By Jane Han
Staff Reporter

The roasted chestnuts stand in front of Kyobo Bookstore in downtown Seoul used to sell at least 150 bags per day during the cold season ― but not this year.

After the highly contagious H1N1 virus started claiming more lives among those of the apparently healthy, people began taking stricter sanitary precautions, which meant shunning street food.

"I'm selling less than 80 to 100 bags of chestnuts these days," says Kim Ok-ja, a street vendor who runs her stand for at least eight hours a day.

The situation is no different for other street food sellers.

Lee Min-ja, who sells "tteokbokki," spicy rice cakes, and a full range of other all-time popular street snacks, says her cart in Myeong-dong has recently been getting less foot traffic.

"Our business is extremely sensitive to consumer sentiment," she said, adding that the pandemic is scaring health-conscious people from eating out.

So does this mean Koreans are no longer eating their favorite winter street food?

Not nearly, as recent sales data indicate that they've simply moved indoors.

According to hypermarket chains and online shopping sites, consumers seem to be making their own street food in the comfort and safety of their own homes.

E-Mart, the country's top hypermarket chain, says sales of sweet pancake mix climbed 27 percent compared to last year, while Internet shopping site Auction saw a 75-percent year-on-year increase in sales of the same product.

Sales of plain white rice cake soared 450 percent, the biggest sales jump in the food category this year, according to Auction.

"The weather is getting cold and swine flu is spreading faster, so people are asking themselves, 'Why not make it at home myself?" said Kim So-jung, an Auction representative.

jhan@koreatimes.co.kr