You see them all the time in dramas. If you ever visit South Korea, you will see them all over town.

I'm talking about the pojang-macha — literally, "a horse carriage wrapped."

Pojangmacha are food carts that also sells alcohol. It looks like a horse carriage with a makeshift tarp extending out to accommodate a row of seats.

Tented food carts have been around for as long as I remember. They pop up around town in the evenings and stay open till the last customer leaves, then disappear before the sun comes up.

The menu is very simple and meant to complement drinks. For obvious reasons, the tent bar doesn't have a full kitchen, so the menu is simple, such as various grilled fish, vegetable sticks, clams, mussel soup, oden, udon, ramen, etc.

The alcohol list is also simple: domestic beer and the ever-popular soju.

Pojangmacha do not serve cocktails or other mixed drinks. The Pojangmacha is usually the last stop when bar-hopping with friends, clients or colleagues. It's extremely casual, cheap and accessible.

Like Hawai'i's ubiquitous lunchwagons, pojangmacha pop up around offices or near urban street corners.

The food is of fairly good quality, though I do wonder where the proprietors get water to cook, do the dishes and such.

Pojangmacha have evolved with the times. In the Kang-nam, south of the Han river, land prices have shot through the roof. Because of that, a new breed of pojangmacha has developed. Gas stations, car washes and auto-body repair shops — which tend to have large, open spaces — become tent bars at night. The space transforms into a sea of plastic tables and chairs after regular business hours.

Because these businesses often have a proper kitchen in the back, menus here are much more diverse — and so is the price. They also serve various cocktail versions of soju, but not a full bar by any means.

Star-watcher tip: If you frequent Haja or JuJu tent bars, you may run into K-drama celebrities.

The latest trend in pojang-macha is the oden bar.

You can't get cheaper than the oden bar. Oden (fishcake) is always available in large quantities ready to eat — and it's the only thing available on the menu. For a few bucks, you can grab a quick midnight snack.

Want to find a taste of pojangmacha on O'ahu? Check out these two businesses in Honolulu: Toho on Ke'eaumoku Street and Ducky's Bungalow in Manoa.

Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD, which televises all of the K-dramas. If you have a K-drama question or comment, call KBFD at 521-8066.

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