The New York Post reported that more and more office workers are eating Korean-style baked sweet potatoes for lunch in Midtown, a central business district in Manhattan, New York. This is because baked sweet potatoes have emerged as a relatively inexpensive alternative to a meal as lunch prices have soared in the wake of inflation.
According to the media, it is easy to see office workers buying and eating baked sweet potatoes without butter or even salt in markets, grocery stores, and street stalls in Midtown recently. The price of baked sweet potatoes is around $2 to $4 each, which has emerged as a relatively inexpensive option amid soaring prices for eating out.
With the price of a fast food set approaching $15 and a bowl of salad approaching $20, baked sweet potatoes are attracting attention as a “cost-effectiveness lunch.” Analysts say that even a slice of pizza, which was once a dollar, rose to more than $1.50 has affected this trend.
Such consumption patterns are rapidly spreading through social media. A food influencer posted a video of him tasting sweet potatoes and commented that they taste like marshmallows, while another Instagram user commented that they are too sweet to eat with sugar.
The New York Post said, “Baked sweet potatoes are a representative winter snack in East Asia such as Japan, Korea, and China,” and introduced that they have long been loved for their natural sweetness, satiety, and nutritional value. They are also considered a healthy food because they are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, and potassium.
In a cafe in Koreatown, New York, sweet potatoes are baked in the oven for $7.99 per pound (454 g). Depending on the size, they range from $2 to $3 per piece, about one-third the price of fries at Five Guys, New York’s leading burger chain. Two batches of sweet potatoes are also available for $6 to $7 at nearby Korean supermarket H Mart, which is less than half the price of a bowl of salad.
In addition to Korean marts and cafes, grilled sweet potatoes are also appearing as lunch menus in Mediterranean fast-casual restaurants located in the basement of Rockefeller Center. Some stores are so popular that they are sold out before lunchtime.
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
