individual costs [1].
This trend highlights the growing financial pressure on young adults in South Korea, where escalating food prices and a rising cost of living have made solo dining increasingly expensive [2].
The process begins on a coordination app where participants arrange to meet at a popular tteokbokki shop [1]. According to the app's description, the organizers do not share personal information such as age or gender, focusing only on questions related to the food [3].
Once the group meets, they order a large plate of the spicy rice cakes and various side dishes [1]. Rather than eating together as a social gathering, the participants use personal containers to split the food into three equal portions [1]. After the food is divided, the group splits the bill down to the one-won unit [1]. Once the transaction is complete, the participants immediately disband [1].
One participant said that buying a variety of items alone feels like a burden because prices are too high [3]. Another participant suggested a specific variety of the dish, asking if others would like rose tteokbokki [3].
This practice of "collective purchasing" allows individuals to enjoy larger variety packs or family-sized portions that would be too expensive or too large for one person to consume [2]. By treating the encounter as a purely financial transaction, the women avoid the social obligations typically associated with dining out, while still benefiting from the lower per-unit cost of bulk orders.
“Buying a variety of items alone feels like a burden because prices are too high”
This shift toward transactional, stranger-based consumption reflects a broader economic strain in South Korea. By utilizing digital platforms to facilitate micro-collaborations, young consumers are bypassing traditional social structures to prioritize financial survival, turning a communal meal into a precise logistical exercise in cost-reduction.
