Tuesday, December 6, 2011

A cup of coffee for two months salary

Now it is not so hard to find western-style food in Pyongyang. Recently, a coffee shop specializing in European style 'Vienna Coffee' has opened in Pyongyang as well.

According to Germany's Frankfurt local news media, a Vienna coffee shop has opened in downtown Pyongyang recently. They featured a detailed article on the coffee shop.

I love coffee, but apparently this so-called Vienna coffee refers to the strong coffee topped with sweet whipped cream. This coffee is known for its smooth yet sweet taste. They named the article "Pyongyang's Whipped Cream Bubble".

The shop was opened by an Austrian investor, and is a relatively small coffee shop with eleven tables. North Korean employees have already been taught how to make coffee and bake bread.

According to a female employee, about 30~40 customers visit the shop every day, most of them foreigners and foreign diplomats. A cup of coffee costs about 2 euros, equivalent to about 5 thousand North Korean won (2 months salary). The newspaper reported that despite the high price of coffee, more North Koreans are visiting every day.

Even then, the newspaper reported that there were young soldiers and children practicing synchronized dances and parades, and they seemed rather malnourished. In the heart of this communist regime, where all are supposed to be equal, the gap between the rich and the poor seems to be widening endlessly.

Source : Radio Free Asia - 평양에 비엔나 커피 전문점 등장

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